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We would like to make it clear that this case in no way relates to Stephen G. King, a dog trainer based in Romford, Essex.Obey or be Correctedby Frances Gavin & A. Gallagher
This story started with a newspaper article called ‘See Spot Hang’ by Robin Roth for the Willamette Week in Oregon, USA, telling the tale of a dog trainer who apparently attacked a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy during a training session . “I heard this dog screaming, his trainer had both hands on the leash and was jerking the dog hard to the right and left and holding it up in the air. The dog was fighting for its life, biting at the choke chain trying to get free. I will never forget it,” said Janet Kyle Zeider who was there with her own dog. On another occasion the same puppy was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end when this same trainer lost his temper, “He beat the dog so bad that it shit all over itself. It was bleeding all over the floor,” said Kristen Beck, who was an assistant dog trainer. Although this happened a few years ago in America the dog trainer concerned, Stephen Barry King, is now living and working in London. Using a method of dog training by punishment rather than praise and reward, he may inflict pain and injury on our pets, leaving owners and animals alike distressed and traumatised. What kind of man can do this? To answer that we have to go back to his home town of Oregon when four times married King was dog training for a living as far back as the 1980s. King’s training methods quickly drew attention as one owner after another, complained to the authorities about the damage he had inflicted on their dogs. Linda Allen of Portland, Oregon, one of a number of cruelty investigation complainants, witnessed in October 1997 an example of King’s training methods. Linda was watching TV in her home when she heard, “ a choking, gagging sound. I looked out the window to see this man with a puppy (6 month old Rottweiler) on a leash, hanging it about 8 – 10 inches off the ground. At that point I became very concerned about that pup. Then the trainer set the pup back on the ground, the pup immediately laid down. The trainer jerked him up off the ground and screamed at the pup to sit down. About that time another neighbour came running towards him, yelling, ‘leave that dog alone’. The trainer handed or dropped the leash and started stamping towards my neighbour, yelling and reaching into his back pocket. He pulled a wallet out, flipped it open screaming, “ I am a f***ing cop. Get out of my face or I’ll f*** you up, I’ll kill you.” Two other neighbours were standing in their driveway looking at the confrontation. The trainer then turned to them and yelled, “ you want some of this, come on I’ll kick your asses too. I could kill you too”.” King is not a policeman and has never been a policeman. Multnomah County Animal Control, the Washington County District Attorney’s office, several animal rights groups in Portland and the Animal Legal Defence Fund are just some of the organisations in America unhappy with King. Critics also note his problems extend to wives and girlfriends. In 1991, wife no 2, Branda, was granted a restraining order against King when she told the court, “ He has an anger problem, and has slugged me in the arm, leg and pushed me into shelves, leaving scrapes all down my back. There have been numerous times of violence. He says he is going to kill me and my daughter on an average of two or three times a month. He said he would kill me before we would ever split up. He has also taken a 2 month old son out of my arms and made gestures like he was going to break his neck.” In 1999, King was charged with kidnap, menacing and a felony assault on wife no 3 Kristi. Kristi told the police that King “has a real short temper and can change right before your eyes.” When the police arrested King they observed that “several doors had been punched in on closets and rooms.” This incident occurred when Kristi had already started divorce proceedings against King, although the charges against him were later dropped. While still married to Kristi, King started an affair with Sarah, an English girl who fell for his smooth charm. Sarah met Stephen King via the Internet in 1999 and after corresponding with him for some time, agreed to meet King as friends when she was visiting Oregon. During her visit they became lovers and Sarah started living with him. The relationship was stormy and they periodically fought and split up after living together for a few months at a time in both Oregon and London. In the times between the splits King was seeing another woman and also divorcing wife no 3. Sarah travelled to the States in November 1999 to spend time with King because he had allegedly finally got a divorce and left his girlfriend. On the 1st of January 2000 Sarah was arrested and jailed for fourteen hours in Clackamas County Jail after King told the police that Sarah had assaulted him. When the police arrived at King’s house they found King had a wound to his left forearm, which was still seeping blood, his right eye was black (a self inflicted old injury), he had a swollen left cheek and an injury on his left thigh. King had apparently been stabbed and he claimed Sarah was reponsible. The next day at 4am King finally admitted to the police that he had lied about the whole incident and that he had in fact stabbed himself in the arm and thigh. He told the police he had done this after Sarah had left the house, “because he was afraid she would cause herself injury and make him look like the ‘bad guy’”. Sarah was released only after King made his statement to the police and King was arrested for making a false report. The police couldn’t prosecute King because Sarah left the country and was not available to testify. By mid February Sarah was back in London, trying to pick up the threads of her old life, when she was surprised by a knock on her front door. Stephen King had followed her home to profess his love for her and by February 22nd had already started dog training here. After Sarah rebuffed King, she began to receive obscene, threatening emails and messages on her answering machine, had death lilies left on her car and occasionally found King waiting for her when she got off the train on her way to and from work. Fearing for her own safety, Sarah sold her house and moved out of the area. Dog TrainingKing calls his dog training the ‘Revolutionary Real
World Training System’. He claims “It is our job to first teach your dog the skills he will
need in order to be truly free and happy in life. The only consequence is a tug with a leash and
training collar. We do not use food or treats as a reward for your dog’s good choices as we
find it’s not only impractical but in many cases, ineffective as well.”
King hanging a dog
in a London park while Lotte Stagg, his assistant, watches attentively King says he uses the technique as a last resort. “If a dog is being helicoptered, it’s because I have to be safe and there is no other option, I am not being a Hitler heel clicking jerk-off. I never correct a dog if I am upset, but if a dog is aggressive I’ll kick its ass with a leash and a collar.” (Willamette Week 1997) You may think hanging a puppy from a choke chain is cruel, but King says the lessons he teaches ultimately help dogs lead better lives. The
dog's eyes are literally popping out of his head According
to statements made by unhappy dog owners in the U.S.A and Britain, it is not unknown for King to
resort to kneeling on a dog’s neck while still applying force with the choke chain.
Neither does he seem averse to using his fists; his former assistant Kristen Beck says,
“When I was living at his house, he was training a dog that wouldn’t stop barking, so he
punched it in the face.” Kristen describes similar incidents in which he would ‘pummel’ the dogs with
his fists.
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During
the same session King jerked the metal choke chain around the dog's neck with such force that it
broke and flew through the air. That's it circled in the picture below.
