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TYLER A. FALCONER, firefighter and owner of Falco K9, facing animal cruelty charges

Updated: Jun 1, 2023

- Massachusetts, USA -



~ Update: June 1, 2023


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.



~ Original story:


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.


Additional Sources:





JACOB TYLER TOMLINSON shot and killed the family dog – Authorities call it illegal euthanasia

Updated: Jun 27, 2022

- Florida, USA -


A despicable individual that I am sure will bring dishonor to his uniform, decided to play God in a heartbreaking case.


The individual in question is 35-years-old JACOB TYLER TOMLINSON, usually at this point I would say “(pictured)”, but because he is a firefighter, his mugshot is exempt from being made public!


TOMLINSON is accused of "unlawfully euthanizing the family dog" and is now facing criminal charges.

The reality is that TOMLINSON murdered the family dog!

Investigators said the crime took place on Monday, June 20, in the backyard of TOMLINSON’s father, Fred Tomlinson, in Mandarin neighborhood in Jacksonville.

TOMLINSON "euthanized" the dog by shooting him/her multiple times.


News4Jax spoke with the neighbor who called the police and wishes to remain anonymous.


The neighbor said she was in her bedroom when she heard the gunshots and told News4Jax: “I heard three loud pops. I came outside, and that’s when I heard a fourth pop.”

She then added: “At that point, my dad came outside and talked with the neighbor who owned the house, and he said everything was fine.”


After that, she went into the kitchen to get a better look. She said: “I saw this white and brown spotted pit bull struggling to stand up. It almost looked like it was playing, but then he laid down and started violently twitching.” According to the neighbor, TOMLINSON was standing right there watching the dog suffering in pain. He then walked away and the neighbor said: “That’s when I started recording, and the dog was just sitting there violently twitching, and I could see blood pouring out of its chest.”

The neighbor filmed TOMLINSON digging a hole in the ground and investigators said he buried the dog in that hole. The arrest report revealed an additional horrifying detail, stating that the furbaby may still have been alive when he/she was buried.


TOMLINSON told deputies he shot and killed the dog because he/she had been acting aggressively for the past year and had bitten four people, including his neighbor earlier in the day after getting out of the backyard.

TOMLINSON also said he spent a lot of money on dog training.


Duval County Animal Control was notified and Ms. Esther Cleaver, an animal control investigator for the city of Jacksonville, investigated the incident.

She concluded that “the suspect acted inhumanely when executing his animal” and requested the charge to be enhanced to a felony.

She advised that “the fact the animal was moved from the original scene where it bit someone and was shot 4 separate times with bird shot shotguns rounds, points to an inhumane and unnecessary suffering towards the dog.”

In addition, "she provided an additional statue (828 054), for the illegal euthanasia of the dog." Investigator Cleaver took custody of the dog's body for a necropsy.


TOMLINSON was arrested on June 22, and charged with charged with aggravated animal cruelty, unlawful euthanasia, and unlawfully discharging a firearm. He was released the same day.


News4Jax reports that a spokesperson for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said that when personnel are facing legal troubles, they are placed on administrative desk duty while the case is under investigation.


Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Link included.

Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.






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