Skip to content
NOWCAST WVTM 13 Midday Newscast
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

Another arrest in Talladega County animal cruelty case

Wife of dog trainer now charged

Another arrest in Talladega County animal cruelty case

Wife of dog trainer now charged

WVTM 13 NEWS AT FIVE STARTS NOW. ANOTHER ARREST IN A TALLADEGA COUNTY ANIMAL ABUSE CASE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT A FEW WEEKS AGO. THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT AT FIVE. I’M GUY RAWLINGS AND I’M SHERI FALK DEPUTIES ARRESTED THE WIFE OF A DOG TRAINER ALREADY BEHIND BARS ACCUSED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY. WVTM 13. LISA CRANE LIVE IN TALLADEGA COUNTY WITH THE LATEST. LISA? YEAH, THE TRAINER, DYLAN SHOTWELL, HAS BEEN HERE AT THE TALLADEGA COUNTY JAIL FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS NOW. HE HAD BEEN OUT ON BOND FOR AN EARLIER ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGE. BUT WAS THAT BOND WAS REVOKED DURING THAT SECOND ROUND OF CHARGES. HE’S ACCUSED OF ABUSING THE DOGS. HE WAS PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO TRAIN AND NOW HIS WIFE IS CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING FORWARD WITH HORROR STORIES ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR TRAINING FACILITY GROWS. WE WANT TO WARN YOU SOME OF THE VIDEO YOU’RE ABOUT TO SEE IS DISTURBING. IT’S BIZARRE. IT’S HEART WRENCHING. I DON’T KNOW HOW HE CHOOSES WHO WHO HE’S GOING TO HARM, BUT EVERY DOG HAS BEEN HARMED. DENISE. BOY SAYS HIRING DYLAN AND SAVANNAH SHOTWELL TO TRAIN HER GERMAN SHEPHERD GUNNAR WAS THE WORST DECISION SHE’S EVER MADE. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS AT HIS FACILITY, GUNNAR DIED. SHE TOOK THIS VIDEO OF HIS BODY AS SHE DROPPED HIM OFF FOR A NECROPSY AT AUBURN’S VET SCHOOL. THAT WAS LAST MONTH. SINCE THEN, SHE’S LEARNED OF MANY OTHERS WHO SAY THEIR PETS WERE ALSO VICTIMIZED AT CHARTWELLS IRON GRIP TRAINING FACILITY. JUST SKINNY, NO SCUFFED UP, JUST EYES RED AND GOOPY. I MEAN, THE IT’S JUST STARK THE DIFFERENCE FROM WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE WHEN I TOOK HIM COMPARED TO WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE WHEN I GOT HIM BACK. COME ON, SIT FOR ME. OH, GOOD BOY. DANA RYAN TOOK HER DOG TUMOR TO THE SHOP WELLS LAST YEAR. SHE’S ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES. SHE SAYS HE APPEARED TO BE UNDERWEIGHT AND SICKLY, BUT HE SURVIVED. IT WAS JUST DEVASTATING TO ME AND I. INTUITION PROBABLY TOLD ME DON’T LEAVE HIM. BUT THEN YOU’RE THINKING YOU’RE JUST YOU’RE JUST GETTING TUGGED AT YOUR HEART’S STRINGS BECAUSE YOU’RE LEAVING YOUR BABY. DANA AND DENISE ARE AMONG MORE THAN A DOZEN WHO SAY THEIR PETS WERE MISTREATED, KILLED OR DISAPPEARED AT THE SHOTWELL. THEY FORMED A FACEBOOK PAGE TO SHARE THEIR HORROR STORIES AND PUSH FOR JUSTICE FOR THEIR PETS. I’M NOT GIVING UP. THAT’S ALL I CAN SAY. I’M NOT GIVING UP. NOW. SAVANNAH SHOTWELL WAS RELEASED ON BOND AND INVESTIGATOR HERE AT THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT TELLS ME THIS CASE IS ONGOING AND THERE COULD BE MORE CHARGES.
Advertisement
Another arrest in Talladega County animal cruelty case

Wife of dog trainer now charged

Another arrest in a Talladega County animal abuse case we told you about a few weeks ago. Deputies arrested the wife of a dog trainer already behind bars accused of animal cruelty. The trainer, Dylan Shotwell has been in the Talladega County jail for almost three weeks. He had been out on bond for an earlier animal cruelty case, but with the latest arrest, his bond was revoked. He's accused of abusing the dogs he was paid thousands of dollars to train. Now his wife is also facing charges as the number of people coming forward with horror stories about his training facility grows. We want to warn you some of the video in this story is disturbing.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13 Denise Boyce says her dog, Gunner, was killed while at the Shotwell’s training facility. She says, “It's bizarre, it's heart-wrenching. I don't know how he chooses who he's going to harm, but every dog has been harmed.” Boyce says hiring the Shotwells to train her German Shepherd was the worst decision she's ever made. After several weeks at his facility, Gunner died. She took video of his body as she dropped him off for a necropsy at Auburn's Vet school. Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube That was last month, since then she's learned of many others who say their pets were also victimized at Shotwell's Iron Grip training facility.Dana Ryan says her dog, Chuma, was mistreated at the Shotwells.She says, “Just skinny, nose scuffed up eyes, red and goopy. I mean, it’s just stark. The difference from what he looked like when I took him compared to what he looked like when I got him back.” Ryan took her dog for training last year. She's one of the lucky ones, she says he appeared to be underweight and sickly, but he survived. She says, “It was just devastating to me. And I my intuition probably told me, don't leave him. But then you're thinking you're just you're just getting tugged at your heart strings because you're leaving your baby.” Boyce and Ryan are among more than a dozen who say their pets were mistreated, killed, or disappeared at the Shotwells. They've formed a Facebook page to share their horror stories and push for justice for their pets. Boyce says, “I'm not giving up. That's all I can say. I'm not giving up.”Savanah Shotwell was released on bond. A Talladega County Sherriff's deputy says the investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed. This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

Another arrest in a Talladega County animal abuse case we told you about a few weeks ago. Deputies arrested the wife of a dog trainer already behind bars accused of animal cruelty. The trainer, Dylan Shotwell has been in the Talladega County jail for almost three weeks.

He had been out on bond for an earlier animal cruelty case, but with the latest arrest, his bond was revoked. He's accused of abusing the dogs he was paid thousands of dollars to train.

Advertisement

Now his wife is also facing charges as the number of people coming forward with horror stories about his training facility grows. We want to warn you some of the video in this story is disturbing.

Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13

Denise Boyce says her dog, Gunner, was killed while at the Shotwell’s training facility. She says, “It's bizarre, it's heart-wrenching. I don't know how he chooses who he's going to harm, but every dog has been harmed.”

Boyce says hiring the Shotwells to train her German Shepherd was the worst decision she's ever made. After several weeks at his facility, Gunner died. She took video of his body as she dropped him off for a necropsy at Auburn's Vet school.

Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

That was last month, since then she's learned of many others who say their pets were also victimized at Shotwell's Iron Grip training facility.

Dana Ryan says her dog, Chuma, was mistreated at the Shotwells.

She says, “Just skinny, nose scuffed up eyes, red and goopy. I mean, it’s just stark. The difference from what he looked like when I took him compared to what he looked like when I got him back.”

Ryan took her dog for training last year. She's one of the lucky ones, she says he appeared to be underweight and sickly, but he survived.

She says, “It was just devastating to me. And I my intuition probably told me, don't leave him. But then you're thinking you're just you're just getting tugged at your heart strings because you're leaving your baby.”

Boyce and Ryan are among more than a dozen who say their pets were mistreated, killed, or disappeared at the Shotwells. They've formed a Facebook page to share their horror stories and push for justice for their pets. Boyce says, “I'm not giving up. That's all I can say. I'm not giving up.”

Savanah Shotwell was released on bond. A Talladega County Sherriff's deputy says the investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed.


This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.