On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, TYLER A. FALCONER was arraigned in South Boston Municipal Court on three counts of animal cruelty and three counts of a dog tethering confinement violation. FALCONER pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to a press release by Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden and obtained by Voice For Us, Judge Michael Bolden released FALCONER on personal recognizance and ordered him to return to court July 18, 2023, for a pre-trial hearing.
“Until then, the judge ordered him to stay away from witnesses in this case and all animals except for his own dogs,” reports WCVB.
If convicted, FALCONER faces as low as a fine or up to ten years behind bars.
DA Hayden said: “Dogs bring so much joy to the lives of the families who care for them and love them. They return that love, enormously. When necessary to board it’s vital for the families to know that their dogs are in a safe, healthy environment and are treated with kindness and care. That was clearly not the case here, as these disturbing facts make quite clear.”
According to CBS News, the Burlington Fire Department said on Wednesday that FALCONER resigned. He had been on paid administrative leave since early March.
30-years-old TYLER A. FALCONER (pictured) is facing animal cruelty charges for abusing three dogs.
He will be arraigned on May 31, 2023, on three felony counts of animal cruelty and three counts of tethering confinement in reference to a case that happened in 2020 and two others that happened in 2023.
FALCONER is a firefighter with the Burlington Fire Department, he is also the former owner of Falco K9, a dog training facility on Six Wadleigh Place in South Boston, and, as reported by WCVB on May 10, 2023, “Tonight Falconer is the husband of NewsCenter 5 EyeOpener Traffic anchor Katie Thompson.”
According to court documents obtained by multiple news outlets, FALCONER did not provide three dogs, Luna, a female Cane Corso, Watch, a male Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Sawyer, a male golden retriever, with the necessary amount of food and drink while in his care at Falco K9.
Falco K9 has been closed since early March 2023, after customers came forward and complained about the abuse.
On May 4, 2023, the Animal Rescue League's Law Enforcement Department filed charges against FALCONER in South Boston Municipal Court.
Many of Falco K9’s customers have been sharing their experiences with different news outlets. One of them, Ms. Marjorie Ruggieri, shared her story with NBC Boston and recounted the sad facts about her dog, a male Great Dane named Gulliver. Ms. Ruggieri told NBC Boston that she had left Gulliver at Falco K9 for eighteen days in 2021, and that he had “lost at least 12 pounds during that time.”
Ms. Ruggieri said: “He was just emaciated. He had bacterial infections, sores all over his body, and he was a mess, he was a mess.”
According to Ms. Ruggieri, after picking up Gulliver, she tried filing a complaint with the MSPCA and taking him to Angell Animal Medical Center.
The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) was also contacted. “I don't know, apparently it wasn't enough for a criminal case, so that was unfortunate,” said Ms. Ruggieri.
Ms. Ruggieri went on to say that FALCONER would not accept responsibility or tell her what happened.
According to an article published by TB Daily News on March 14, 2023, as a result of them reporting the abuse of dogs at Falco K9, FALCONER was placed on leave pending an investigation.
TB Daily published the full statement from Burlington Fire Chief Andrew Connerty to BNEWS which read: “The Town is aware of media reports of customer complaints against the Boston dog care/training business of Burlington Firefighter Tyler Falconer as well as reported separate allegations that Falconer engaged in misconduct in a personal relationship. The Town understands that the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL)—an agency that is responsible for regulating his business operations—is investigating the customer complaints.
The Town will be in contact with the ARL and will monitor its response before determining how to proceed. The Town will be independently investigating the other allegations. Firefighter Falconer has been put on administrative leave pending the results of the Town’s investigation into those allegations.”
Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
FALCONER’s picture via NBC Boston when the news agency interviewed him in 2019.
