The Dog Blogger
Losers, Users, Abuesers and just plain Dicks
Chris Dunham wanted his fame....
..........Now he has it. Famous for being a lying thief. Here is another article written about him.
What experience/qualifications do you need to be a dog trainer in Washington? None.
JUNE 11, 2014 | BY ROBERT PREGULMAN
KATU in Oregon did an excellent report about a Washington woman scammed by a "professional" dog trainer with a sketchy past. Turns out that Oregon and Washington and all the other states have NO professional standards that people must meet to call themselves a dog trainer.
I had no idea. Did you?
The story focuses on Kelly Lee, a woman from Eugene, OR who rescued a pit bull that had been left in an abandoned house in Olympia.
Not surprisingly, the dog, which she named Kimo, had several behavioral problems, including fighting with her other 3 dogs, barking a lot, and biting.
Some people suggested sending Kimo to a "doggie boot camp" in Washington run by a guy named Chris Dunham who called himself a professional dog trainer. They also said Dunham could make Kimo adoptable within 5 days.
Kelly should have noticed 2 big red flags right away - the term "doggie boot camp" implies the trainer used negative training methods like hitting and yelling to train dogs, and it is virtually impossible to make a dog with behavior problems "adoptable" within 5 days.
But, like most people, Kelly trusted her friends' recommendation and sent Kimo to Dunham. What happened next was a series of problems that each of them blamed on the other person, but the bottom line is that Kelly gave Dunham thousands of dollars to train Kimo and make him adoptable, but he apparently made Kimo's problems worse.
Compared to what the dog was like before he was with Dunham, Lee told KATU, "He was very cowering. He was very scared. His ears were tucked back. He had no spunk. He had nothing behind his eyes. He was very sad."
If you watch the KATU video you'll see immediately that Dunham doesn't appear to be a qualified dog trainer. In one scene he's playing tug of war with Kimo as part of his training. I'm not aware of any dog trainer that uses tug of war to train ANY dog, aggressive or not. Even I know that playing tug or war with an aggressive dog will increase its aggression.
He also kept Kimo in a dark laundry room on very short tether tied to the wall and gave him a flattened cardboard diaper box to sleep on.
And when Dunham brought out his chocolate Lab as an example of "the best dog as far as training that I've ever had," the dog ran around wildly and tried to jump on the reporter.
According to one source, Dunham ended up taking about $4400 donated to Kelly for Kimo's training and thousands more from people who sent their dogs to him for training. He also owes $5000 in rent and clean up fees to his former landlord, Patti Angeliz of Valhalla Rescue.
Clearly, Kelly made a mistake when she chose Dunham to train Kimo. "I was blindly being lead and I wasn't doing what I now know is so vital and that is to just research, research, research," Lee told KATU.
Fortunately, Kimo is now with a rescue group in Pennsylvania and is doing well.
An spokesman with the Oregon Humane Society told KATU that "you should only trust trainers credentialed by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers."
"All of our dog trainers are certified through that,” said David Lytle, the OHS spokesman. “That means you have to have 300 hours of practical experience even to take the test."
You can check to see if a trainer is certified on the CCPDT’s website.
By the way, the name of Dunham's business is It's Positively Doggie. I recommend you avoid it.
UPDATE: Here's another perspective about how to find a qualified trainer from Julie Forbes, a dog trainer in the Seattle area:
I read your article on the dog trainer who scammed the woman in Oregon, and I just thought I'd share with you that it's a little dicey to recommend that everybody ONLY trust a dog trainer who is certified through one organization, vs another, given there is no regulation for the organizations themselves, which is part of the problem.
I've also personally had the experience over and over again that graduates of CPDT don't feel equiped to do the work. The truth is, this man could have easily gotten his "CPDT" and still treated the dog the way he did, and effectively scammed the woman out of money. There are a lot of "certified dog trainers" who give bad training advice and are not equiped to work with aggression or anxiety. There is a difference between working with behavior and just training a dog.
The National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors is a credible, long-established organization with high standards and a rigorous membership process. A NADOI member has more credibility than a CPDT, in my eyes.
It's a tough topic and I'm glad you are speaking to a huge problem in the dog training industry, but I'd be careful to publicly recommend only one. I think it's dangerous.
I am not a CPDT, and that has nothing to do with my level of expertise and background in education, or ability to train a dog, or effectively work through behavioral issues. I have a degree in Animal Science and am a graduate of The Academy of Canine Behavior's apprentice program.
I believe the letters that graduates of APDT put after their name are misleading to the public, given the requirements are no where near those of other professions that lead to letters after the name, like "LMHC", "MD", "CPA", etc...
Thought I'd share my perspective.
Hope you are well.
Julie
Julie Forbes
Owner, Sensitive Dog
Host, The Dog Show with Julie Forbes
www.sensitivedog.com
www.dogradioshow.com
(206) 372-7399
So let us list all the "jobs" and "careers" that Chris has NOT failed at:
1- Lying
2- Scamming
3- Cheating
4- Stealing
Now let us list the "jobs" or "careers" he has (self proclaimed) to have held/done and failed at:
1- Limo Driver
2- School Bus Driver
3- Airbrush Artist
4- Marijuana Delivery Driver
5- Tattoo Artist
6- DOG TRAINER
7 - "Mobster"
8- Owner of Landscape Business when he was 7 years old. Yes I said 7.
9 - Being a Father to his two daughters, failing by hiding funds to the state of Oregon to not pay support.
10- Painter
So would YOU want to have any part of this person, or Tika, in YOUR life?
Unbelievable - that is what they are
To add insult to injury, his cohort, partner in crime, girlfriend, Tika (WTF is a tika) is hoping, rather, EXPECTING, someone to give her a new car, or a loan, because she is ever sooooooo deserving of one. After all, driving his sorry ass around, picking up HIS kids, taking them home, taking them all out to eat, is alot of hard work and hard on the piece of crap car she has. She truly believes her job, at the bus company should buy her one. Let us not forget how she scammed them also. How? Well last year, when they left town, she also left her job, no notice, just done. She instead decided to be a low life loser, along with him, and do nothing remotely productive. This was AFTER she claimed unemployment all summer, with the pretense of going back to work upon summer's end. That is how it works when you are employed by a bus company or school. Her ugliness is not only visible from the outside, but it is also internal, as is his.
Her random, odd posts are rather disturbing. For the fact that SHE should follow her own advice. What a nut. I think the below pic of the lion, was an indirect jab at Chris. Since he is very violent when angry or does not get his own way. I guess we are ok with the victim being her, WHEN he becomes a danger.
WHAT good deeds have any one of them done? NOTHING is the correct answer. Not a damn thing for anyone else. They ONLY care about and cater to themselves and do not care who they hurt, steal from, or ruin, in their shenanigans. They sure did change the world. They made it so no one can trust others any more.
Finally, a truth from her. They NEVER have nor ever will please anyone but themselves. They cannot even please the children they created with others. Loser scum mother and sperm donor father. That is it. We ALL knew they only exist to live off others.
