Judge denies request from dog trainer charged with animal cruelty
ARLINGTON - A judge denied a request from a dog trainer to start holding classes again while the man defends himself from charges connected to the deaths of three dogs.
Dog owners who have had their dogs trained by Alan Brown defended the Arlington trainer on the witness stand Wednesday, saying he had a long track record of success and they trusted him completely to train their animals. Several other clients of the 54-year-old sat in the courtroom in support.
Prosecutors countered though that there would be no one to monitor the training if it resumed, telling Judge Elizabeth Beach that Brown had been "fooling people" into thinking he was caring about their animals.
Three dog owners told CBS Texas in August that their dogs died while they were out of town and left their dogs in Brown's care at his Arlington home.
A grand jury indicted him in September for animal cruelty and tampering with evidence. Last week his wife Stacie Brown, an Arlington police officer, was arrested for obstruction, accused of filing a false police reports against the owner of one of the dogs that died.
As part of his bond conditions Brown is not allowed to be around any animals other than his own. His attorneys said his inability to hold classes was creating a risk of substantial financial hardship.