Another dog owner steps forward over alleged dog abuse in Lena
LENA, La. (KALB) - It has been just under a week since videos of Cypress Arrow Kennel and K9 Academy in Lena went viral, showing alleged dog mistreatment. As the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office continues its investigation into this alleged abuse, another dog owner is stepping forward.
Carmen Cloute and her husband, Jared, sent their Cane Corso, Fenixx, to Cypress Arrow for advanced training on July 15. While their dog was still in Lena, the couple said they were sent a video of Fenixx being hit with an object multiple times.
The video showcased two people on opposite sides of Fenixx, pulling her with leashes while one of them continuously hit the dog with an object. Carmen described what it was like seeing that video for the first time and her first contact with Tina Frey, Cypress Arrow’s owner, afterward.
“When I opened that email and that video, my blood ran cold,” Carmen said. “We called Tina. I said ‘Tina, what is this’ and she said ‘oh, that’s the correction training.’ We gave Cypress Arrow permission to make any corrections to any behavior that she was exhibiting. We would have never agreed to that method. The thing that’s just going on in my head is why, if she is a professional, didn’t she say ‘hey Mr. and Mrs. Cloute, I’m going to use this method. It’s going to look controversial. Do I have your permission?’ We would’ve never said yes to that.”
After seeing the video, the couple then drove from Texas to pick Fenixx up early from training at Cypress Arrow. Frey was there as the Cloutes reunited with their dog, and this is what they said she mentioned about the video:
“She mentioned something to me that they didn’t show me the beginning and the ending, all they show is that little snippet. For a split second, I was like okay, I see what she’s saying. But at the same time, it’s like Tina, you have to understand, in our eyes, we’re the dog parents and that looks pretty bad.”
The Cloutes shared that they did not see any visible markings or welts on their dog when they picked her up in Lena, but are taking Fenixx to a vet to get fully checked out. They said they did give a statement to authorities about seeing the video of Fenixx at the academy.
RPSO said it is continuing its investigation and said no arrests have been made and no animals have been removed from the facility by any authorities.
Since we were made aware of the allegations last Thursday, we have made multiple attempts to contact Cypress Arrow Kennel and K9 Academy, as well as Tina Frey, but have not yet gotten a response.
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