Kansas City area dog trainer cited after video allegedly shows him abusing animal

A Kansas City area dog trainer faces three municipal citations after a video posted on the internet went viral, allegedly showing him abusing a dog.

Police received the video on Jan. 2 that allegedly shows dog trainer Matt Fiala abusing a German Shepherd. Officers met with Fiala and cited him with three municipal violations, including animal abuse, operating a boarding facility without a license and operating a business without a license, according to Pleasant Hill Police Chief Tommy Wright.

The video, which went viral after it was posted on Facebook, shows Fiala allegedly putting the German Shepherd in a crate and repeatedly throwing what appears to be water from a green bucket onto the dog, who can be heard whimpering.

As the dog tries to escape from the crate, Fiala allegedly flips the crate from end to end with the dog inside. He repeatedly shoves the dog back into the crate and kicks the door multiple times, per the video.

“If you’re an animal lover like I am, it’s awful to watch,” Wright said. “It’s appalling.”

Fiala did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Multiple websites list Fiala as a dog trainer, including his business Advanced Canine Training, which serves the greater Kansas City area.

Wright said police believe Fiala had lived in the Kansas City area for about a year training dogs at his home. He operated under multiple business names, including A1 Kansas City Dog Training, police said.

The website for Advanced Canine Training appears to have been taken down, but an archive on the Wayback Machine showed the business offered services including boarding, obedience training, off-leash training, private lessons and contracted services with working police dogs.

Advanced Canine Training said it would travel to train dogs within a 150 mile radius of Kansas City and could also pick dogs up and drop them off as needed. The website listed multiple five-star reviews from alleged clients.

Police have tried to contact former clients who have left Google Reviews of the business. Anyone who has information about or experience with Fiala’s training company is urged to contact Pleasant Hill police.

“We need people that are willing to stand up for the animals,” Wright said. “People that are willing to testify what they experienced or saw. We have to protect our animals, and in order to do that we have to have people that are willing to cooperate and be part of the process.”

Wright said it’s unclear what consequences Fiala could face. In Missouri, he doesn’t need any certifications to be a dog trainer. His alleged offenses are considered misdemeanors, so he is not in custody and any punishment he’ll face will be decided by a municipal court judge.

Pleasant Hill police are working with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Cass County Prosecuting Attorney to put together a larger case against Fiala to present to the state prosecutor, who may bring additional charges against the dog trainer.

For pet owners looking for trainers and anyone else that works with their animals, Wright suggested doing research on the business and reading client experiences from sites not affiliated with the business itself, like Yelp or Google Reviews.

“Do your research, dig into these trainers and see what you’re getting,” Wright said. “Make sure that you go to a reputable one. One that’s been around for a long time and has a reputation of doing good work and doesn’t have allegations of abuse against it.”