Petition for the Prevention of Animal Abuse & Protection of Communities in the State of Florida

Statement of Purpose

This report and the attached petition are submitted with the intent of imploring the appropriate legal bodies within the state of Florida to take immediate action to prevent Augusto DeOliveira (aka “The Dog Daddy”) from committing further animal abuse and public endangerment within our Florida communities.

Within this report, evidence will be provided to demonstrate that Augusto DeOliveira’s actions in (and outside of) Florida are clearly definable as Misdemeanor / Felony Animal Cruelty and False Advertising under the following state and county laws: Florida Statutes 828.12 and 817.41, the Hillsborough County Truth in Training Ordinance and the Hillsborough County Code of Ordinances Sec. 6-26, the Pasco County Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-37, the Pinellas County Code of Ordinances Sec. 5-213, and the Miami-Dade County Code of Ordinances Sec. 5-4.

The attached petition represents the voice of your communities. While it may include signatures from non-Florida residents, the primary goal of the petition is to speak for those who have entrusted the governments of Florida to represent their interests in legal matters, particularly those of community safety.

Who is Augusto DeOliveria

Augusto DeOliveria, also known by his online persona the “Dog Daddy”, is a social media influencer who primarily attained his fame through the exploitation of in-need dogs and their desperate guardians. Despite having no formal education or professional experience with animal welfare or behavior, he claims to be a professional dog trainer who is qualified to help with “even the most reactive, aggressive, and high strung dogs”.

Augusto’s focus on dog “training” seems to have begun after the legal troubles he faced as a “breeder” shut down his ability to use the breeding and selling of german shepherds as his primary source of income. This article does a fantastic job of detailing the many ethical and legal violations Augusto DeOliveria committed through his breeding “business” Griffin Shepherd Kennels and this list has compiled further information including first hand accounts relating to Griffin Shepherd Kennels and Augusto.

Along with legal and social troubles related to his unethical breeding practices, Augusto has faced backlash many times for issues including but not limited to: fraud relating to the selling of “trained” dogs, damage to rental properties including leaving behind the remains of dead animals, holding business events without the necessary legal licenses or permits, neglect and abuse of his personal dogs including allowing dogs to die from horrible and preventable illnesses, and his rampant abuse of dogs under the guise of “training”. Further evidence can be found on this facebook page, which has done an excellent job of amassing verifiable information.

Augusto’s Abusive “Training” Practices

According to the Florida Statute 828.12(2) - Felony Animal Cruelty: “In Florida, it is illegal to intentionally act or fail to act which results in the death or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on an animal.”

Augusto’s actions against animals in the guise of “training” unequivocally fits this definition, and is demonstrably the excessive and repeated infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering on an animal. In the case of Augusto though, it is not one but many individual animals he is abusing. Further, through his practices Augusto also victimizes the guardians who come to him seeking help for their beloved dogs and endangers the communities in which these dogs reside.

Before we move forward, please be advised that much of the content shared in the rest of this report includes images and videos of animal abuse including the acts of choking, “helicoptering”, dragging by the throat, yanking on the throat, provoking, jabbing, pinching sensitive areas, and traumatizing dogs. Some videos may include audio such as dogs screaming in fear and pain.

What are Augusto DeOlivera’s “training methods”? He utilizes compulsion, which in dog handling is the method of applying significant force in a manner that causes physical, mental, and emotional discomfort, pain, or trauma to achieve compliance. This short term compliance is accomplished through the act of “shutting down” a dog, which means creating so much fear of further suffering that the dog enters a complete state of avoidance, appeasement, or learned helplessness. To maintain this state of learned helplessness, the heavy-handed abuse must be gradually increased over time, and never stopped. The use of these conflict-based methods, which rely on fear or pain to influence behavior, increase the likelihood of future aggression (24). 

This report will go on to break down the elements of Mr. DeOliveria’s abusive methods, documenting in detail that they are unnecessary, physically harmful, severely detrimental to mental and emotional welfare and counter-productive to the point of creating increased danger for the dog and the people around them. To provide appropriate context for this discussion, several videos of Augusto DeOlivera’s actions against animals are provided below:

This video - filmed in Miami, FL - shows Augusto DeOliveria repeatedly choking, swinging, and yanking a large dog by their neck via a choke leash and prong collar. The dog exhibits physical exhaustion, but maintains a wide-eyed, fixed, and tense stare indicating it continues to view Augusto as a threat and would continue to fight with him if physically able.

This video shows Augusto using physical pain to “teach” a dog to drop a ball. He causes the dog to yelp in pain multiple times by squeezing a sensitive portion of their body. This dog exhibits no “drive” for the ball, is baited initially into playing “keep away”, and could easily learn a “drop” with food or a second toy.

This video includes several clips of Augusto choking a german shepherd in an attempt to force a muzzle on it. The dog briefly stops flailing to catch its breath, then begins to escalate to attempted bites to escape Augusto (the aggression is directly caused by Augusto’s violence). The video also includes clips of Augusto choking and jabbing other dogs.

This video, shows Augusto DeOliveria having a double-coated dog muzzled in a manner that prevents panting, drinking water, or proper breathing while he hangs and swings it around on a prong collar (also called a “pinch collar”) so forcefully that the dog’s body whips sideways in a c-curve. This dog demonstrates appeasement and avoidance.

In this video Augusto causes a terrified and non-aggressive dog to defecate in fear before using a prong collar to drag it around the room until it surrenders to his advances.

Here are several video breakdowns of Augusto’s infamous social media “training” content that provide both further examples of his abuse and evidence-backed information about what is taking place in the videos. The videos are narrated by an animal welfare and behavior professional who has a Bachelors of Science in Animal Sciences, routinely participates in continued education, has a decade of experience working with multiple species, and adheres to the standards set by welfare organizations around the globe.

This Google Drive folder has been shared with me by an individual who attended the “class” in Toronto earlier this year. It contains all of the videos she took during the event, which are unedited. Of particular note are four things: (1) the treatment of an extremely terrified and non-aggressive dog named “Rosie”, (2) that Augusto puts a slip lead (a choking leash intended for emergency or transport use) and a prong collar on every dog no matter their behavior or needs, (3) Augusto’s repetitive method of pulling and yanking that is used with every dog no matter their behavior or needs, and (4) the outcome of the event in which all the dogs are being pulled about on short leashes with no discernible improvements to their behaviors of concern.

While not all of these videos take place in the state of Florida, they are offered as part of the mountain of evidence that establishes a clear and consistent pattern of behavior. Augusto has been documented exhibiting these acts of harm against animals during previous events within the state of Florida, and it can be assumed beyond a reasonable doubt that these behaviors will occur again during his future visits like the one he has scheduled for February of 2024.

Are “The Dog Daddy’s” Methods Abuse?

Per Florida law, for Augusto’s methods to qualify as abuse they must be proven to be (1) intentional acts which result in the (2) excessive or repeated infliction of (3) unnecessary (4) pain or suffering on an animal.

His actions are certainly (1) intentional and willful. Despite the responsibility he has as a “dog trainer” to have an appropriate level of education and experience on the matter, despite the vast amount of easily accessible educational materials available, and despite the seemingly countless attempts by other professionals to provide Augusto with the resources necessary for change he continues to proudly advocate for his dangerous and harmful methods. Augusto has no claim to ignorance. His frequent responses mocking and making false claims about professionals who have spoken against his methods make it clear that the concerns being raised have reached him. In fact, he once publicly apologized for his treatment of a German Shepherd Dog in one of the videos shared to his social media, referring to his own behavior as “completely unacceptable” (34). Despite this acknowledgement of the concerns raised, he promptly returned to utilizing these methods and has since shared even more extreme and violent handling. The well-recorded history of repetitive use of provocation and violence towards animals eliminates any argument that he does not go into these experiences with the intent of acting upon the animals in this manner.

Augusto’s actions towards dogs are also demonstrably (2) excessive and repeated. In a single video we witness him yanking, swinging, choking, and dragging a dog numerous times. More alarmingly, these videos are often intended as his “highlight reel” and include only portions of the overall experience the animal is subjected to, meaning when we count 10 or 20 uses of force against the dog there are likely many more we do not see. The term “excessive” here may have a dual definition, meaning the frequency of the action is excessive and / or that the action itself is excessive in some manner. The above example covers the use of “excessive” as an adjective of the frequency of use of an action. In term of “excessive” as an adjective of an element of the action, in this case excessive use of force, I would refer you to the videos provided in which we witness Augusto yank a dog by the neck so hard while they are mid-air that their body rotates fully (something he was so proud of that he played it twice, in slow motion, in one video), swing a dog around by their neck so hard that all four feet come off the ground, squeeze a dog so hard that it yelps, make a dog so afraid that it defecates, and hold a dog off the ground by its throat. These are, of course, just a few examples of the force Augusto repeatedly uses against animals.

Are “The Dog Daddy’s” Methods “Necessary”?

When watching Augusto DeOliveria’s content with a keen eye, it is clear despite his skillful editing that even the most “dramatic” and “aggressive” dogs he handles are not presenting with these behaviors until provoked by him through the use of direct and threatening approaches, taunting with the swinging of a leash, and abusive handling. In other words, Augusto cannot claim “self-defense” in any form, as he is willfully and intentionally causing the behavior to occur. Further, he almost always has the dog guardian place a muzzle on their dog prior to approaching, removing almost all risk of harm to him.

The dramatics, extreme stress, and violence are not only not (3) necessary, but are detrimental to the long-term success of the dog and their guardian. In contrast to Augusto’s methods, a qualified welfare and behavior professional approaches dogs who present with these behaviors in a much different, and far more beneficial, manner. Instead of taking the dogs to new and stressful environments where they are then surrounded by their stressors, they are met on comfortable ground such as their own front yards or inside their homes. Instead of immediately approaching, staring at, and looming over these dogs, they are given space and time to observe and smell the stranger, who will then toss or hand treats depending on the dog’s comfortability. Because true professionals are not seeking to engage the dog in immediate conflict, they are not forced to wear unconditioned muzzles, the use of which is known to increase fear or frustration and should be reserved for emergencies (long term use of a muzzle relies on proper initial training to avoid the negative emotional associations).

While Augusto opts to use the repetitive administration of force and fear to biologically triggers such severe stress that the animal feels compliance is the only path to survival in that moment, qualified professionals will instead use scientifically supported techniques to guide the guardian through teaching the dog skills that will enable them to safely experience and recover from tolerable stress, thereby increasing their confidence and resilience while decreasing their need to use the undesired aggressive behaviors. With these skills established, guardians and their trainers can guide the dog through gradually increasing “intensity” of exposure to the stressor while helping them to observe, process, and label the stressor as “safe” due to the positive and enjoyable experience they had during the exposure (a process known as desensitization and counterconditioning). Through these methods, the important communication between dog and guardian is never destroyed and the root cause of the undesired behaviors is addressed and remedied. Fabulous examples of real life cases, as well as greater detail on humane and effective methods for addressing aggressive behaviors in dogs have been shared by many trainers, including the Aggression In Dogs Mastercourse creator Michael Shikashio.

One of the most alarming elements of Augusto’s methods is his utter dismissal of the use of information gathering to understand the root causes of a dog’s aggressive behavior. He has proudly stated on his social media content that he doesn’t know what “issues” a dog has until they arrive for his event. This is wildly unethical given that it has been well documented that chronic pain, illness, genetics, learning history, and the environment all play significant roles in the use of aggressive behavior by dogs (22). Without this information, any “training” applied is a “band aid” that will inevitably “fall off” when metaphorically wetted. This training also risks exacerbating underlying issues, for example the act of swinging around a dog who is acting with defensive aggression due to pain caused by a pinched nerve in the spine creates severe risk of further damage and resulting increased intensity of the aggression.

Given the significant number of professionals who successfully assist dogs and their guardians in working through these behaviors without the use of these harmful methods, there is little room for Augusto to argue that his actions are (3) “necessary”. This is further bolstered by the successful treatment of fear-aggression and related behaviors in rescues and shelters across the US (23), which are arguably one of the most challenging environments to work in with regards to behavior. Quite simply, if dogs in all these environments and situations can be helped without the use of choking, dragging, yanking, swinging, and jabbing there is no room to claim these methods are needed anywhere.

Are “The Dog Daddy’s” Methods Causing Pain and Suffering?

The short answer here is “yes”; Augusto’s methods cause physical, mental, and emotional pain and suffering to the animals he touches and the guardians he influences (32). The pain and suffering does not end with Augusto’s departure; the methods he uses are linked to increased general fearfulness, increased general anxiousness, increased depression, increased aggression, and behavioral euthanasia (6) (7) (8) (9) (10). The intensity of his handling can create permanent change for the animals, and if the guardians continue to follow the instructions he gives these new micro-traumas are layered upon the deeply rooted wound he has left.

Augusto’s Methods Cause Physical Pain

As seen in the videos shared above (in particular the group class) and the content on his social media, Augusto utilizes two tools, usually in combination, with nearly every dog he handles.

The first is a slip lead. As seen in the image linked, a slip lead is a leash that has a built in “collar” opposite the handle. This “collar” section acts as a noose, and can constrict fully around the dog’s throat and squeeze. While many slip leads now come with a “stopper” that could be used to prevent full closure, the stopper is actually purposed to prevent the “collar” from opening past a certain circumference. We can see in the videos (for example this video in which he spins and swings a dog around until it is physically exhausted) that he uses the leash without a stopper to prevent choking. These leashes are typically used only in shelters and vet clinics for easy and secure transport. They are not intended to be training tools and should not be used as such.

The second tool is a prong collar. Prong collars are a type of aversive tool, which is a tool that is designed to punish an undesired behavior through the use of discomfort or pain. They utilize small prongs to apply increased pressure around the throat. While they cannot usually fully choke a dog like a slip leash can, they can cause punctures to the neck and damage to the trachea or nerves. This article does an excellent job of detailing the mathematics behind why prong collars are not just painful, but more painful than “regular” collars. This article provides a helpful summation of the concerns related to this tool.

These and similar tools have been shown to cause soft tissue trauma, increased pressure in the eyes (1), and even brain damage (2). They are banned in several countries including Sweden, Germany, and France.

When we consider that Augusto not only uses the tools as leverage (the dog applies pressure) and corrections (Augusto yanks on the tool) but also holds dogs off of the ground and swings dogs around via these tools we can see that the physical pain and risk of permanent physical damage is significant if not severe.

While knowing the science behind what’s happening before our eyes is paramount to understanding what is taking place, we can also look to the communication happening from the dogs in the videos for confirmation. In some videos such as this one we see dogs repeatedly presenting with the “paws over” behavior in which they place one or both paws on the leash and apply downward pressure. This behavior serves to gain some “control” of the leash to reduce pressure on the neck or prevent the leash from going back up (choking them), it is an attempt to escape or reduce the pain they are feeling.

Augusto’s Methods Cause Mental and Emotional Pain

Augusto’s methods, as outlined above, are “compulsion” methods that are reliant on using force to attain compliance. Compliance is achieved when a dog is either physically too exhausted to continue fighting back in that moment (as seen here, here, and here) or enters a state of learned helplessness which is a psychological state in which a being has “learned” that pain is unavoidable and to “give up” attempting to find safety or relief. These methods have been shown to increase stress (21), decrease learning ability, and damage the relationship between the dog and people (28).

One of the primary ways in which we can measure mental and emotional pain is by observing the learner and documenting instances of communication indicating stress or pain. In dogs, these behaviors include lip licks, stress panting, furrowed brows, whale eye, ears pinning back, lowered head or tail, lowered body posture, curving the body away, avoidance of eye contact, tension or “freezing” of the body, stiff or slow movement, stress yawns, shake offs, and vocalizations such as growling, yelping, or screaming (3), (4), (5). Additionally, when a dog is faced with an aggressor they may utilize appeasement behaviors. These behaviors include low tail wags, avoidance of eye contact, licking of hands or the face, lowered posture, leaning into or placing the body under the aggressor, jumping up on the aggressor, and rolling to expose the belly. Appeasement behaviors should not be confused with trust, cooperation, or positive social engagement. Rather, they are communications signals used to deter further aggression from a threatening individual.

When reviewing the videos shared on his social media, these stress signals are constant and often increasing in frequency and intensity the longer the animal is exposed to his aggressive techniques. For example, the dog featured in this recent video is shown initially using warning signals to create distance, then flight behaviors to escape. When these are ineffective, the dog begins to shut down and is shown walking around the room with a lowered tail, lowered head, folded back ears, tense body, lip licks, and frequent flinching. We see the dog yanked by the neck on an aversive tool when it tries to reject Augusto’s physical contact, and then put into a down where it exhibits further cowering, lip licking, and pinned ears. In this video even his own dog cowers, lowers their head, and pins their ears when he tells them to lay down. The other individual’s dog is non-aggressive towards Augusto until Augusto physically hurts the dog, causing it to respond with defensive aggression. As the video goes on, the dog exhibits tense posture and avoidant gaze. This excellent video provides an in-depth breakdown of another popular Dog Daddy video in which we see a terrified dog exhibiting defensive aggression, attempts at fleeing, lip licks, shake offs, tense posture, avoidant gaze, appeasement bows, and more.  

These stress signals demonstrate decreased immediate and long term welfare for the animal including increased risk of a generalized negative outlook and stress-caused health issues (11) (12) (29) (30), and the methods causing them are linked to long term health and behavior issues including anxiety, depression, and physical illness (6) (7) (8) (9) (10).

Concerns Regarding Public Safety

Augusto’s Methods are Linked to Worsening Behavior

Many educated and experienced professionals in the animal welfare and behavior field have raised their voices to educate guardians on the truth behind these dramatic videos and to speak out against the abuse we are all witnessing in them (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20).

While some of the general public may understandably think that they depict a positive change - a dog initially lunging and barking ending up walking quietly around the room at Augusto’s side - those who assess them from a behavioral perspective recognize a very different, and dangerous, truth. The methods featured in these videos have been directly linked to increased future frequency and intensity of aggression (24), (25), (26), (27), (31), (33).

The vast majority of Augusto’s videos follow the same plot - a fearful dog is brought into an unfamiliar space filled with stressors and approached by a stranger, causing them to feel afraid and endangered. They are forced into a muzzle (an excellent tool when properly conditioned) and placed on aversive tools designed to reduce air supply and cause pain. Their attempts to flee the danger are prevented, and they then utilize defensive aggression to attempt to escape the aggressor. They are subjected to pain and terror including choking, jabbing, dragging, and swinging by the neck until they “surrender”. Some dogs are quicker to use appeasement or shut down, sparing them some of the aggression from Augusto. Others are more willing to fight for themselves, and “battle” with Augusto for long periods before succumbing to the pain, exhaustion, and loss of oxygen.

The dog is absolutely learning during the experience, but not “how to behave”. Rather, they are taking from the encounter multiple concerning “lessons”:

1.  That strangers are incredibly dangerous and may attack them without provocation or warning. While they may be shut down or in a state of suppression in these videos, the immense negative emotional association created is a “ticking time bomb” that can strongly influence behavior in the future.
2. That their guardian will not protect them but rather will allow strangers to harm them, influencing the dog to “take matters into their own hands” and defend themselves in future encounters.
3. That attempts to flee and the use of ritualized aggression (behaviors such as growling, posturing, snarling, snapping, and warning bites) to communicate and prevent an altercation will be punished or will be ineffective in keeping them safe from threats, significantly increasing the likelihood that they will skip these steps in the future and instead “bite out of the blue”.

Augusto quickly leaves town after hosting his events, leaving guardians with both instructions to continue using aversive, suppressive, conflict-based methods on their dogs and a dog who has been traumatized and primed for a future of dangerous behavior. Those who follow his instructions may be able to maintain the suppression of the dog’s outward expressions of emotion, severely compromising welfare as they do. Often, even with the continued aversive handling, the behavior will return and will do so at a higher intensity.

Augusto’s Methods Create Risk to Others

Given the state of both dog and guardian when Augusto has collected his payment and left town, it is easy to recognize the increased risk to family, friends, vets, petsitters, and strangers that these dogs may now hold.

Trauma changes the brain. It changes emotions and alters the responses of the body. Simply put, these dogs are much more likely to see things as threats, and to react to them as such with less warning and more intensity of self-defense behaviors.

Are “The Dog Daddy’s” Methods Abuse?

As detailed above, Augusto’s methods are (1) intentional acts which result in the (2) excessive or repeated infliction of (3) unnecessary (4) pain or suffering on an animal. Per Florida law, this defines them as animal abuse and as something the citizens of Florida, both human and animal, deserve protection from.

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32. Ziv, Gal. “The Effects of Using Aversive Training Methods in Dogs—a Review.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior, vol. 19, no. 1, May 2017, pp. 50–60, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2017.02.004.
33. Coren, Stanley . “A Punished Dog Is an Aggressive Dog | Psychology Today.” Www.psychologytoday.com, 6 Aug. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201508/punished-dog-is-aggressive-dog. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.
34. Krishnamurthy, Chaitra. “Celebrity Dog Trainer Admits His Behavior Was “Unacceptable” as Pet Parents Grow Furious.” HITC, 1 July 2023, www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/07/01/the-dog-daddy-aka-augusto-deoliveira-issues-apology-as-instagram-video-stirs-controversy/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2023.

Additional Resources

1. Dr. Orion. “Ready to Bite? Dangerous and Horrifying Aggressive Dog Training Techniques by the Dog Daddy.” Www.youtube.com, youtu.be/B1hXj1tIh4g?si=9Mt346LGCYE-6dSh. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.
2. Zazie Todd. “Positive Reinforcement and Dog Training VII: Summary and Conclusions.” Companion Animal Psychology, 15 Aug. 2012, www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2012/08/positive-reinforcement-and-dog-training.html.
3. Tudge, Niki. “Abusive Dog Training Practices and Informed Consent, Ethics and “Do No Harm” | BARKS from the Guild.” BARKS from the Guild, 22 Aug. 2023, barksmagazine.com/abusive-dog-training-practices-and-informed-consent-ethics-and-do-no-harm/?fbclid=IwAR2OrONcQWojyPyY2ZjLkm6yJff4KD9EjWHTNDXdhI26_CfCxQRUjzpO8WM. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.

Additional Videos Confirmed to have been Taken in Florida

This Video taken in Tampa, FL shows an incredibly fearful dog being dragged and harassed by Augusto. The dog attempts repeatedly to flee, then begins to alternate between a freeze response seen in the absolute stillness and tension of the body and face and a fawn response (also known as appeasement) seen in the low wags and compliance with prompting.

This Video taken in Tampa, FL which shows Augusto dragging and harassing a fearful dog. This dog appears to have been unnecessarily muzzled and is overall compliant and non-aggressive, making the heavy-handed and stress-inducing approach even more unnecessary.

Author’s Notes

It is my hope that I have successfully provided appropriate evidence to support each statement presented as fact within this report. Everything stated is, to the best of my knowledge, absolutely true and provable. It is my hope that the information provided here can aid citizens, advocates, guardians, and lawmakers alike in making the choices that best support the welfare of our animal companions.