‘He lost his best friend.’ Myakka City dog trainer charged with abuse after deaths

A Myakka City trainer has been charged with several felonies after pet owners say their dogs were neglected and abused while under her care, resulting in the death of at least two.

Linda Werlein, 80, owns Euro Pros K-9 Center, a Myakka City training and boarding facility that offers “professional canine services with a distinct European flavor,” according to its website. She is accused of withholding food and water from dogs, cutting off medication and refusing to seek professional medical help, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Werlein is charged with practicing veterinary medicine without a license, cruelty to animals and aggravated animal cruelty, according to court records. Deputies arrested Werlein on Oct. 5.

The arrest comes after at least five complaints of animal neglect since April 2020, according to the sheriff’s office.

While each case involves different dogs, detectives say they show a “concerning trend” and a “pattern of neglect” by Werlein and Euro Pros K-9 Center.

Some dogs even died while under her care or shortly after their time spent at the facility, according to court documents.

Euro Pros K-9 Center and Werlein’s attorney did not respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.

Court records show that Werlein posted a $5,500 bond on Oct. 6. The sheriff’s office website shows she is no longer in custody at the Manatee County Jail.

‘Something really bad’ happened

When Paul and Christine Evans dropped off their two dogs, Stella and Polly, on June 18, they had no idea it would be the last time they would ever see one of them.

The couple dropped them off on a Sunday night for a five-day cruise before leaving the next day. That Thursday, Christine says they got a call that “something really bad had happened.”

Stella, their year-and-a-half-old Doberman Pinscher, was found unresponsive, Christine says she was told by Euro Pros K-9 Center staff. Workers told her that they rushed Stella to the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch, where she was put on life support.

Three hours after the phone call, she says Stella was dead.

“We were devastated trying to figure out what was going on with her, and then the doctor gave us his condolences and started saying how sorry they were,” Christine Evans said.

The veterinarian’s office asked to see Polly, Christine’s 3-year-old goldendoodle, as a precaution. A checkup found that Polly was suffering from “severe dehydration,” according to court records.

Stella’s necropsy revealed a rare and severe complication of pneumonia, sepsis and a healed fractured rib. Both dogs were healthy before they arrived at Euro Pros, Christine said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald.

This wasn’t their first time at Euro Pros K-9 Center. She says after adopting Stella they paid Werlein about $6,000 to have both dogs trained.

Earlier this year, Christine and her husband dropped Stella and Polly off for three weeks of training, but when it was time to pick up the dogs, workers kept them for an extra week.

Looking back on the situation, Christine said she noticed that both dogs were thin and sick after their stay at Euro Pros K-9 Center.

“Every time we got them back they didn’t seem like their regular selves. Something was not right, almost like they were traumatized,” Christine said.

The third and final time they dropped Stella off on June 18 for the cruise proved to be fatal, Christine said.

But detectives say Stella wasn’t the only dog to die after time spent at Euro Pros K-9 Center.

Rottweiler put down after training

According to the sheriff’s office, a 3-year-old Rottweiler named Bishop also died shortly after receiving training at Werlein’s facility.

Bishop’s owners took him to the center to help with leash control. Investigators say the dog stayed at the facility for nearly a month.

One morning, a trainer texted the owners to say that “Bishop threw up in his crate last night” and that they were headed to the emergency veterinarian. About an hour later, a vet called to say Bishop had “dangerously low” blood pressure and blood sugar.

Bishop was “basically unresponsive” and severely dehydrated, court documents say. Deputies say Bishop weighed 93 pounds when he entered the facility, but he weighed 86 pounds when he arrived at the vet.

An X-ray found air inside his stomach and the vet said the dog would not survive the surgery, according to the sheriff’s office.

Bishop was euthanized later that day, investigators say.

Former Euro Pros trainer speaks out

Natasha Wilhelm, the former director of training at Euro Pros K-9 Center, told the Bradenton Herald that Werlein has a long history of diagnosing and treating clients’ dogs with antibiotics not intended for canines.

Wilhelm said while working there she noticed dogs getting sick and Werlein would often self-diagnose and use unorthodox medical treatments instead of taking them to the vet. For example, detectives found that Werlein gave dogs antibiotics meant for fish, like cephalexin, without consulting with pet owners first.

Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation shows that Werlein does not have a license to practice veterinary medicine.

In one instance, a dog with hookworms contaminated the facility, Wilhelm said. Werlein’s response was to use store-bought ivermectin, which is to be used on cattle and horses, to treat the dogs, she said.

Wilhelm protested the unprescribed use of ivermectin and quit her job, she said in an interview. According to court records, she told the sheriff’s office she “could have killed someone’s dog by giving them too much medication” and that she “did not want anything to do with that procedure.”

According to Wilhelm, dogs at the Euro Pros K-9 Center also have limited access to food and water. The dogs are fed once a day in the morning to keep them hungry and create a “food drive” incentive for dogs to obey commands, she said.

The sheriff’s office also found that Werlein prevented dogs from drinking water all night, starting at 6:30 p.m., to prevent accidents in the cage. Wilhelm, who lived on the property while she worked there, said she would make an effort to sneak the dogs water at night.

More accusations of animal abuse

Another former employee, Reza Khatibi, told detectives that he witnessed similar incidents as Wilhelm during his time at the facility, saying that Werlein would not contact owners when their dogs were sick.

The dogs often did not go home trained, either, according to Wilhelm’s boyfriend, Sean Hubschitt, who was also a trainer at Euro Pros K-9 Center. He said he was often aware that aggressive dogs still had behavioral issues after their “graduation.”

“She was constantly wanting me to graduate these dogs that were nowhere near ready to go home,” Hubschitt said.

The couple said they have witnessed Werlein mistreat animals on more than one occasion, with them once witnessing Werlein beating a Doberman.

Hubschitt also said it wasn’t uncommon for Werlein to put employees in tough situations. One time there was a dog fight on the property and he said Werlein asked him to stitch up or staple one of the injured dogs instead of taking the dog to the vet, but he refused.

“I’m not going to jail for stitching up a dog. You’re crazy. That’s not going to happen,” said Hubschitt.

When Werlein still refused to take the dog to the vet, Hubschitt said he super-glued it shut once he realized the dog would not otherwise receive any form of medical care. He said he was then told to give the dog antibiotics and not to tell the customer about what happened.

The couple also said it wasn’t uncommon for them to get bitten while working. Wilhelm said she had scars all over her arm from her time working at the facility, with Werlein never allowing her to go seek medical treatment when a bite occurred.

Wilhelm and Hubschitt both lived on Werlein’s property during their employment, with Wilhelm driving one of Werlein’s vehicles as well. If they disagreed with her, they say Werlein would threaten to take everything away from them, leaving them with nothing.

Wilhelm had no prior experience training dogs before working at Euro Pros K-9 Center, but when she was interviewed and hired in June 2021 detectives say Werlein printed a fake certificate indicating that Wilhelm was a “professional member” of the International Association of Canine Professionals.

In order to be a professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals, one must pay an annual fee of $125 and have a minimum of 5 years of experience as a practicing canine professional, according to its website.

Before joining the training center, Wilhelm said she worked as a paralegal. When she first applied for the job, Wilhelm says it was advertised as an office job and said nothing about working with animals.

Public records show that the company went by Von Asgard K-9 Center before filing for Euro Pros K-9 Center in 2022.

While Christine Evans is happy to see Werlein facing justice, she said nothing will bring Stella back.

“My husband, Paul, and Stella were besties. He lost his best friend,” Christine said. “The dogs work outside and play all day with him on 5 acres. We ordered an inground pool for grandkids and dogs. Stella will never get to enjoy.”