What follows are a series of photos, posts and emails from back in 2006, related to Andy Linton’s abuse of our dog Ch. Logres’ Titanium. The first groups of photos show Titan’s weight and condition before being sent to Andy Linton, and the photos that Andy himself took of Titan when he first got Titan from us. The last group of photos show Titan’s emaciated condition when he came home to us after spending 10 weeks with Andy Linton
Photo #1 (above left) was taken was taken on August 7, 2006, the handler is Mrs. Arthur Greenwood, Photo #2 was taken the evening of August 6, 2006, after the New River Valley Kennel Club show in Salem VA. The photo is one of about 40 photos taken August 6th by Miguel Betancourt (d.b.a Infocus By Miguel). The handler in photo #1 is Mr. Lance Deloria.
Titan was flown to Mr. Andy Linton on August 9, 2006 and remained with Mr. Linton until November 1, 2006.
The next t series of photos were taken on August 12, 2006 and sent to us by Mr. Linton shortly after he took them. Titan had only been with Andy for three days when these
On October 25, 2006, after hearing reports from Cheri McNealy (which were confirmed by Marj Brooks and Cathy Ceely) that Titan was in very bad condition, we contacted Mr. Linton and requested that he send Titan home, which he reluctantly did on November 1, 2006. Titan arrived at Raleigh Durham airport in North Carolina at about 7:30 pm. on November 1, 2006. 7:30 p.m. is well after sunset. (too dark to take photos) Mr. Linton never called to ascertain that Titan had arrived safely. It is reasonable to assume that Linton was too much of a coward to face us over what he had done to Titan… i.e. Mr. Linton had essentially allowed Titan to starve while in Linton’s care.
Photos last series of photos of Titan were taken mid-afternoon on November 2, 2006, immediately after Titan returned from having been with Mr. Andy Linton since August 9, 2006. These photos were immediately sent to over 2 dozen people around the world at the time they were taken, to people both in and out of DOGS – in part to establish when the photos were taken so that there can be no dispute about what Titan looked like when he returned from Andy Linton. The photos below is the condition that Andy Linton sent Titan home in.
At one point when Titan was with Andy, Titan was even thinner then in these photos above. At some point in time in October, Andy was in Hawaii on his honeymoon. During this time period, Titan lost considerable weight. Titan actually put on weight in the last few weeks with Mr. Linton. At the weight Titan was at on November 1, 2006, in this horrendous physical condition, Mr. Linton was still requesting that we enter more shows. It is important to note that the weight Titan lost was largely muscle. The heart is a muscle.
Titan’s heart gave out on February 24, 2011. He was seven years old. I will never know for sure if Titan’s magnificent life was cut short by the abuse he suffered from Andy Linton. I do know that while in Andy’s care Titan lost a lot of muscle, the heart is a muscle. What Andy did can not have been good for Titan.
What follows below is a reflection of the anger and pain we felt at the time. These are posts and emails from back in 2006 and 2007 that were on our old Logres Farm website. I still have video to add to this page. Looking back I can say that we vented a bit. And if you want to criticize us for that, my second response is that I pray you never have to experience the feeling of helplessness you have when a precious animal you love has been abused by someone you trusted.
And as I write this in August of 2013, the only response we have ever gotten from Andy Linton is from third parties, and it is all some version of how he blames us. I hope that some day Andy experiences first-hand what he did to Titan. Btw, the “XX” I referenced below was Michelle Santana. I am not sure why I was trying to hide her identity. I have no bone to pick with Michelle, she simply had her facts totally wrong because she was listening to the garbage Andy was spewing.
Cheri McNealy (who called and gave me the head’s up on Titan’s condition) asked that I not tell people she was the one who ratted out Andy Linton, after seeing Titan at a show in California. McNealy said that Andy was using Titan as a “gas dog.” And Marj Brooks told me that Titan was even thinner than in our photos and she had a photo to prove it. I asked Marj to send the photo, and she didn’t, presumably she was too afraid of Andy to have the integrity to send us a photo. And Cathy Ceely told me after the fact that she didn’t want to tell us about how thin Titan was getting because she basically didn’t want to get involved. I absolutely despise people like McNealy, Ceely and Brooks, who’s ethics are situational at best.
From a November 8, 2006 Cyberdobes post
I believe very strongly that we are defined by the principles we stand for… and stand up for. It’s not enough to say, “Such-and-such violates my beliefs, but I won’t get involved.” We actually have to stand up for our principles and actively assert and defend them. What follows here is disturbing, but we intend to see this through to some positive conclusion, if only to serve as a warning for others.
Please know, allowing these photos to be published for the public at large to see was a very difficult decision for Dr. Greenwood and I. Titan is our beloved boy, whom we bred. We have loved, nurtured and protected him since the moment he first drew breath. It is excruciatingly painful to see him like this, and it hurts even more to let the world see him like this. But there is no other way to fully explain what happened without the above photos. We believe this kind of thing happens, and owners often do not have the documentation that we – by sheer coincidence – have. Owners who have gone through similar experiences could not prove what happened to their dogs. Here, sadly, we have ample evidence of before and after.
On August 9th 2006 Dr. Greenwood and I flew our red Doberman male Logres’ Titanium (a.k.a. Titan) to Mr. Andy Linton. At that time Titan was in superb weight and condition. Photo #1 is of Titan, taken on the evening of August 6, 2006, after the New River Valley Kennel Club show in Salem VA. The photo is one of about 40 photos taken in a private photo shoot on August 6th by Miguel Betancourt (d.b.a Infocus By Miguel http://www.infocusbymiguel.com/Contactus.htm ). The handler in the photo is Mr. Lance Deloria. Photo #2 is of Titan taken on August 7, 2006 at our home. I am the handler in the photo.
From July 15, 2006 through August 6, 2006 Titan had been with Mr. Lance Deloria, on the road, being shown every weekend, at shows starting July 21st through August 6th. We sent Titan to Mr. Deloria in excellent weight and condition and – on August 6, 2006 – after almost a month in Mr. Deloria’s care, Titan was still in excellent weight and condition. On August 6, 2006, Titan weighed about 92 lbs (which was a tad heavy for Titan).
In addition to Mr. Betancourt’s photos, we have video of Titan in the show ring on July 29th, July 30th, August 5th and August 6th. A check of Infodog.com will verify where Titan was shown. http://www.infodog.com/panels/LST-120.HTM Judges and other exhibitors saw him. There is absolutely no credible way to dispute Titan’s weight and condition during the time he was with Mr. Deloria and with us, immediately before he was flown to Mr. Linton on August 9, 2006. We’d even put a few extra pounds on Titan, in case he lost a pound or two adjusting to Mr. Linton’s new home.
Prior to sending Titan to Mr. Linton, we discussed with Mr. Linton on numerous occasions that, though Titan eats well for us at home (and always cleans his bowl), he could be a fussy eater on the road. We told Mr. Linton that Mr. Deloria had stuffed Titan a few times to keep him in good weight. Like all who compete in the AKC conformation ring, we are aware that many breeds – including Dobermans – do not always eat well on the road and are therefore stuffed from time to time to keep them in good weight and condition.
We believed that Titan was in good hands with Andy. Andy reported to us that Titan was happy, sleeping on the bed from time to time, and that Amy loved Titan. We trusted Andy and naïvely believed that he was conveying to us an accurate picture of what was going on.
We lost contact with Andy for a time when he was busy with his Special -Paris – and the Dobe National. Then Andy and Amy married and went on their honeymoon to Hawaii, leaving Titan in the care of a house sitter (all of which we found out about after-the-fact.) Apparently while Andy was gone, Titan got even thinner than he was on November 1, 2006. In mid-October, Andy told us Titan was “thin.” We had no idea that for Andy, “thin” meant “emaciated.” In our experience “thin” can be remedied by one or two meals. According to Andy (and others we have recently spoken with), Titan has put on weight in the last week of October before being sent home. I hate to even think what Titan weighed at his thinnest.
On or about October 24, 2006 we became concerned about Titan’s health and well-being because of comments made by people (whom we trust implicitly) who had recently seen him in the show ring. These people were concerned for Titan’s emotional and physical health and well being; they had the integrity and decency to contact us. We place the health and well being of our dogs before all other considerations. Based upon our concerns, on or about October 24-25, we asked that Mr. Linton send Titan home.
Titan arrived at Raleigh Durham airport at around 7:30 p.m., the evening of November 1, 2006. Photos were taken on November 2nd and immediately sent to dozens of people, both in and out of dogs, in part to establish the date they were taken, so that there is no credible dispute about Titan’s condition as a result of Mr. Linton’s care. While in Mr. Linton’s care – between August 9, 2006 and November 1, 2006 – Titan lost about 17 lbs. – almost all of which was muscle. The muscling across his withers, his back, his thighs… is all gone. Titan was returned home to us looking like a starved rescue dog. This did not happen over night; it happened over weeks and weeks. The weight Titan has lost is muscle. The heart is a muscle…
Arthur and I were in shock when we first saw Titan… it’s hard to describe the feelings we had: horror at Titan’s physical condition, grief, helplessness and overwhelming gut wrenching sadness about what Titan endured with Andy… when we were not there to protect Titan.
In all, we paid Mr. Linton $4,000.00 to show Titan to the fancy in the best possible light. We sent Titan to Mr. Linton on August 9, 2006 in superb condition. At that point in time, Titan was trained, experienced, and ready to win. We now know that Titan was loosing weight from the very beginning with Andy. Titan won with Andy (through the third weekend in September) until Titan’s weight dropped so low that judges simply could not use him. We had the reasonable expectation that Mr. Linton would maintain Titan in good weight and condition and show him in a manner that presented Titan and us (Logres Farm) in the best possible light. That is essentially what a client pays a professional handler to do. I can not imagine what if anything Mr. Linton could say at this point. It is obvious what he did to Titan… it is obvious from Titan’s emaciated condition that Titan suffered in Mr. Linton’s care. It is not obvious why he did this. At one point we would have accepted an apology, but a breeder / exhibitor’s response to us raises several issues.
As I mentioned above, when Titan returned home we sent photos of his condition to a few dozen people we know and trust, in part to make a record of what happened before the plain simple facts got all twisted by personal agendas and personal attacks. People were concerned for Titan, outraged by his condition and overwhelmingly supportive, but one response markedly stood out from the rest.
On or about Friday, November 3, 2006 9:45 PM, we received an email from a long-time breeder/ exhibitor – a friend of ours and of Andy’s, whom I will refer to as XX. I believe that XX was trying to defuse this situation, but XX’s comments had the effect of pouring gasoline on the fire. Quoting from XX’s email to us of Friday, November 3, 2006 9:45 PM
“… I believe this excursion to Andy was Titan’s first real trip away form home to furtively try to finish his Championship.
He hadn’t been shown much before hand, and was probably ,for the most part, handed “ringside” to various handlers before this trip to Andy.”)
We were floored by this response from XX. Where did this breeder/exhibitor get this set of “facts” about Titan? Is this what Andy told people about Titan? Did Andy tell people that Titan had been “handed ‘ringside’ to various handlers before [the] trip to Andy?” Did Andy tell people that we sent Titan to him in this hideous condition?
Prior to ever sending Titan to Mr. Linton, Dr. Greenwood sent a DVD of Titan in the ring on July 29th and July 30th. We discussed with Mr. Linton that Titan had been shown 18 times by Mr. Deloria. Mr. Linton received the DVD and called us about it BEFORE we ever agreed to send Titan to Mr. Linton. We all agreed that Titan is a lovely Doberman, that Mr. Deloria was doing an excellent job and that he [Deloria] was likely not winning with Titan because he [Deloria] is not a Dobe handler. I believe that the judge – Mr. Bill Garnett – essentially told Mr. Deloria this in the ring at the Spartanburg K.C. Show on July 28th. Before ever sending Titan to Mr. Linton, we discussed with him that Titan had been with Mr. Deloria for a month immediately before being sent to Andy. We also discussed that Titan had been with Mr. Deloria for 9 days on the Tarheel circuit in March of ’06. Mr. Deloria kept Titan in excellent weight and condition at all times. We told Mr. Linton that Mr. Deloria had stuffed Titan a few times to keep him in good weight. Titan was in excellent weight and condition at the time we sent him to Mr. Linton. We’d even put a few extra pounds on Titan in case he lost a pound or two adjusting to Mr. Linton’s new home.
The comments in XX’s letter pushed this whole thing to a different level? In addition to being unspeakably cruel, what Andy did is damaging to us because it is damaging to our reputation and to Titan’s reputation. Credible and influential Doberman people – like this breeder / handler XX – believe a bunch of baloney about Titan, including that his horrendous condition is somehow Titan’s fault because he supposedly is some inexperienced spoiled “mommy’s boy” who’d only been a ringside pick-up, shuffled from handler to handler before going to Andy. Some even believe the we sent Titan to Andy looking like he did on November 1, 2006.
The assertion that we sent Titan to Mr. Linton “to furtively try to finish his Championship” is defamatory. Synonyms for “furtive” include: sly, sneaky, surreptitious, underhanded, etc. While we question XX’s use of the word “furtive”, we do not question that it has a profoundly negative connotation. We believe that XX’s negative connotations are shared by others and are likely the result of Mr. Linton’s care and/or what he and his associates said ringside about Titan.
It appears to us that we essentially paid Mr. Linton $4,000,00 for 10 weeks of his time, during which he ruined both the health and reputation of our dog.
Arthur and I believe that Titan is a superb Doberman, he is extremely well bred, and of value to the breed in general and to our breeding program in particular. The intrusion of the war in Iraq prevented Titan from being shown as a young dog. Had he been shown sooner, he would have finished sooner. Arthur is about to be deployed again. We felt Titan was worth the effort and expense to finish now, which is why we wanted him presented to the Doberman fancy in the best possible manner. That is why we were willing to make the personal sacrifice to send Titan to Andy. To be blunt, we are not rich. Though Arthur is a medical doctor, he is in the USAF, on active duty. He has been deployed three times now, twice to Iraq. He’s currently in San Antonio receiving more specialized training so that he will be even more valuable to our country when he is deployed yet again. Showing our dogs – and most especially paying Andy’s prices – on our military budget reflects considerable commitment and sacrifice on our part.
The plain fact is that for whatever reason, Mr. Andy Linton neglected (or inadvertently allowed the neglect of) Titan’s health and well being over a period of time. Titan has lost roughly 17 pounds (and we know that he was actually even thinner at one point in Mr. Linton’s care). This did not happen over night; it happened over weeks and weeks. The weight Titan has lost is muscle. The heart is a muscle…
As far as we can tell, Mr. Linton is not a member of the DPCA, the AKC Registered Handlers Program or the Professional Handlers’ Association. After not hearing from Mr. Linton, we emailed him on November 6, 2006 at an email address we know to be current. He has not responded. As of November 9, 2006, we have heard nothing from Mr. Linton since picking up Titan at the airport on November 1, 2006, except that we received a bill from Mr. Linton on or about November 3rd requesting an additional $117 Mr. Linton claims is owed him for his “care” of Titan during October of 2006.
From August 9, 2006 through November 1, 2006 we have paid Mr. Linton $4,000.00, of which $750.00 per month was solely for Titan’s board. We paid entry fees separately and we paid the air fare for Titan – both ways – between Raleigh Durham NC and Portland, Oregon.
We would like something positive to come from this sad sad experience. At the very least, we would like an internet source which lists handlers… a list where former clients can rate handlers (good or bad) and /or add their name as a reference, if only to warn others. At this point we are open to other suggestions as well.
-Elaine
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November 21, 2006 – An Update on Titan
Titan has been home for almost three weeks now. He is happy and active, he eats well. Titan is still not in the condition he was in when we sent him to Mr. Linton, but it is clear that all that was lacking was food. Titan’s condition on November 1, 2006 reflected nothing more complicated than the simple fact that he was not getting enough to eat. How hard would it have been for Mr. Linton (or any purported professional) to simply see that Titan’s nutritional needs were met? We paid Mr. Linton $4,000.00 from August 9, 2006 through November 1, 2006. We paid Mr. Linton to show Titan, we sent Titan to Mr. Linton in superb condition, Titan’s minimal nutritional needs should have been a none issue. Emphatically, it was not for Mr. Linton to unilaterally decide to allow Titan’s weight and muscle to deteriorate to the marked degree reflected in the photos of November 1, 2006.
As of November 21, 2006, we have not heard one single word from Mr. Linton about the condition Titan was in when Mr. Linton returned Titan to us on November 1, 2006. We hear of a few others (most notably XX referenced above), rallying in Mr. Linton’s defense, attempting to make this Titan’s fault or our fault. That is patently absurd! There is only one reason for Titan’s condition on November 1, 2006, he was not getting enough to eat.
Mr. Linton has not had the common decency to respond to our email or pick up the phone. I must say, we expected to have heard from Andy by now; frankly, we expected an apology. We did not expect that Titan would be blamed for his condition… nor did we expect that anyone would deny what is obvious from the photos of Titan taken on November 2, 2006.
It’s reasonable to assume that Mr. Linton is aware of the photos posted here (which were taken of Titan on November 2, 2006), in part because Dr. Greenwood and I sent these photos to Mr. Linton by email on November 6, 2006. Mr. Linton has not bothered to respond to us. The only communication we received from Mr. Linton was a bill for an extra $117 (on top of the $4000.00 we have already paid him for August 9th through November 1, 2006). Note, the $4,000.00 we paid Mr. Linton was for the care of Titan and handling fees from August 9, 2006 through November 1, 2006. We paid show entries separately. Of the $4,000.00 we paid Mr. Linton, $750 per month was for Board.
At one point we received this from a trusted Doberman friend, “I have it on pretty good authority that Andy says you’re “crazy” and has been showing NOT ONE, BUT TWO letters from vets “testifying” to the great condition Titan was in when he sent him home – with anyone who’s attention he can get.”
We have friends who have been approached by Andy’s friends, to tell Andy’s side… if Mr. Linton has a side to this, he should have the guts to call us and explain to us… we paid him to take care of Titan and he utterly failed to do so.
As I mentioned, we have not heard a word from Mr. Linton; I have no way to know if – in fact – Mr. Linton has letters from a vet (or vets) that make any comment what-so-ever about Titan’s condition when he was returned to us from Mr. Linton on November 1, 2006. If such letters exist, they were not part of the paperwork that was returned to us with Titan on November 1, 2006.
We will not engage in an argument over whether Titan’s condition on November 1, 2006 could reasonably be described as “good condition,” especially in the context of a competitive show dog’s condition. I think Titan’s photos speak for themselves. I do wonder if said vet (or vets) commented on the dramatic difference between the superb condition of Titan on August 9th (when we sent him to Mr. Linton), and Titan’s condition on November 1, 2006 (when Mr. Linton returned Titan to us).
Here are some undisputable facts: Titan was with our handler Mr. Lance Deloria from March 17th through March 28th (for the Tarheel Circuit) and again from July 15 through August 6th (for a series of approximately 12 shows). Mr. Deloria kept Titan in excellent weight and condition. Mr. Deloria did not need to produce a letter[s] from a vet (or anyone) testifying to Titan’s condition when Mr. Deloria returned Titan to us on March 28th , nor did he need to produce a letter[s] from a vet on August 6th. Titan’s condition while with Mr. Deloria spoke for itself, as did photos and video taken of Titan while he was in Mr. Deloria’s care, including photos and video taken on August 6th.
Unequivocally, we sent Titan to Mr. Linton in excellent weight and condition. Mr. Linton returned Titan to us on November 1, 2006. The photos above show what Titan looked like immediately before being sent to Mr. Linton and immediately after being returned to us from Mr. Linton. The photos speak for themselves. One of our overarching concerns is that – under Mr. Linton’s “care” – Titan has lost significant muscle… and, of course, the heart is a muscle.
If Mr. Linton has found a vet (or vets) somewhere who believe that the condition represented in the photos taken on November 2, 2006 reflects “great condition,” so be it. I would only ask such a vet, “Mr. Vet, would you show a dog in the condition Titan was in on November 2, 2006 (as reflected in the photos above)?” Would you pay someone $4000.00 (or any amount) to allow your dog to go from the superb condition Titan was in on August 9th to what Titan looked like on November 1, 2006? And, at what point should we have been contacted by Mr. Linton so say, “Hey Dr. and Mrs. Greenwood, Titan needs to come home, he is not eating well, I will not stuff him and HE IS LOOSING ALL HIS MUSCLE AND CONDITIONING!!!”
If Mr. Linton – or anyone – wishes to assert that Titan’s condition on November 2, 2006 is acceptable, and/or acceptable for the show ring, then I would like to see them show their dog is such condition. More on point, I would like to see Mr. Linton show his bitch Special Paris (a.k.a. Ch. Holmrun’s Regardez) in the condition that Titan was in in the photos taken on November 2, 2006!!! Ch. Holmrun’s Regardez graces the cover of this weeks Dog News. I see little comparison between the condition of Pairs on the cover of Dog News and the condition of Titan on November 1st.
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December 8, 2006
– We still have not heard a word from Mr. Linton… we did not even get a call on November 1, 2006 after Titan’s flight arrived, to make sure that Titan arrived home safely. We hear that Mr. Linton has approached many mutual friends about Titan. We hear second-hand about Mr. Linton’s version of events. We will not stoop to that sort of conduct. What we have shown here are facts. Look at the photos of Titan taken on November 2, 2006. They speak for themselves. In my opinion, a man of honor and integrity would have the balls to contact me directly about this matter.
We recall about 10 years ago Judy Doniere was very vocal about a situation of “alleged” mistreatment of a Doberman bitch Special that Judy had bred… now might be the time for Judy to remind Mr. Linton of the duty a handler has to the dog[s] in his care.
Titan was back in the ring on with Kelly Marquis December 2nd. His weight is good, the muscling that he lost while with Mr. Linton has not yet returned, but he is a stallion of a dog and shows like a million bucks for Ms. Marquis. He won today (12/08/06). We have the utmost respect for Ms. Marquis, she is the consummate professional in every respect. Most relevant here, she understands that as a baseline, a professional handler must attend to a dog’s nutritional needs.
December 16, 2006: In all, Ch. Logres’ Titanium was with Kelly Marquis for TWO weeks… from December 2nd through December 16th. In that time Kelly put nine points on him including a 5 pt. major. Kelly finished Ch. Logres’ Titanium on December 16, 2006.
-Arthur
April 10, 2007:
Still have not heard from Andy Linton. While he apparently hasn’t the integrity to contact us, purportedly he does discuss this matter with others, including other judges known to favor Andy. So we hear what is purportedly Andy’s version, from third parties. Allegedly Andy now disputes that it is Titan in the photos taken November 2, 2006. (Yeah, right, like we just happened to have a starving red Doberman at home on November 2, 2006, whom we could take dozens of photos of, who’s ear curls at the tip just like Titan, all in the off chance that Andy would send Titan back to us in horrific condition.)
The suggestion that the dog in the photo is NOT Titan is patently absurd! I recall back in the mid 1990’s that Judy Doniere was rather vocal complaining about the care of a bitch she’d bred. Georgie (a.ka. Ch. Toledobes Make N Georgia) was the bitch’s name as I recall. At that time Judy had lots to say about the standard of care a handler owed the dog[s] entrusted to them. I do not hear JuD saying word one about Andy’s care of Titan.
