Urine-Soaked Fur, Sick And Agressive Dogs Found At Colo. Springs Service Dog Firm: Report

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- Noelle's Dogs Four Hope sold service dogs for between $7,000 and $9,000 to families of people with diabetes, autism, allergies and hearing loss, but state authorities found the dogs were being raised in overcrowded, urine-splashed kennels with allegations of rough training and disease. The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Pet Animal Care Facilities Agency (PACFA) last week revoked the pet care license of the company in the 4900 block of Northpark Drive and its owner, Tina Lynn Rivero.

The CDA opened an investigation in March after complaints that the company claimed their animals were trained service dogs, but the dogs had undisclosed serious illnesses, weren't house-trained and exhibited behaviors such as separation anxiety and aggression.

Inspection reports and video from an August inspection show at least 20 dogs, some wearing veterinary cones, locked in tightly packed kennels with urine on the floor, which had missing and broken tiles. One dog had been injured by temporary sheet metal fencing in the dogs' enclosure.

"The smell is unbearable," noted an inspector to a police animal control officer, in the video.

The company was cited for allowing 20 or more dogs to run lose in the back area with no human supervision.

According to the report:

• A dog with a history of biting another dog was placed with a family where it attacked other dogs and bit a human and young puppy.
• A dog that had been diagnosed with the parasite Giardia, was sent with diarrhea to a home, where the child contracted the parasite. The family pediatrician believed the son contracted Giardia from the dog.
• A family complained of a bait-and-switch where a Chocolate Lab puppy named 'Thor' was promised to them, which they could follow with Facebook updates. The puppy allegedly had distemper and was euthanized, and a new Chocolate Lab was posted on Facebook, alleged the inspectors. Rivero told inspectors the first puppy was a personal pet and denied she had fraudulently replaced Thor with another puppy, also named Thor.
• Neighbors complained that a certain employee at the dog center used rough training methods including a "training stick." Rivero denied these allegations.
• People who fostered dogs in their homes said their homes had never been inspected by Rivero, in spite of paperwork filed with the state showing each foster home had been inspected. One dog may have escaped because the foster home was inadequately dog-proofed, the report said.
• Over several months, inspectors found the facility floor sticky with urine and found dog hair and feces in the facility.

According to its website, Noelle’s mission statement is, “… to provide affordable Service Animals to as many people in need as possible, especially children, to enhance the quality of life and to educate the public about the value of Service Animals and the independence they offer.” The company has been in business since 2008 and grossed almost $250,000 in 2015, according to not-for-profit corporate tax forms filed with the IRS.

Rivero did not immediately return a phone message for comment.

Some non-profit organizations assisted disabled customers with grants to purchase a service dog from Noelle's. Colorado-based charity The Resource Exchange's spokesman, Gary Butcher, said his company's clients had mixed opinions of dogs obtained from Noelle's with a grant from their organization.

"We have provided funds to purchase service dogs for a number of families," Butcher wrote in an email. "Families reported mixed reactions to their dogs and experiences with Noelle's. At least half had good experiences and the dogs were meeting the service expectations. The other half had more challenging experiences ranging from challenges with allergies to the dogs to health issues with the dogs to challenges related to training the dogs."

Rivero is forbidden to run a pet business for at least two years and all dogs must be legally transferred to new owners by Oct. 31, a statement from the Colo. Dept. of Agriculture said.

Image: Tina Rivero, owner of Noelle's Dogs Four Hope via Colorado Dept. of Agriculture, Pet Animal Care Facilities Agency.