A video of a man walking five German Shepherd dogs without a leash went viral in 2014 as dog owners all over the world marveled at his ability to control these dogs.
Many noted that despite the many distractions these dogs encountered on the walk, they did not falter from walking right next to him with their heads facing forward.
But years later the video was questioned as some have accused the dog trainer of using shock collars.
Augusto Deoliveira, owner of Griffin Shepherd Kennels, in Massachusetts, hit the headlines after the video was released of him walking five dogs without leashes who didn’t move from his side.
The video gained over 12 million views and I’m pretty many of us have seen seen the video of Augusto walking his Shepherds off leash in the city.
But a petition started in 2015 accused the dog breeder of using shock collars leading to speculation that the dogs in this video were being obedient because they were frightened.
His kennels were put under state quarantine in 2015 after an inspection found a number of sick dogs, according to Boston 25 News.
An outbreak of parvovirus, a highly contagious and sometimes deadly canine disease, was discovered at the kennel, according to wideopenpets.com.
According to Fox25, Augusto, born in the U.S. and raised on a farm in Brazil, had only vaccinated four of the 12 dogs he had at the time, against rabies.
‘I don’t use abusing, harsh devices to correct dogs’
A Facebook page called The Truth About Griffin Shepherds Kennels was even started accusing the dog trainer of using cruel methods on his German Shepherds.
A post even accused him of inbreeding at the kennel, according to an article from Wide Open Pets which also said Augusto no longer runs the kennels in Massachusetts..
Augusto told the Daily Mail this year that he had been able to communicate well with dogs since he was 3 years old.
“I consider my correction techniques to be extremely effective and the gentlest corrections available.
“I don’t use abusing, harsh devices to correct dogs – a gentle touch or a gentle tug at the leash is enough.”
Today, in 2023, Augusto calls himself “The Dog Daddy” and is a huge influencer on social media. The famous dog trainer and breeder has millions of views in TikTok and thousands of followers on social media.
What do you think about Augusto; are you impressed he can control his dogs this way or do you suspect he’s using other means that are not always kind to the animals?
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