K9 handler Luke Miederhoff is missing his buddy.
“He’s an enjoyable dog, he’s silly,” Miederhoff said.
For the last 2 and a half years, Miederhoff has actually dealt with German Shepherd Dodger, finding narcotics in the juvenile prison system, for Denver Metro Protective Services, a personal security business based in Aurora.
“He’s like an animal that goes to deal with you and when we’re working, they’re working extremely tough and we take is extremely seriously and we clearly do what’s essential however at the end of the day we go home and hang out throughout the day,” Miederhoff said.
But in January, Miederhoff says incomes began bouncing.
“It was a recurring problem where we would not get look for the week we were expected to and it would take place later on. And so we weren’t making money on time so it was triggering a great deal of monetary pressures on the workers and a great deal of workers left,” he said.
Miederhoff says 20 workers left as an outcome. This month, he followed.
“Not understanding if you’re gonna make money the following week is an issue,” Miederhoff said.
According to the Fair Labor Standards Act — a federal law managing worker pay — K9 handlers are needed to be made up for at-home care.
“Walking the dog, training the dog, taking the dog out, grooming the dog, housing the dog, feeding the dog, all the things that are technically thought about part of the job you’re expected to be made up for,” Miederhoff said.
But Miederhoff says DMPS never ever paid him for that work.
In addition to the pay problems, prior to he resigned, Miederhoff took Dodger to a veterinarian who advised the five-year-old dog be retired based upon extreme kennel stress and anxiety and associated aggressiveness.
“The dog had actually moved the kennel 10 feet and eliminated all the skin off his nose, fractured a tooth, and all the pads on his feet were destroyed due to the fact that he was attempting to get away the kennel,” Miederhoff said.
Miederhoff brought the veterinarian’s letter to DMPS, however says he was disregarded. Instead, they concerned get Dodger.
“I didn’t wish to see him be put in a kennel and I was worried for the safety of my dog,” Miederhoff said.
Miederhoff says he at first declined to have Dodger be required to a kennel. When DMPS threatened legal action, he accepted turn Dodger over to his previous partner. That circumstance is just short-term, and Miederhoff fears the worst if Dodger is not enabled to retire.
“If you have a high-anxiety dog, something might take place where you eat occurrence, you have a dog who might be euthanized,” Miederhoff said.
An lawyer for Denver Metro Protective Services sent CBS News Colorado a declaration stating they paid Miederhoff all incomes owed, and calling his claims “incorrect and deceptive.”
The business says it has a procedure for retiring dogs in combination with its fitness instructor and vet. They go on to state, “Mr. Miederhoff obviously established a relationship with Dodger that was unsuitable for a working animal and handler. He then resigned, disregarded DMPS policies and procedures, declined to return Dodger to DMPS for a complete assessment, and turned to disparaging DMPS on social networks.”
