A newly-wedded couple cut their European honeymoon short after finding out their beloved dog died in the care of a trainer who waited several days to relay the news.
Masera and Emeka Ndukwe left their bernedoodle, Brooklyn, with dog trainer Alan Brown but decided to get the dog early after Brown repeatedly failed to provide photo updates. When they told Brown their friends were coming to retrieve the dog, he admitted that Brooklyn died days earlier after being left in his van.
“Just 48 hours after we dropped him off, our dog died in his care,” Masera, a Dallas resident, told Fox News. Brown “led me and my husband to believe for an entire week that our dog was alive.”
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The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office is reviewing complaints from the Ndukwes and another couple who also had a dog die in Brown’s care, ABC 8 reported.
The Ndukwes adopted Brooklyn as a puppy in July 2020 and instantly fell in love.
“He was just the sweetest, sweetest dog,” Masera said. “He became part of our family.”
Masera said that when it was time to take the trip, she thought Brown was a good fit to take care of Brooklyn, who she claims was like a child to them.
“I did a phone interview with him, and then I met him in person to do an interview with him prior to actually leaving for our honeymoon,” Masera said. “I never got any kind of impression that we would be leaving and coming back home after three weeks and wouldn’t have Brooklyn.”
Brown has been training dogs for over 13 years, according to his website. His company, K-9 Direction, holds an average of 4 stars for reviews on Google.
Brown told Masera that Brooklyn’s training was going well after she asked for updates several times, text messages reviewed by Fox News show. The Ndukwes asked for regular photos and videos of the dog during the three-week period, but they said Brown’s poor communication early on led them to send friends to check on Brooklyn.
“I just felt like something was wrong, but my worst fear at this point is that Brooklyn is just being left in a crate and that’s it,” Masera said. “But not that my dog has died by any means.”
The Ndukwes said they began to research the trainer more, eventually finding a negative review online claiming a one-year-old German Shepherd named Booster died in Brown’s care after being left in the heat.
Another dog, Hershey, also died in Brown’s care two weeks before Brooklyn, according to CBS Texas. Its owner said he wasn’t notified about the dog’s death until he picked him up.
When the Ndukwes told Brown their friends were coming to pick up the dog, he revealed that Brooklyn died. In a video provided to Fox News, Brown spoke to the friends, saying he withheld information because he didn’t want to ruin their honeymoon.
“The reason that I delayed contacting you is because you’re in France,” he said. “I did not call your emergency contact person—I should’ve, no question about that.”
“The only thing that I did wrong was not contact them immediately,” Brown continued. “My concern was every single anniversary from now until whenever …”
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Brown blamed his “cowardice,” adding that he was concerned about making such a difficult phone call.
Emeka said he rejects Brown’s defense.
“We paid him to look after our dog, not to look after our marriage or to preserve our honeymoon,” Emeka said. “I think it’s a ridiculous excuse.”
In the video, Brown said he left air-conditioning on in the van for Brooklyn. The trainer did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
“There’s no time that we understood that the van would be part of the care,” Emeka said. “If you see the video and the pictures of the van, you wouldn’t leave your worst enemy in that thing.”
Photos and videos of the van provided to Fox News by the couple show it littered with garbage and tools.
A local veterinarian technician said Brown called her in panic on June 25, asking how to perform chest compressions on a dog, according to an email Creekside Pet Care Center sent to the Ndukwes. Later that night, Brown reportedly brought Brooklyn to the facility, telling the technician that he successfully resuscitated the dog twice before it died, the email said.
The technician said she delayed the request to put the body in cold-storage by 24-hours because it would taint a necropsy, which ultimately indicated that heatstroke is suspected due to the clinical history, but that couldn’t be confirmed.
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After the incident, Masera and Emeka’s story went viral on Facebook, leading them to connect with other people who also had concerns about Brown and other trainers.
“This is the type of thing that happens often, and so we’re hoping that by our story getting out there that we can raise awareness and give owners hope that are in this position,” Emeka said. “There are things you can do to get justice.”
Coincidentally, about a month after their dog died, the couple received a phone call about one of Brooklyn’s littermates being available for adoption.
“I actually was not ready for another dog, I am still even today really grieving Brooklyn,” Masera said, calling the new dog, Mila, “a miracle.”
“So I am convinced in my heart that Brooklyn knew how much I was suffering, and he asked God to send her to us because she’s the sweetest, sweetest angel,” Masera added through tears.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
