The owner of a Las Vegas dog training business is facing criminal charges after police said a bulldog traveling in an unlicensed company cargo van died from complications of heat stroke last month.
Michael Martenies, owner of Sit Means Sit Dog Training, was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Thursday after turning himself in at Metropolitan Police Department headquarters, according to an arrest report released Monday by Las Vegas Justice Court.
Online records show Martenies faces a felony count of willfully or maliciously torturing an animal causing death.
Martenies’ arrest came more than a month after police said a training session with Taco, a one-and-a-half-year-old English bulldog, turned fatal.
Police wrote in the report that Martenies had been negligent “in manners of his business” that resulted in Taco’s death.
“Martenies had been operating outside of his business license by utilizing a transport van that while decaled with the business logo, was not affiliated with the business license and had not undergone the necessary inspection,” the report said. “The air conditioning unit to the rear of the van was not functioning and was not allowing sufficient air to flow.”
Police said Taco’s owner, Kenneth Goldberg, brought the bulldog to Martenies’ residence, where Sit Means Sit Dog Training is based, on the morning of July 8. When staff returned the dog to the Goldberg residence that afternoon, Goldberg’s wife and son discovered the dog “in clear distress.”
The Goldbergs rushed Taco to an emergency veterinarian, where the dog was pronounced dead, police said.
Police said a necropsy revealed Taco died from disseminated intravascular coagulation, a condition that causes widespread blood clotting and bleeding, and organ failure secondary to heat stroke.
Police also noted Taco suffered from a breathing disorder commonly found in English bulldogs that can make heat stroke set in more quickly than in longer-nosed breeds.
Police noted in the report that the high temperature in Las Vegas on July 8 was 102 degrees.
Detectives learned from the city of Las Vegas Animal Protection Services that the van involved in Taco’s death was not permitted to be used for transporting animals.
“Had he incorporated the van into his business plan, it would have been required to undergo an inspection to ensure the conditions of the vehicle were suitable,” the report said.
Las Vegas Justice Court records show Martenies posted a $5,000 surety bond the day of his arrest. He made an initial appearance on Friday and is scheduled to appear for a status check on Sept. 10.
An attorney for Martenies is not listed in his online case file. Attempts to reach Martenies for comment were unsuccessful.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
