What did Tyler Falconer do? Burlington firefighter animal cruelty charges explored

Tyler Falconer, a Burlington, Massachusetts, firefighter and former owner of a dog training facility in South Boston, was suspended with pay when fire officials learned of the felony animal cruelty charges against him. Falconer owned and operated the dog training facility Falco K9 until March 2023, when it was shut down after customers reported that their dogs were severely abused at the boarding center.

Following an investigation, authorities concluded that Tyler Falconer neglected and abused the animals while they were in his care.

According to court documents, Falconer - who is married to NewsCenter 5 EyeOpener Traffic anchor Katie Thompson - is charged with three counts of animal cruelty and three counts of dog tethering/confinement violation.

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Customers detail abuse endured by their pets at Tyler Falconer’s dog training facility

The Burlington firefighter Tyler Falconer’s dog training facility in South Boston was shut down in March after customers filed a report complaining that their dogs showed signs of abuse after returning from the center.

As the charges against Falconer came to light, multiple customers recounted to WCVB how they realized that their pets were enduring abuse while at the dog training facility.

A customer, identified as Rhiannon Connor, said that her dog Luna spent about three weeks in February 2023 at Falco K9 before coming home about 25 pounds thinner.

Connor said her dog exhibited signs of acute starvation as she looked "emaciated" after returning home from the South Boston dog training facility. She said:

"Right away, we just noticed she was very, very skinny, emaciated, Her bones were all sticking out. You could see her whole rib cage."

Another customer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the publication that she called the cops after she found that her Golden Retriever Sawyer was covered in urine and had lost a significant amount of weight while inside the training facility.

"He was covered in urine and all his bones were sticking out. His ribs were visible, his demeanor had changed. You know, he kind of had his tail between his legs."

As per NBC Boston, the alleged animal cruelty dates back to 2021, when a customer Marjorie Ruggieri of Plymouth registered a complaint against the facility after she realized that her dog lost at least 12 pounds after spending 18 days at Falco K9.

Ruggieri said that she reported the incident to MSPCA after picking up her Great Dane from the training facility and found that her dog’s emaciated body was covered in sores. However, her complaints were reportedly ignored. Highlighting the law enforcement's failure to protect animals, she said:

"If they had just listened to me, this wouldn't have happened to these other dogs."

She added:

"He was just emaciated. He had bacterial infections, sores all over his body, and he was a mess, he was a mess."

According to the Animal Rescue League of Boston summary charge sheet, Tyler Falconer is accused of knowingly and intentionally failing to provide the dogs with proper food, drink or sanitary environment and subjecting the dogs to unnecessary torture while they were in his care.

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Tyler Falconer faces potential prison time If found guilty of the animal cruelty charges.