VANCOUVER - A high-profile dog trainer says the animal abuse allegations against him are false.
Glen Affenzeller is accused of slamming his client's dog's head against the sidewalk and repeatedly punching its head – and according to the SPCA, the incident was captured on camera.
CTV News sent multiple requests to Affenzeller for a response to the allegations, and after not hearing back for days, went to his home for answers.
"I have nothing to say right now. I have to talk to my lawyers first," Affenzeller said Monday.
In response to the allegations outlined in a recent B.C. Farm Industry Review Board decision, Affenzeller said there is more to the story.
"The way they said it happened, didn't happen like that," he said.
When asked for his version of what happened, Affenzeller walked away, only to say he would respond at a later date.
The SPCA has a video of an Aug. 1 incident which allegedly shows a man "lifting a dog from the ground, briefly suspending it in the air, then forcefully driving the left side of the dog's skull onto the street," according to the board decision.
"The individual then strikes the dog on the right side of his face twice in rapid succession and five seconds later, strikes the dog again in the face with a closed fist," it reads.
The video launched the SPCA investigation, which resulted in four of Affenzeller's dogs being seized after they were found with untreated medical conditions and living in "unsatisfactory" conditions.
"This has infringed on my life like you wouldn't believe and I need to get my dogs back," he said. "The carpet has been pulled out from under me, and my life is upside down right now."
As a result of the board's decision, the District of North Vancouver suspended Affenzeller’s business licence and permit for commercial dog walking in its parks last Thursday.
The SPCA said it's planning to recommend animal cruelty charges to Crown counsel this week.
