Working Dogs of Nevada — What Happened & Why It Closed
Working Dogs of Nevada was a dog training and rescue business at 7331 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 101, Las Vegas. On April 1, 2026, LVMPD's Animal Cruelty Section served a search warrant, seized about 35 dogs, arrested two employees and its business license was suspended. Nevada Canine Training Facility later opened at the same address.
Arrests and charges are accusations; everyone is presumed innocent unless convicted. Each answer is labeled as a documented fact or an allegation.
What happened to Working Dogs of Nevada?
Documented factOn April 1, 2026, LVMPD's Animal Cruelty Section served a search warrant at the facility, seized about 35 dogs, arrested two employees, and the business license was suspended.
Why did Working Dogs of Nevada close?
Facts + allegationsPolice said surveillance video from a former employee showed practices they called "straight-up cruelty." The arrest report alleges dogs were lifted and swung by leashes and shocked with e-collars. These are police allegations, not court findings.
Who was arrested at Working Dogs of Nevada?
Documented factEmployees John Johnstone and Tabitha Berube were arrested on felony charges of willful and malicious torture of an animal. Johnstone was deported to Scotland; the Clark County District Attorney declined to prosecute Berube, citing insufficient evidence. No animal-cruelty convictions resulted.
What happened to the dogs?
Facts + allegationsAbout 35 dogs were seized by police. Police allege many dogs had been rescued from California, trained at the facility and sold for several hundred dollars after the alleged abuse.
Is Working Dogs of Nevada still operating?
Documented factIts license was suspended after the raid. A new business, Nevada Canine Training Facility, was licensed at the same address on September 10, 2026, owned by former Working Dogs manager Zachary Dickmeyer.
What law applies to animal cruelty in Nevada?
Documented factNRS 574.100 prohibits torturing or unjustifiably maiming animals, and also causing, allowing or furthering such cruelty.
- Source: NRS 574.100 — Nevada Legislature