Las Vegas Dog Rescue Employees Face Felony Animal Abuse Charges

Two employees of a Las Vegas dog rescue were arrested and charged with felonies on April 8, 2026, after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department seized 35 dogs from the facility following allegations of animal abuse.

John Johnstone, 38, faces four felony counts of animal cruelty, specifically willful and malicious torture. Tabitha Berube, 32, is facing one felony count after investigators allege she witnessed harmful training techniques and failed to intervene.

The arrests occurred at the Working Dogs of Nevada facility in northwest Las Vegas. Following the execution of a search warrant, authorities removed 35 dogs from the premises and transported them to The Animal Foundation, where the animals are currently undergoing medical examinations.

Investigation and Evidence

The investigation began in early March 2026 after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received a tip and surveillance videos from a former employee, Kerrigan Toms. Toms stated she waited to report the practices to ensure she could gather sufficient evidence of the alleged abuse.

Police investigators spent several days reviewing the footage with assistance from Animal Protective Services before taking action. The surveillance video allegedly depicts Johnstone using a shock collar on dogs when they failed to follow commands and lifting animals off the ground by their leashes.

You have to look at, is this outside of the scope of practice? Is this bad training tactics or is this just straight cruelty? To us, it was outside of training practices. It was straight-up cruelty.

Sergeant William Gethefer

Sergeant William Gethefer described one specific incident captured on video where a dog appeared unwilling to have its picture taken, prompting Johnstone to shock the animal with a collar from his pocket. Gethefer questioned the training purpose behind such actions and the act of swinging a dog into the air by its collar.

Business Operations and Financials

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, many of the dogs housed at the facility had been rescued from California. After being trained at the facility, the dogs were sold for prices exceeding $600.

Sergeant Gethefer characterized this amount as exorbitant for the adoption of a rescue animal. Investigators further believe the organization intended to expand its operations by launching a new segment of the business where private citizens could pay to have their own dogs trained at the facility.

As a result of the investigation and subsequent arrests, the business license for Working Dogs of Nevada has been issued an emergency suspension.

Johnstone and Berube were booked at the Clark County Detention Center following their arrests on April 8, 2026.