LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Two suspects were arrested and 35 dogs were seized as part of an animal cruelty investigation in Las Vegas, according to police.
Police say John Johnstone, 38, and Tabitha Berube, 32, were taken into custody. Johnstone faces four counts related to animal cruelty, while Berube faces one count.
A search warrant was served on Wednesday.
People in this community say it was at the Working Dogs of Nevada near West Lake Mead and Tenaya Way.
“We came out of the gym yesterday, and we thought they were having a grand opening, and we saw all the police cars and stuff like that, that all,” said Antonio Jones who goes to the gym located next to the business.
Jones saw Metro Police’s Animal Cruelty Section outside of the Working Dogs of Nevada rescue and rehabilitation business.
It wasn’t long before he found out that what he thought was a celebration was actually 35 dogs getting removed as part of an animal cruelty investigation that also led to two arrests.
“Scary man, because you know you trust your animal. They’re like family,” said Jones. “You trust them with somebody just like a foster child or child care or anything you would drop your child off at.”
Jones says he had gone inside before and was thinking about using the services there for his rotweiler.
“I hope that the public and, you know, the authorities take care of the individuals and punish the individuals. You know, those animals don’t have a voice,” said Jones.
According to police, Detectives had received information in early March about training practices that rose to the level of animal cruelty.
An emergency suspension of the business license was also served to the owner.
News 3 tried to call Working Dogs of Nevada and tried stopping by.
In the meantime, the 35 dogs taken from the business are currently at the Animal Foundation, along with 15 dogs from another unrelated investigation.
We couldn’t get access to those dogs because of the ongoing investigations.
“We work with the City of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Clark County is to be that safety net for the animals that are in greatest need,” said Hilarie Grey, CEO of the Animal Foundation. “So those who’ve been you know victims of cruelty or abuse or have been abandoned or injured.”
Grey says with the dogs brought in from the 2 investigations bring the total number of dogs at their campus to 405.
That includes adoptable dogs as well as those on hold.
She says the focus right now is taking care of the animals going through Metro’s investigation.
“When we see a big case like this, that’s a cruelty investigation, it’s not just the veterinarians kind of checking the medical and you know, any damage that’s been done to the physical body of the poor pet, but also, you know, what’s the mental toll?” said Grey.
Grey says to help address overcrowding, the Animal Foundation is getting some help next week from the Best Friends Animal Society.
“They have helped arrange for us a flight where we’ll transfer over 30 animals to Utah, where there are rescues and shelters, where they, right now, have kind of the opposite problem that we have here, where they have more adopters than they have animals,” she said.
While the dogs in the investigation remain on hold at the Animal Foundation News 3 was given a statement from Mary Berube, grandmother of Tabitha Berube, one of the suspects in the case.
She talked about her daughter’s love for animals outside of her work.
The statement reads: “I don’t believe that she would do something like that because she always took in dogs that would be killed. I never saw her abusing animals. Why would she take an animal that’s going to be killed into her home and take care of them the way she did if she doesn’t care for animals.”
Court records indicate Johnstone and Berube both posted bond. Their next court hearing is scheduled for April 29.
The Animal Foundation says you can help with their overcrowding issue by fostering and adopting a furry friend if you’re looking to provide a loving home.
They say because weekends are very busy, Wednesdays and Thursdays are actually the best time to stop by.
For more details, click here.
The Jason Heigl Foundation, a nonprofit started by actress Katherine Heigl and her mother Nancy for animal advocacy provided a statement on Thursday.
The statement said that Working Dogs of Nevada is one of several dog training facilities that the Foundation has retained on a fee-for-service basis to provide training and placement for dogs the Jason Heigl Foundation rescues from Los Angeles shelters.
The statement says unlike stated on the the Working Dogs of Nevada website, the Foundation is not a sponsor or partner of WDN and that “Effective immediately, the Foundation has ceased all involvement with Working Dogs of Nevada. We are actively working to ensure the safety of dogs connected to our programs.”
It further said: ” Nothing we encountered in the course of that engagement indicated the conduct now alleged. Had it, we would have acted immediately — as we are acting now.”
