Former Wisconsin dog trainer gets probation, convicted of mistreatment

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The now former Oconomowoc dog trainer charged with hurting an animal was sentenced on Thursday to one year of probation.

Rachel Moderson,31, pleaded no contest in April to a misdemeanor count of intentionally mistreating animals.

Prosecutors said Moderson raised a dog off the ground from its leash multiple times. The dog's owner, Ashley Bales, said her dog has not been the same since.

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"He sleeps on my pillow every night because he’s so connected to me," Bales told FOX6 in January.

Bales wanted Milo, her corgi, trained as a service dog to help her with chronic migraines and fainting spells. She said she enrolled him in a six-month-long, $10,000 training course at You and Your Dog – an Oconomowoc dog training center – but stopped further training when she noticed scabs on Milo's neck.

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Last September, Bales said she got video from a former You and Your Dog employee.

"When I heard the video, and when I could hear (Milo) stop breathing and gasping for air, that’s when I lost it," said Bales.

Bales went to Oconomowoc police, who said it was clear the dog was in "serious distress" and there was "no training purpose for this type of behavior." Milo thrashed back and forth as his feet dangled off the ground.

"It made me question a lot more than just what happened in that video," Bales said.

FOX6 reached out to the attorney representing "You and Your Dog" in April. The attorney said Moderson is no longer employed there.