Dunkin, a Bernese mountain dog owned by Los Angeles DJ Andrew Fedyk and influencer Madeleine White, passed away in late August while in the care of Smart Dogs Training Academy, a boarding and training facility run by Jeff Todd and assistant Jalen Hicks. The couple had paid $10,000 for both of their dogs to participate in a four-week live-in training program. Two days into the stay, while the couple was on vacation, they were informed that Dunkin had died nearly six hours earlier, reportedly due to overheating at a local park. Dunkin’s death has led to calls for justice, with the hashtag #Justice4Dunkin trending on Instagram and a surge of one-star reviews on Smart Dogs’ Yelp page. Fedyk discovered that Dunkin may not be the first dog to die under Todd’s care. At least seven other families have since contacted him, sharing stories of their pets passing during stays at Smart Dogs under similar circumstances. These include a second Bernese mountain dog who died earlier this year, a 10-month-old golden retriever being trained as a service animal, a dog named Leo who was so malnourished he died three days after returning home, and a pet named Dobie who was euthanized without the owner’s consent after allegedly attacking staff. Todd, who claims to have trained over 25,000 dogs in the past 25 years, has also appeared as an expert witness on the reality TV show Tribunal Justice, where he said he trained over 100,000 dogs and worked with police and military K-9 units. He later told Fedyk and White that he had trained Cesar Millan and that Zendaya trusts her dogs with him. However, Fedyk and White had felt uneasy about Todd from the start, describing him as abrasive and pushy. When they hesitated about the most intensive training, Todd allegedly berated Fedyk for lacking trust. Other red flags included the removal of the dogs’ AirTags at the time of Dunkin’s death and Todd’s habit of meeting clients at dog parks, never revealing the location of the facility. Bill Spector, another dog owner, also had concerns after his mastiff-shepherd mix, Ranger, died under Todd’s care roughly five years ago. Todd claimed the dog had passed after being given a second dose of Prozac, a typically nonlethal drug used for anxiety in dogs. However, Spector found the story suspicious but did not pursue it further at the time due to personal issues. Recently, Fedyk learned from a prospective trainer who interviewed with Todd and Hicks that Todd did not actually have a facility and was allegedly sleeping in a branded Sprinter van with up to four dogs. CBS reported that the van had not been seen at Smart Dogs’ reported address for over a year. A necropsy on Dunkin, expected in a few months, may provide more clarity on the cause of death. The attention surrounding Dunkin’s death has highlighted a growing concern about the disparity between how people value their pets and how the law treats them. In most U.S. states, pets are considered property, not individual beings, which can complicate legal actions after their deaths. No state currently requires dog trainers to be licensed. Fedyk is focused on seeking criminal accountability for Todd, working with Los Angeles Animal Services to pursue charges against him and Smart Dogs. Legal experts and dog training professionals have compared consumer trust in board-and-training facilities to trust in restaurants, emphasizing the need for regulation. Los Angeles requires kennels to obtain licenses and permits, but there is no national standard. In July of this year, an Irvine, California, trainer was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison for the deaths of 11 dogs left in a hot car. Just weeks after announcing Dunkin’s death, Fedyk shared another heartbreaking story, writing “JUSTICE FOR KILO. REGULATE DOG TRAINING.” Kilo, an 11-month-old Samoyed, had died after allegedly being locked in a crate in the heat under the care of another California dog trainer.