Dog trainer determined to get his pets back from SPCA

Dog trainer Glenn Affenzeller hasn’t finished fighting for possession of four dogs seized by the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“I’ve got to get my family back, absolutely,” he said.

“I’ve got lots of backbone after 16 years in business.”

Affenzeller lost an appeal of the society’s decision to keep his dogs and is planning legal action to recover his pets, even though two have already been adopted out.

“I certainly didn’t think (the appeals panel) listened to much that I said, and I’ll have to leave it at that at this point,” said Affenzeller, owner of Dog Talk Ventures, who goes by the surname Zeller.

The SPCA took the dogs Aug. 3 after reviewing a video that allegedly shows Zeller violently disciplining a client’s dog, Dawson, for at least 36 seconds.

SPCA chief enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty noted Zeller “picked up a dog by the head, slammed it onto the concrete and punched it closed fisted multiple times,” according to the B.C. Farm Industry Review Board decision.

The SPCA logged 42 complaints about Zeller’s dog handling methods between 2006 and 2019, some of which describe dogs being thrown to the ground and punched.

Special Provincial Constables, accompanied by Vancouver Police and an animal behaviour specialist, executed a warrant at Zeller’s premises and seized six dogs, including two belonging to clients, one of whom is Zeller’s veterinarian.

An examination of Zeller’s dogs Carebear, Mika, Duphous and Hazel by a vet at the Vancouver SPCA Shelter found all four had decent body condition, but showed signs of “chronic ongoing pain and discomfort in addition to blatant neglect and untreated medical conditions.”

Moriarty recommended that the dogs not be returned to Zeller.

The society is also recommending charges to Crown Counsel under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Criminal Code “related to the incident in the video and causing distress to his animals,” said Moriarty.

When the board declined Zeller’s appeal Oct. 11, the dogs were made available for adoption and two have been rehomed, she said.

He was also ordered to pay the SPCA $7,400 for the care of his animals while they were in custody.

Eleven character witnesses gave statements to the panel on Zeller’s behalf, describing his success with rambunctious and aggressive dogs.

Veterinarian Dr. Kestelman brought his own dog Skylar to Zeller for training and said his training methods compared favourably with methods used by the Israeli military.

Kestelman secretly followed Zeller a couple of times to see how he worked and thought his method was perfect and professional, the panel wrote.

“He understood the Appellant only took on challenging, large breed cases,” reads the decision. “He stated that punching and holding a dog to the ground is sometimes necessary, but in his view, it is not abusive.”

Testifying for the SPCA, veterinarian Ian Welch disagreed, saying any “correction” to a dog’s behaviour beyond three to five seconds is abuse.