09/27/2026
Part of our responsibility as a rescue isn’t just taking dogs in after something terrible happens. It’s speaking up when we believe dogs are being put in harm’s way.
We recently learned about a shepherd who was sent to Green Leaf Pet Resort for training with the goal of becoming a police K9. The training videos we have seen are incredibly disturbing. What we saw was not confidence building or thoughtful development of a working dog. We saw extremely heavy handed e collar use on a dog whose confidence appeared to deteriorate rather than improve. Ultimately, he failed as a police K9 candidate.
What happened afterward is even more troubling.
We were told that this dog was then adopted out and later dumped in the woods. When Green Leaf learned what had happened, we were told they refused to take him back, allowing him to end up in a shelter instead. We have also been provided messages that appear to show employees being instructed not to discuss the situation.
Since we began looking into what happened to this dog, current and former employees have reached out to us with deeply concerning accounts of what they say they witnessed at this facility. Those allegations involve not only dogs being trained for K9 work, but privately owned client dogs as well. We have also found public allegations from owners regarding dogs dying while in their care, and we have received accounts involving serious injuries and treatment of dogs that, if accurate, are completely unacceptable.
We are not going to stay quiet simply because speaking up is uncomfortable.
People trust boarding and training facilities with members of their family. They deserve to know when serious concerns have been raised so they can ask questions, do their own research, and make informed decisions about who they trust with their animals.
Please be aware of the allegations surrounding Green Leaf Pet Resorts and use extreme caution when deciding where to board or train your dog.
As for the shepherd at the center of all of this, we are currently working to get him into our rescue.
This dog has been failed enough.
We want to make sure that from here forward, he is finally safe.