A former Massachusetts firefighter who ran a dog training and boarding facility in South Boston was arraigned Wednesday on animal cruelty charges.
Tyler Falconer, 30, who was suspended from his job with the Burlington Fire Department in March, is charged with three counts of animal cruelty by a custodian and three counts of improperly tethering or confining an animal. He was released on personal recognizance and ordered to return to court for a pre-trial hearing on July 18.
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Prosecutors said Wednesday that the offenses involved three dogs boarded on various dates at Falco K9, the facility formerly owned by Falconer. During their stays, each of the dogs lost significant amounts of weight or were injured. They said one dog lost 20 pounds and another suffered a foot wound requiring medical attention.
One of the dogs was at the kennel for two weeks in November of 2020. A second was there for two eight-day stays in January and February of 2023. The third was at the kennel for a two-week period in January 2023.
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"When necessary to board it’s vital for the families to know that their dogs are in a safe, healthy environment and are treated with kindness and care," Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. "That was clearly not the case here, as these disturbing facts make quite clear."
Burlington town officials announced on March 9 that Falconer had been placed on paid leave amid reports of issues at his business and the investigation by the Animal Rescue League of Boston. The town released a statement Wednesday saying theat Falconer had "resigned from his position as a firefighter and is no longer employed by the Burlington Fire Department."
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"If they had just listened to me, this wouldn't have happened to these other dogs," Marjorie Ruggieri, of Plymouth, told NBC10 Boston earlier this month.
Ruggieri left her dog, Gulliver, in the facility's care in 2021. She said her dog lost at least 12 pounds during the 18 days it stayed at Falco K9.
"He was just emaciated," she explained. "He had bacterial infections, sores all over his body, and he was a mess, he was a mess."
Ruggieri said she tried filing a complaint with the MSPCA after picking up her Great Dane and taking him to Angell Animal Medical Center.
The Animal Rescue League of Boston was also contacted.
"I don't know, apparently it wasn't enough for a criminal case, so that was unfortunate," she said.
Ruggieri added that Falconer would not accept responsibility or tell her what happened.
"First he would say, 'Oh, I'm sorry,' and if you persisted, he would give you a refund. And this is the same pattern that I talked to a lot of people about," Ruggieri said. "And then if you were still angry and they had vet bills or whatever, he would pay the vet bills. And then after that, if you were still angry and wanted answers, he threatened you. In fact, he sent me a cease-and-desist order."
South Boston resident Jessica Cassidy is another dog owner who had a poor experience.
"The last straw to break the camel's back was I saw a video of him on his back, nine to 10 dogs surrounding him, smelling him," Cassidy explained. "At this time, he was little, almost two, maybe. Visibly scared."
Cassidy said she contacted Ruggieri after seeing a post about the alleged abuse on Facebook.
"Margie and I have been in contact for the past two years feeding off each other on who we can talk to next, what steps we can take next," she said.
She added that she has spoken with at least 40 other dog owners with complaints.
"A dog was impregnated while she was there, and Tyler did not own up to it, so the owner found out about it when the dog went to the vet and the vet did an ultrasound because they thought something was wrong with her," she said.
