Emily & Dave | Betrayal Weekly

For Emily and Dave, family isn't defined by blood. It's defined by loyalty, love, and showing up when it matters most. When a beloved dog becomes the center of a growing conflict with someone they trust, their lives are turned upside down. To learn more about Emily & Dave's story, you can visit their website: the-oscar-project.com https://www.the-oscar-project.com/ If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal team by emailing us at [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. You can also find us on Instagram at @betrayalpod https://www.instagram.com/betrayalpod/ and @glasspodcasts https://www.instagram.com/glasspodcasts/. To access our newsletter and additional content and to connect with the Betrayal community, join our Substack at betrayal.substack.com. If you are currently in crisis, please reach out to organizations that offer immediate support. We are including a few US-based resources here: 988 Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/ If you or someone you know is in crisis or need to talk to someone immediately, please call or text 988 – the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available 24/7/365. National Domestic Violence Hotline https://www.thehotline.org/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=domestic_violence. They offer 24/7 phone and chat support to help you create a personalized safety plan and connect you with local support. For resources on sexual violence, visit rainn.org/betrayal. You can also get free, confidential, 24/7 support through RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. Text HOPE to 64673 or call 1-800-656-HOPE. Every state has a domestic violence coalition. If you’re looking for help in the US, search the web for your state’s domestic violence coalition. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Andrea Gunning?

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

• 0:05Andrea Gunning?

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• 0:47Andrea Gunning?

  from applying and financial aid, to tutoring and career development. At Southern New Hampshire University, knowledge can be life-changing. Get started at SNHU.edu/Betrayal. That's SNHU.edu/Betrayal. Listen, we're all trying to save for something. For me, I love to save up for a really nice vacation and maybe put some money aside for a new car. It's always nice having something to look forward to. And knowing you're actually making progress towards those bigger goals feels really good. But in reality, it can be hard to actually save money. But that's what's great about the OnePay app. It makes saving money easy. First, you earn 3% cash back on up to $150.

• 1:31Andrea Gunning?

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• 1:48Speaker 01

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• 2:04Andrea Gunning?

  Some people never expected their lives to change in an instant. Most of us don't. That's why I want you to know about Saber Smart Pepper Spray. Yes, it helps protect you, but what makes it different is the connected app. If you're ever forced to use it in an emergency, it can alert your emergency contacts and share your location. So the people who love you aren't left searching. They're not left guessing. They know where to start. Visit saberred.com/betrayal. That's saberred.com/betrayal.

• 2:38Speaker 02

  I just remember feeling gutted. Completely gutted.

• 2:45Speaker 02

  This was my darkest year, that he wouldn't come back.

• 3:04Andrea Gunning?

  I'm Andrea Gunning, and this is Betrayal, a show about the people we trust the most and the deceptions that change everything. This is one of the most unique betrayal stories we've ever heard, where the betrayal centers around an animal. Many of us know how important pets are, because to many, they are family. For our storyteller, this is a betrayal of friendship and chosen family.

• 3:35Speaker 02

  My name is Emily McLeod.

• 3:37Andrea Gunning?

  The biggest thing you have to understand about Emily is that she loves animals.

• 3:42Speaker 02

  To look into the eyes of an animal is to see their soul and to see beyond the fact that they're just a four-legged furry being. And animals do feel sadness and hope and joy and happiness and delight.

• 3:53Andrea Gunning?

  As far back as she can remember, animals have been part of her life. Emily grew up with her parents and older brother in northern Alberta, where the Canadian winters are long. As a kid, she'd roam around outside in the snow enamored with the wildlife.

• 4:11Speaker 02

  I would always find injured animals and bring them home and bottle-feed the baby bunnies and the baby squirrels and the birds.

• 4:18Andrea Gunning?

  Emily's parents kept a full house with an ever-expanding cast of furry, feathered, and four-legged animals.

• 4:25Speaker 02

  We always had a dog growing up, and she was a Springer Spaniel. My brother always had snakes and lizards and toads and frogs.

• 4:34Andrea Gunning?

  Emily's parents taught her that each creature deserves special care and attention. And years later, she carried that lesson with her to Kansas City, where she studied to become a chiropractor.

• 4:46Speaker 02

  Even my chiropractic career has had a trajectory toward caring for animals. I became certified in animal chiropractic.

• 4:54Andrea Gunning?

  It's a unique career. There are only about 1,600 animal chiropractors in the world, and Emily is one of them. She runs her own practice where she spends her days treating racehorses, pigs with hip dysplasia, and cats with arthritis. But there's one animal that will always have her heart.

• 5:14Speaker 02

  I love big dogs, and I had a couple Labradors.

• 5:18Andrea Gunning?

  So she was excited when, in 2012, a local dog breeder reached out to her.

• 5:23Speaker 02

  I got a call from this really nice person who had a lot of very hard questions for me. She had a dog that was called a Conde Corso dog, and she asked me if I knew what a Conde Corso was. And I did not.

• 5:36Andrea Gunning?

  The woman explained Conde Corso's are special dogs. They're muscular Italian guard dogs with enormous heads, gentle in nature, but a fierce-looking exterior.

• 5:47Speaker 02

  And she very kindly called and wanted to make sure that I wouldn't have any troubles interacting with this dog.

• 5:55Andrea Gunning?

  The voice on the other end of the line was Betsy Shock, a woman who raised show dogs.

• 6:01Speaker 02

  She had a young Conde Corso that she was getting ready to show, and she wanted her to be in top shape.

• 6:08Andrea Gunning?

  Emily assured her that she was up for the job. So Betsy Shock showed up at the clinic with her puppy.

• 6:14Speaker 02

  A super sweet, beautiful Conde Corso. Just stunning.

• 6:18Andrea Gunning?

  And Emily immediately connected with Betsy.

• 6:21Speaker 02

  She was just very easy to talk with. She was all about her dog.

• 6:25Andrea Gunning?

  For Betsy Shock, this dog was more than a pet. Soon, she'd be traveling around the country with her, competing in dog shows. So she brought her dog back to Emily's clinic regularly. Emily had tons of clients, but there was something about Betsy Shock. She was warm and unpretentious.

• 6:46Speaker 02

  And I always saved extra time for their appointments because I genuinely enjoyed visiting with Betsy.

• 6:52Andrea Gunning?

  Emily fell in love with her Conde Corso, too.

• 6:55Speaker 02

  I loved her so much. And I remember one day I was taking care of her, and I just made the offhand comment, "Man, if she ever had a litter of puppies, I would love one of her puppies."

• 7:05Andrea Gunning?

  Over time, Emily got to know Betsy well. Whenever she came to the clinic, Betsy spoke passionately about how well her dog was doing in the ring.

• 7:15Speaker 02

  She was very proud of her work, and it was just nice to learn from someone who was very confident in what they did.

• 7:22Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy gave her insight into the strange world of the American Kennel Club, a scene Emily knew very little about. Emily was surprised to learn that people don't usually win any money at dog shows. For Betsy, it was truly a passion project.

• 7:38Speaker 02

  The idea behind AKC dog showing is preservation of breeds. And so the people that show their dogs that go to this great expense are generally very passionate about preserving historic breeds.

• 7:51Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy was passionate about Corso's in particular.

• 7:54Speaker 02

  Betsy's ultimate goal was to become an AKC judge.

• 7:58Andrea Gunning?

  A person trusted to decide which dogs best represent a breed. If Betsy bred enough Corso's that reached championship status, she could get there. But shows were a huge time investment, and it often meant sending her beloved pup away with a handler for the weekend.

• 8:16Speaker 02

  She loved having her at home, hated when she was on the road, being away from her to show.

• 8:22Andrea Gunning?

  One day, Emily decided to invite Betsy, her husband, and their dogs over to her place. At the time, Emily's house was connected to 10 acres of wooded land.

• 8:33Speaker 02

  So a couple times, they even came out and brought their other dogs to let them run my acreage where I had trails carved through, just to let them run off-leash.

• 8:41Andrea Gunning?

  As the seasons changed, Emily and Betsy grew closer. It was an organic kind of friendship, the kind where you don't even notice it happening. And then, in 2013, Emily met someone.

• 8:55Speaker 03

  My name is Dave Jennings.

• 8:57Andrea Gunning?

  Dave is also a chiropractor, and as soon as they met, it was clear they had a connection. In two years, they were married. For the rest of this episode, Dave's going to tell the story along with his wife. From the start, Dave embraced Emily's love for animals.

• 9:13Speaker 03

  So I've always liked dogs and cats. And then with Emily, well, definitely more than I would have ever thought. Animals in the house, for sure.

• 9:27Andrea Gunning?

  Those are some of the real everyday sounds at Emily and Dave's place, a seven-acre property they bought to build their new life together.

• 9:35Speaker 02

  We walked out into the backyard and we said, "This is it. We're buying a dog park." And so we bought the house literally for our dogs.

• 9:43Andrea Gunning?

  It became more than just a space for dogs. Their family grew into a motley crew comprised of cats, dogs, and several 100-pound rescue pigs, including one who uses a wheelchair. Yes, you heard that correctly.

• 10:00Speaker 02

  So this is Maxwell. He came with a spinal cord injury. He knows how to navigate his wheels to turn and go backwards. He's really fast. He's living his very best wheelchair pig life.

• 10:13Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave were in their early 40s when they met, and having kids just wasn't in the cards for them. But that didn't stop them from building their own kind of family.

• 10:23Speaker 02

  We can't have children, so we pour our love and college funds into the animals that we have. To some people, they're just dogs, but to us, they're family members.

• 10:34Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave knew they lived an unusual lifestyle. They're self-proclaimed introverts, whose ideal evening is spent playing fetch. Not everyone could relate, but Emily's friend, Betsy Schock, did. Betsy's life was all about her Kana Corso's. As soon as Dave entered the picture, they introduced him to Betsy's husband, Toby Schock. Toby was a retired bull rider, and Dave appreciated his wisdom and good humor.

• 11:02Speaker 03

  I mean, boy, talk about great stories. And he has this gravelly voice that was just, it's like an old Western.

• 11:09Speaker 02

  Well, gosh, I think he got gored in the neck by a bull when he was a bull rider, and that's why he had a real gravelly voice.

• 11:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, he's like an old cowboy, you know? That was Toby.

• 11:18Andrea Gunning?

  The four of them became fast friends.

• 11:21Speaker 02

  I think it's safe to say Betsy and Toby were introverts, just like Dave and I. Didn't really like a lot of people, but the people that we did like, we really liked.

• 11:29Andrea Gunning?

  It was special to meet people on the same wavelength.

• 11:33Speaker 02

  Dave and I don't like to go out, work on our homebodies, and they were too.

• 11:37Andrea Gunning?

  They started getting together more often, but never without their pets.

• 11:42Speaker 02

  Our friendship really revolved around the dogs.

• 11:45Speaker 03

  It usually involved us hanging out in their big backyard and the picnic table, just with dogs running around and just kind of shooting the breeze.

• 11:51Andrea Gunning?

  Around this time, something exciting happened. The Schocks' prized Kana Corso gave birth to a litter of puppies.

• 12:00Speaker 02

  Betsy let Dave and I come over the day after and let us enjoy what we called the Puppy Vortex.

• 12:06Andrea Gunning?

  Dave and Emily spent long afternoons helping the Schocks tend to the litter.

• 12:11Speaker 03

  Bottle feet or change sheets or clean puppies or whatever they needed help with, it was just giving them a little bit of a respite because raising puppies, it's a big deal.

• 12:21Andrea Gunning?

  The Schocks were so grateful for the extra hands.

• 12:23Speaker 02

  They offered us a puppy from the litter as a gift, as a thank you for all that we had done.

• 12:31Andrea Gunning?

  Toby Schock said he knew just the right puppy for Emily and Dave. He pointed to her in the litter.

• 12:38Speaker 03

  He had a way with animals. He could read to animals better than anybody. And he goes, "That dog's gonna be a great one." You know, that's that gravelly voice he's got.

• 12:47Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 12:49Speaker 02

  Yeah, that's just what he would say.

• 12:50Speaker 03

  You know?

• 12:52Andrea Gunning?

  At the time, it was the most generous gift Emily and Dave had ever received.

• 12:57Speaker 02

  We saw how much they financially put in with the vet care and the food. So we gave them an envelope filled with money. We said, "You're gonna take this. We don't want you guys to be out money for a dog you're gifting us."

• 13:11Andrea Gunning?

  But the Schocks would just hand it back.

• 13:14Speaker 02

  A couple of weeks later, I was getting ready to go on a mission trip to Africa, and they gave almost all of that money back to me as a donation to the mission trip.

• 13:22Andrea Gunning?

  Their friendship was like a gift passed back and forth over and over. And after a year spent in the Puppy Vortex, the Schocks started to feel like family. But in 2017, Toby Schock's health took a grave turn. He had liver cancer.

• 13:41Speaker 03

  He had already battled cancer previously and gone into remission. And as we all know, cancer, when it comes back, it does come back with a bit of a vengeance.

• 13:50Andrea Gunning?

  Suddenly, things that had been easy for Toby became harder. Toby was really sick.

• 13:57Speaker 02

  And he was in and out of the hospital during those months.

• 14:01Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy was stretched thin, working long hours to provide for her and Toby and pay for his medical expenses. She had to put dog showing on pause. They were in survival mode. So Emily and Dave stepped up wherever they could.

• 14:17Speaker 03

  Just going over and stopping and helping clean up the pen where the dogs are out so he doesn't have to go out and do that. Little physical things.

• 14:24Speaker 02

  That morphed into Dave running errands or taking him to appointments occasionally. We would take meals over.

• 14:31Andrea Gunning?

  The Schocks had been so giving. Emily and Dave never hesitated to return the favor.

• 14:37Speaker 03

  When friends are in a time of need, you're just there to help how you can.

• 14:42Andrea Gunning?

  It was a trying time, but the couples still managed to share moments of joy. In the fall of 2017, the Schocks' Kana Corso was pregnant again. They invited Emily and Dave over to their house just before the birth of the new litter. Emily was sitting next to their dog when she went into labor.

• 15:02Speaker 02

  And Betsy said, "That's a puppy. Catch it." So I caught it.

• 15:07Andrea Gunning?

  Emily looked down at this squirming little creature. It was so precious and fit into the palm of her hand. And soon, that puppy had a name.

• 15:17Speaker 02

  And it was Oscar.

• 15:19Andrea Gunning?

  Just like last time, Emily and Dave helped care for the litter. And they noticed Oscar always needed a little extra love.

• 15:27Speaker 02

  He was a young, growing puppy, and he needed so much attention, and he was very vocal. And sometimes we would just get the SOS text from Toby or Betsy saying, "Can you just come pick him up and take him with you?"

• 15:39Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave felt a special connection to Oscar. Their bond was instant, and the Schocks saw it too.

• 15:46Speaker 02

  October 1st, 2017, we met Toby and Betsy at a lake to swim the dogs.

• 15:52Andrea Gunning?

  Just as they were about to head home, the Schocks asked them something.

• 15:57Speaker 02

  They said, "Hey, we would like for you to consider taking Oscar and making him part of your family."

• 16:04Andrea Gunning?

  Even at five months old, Betsy could tell Oscar would grow into a gorgeous dog. But she said with her husband sick, she didn't have time for another pet. She just had one ask.

• 16:16Speaker 02

  Betsy said, "If I get back into showing, I would like the opportunity to show him and get his champion because that's what helps me earn my metrics to be an AKC judge."

• 16:27Andrea Gunning?

  Show dogs can't be neutered, so Betsy also wanted to make sure he was left intact. This all sounded reasonable. Dave just wanted to clarify one thing.

• 16:38Speaker 03

  I asked Betsy, "I just want to make sure if we do this, he's my dog." And she goes, "Yes, he's yours."

• 16:45Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave were honored the Schocks would trust them with another one of their Corso's. They gave it some thought.

• 16:52Speaker 02

  We're not looking to add another dog, but like, these are such good friends of ours and we want to help. We want Betsy to be able to get her AKC judge goals met. Especially with Toby sick, we want her to have something to look forward to.

• 17:05Andrea Gunning?

  They slept on it, and the next day...

• 17:08Speaker 02

  We said that we would add Oscar to our family.

• 17:11Andrea Gunning?

  They picked him up right away. Emily and Dave had lots of other dogs in their life, but immediately, they could tell Oscar was special. He had gigantic, soulful eyes. He trailed Emily and Dave around the house and laid down at their heels.

• 17:28Speaker 03

  As a puppy, he was sweet. He's just the happiest dog. He loves people, and he loves the attention he gets, and he just wants to cozy up to you.

• 17:37Andrea Gunning?

  As the weeks turned to months, Oscar grew and grew and grew, until pretty soon, he was one of the largest dogs either of them had ever seen, weighing over 150 pounds.

• 17:52Speaker 03

  And he just turned into this massive dog. I mean, his head was like twice the size of a human head.

• 17:59Andrea Gunning?

  As Oscar grew, so did their love for him.

• 18:02Speaker 03

  It was so fun to watch him grow into this amazing personality, like you've never met a bigger bundle of joy. And everyone who's ever met him will tell you that.

• 18:13Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave adored Oscar. He made their family feel complete.

• 18:20Andrea Gunning?

  In the summer of 2018, they received devastating news. Toby Schock's chemo had stopped working. He decided to stop treatment altogether. Emily and Dave were completely gutted. They started mentally preparing to say goodbye.

• 18:39Speaker 02

  And it's just so sad. It's so sad for all of us.

• 18:44Andrea Gunning?

  Toby knew he didn't have much time left. In a quiet moment, during one of Emily and Dave's final visits, Toby asked them something.

• 18:54Speaker 02

  "Please, promise me you guys will take care of Betsy when I go."

• 18:59Speaker 02

  Sorry.

• 19:01Speaker 02

  Even when he was on his last day, his family, his kids were there at his house, and Dave and I were the only two unrelated people that Betsy let come over and say goodbye to him. And I just remember leaning down and I just told him, I whispered into his ear. I said, "Toby, you're okay to go. We're gonna help take care of Betsy."

• 19:22Andrea Gunning?

  But keeping that promise would prove far more difficult than they ever could have imagined.

• 19:29Speaker 03

  The world shifted on its axis when Toby passed. Everything changed.

• 19:55Andrea Gunning?

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• 20:39Andrea Gunning?

  Just complete a short online assessment, get matched with a clinician who fits your needs, and you can schedule your first appointment in days, not months. Plus, you'll continue seeing the same provider so your treatment can grow with you over time.

• 20:54Andrea Gunning?

  Head to talkiatry.com/betrayal to complete this short assessment and get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in just a few minutes. That's T-A-L-K-I-A-T-R-Y.com/betrayal to get matched in minutes. Talkiatry.com/betrayal.

• 21:12Andrea Gunning?

  Talkiatry.com/betrayal.

• 21:15Andrea Gunning?

  One thing I've learned from producing true crime these past few years is that life can change in an instant. Most people never expect to find themselves in a dangerous situation. They're heading home from work, walking the dog, meeting a friend, traveling alone, and they assume it's just another ordinary day, until it isn't. That's why I want you to know about Saber Smart Pepper Spray. Yes, it's designed to help protect you, but what makes it different is the connected app. If you're ever forced to use it in an emergency, it can alert your emergency contacts and share your location. So when every second matters, the people who care about you most aren't left wondering where you are. They're not left searching, they're not left guessing, they know where to start.

• 21:59Andrea Gunning?

  We can't always predict the unexpected, but we can be prepared for it. Learn more at saberred.com/betrayal. That's saberred.com/betrayal. You know the saying, "Knowledge is power"? Well, it's a lot more than that. Knowledge can be growth, security, opportunity, and no one knows that better than Southern New Hampshire University. That's why they offer over 200 online degree programs designed to help you reach your goals. Set yourself up for success or get ready to pivot into something new. No matter your program, you'll learn practical, career-focused skills you can use on the job. And don't worry, getting your degree online doesn't mean doing it alone.

• 22:41Andrea Gunning?

  Southern New Hampshire University has some of the best student support and online education. From day one to graduation, you'll have friendly, knowledgeable people to help you with everything, from applying and financial aid to tutoring and career development. At Southern New Hampshire University, knowledge can be life-changing. Get started at SNHU.edu/betrayal. That's SNHU.edu/betrayal.

• 23:12Andrea Gunning?

  Toby's death weighed heavy on Emily and Dave. His friendship was one they cherished.

• 23:18Speaker 03

  The world shifted on its axis when Toby passed. Everything changed.

• 23:23Andrea Gunning?

  Most of all, for Betsy.

• 23:26Speaker 02

  You just don't know how somebody is going to respond to such a profound loss. We saw her spiraling, just having to deal with everything by herself for the first time in years. All of a sudden, she found herself a single mom of five dogs without anybody there to help. And I think very understandably, she was just lost for a while.

• 23:46Andrea Gunning?

  Keeping up with her day job as a railroad engineer, plus the animal care, became overwhelming for Betsy. She worked long hours, and Emily and Dave grew increasingly concerned. It didn't seem like she was sleeping much.

• 24:02Speaker 02

  She was so tired, she actually got into a couple of car wrecks on the way to and from her lake home.

• 24:11Andrea Gunning?

  Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, but that didn't stop Emily and Dave from worrying that something like this could happen again, or something worse.

• 24:23Andrea Gunning?

  This was Emily's friend of six years. She knew she needed to help Betsy through her grief.

• 24:29Speaker 02

  It was important to us to help care for Betsy and the dogs.

• 24:33Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave's property had a guest apartment outside the main house. They knew they'd have to fix it up, but they approached Betsy with an invitation.

• 24:42Speaker 02

  That she could live in our apartment if she needed to, for however long.

• 24:47Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy said yes and was grateful. Emily and Dave got to work renovating.

• 24:52Speaker 02

  And got her apartment to the point of being livable. So she and all of her dogs moved in.

• 24:57Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave agreed to help out with animal care when Betsy was working. It was a lot to juggle, but they thought it was the least they could do to help Betsy get back on her feet. She'd given them a lot, including Oscar, the dog who'd since become the center of their family.

• 25:15Speaker 03

  He just turned in just to the most remarkable dog and just an absolute sweetheart.

• 25:20Andrea Gunning?

  Oscar was a gentle giant, over 150 pounds, but still somehow unassuming. The kind of dog you could bring to work with you that would rest quietly at your feet. When Dave opened his own clinic, Oscar became the office mascot.

• 25:36Speaker 03

  I have so many pictures of him with patients and kids, just sitting next to him, petting him.

• 25:42Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy was right. He'd grown into a magnificent creature with a coat unlike anything they'd ever seen.

• 25:49Speaker 02

  Oscar is a black chestnut brindle. There are two colors intertwined, and it looks a little bit like tiger striping.

• 25:56Andrea Gunning?

  But they didn't care that he was show dog quality. They loved Oscar for the way he clowned around their house and curled up at the foot of their bed.

• 26:05Speaker 03

  If he didn't brighten your day, there was nothing going to brighten your day.

• 26:08Andrea Gunning?

  Oscar endeared himself to everyone. He was a playmate to their other Corso and a protector to their rescue pig Polly.

• 26:16Speaker 02

  Polly and Oscar were the best of friends. It was like he just knew that she needed him for warmth and protection. We have hundreds of pictures of Oscar and Polly sleeping together.

• 26:28Andrea Gunning?

  In another life, they could have gone viral on social media as an unlikely animal friendship.

• 26:36Andrea Gunning?

  Eventually, Betsy said she was ready to start doing dog shows again, and she'd love to borrow Oscar for a long weekend now and then. Emily and Dave were overjoyed. They wanted their friend to get back to all the things she loved again.

• 26:51Speaker 02

  We were very happy for Betsy because this, to us, was us helping her realize her dream after the substantial loss of her husband.

• 27:00Andrea Gunning?

  Of course, they'd miss Oscar while he was away, but they got him ready for his adventure. They dropped Oscar off with a handler Betsy hired.

• 27:09Speaker 02

  The first weekend that Oscar went away, we packed his little to-go bag and he went away with the handler. And he was in a kennel, as he is, and he ate one of his toys. So after he got back from that weekend, we had a very sick dog and had to rush him to emergency abdominal surgery to remove a toy that was basically in his colon.

• 27:30Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave were shaken and were relieved when Oscar pulled through. It was a horrible accident, but they knew it was just that, an accident.

• 27:40Speaker 03

  The handler was good. He's an AKC-registered handler. He's a good person. You know, there's no ill intent anywhere.

• 27:46Speaker 02

  But that was shocking to us, and also, it was a very expensive surgery for us because he was our dog. So we covered the cost of that surgery, even though it wasn't our mistake.

• 27:56Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy assured them it was a fluke, and dog shows were usually very safe. Emily and Dave kept an open mind.

• 28:05Andrea Gunning?

  Over the next several months, Betsy took him to more shows, and Oscar performed surprisingly well, bringing home all kinds of accolades. Betsy was beaming. She was always excited to share the news.

• 28:17Speaker 03

  And it was like, yay. And we always had text messages floating back and forth, like, hey, Oscar, got this, he got that, congratulations, it's awesome.

• 28:25Speaker 02

  When Oscar was first showing and was winning, we were very excited for Betsy and very proud of Oscar. We worked really hard to make sure he was happy and healthy and in show shape.

• 28:37Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave went to a handful of dog shows, cheered from the stands, and watched him rack up wins. But the deeper they got into that world, the more worried they became, because every time Oscar left for a show, he seemed to come back worse for it. Wherever large crowds of animals gather, germs can spread.

• 28:59Speaker 02

  If one dog has a parasite or a virus, it spreads like wildfire. From our perspective, every time Oscar would go to a show, he would get sick.

• 29:08Andrea Gunning?

  Oscar often came home with giardia, kennel cough, and various parasites, and he'd infect their other pets.

• 29:16Speaker 02

  And we were the ones on the backside, dealing with the vet bills.

• 29:21Andrea Gunning?

  Most shows took place over a long weekend, and in just a few days, Oscar would lose weight from the stress.

• 29:28Speaker 03

  And he comes back dropping 15 pounds over a weekend. We're like, whoa. That, for us, is a concern because, you know, he's a big dog. It's very stressful on their body.

• 29:39Andrea Gunning?

  Oscar wasn't a puppy anymore. He was two, and this was starting to take a toll on him.

• 29:45Speaker 02

  Corso's are known to get very close to their people. And it was very stressful. Oscar did have some separation anxiety.

• 29:53Andrea Gunning?

  Oscar had really specific needs. He had allergies and was on a special diet.

• 29:59Speaker 02

  And there were times where he would come home with a lot of his food and/or we could tell it had been prepared in a way that we would never have prepared it.

• 30:06Andrea Gunning?

  The care Oscar was receiving on the road wasn't what they'd like it to be.

• 30:11Speaker 02

  He's business for the handler. So when the handler has five or 10 or 15 other dogs that are crated, he's not giving our dog one-on-one attention. He was somebody's job and he's our family member.

• 30:24Andrea Gunning?

  For Emily and Dave, Oscar's show dog career was secondary to his well-being. This led to some tense conversations with Betsy, and she sympathized. She loved Oscar too, but urged them to stick it out. Oscar was gaining more success. But around this time, they started noticing some changes in Betsy.

• 30:45Speaker 02

  She was exhausted all the time. She was snappier than she used to be, understandably. You know, we just kept chalking it up to grief.

• 30:53Andrea Gunning?

  And she seemed less attentive.

• 30:55Speaker 02

  The care we thought she would want for her dogs to have suddenly was changing. Where we were saying, Betsy, do you want us to go let the dogs out? Like, they've been in their crates for hours. Her replies became more and more callous. No, they're fine. They're fine to be in their crates all day. They're fine to go potty in their kennels. Just not what we thought the standard of her care was.

• 31:20Andrea Gunning?

  For years, Betsy's dogs had been her top priority. But now Emily and Dave watched as she spent more and more time away from them. They were left scrambling to care for her dogs on top of their own.

• 31:34Speaker 03

  We got to a point, we were overextended.

• 31:37Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy and her dogs were still living with them. She'd leave her dogs for days at a time.

• 31:43Speaker 03

  All of the care we provided for her dogs, I mean, it was just never acknowledged. There was never like, thank you.

• 31:50Speaker 02

  And we had conversations with her that were just very forthright. We wanted her to have a social life. We wanted her to heal and get back up and do things. But at some point, it just became expected.

• 32:03Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave didn't think Betsy meant to take advantage of them. She seemed distracted.

• 32:08Speaker 02

  And she was starting to forget conversations. And she was really starting to act like not herself. And we were starting to say to her during the summer of 2019, like, are you okay? You've been not acting yourself lately. Or is everything okay? Is there anything we can do? And she had said, no, I haven't been myself.

• 32:28Andrea Gunning?

  It had been almost a year since Toby passed. There was still a lot of pain there. Betsy had finally brought herself to sell Toby's old truck. She explained she made arrangements for someone to pick it up. And it was hard to say goodbye to something her husband treasured.

• 32:44Speaker 02

  And she did sell Toby's truck that night and just was sobbing.

• 32:51Andrea Gunning?

  Dave and Emily tried to comfort her as they sat with their dogs. When Betsy calmed down, the conversation turned to Oscar. She talked about his potential as a show dog.

• 33:03Speaker 02

  That is when she first used the word campaign. I want to campaign him. And we were like, what do you mean? And she said, I want to put him on the road for like a year.

• 33:13Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave were caught off guard. Campaigning was something only top show dogs did. It was like being a musician on tour. It would mean Oscar would be traveling, competing in dog shows full-time.

• 33:27Speaker 03

  We're like, whoa, like, that's, whoa, no, that's not, that's not something we ever talked about.

• 33:32Speaker 02

  Oh, we're not comfortable with that at all.

• 33:34Speaker 03

  Dogs at dog shows? They can spend 18 to 20 hours a day in a crate.

• 33:39Speaker 02

  Being a campaign dog is not being a family dog. It's literally being in a crate for hours a day on the road. And we just said to Betsy, Betsy, like, we never agreed to having him campaigned. We don't want him on the road for weeks and weeks and weeks at a time, let alone a year away from us and us from him.

• 33:57Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave couldn't even wrap their mind around it. For the past two years, they rarely let Oscar out of their sight.

• 34:04Speaker 03

  They go to work every day with me. 98% of my week, my dogs are with me.

• 34:09Speaker 02

  And they're very sensitive. For as big as they are, they're very emotionally sensitive dogs.

• 34:15Andrea Gunning?

  So Emily and Dave said no, they wouldn't allow it. Betsy didn't take it well.

• 34:22Speaker 02

  She accused us of not supporting her dreams by not allowing her to campaign Oscar.

• 34:29Andrea Gunning?

  The air in the room felt heavy. Betsy was clearly hurting.

• 34:36Andrea Gunning?

  They didn't want to upset her, but they couldn't do this to Oscar. Emily and Dave hoped they could find some kind of middle ground. They told Betsy.

• 34:45Speaker 02

  Give us the top five shows you want him at, the ones that are the most important. We will personally take time out of work and incur the expense of getting him to the important shows you want him at, so that he doesn't have to be campaigned.

• 34:59Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy seemed to appreciate this. She'd be going with Oscar and a handler to a show soon in Colorado and invited Emily and Dave to come.

• 35:09Speaker 02

  And then a week or two before the show, she uninvited us to go to Colorado, saying that he would focus better if we weren't there, he would be less distracted.

• 35:21Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy said they'd work out an arrangement for Oscar's show schedule when she got back. Oscar left for Colorado. Emily and Dave stayed home. Betsy texted them updates like always. Oscar won best in breed.

• 35:36Speaker 02

  We got a picture of Betsy and Oscar in the hotel.

• 35:40Andrea Gunning?

  It should have been a happy moment, but in the photo, Betsy didn't look happy.

• 35:46Speaker 02

  And there was just something looking off. You know, you can just tell things looked a little off.

• 35:52Andrea Gunning?

  Emily figured she'd talk to Betsy when she got back from the show. But suddenly, Betsy started sending messages that were convoluted and long-winded. It gave them pause, and every message was sent in a group chat with her handler, Sean.

• 36:07Speaker 03

  That was odd, and everything was paragraphs. It was like really long text. You can read them and you can just see a difference in tone and everything.

• 36:18Andrea Gunning?

  Until one message made them freeze.

• 36:22Speaker 02

  This hard left turn of, here's a change of plans. He's not coming home. He's going to stay with Sean. He's going to go breed her bitch. And you can pick him up in Lexington, Kentucky on Labor Day.

• 36:35Andrea Gunning?

  Labor Day? That was weeks away.

• 36:41Andrea Gunning?

  At first, Emily and Dave didn't understand what they were reading. Dave picked up the phone and dialed Betsy. He was sure this was a misunderstanding.

• 36:50Speaker 03

  I called and I go, what are you saying? What's going on?

• 36:55Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy said Oscar was staying on the road. There were several shows that were too important to miss. They could see him in a few weeks. Dave was blindsided. This wasn't the plan.

• 37:08Speaker 03

  You made a promise to me that you were going to return him. And then we were going to further discuss this new plan you had or want or your new goals, what it looks like, and then how we can all come to an agreement of what we can do. But that all went out the door.

• 37:22Andrea Gunning?

  Dave saw red. He says he's not proud of what happened next.

• 37:26Speaker 03

  I admittedly lost my cool and I might have dropped some foul words. And I was hot-headed for a little bit.

• 37:33Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy hung up the phone and soon she stopped communicating with Emily too. Betsy told them if they wanted updates about Oscar, they'd have to go through her handler, Sean. Dave texted Betsy apologizing for losing his temper, but she didn't reply.

• 37:50Speaker 03

  That was the point when all communication stopped.

• 37:54Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave began to panic. They didn't even know what city Oscar was competing in next. Days passed.

• 38:03Speaker 02

  It was hard to eat. It was hard to sleep. And to think of him sleeping in a basement kennel with other dogs all around versus in our house. I mean, everything about it was just everything we didn't want for Oscar. And I just remember every night praying for Oscar, just for him to be safe and for him to know that we loved him and just for Sean to be taking good care of him.

• 38:22Andrea Gunning?

  No matter how many times they called, Betsy didn't answer.

• 38:27Speaker 02

  I kept thinking, the phone's going to ring and Betsy's going to call and say, you guys, I'm so sorry. I lost my mind for a minute. I'm bringing Oscar home. Let's talk about this. Everything's going to be okay. We were waiting for that because that's the Betsy we had known. That's the Betsy I'd known for seven years. That phone call never came.

• 38:44Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave waited anxiously.

• 38:47Speaker 02

  We were told we could pick him up Labor Day Monday in Lexington, Kentucky, at a dog show he was supposed to be at.

• 38:53Andrea Gunning?

  It was a grueling two weeks of sleepless nights and radio silence. When Labor Day weekend finally came, Emily got ready to make the drive. But her doubts had grown. Before leaving, she checked the show's website for Oscar's name. And to her dismay.

• 39:09Speaker 02

  He was marked absent from the show. He was marked absent from the show. And I remember feeling like the bottom just dropped out.

• 39:19Andrea Gunning?

  Emily began to sob. If Oscar wasn't in Kentucky, where on earth was he? Betsy had lied to them.

• 39:28Speaker 02

  Oh my gosh, this is what I feared. This is what I feared. A member of my family had been taken.

• 39:37Andrea Gunning?

  They'd been waiting for Betsy to come back to her apartment. This was one of their closest friends. They knew if they could just talk to her, they could work things out. But when they unlocked the front door to her apartment, they found...

• 39:51Speaker 02

  She had come home on a day we weren't there, and she moved her stuff out.

• 39:57Andrea Gunning?

  All her dogs were gone, too. Emily and Dave stared at the empty walls, astonished. How could she move out without saying goodbye? That's when it dawned on them. She wasn't planning on coming back with Oscar, ever.

• 40:12Speaker 02

  I just remember feeling gutted, completely gutted. This was my darkest year, that he wouldn't come back.

• 40:20Andrea Gunning?

  They replayed the past year with Betsy.

• 40:23Speaker 02

  And now we think, was it a plan all along? When did this plan to take Oscar start? Can we continue thinking the best of her? Or is everything we've known of her since Toby's death, has that all been a lie?

• 40:37Speaker 03

  When you think you know somebody, and then they do something so out of character, it really throws you for a loop. You don't even understand what's happening. You wonder, was anything true?

• 40:49Andrea Gunning?

  Were they just a way to support her AKC career? Betsy promised to bring Oscar home, that she was just leaving for the weekend, that they'd have a conversation about his show dog career. And instead, she disappeared with him.

• 41:04Speaker 03

  If you talk to someone and you find out a story was a complete fabrication, then was everything a fabrication?

• 41:11Speaker 02

  The panic sets in, and I think I went dark pretty fast.

• 41:17Andrea Gunning?

  They had no idea what Betsy was thinking. And she wasn't communicating. She'd taken Oscar, but she'd try to take their other corso next.

• 41:27Speaker 02

  She had a key to our home. She knew where everything was. She knew how to get through every gate and into our backyard. So it was a matter of quickly calling a locksmith, having all of our locks changed, padlocking gates between our yards, which we had never done before.

• 41:44Andrea Gunning?

  All the while, they knew they needed to locate Oscar.

• 41:47Speaker 03

  We kind of worked on tracking down where he might be, and just try to use every resource we can to maybe figure that part out.

• 41:57Andrea Gunning?

  The next few weeks were an anxious blur. They posted on Facebook and asked their friends in the dog show world to keep an eye out. No one had seen Oscar.

• 42:08Speaker 02

  It was an awful time. Neither of us ate well. I think I lost like 12 pounds. We started getting even more concerned about his well-being. Because we didn't know who he was with. We didn't know where he was. We didn't know how he was being cared for.

• 42:25Andrea Gunning?

  With no updates on his well-being, their minds jumped to dark places.

• 42:30Speaker 02

  I think silence has a way of assuming the worst.

• 42:33Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy had never put any expectations about Oscar's show career in writing, and Emily and Dave never asked her to. Why would they? Betsy had never campaigned a dog before, and she was their friend. But now, they saw things differently. The trust that had felt natural suddenly felt like a mistake.

• 42:54Speaker 02

  And we also started interviewing lawyers, because Betsy had stopped talking with us. She'd never given us a contract. She was unwilling to work things out with us, so we started looking for lawyers, because we knew we needed help.

• 43:06Andrea Gunning?

  Six weeks passed that way. They didn't have any leads. But Dave had a hunch. There was a large dog show happening in Virginia. Since Sean, the handler, lived nearby in Maryland, they might try to enter Oscar.

• 43:19Speaker 02

  We weren't sure, first of all, that he would be there. It was just a 24-hour drive in hopes that he would be there.

• 43:24Andrea Gunning?

  But they were desperate. If there was a chance they could bring Oscar home, they had to try. So Dave hugged Emily, jumped in his car, and set out on a rescue mission.

• 43:36Speaker 03

  My buddy and I, we drove, we left here midday, and we drove straight through.

• 43:42Andrea Gunning?

  Dave and his friend drove all night, taking turns at the wheel. When they arrived at the Virginia dog show, the sun was rising. They parked outside and made a game plan. Dave knew he had to be strategic. The handler wouldn't just hand Oscar over.

• 43:58Speaker 03

  I never wanted to be shady. We tried to do things the right way at Lexington, and he just didn't show up. If I go to a show superintendent, and then word starts spreading, then she's gonna get word, and she's gonna go in a band, she's gonna roll. She's gonna take off. And then I don't know what the future will hold after that. But I just wanted my dog back, so my best avenue is to get him and get him in the car, and then go.

• 44:19Andrea Gunning?

  They started by peering through the windows for any sign of the handler.

• 44:23Speaker 03

  We scoped the place out. I was trying to see where is she located?

• 44:27Andrea Gunning?

  Finally, Dave spotted the handler and pointed her out to his friend, who agreed to follow her inside. He'd text Dave if he saw Oscar.

• 44:36Speaker 03

  And we just wait and wait and wait. It was probably two hours, you know, waiting for kind of things to settle in.

• 44:42Andrea Gunning?

  Suddenly, Dave's friend saw the handler make her way back to the kennels.

• 44:47Speaker 03

  Oscar's in a kennel with a blanket over it. And she finally flips that blanket off of him. And then my buddy sent me a picture. And I'm like, yep, that's him, okay.

• 44:58Andrea Gunning?

  In the picture, Oscar was curled up in a crate. Dave couldn't believe it had come to this, but he didn't hesitate. When his friend texted that the coast was clear, Dave rushed in.

• 45:10Speaker 03

  I walked around with a lead. I opened the crate, and as soon as he realized it was me, he was just so excited and so happy. I was like, come on, buddy, we're going home. And I put my lead right around him, and we walked out the door.

• 45:23Andrea Gunning?

  But when the handler found Oscar's crate empty, she dialed 911 to report a robbery.

• 45:49Andrea Gunning?

  One thing I've learned from producing true crime these past few years is that life can change in an instant. Most people never expect to find themselves in a dangerous situation. They're heading home from work, walking the dog, meeting a friend, traveling alone, and they assume it's just another ordinary day, until it isn't. That's why I want you to know about Saber Smart Pepper Spray. Yes, it's designed to help protect you, but what makes it different is the connected app. If you're ever forced to use it in an emergency, it can alert your emergency contacts and share your location. So when every second matters, the people who care about you most aren't left wondering where you are. They're not left searching. They're not left guessing. They know where to start.

• 46:33Andrea Gunning?

  We can't always predict the unexpected, but we can be prepared for it. Learn more at saberred.com/betrayal. That's saberred.com/betrayal.

• 46:47Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave had come to a painful realization. Betsy wasn't bringing Oscar home. Running out of options, Dave drove to a dog show in Virginia in hopes that Oscar might be there. He was. And once Dave found him, he wasn't leaving without him. He slipped inside and unlatched Oscar's crate.

• 47:06Speaker 03

  I was like, come on, buddy, we're going home. And I put my lead right around him, and we walked out the door. And as soon as he realized it was me, he was just so excited and so happy, and he couldn't get in the car quick enough. My buddy's driving, I'm in the passenger seat. He comes up and lays his head on the headrest. And he just is like, oh, thank you. You're here. You know, my family, my guy's here.

• 47:28Andrea Gunning?

  Dave messaged Emily. She'd been waiting nervously by her phone.

• 47:32Speaker 02

  The relief, the profound relief when Dave texted and said, I've got him.

• 47:36Andrea Gunning?

  Next, they texted Betsy.

• 47:38Speaker 02

  We did a group text, and I just said, Oscar's safely back in our care, and you're welcome to contact our lawyers.

• 47:45Andrea Gunning?

  Dave hugged Oscar tight. And when the adrenaline settled, he finally looked closely at Oscar.

• 47:52Speaker 03

  I was just aghast at the condition he was in. Dirty, this giant hotspot on his cheek that was untreated. His ears were dirty, and they're just gunky as anything. And he's thin, and he's skinny, and all these things. Now, it broke my heart. It breaks my heart that he's in that condition.

• 48:14Andrea Gunning?

  The handler immediately noticed Oscar was gone and called the police. It caused a commotion at the dog show. Dave was still in the car when his phone rang. When he picked up, an officer demanded he explain himself.

• 48:28Speaker 03

  I explained to the police officer what was going on. I said, it's a civil matter. I go, he is my dog. I sent him a text message with the AKC paperwork to show that my name's on as registration. And then he was like, okay, well, we don't have anything to do with this. So the police were done.

• 48:43Andrea Gunning?

  When they finally reached Kansas City, Dave rushed Oscar to the vet.

• 48:48Speaker 02

  He had six hotspots. He had hookworms, which is an intestinal parasite. He had explosive diarrhea. He had double ear infections. He had lost 15 pounds. And he was hypothyroid. Clinically, on blood work, hypothyroid.

• 49:05Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave were devastated.

• 49:08Speaker 02

  And then the sorrow that came with knowing what terrible shape he was in. You know, for him to be so sick. It was so heartbreaking.

• 49:16Andrea Gunning?

  They hugged Oscar, tears welling in their eyes. It was crushing. Not just that Oscar was so sick, but that Betsy had let this happen. They felt betrayed.

• 49:28Speaker 02

  To think that our dog, a dog that Betsy claimed to love and want the very best for, was allowed to be in such deplorable condition. It's so sad and so unnecessary.

• 49:40Speaker 03

  I still, to this day, I still cannot accept that.

• 49:43Speaker 02

  That's not the Betsy we knew and loved.

• 49:45Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 49:45Speaker 02

  If the Betsy that we knew would have seen him with hotspots and weight loss, with dirty ears.

• 49:52Speaker 03

  Yeah, she would have put him in the car and brought him back to Kansas City. But that's not what happened.

• 49:57Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave focused their energy on nursing Oscar back to health. They were so relieved to have him home.

• 50:03Speaker 02

  We treated all the hookworms and ear infections and we rechecked the thyroid and we got him back on his healthy diet. It was wonderful to have him home. It was so great.

• 50:11Andrea Gunning?

  They never wanted to be away from Oscar again. But Betsy was actively trying to bring him back on the road. She hired a lawyer of her own.

• 50:20Speaker 02

  It was still tumultuous. We kept hoping and thinking we could just meet with Betsy and work something out.

• 50:28Andrea Gunning?

  But through their attorney, Emily and Dave found out that their friendship with Betsy was over when they were served with a restraining order.

• 50:36Speaker 02

  She filed a restraining order against us.

• 50:39Andrea Gunning?

  Not only that, Betsy was determined to become Oscar's legal owner. But Emily and Dave weren't willing to accept that. This was their dog. They'd raised him. He was part of their family. And they couldn't just sit by and watch Oscar's health deteriorate.

• 50:56Speaker 03

  I will never not fight for my dog. If my dog is mistreated like that, I will fight.

• 51:01Andrea Gunning?

  They didn't have a contract, but they were determined to fight Betsy for ownership. Here's where things get difficult. In the eyes of the court, this is not a custody dispute. It's a property dispute. And there wasn't much legal precedent for a dog ownership case like theirs. But their lawyers told them not to worry. Emily and Dave had a paper trail, hundreds of documents and photos proving they'd raised Oscar.

• 51:29Speaker 02

  We had given our lawyers a lot of evidence of ownership. Vet bills, training receipts, care and feeding, microchip information, AKC registration that Betsy had filled out listing us as owners.

• 51:43Andrea Gunning?

  They filed for ownership, still holding on to hope that they might be able to settle things without going to court. But that hope evaporated in an instant.

• 51:53Speaker 03

  Really out of the blue, we got the injunction filing.

• 51:59Andrea Gunning?

  Betsy filed what's called a preliminary injunction. Basically, what that means is she had a specific request. She wanted the opportunity to bring Oscar to an important show before the ownership trial began.

• 52:12Speaker 02

  And Dave and I didn't oppose that. The idea of the temporary injunction would be that she would have Oscar do the show and then he would return to us. And we would then establish a court date for an ownership trial, which was fine with us.

• 52:26Andrea Gunning?

  Even though ownership wouldn't be decided at an injunction hearing, both sides would still need to give an overview of their claim to ownership. Emily and Dave appeared at the court hearing. It was 2020, so everything was on Zoom. Right away, things felt off. It seemed like the judge was rushing parts of the hearing.

• 52:48Speaker 02

  Dave and I sensed the way court was going and the types of questions the judge was asking Betsy and how he handled my limited testimony time and how he took a phone call during my testimony. It was the strangest thing ever.

• 53:04Andrea Gunning?

  Other points of the hearing were heated. Oscar's health became a major point of contention. Emily and Dave's veterinarian testified that he was in poor condition. Betsy's attorney argued his hotspots were being managed by the handler and his ailments were all typical for a traveling show dog. They had proof that an AKC judge said Oscar was in beautiful shape. Emily and Dave left court feeling uneasy. Then, a few days later.

• 53:33Speaker 02

  I was at work and I saw the email from our attorneys pop through.

• 53:39Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave were expecting a ruling on whether Betsy could take Oscar to one dog show.

• 53:45Speaker 02

  I remember reading a few lines into the decision and my entire body felt like hot lava had just been poured over it.

• 53:53Andrea Gunning?

  The judge ruled that Oscar belonged to Betsy, not for a few weeks or a few months. Forever.

• 54:02Speaker 02

  And the judge said by 5 o'clock on Monday, November 30th, Oscar is to be transferred into Betsy's care.

• 54:09Andrea Gunning?

  Emily was stunned. They weren't supposed to be ruling on ownership. There hadn't been a review of evidence or a trial. How could this have happened?

• 54:19Speaker 02

  Unbeknownst to us, behind closed doors, apparently, our lawyer and Betsy's lawyer and the judge all agreed that there was no more evidence to be heard for ownership of Oscar.

• 54:32Andrea Gunning?

  Without this documentation, the judge decided Betsy had substantial likelihood of winning the trial on merit. Emily didn't understand how their attorney could have agreed to this.

• 54:44Speaker 02

  Because they had hundreds of pages of ownership evidence and they kept saying to us, this is a temporary injunction. We don't want to overwhelm the court with ownership evidence. That's not what this case is about.

• 54:55Andrea Gunning?

  Emily broke down in tears.

• 54:57Speaker 02

  I can't even describe how absolutely devastated and gutted I was. It felt like such a bad dream.

• 55:05Speaker 03

  I was at work as well and I checked my email and it popped up. And your heart just drops and your stomach's in a knot.

• 55:15Andrea Gunning?

  Here's an excerpt from the judge's ruling, which we've had read by a voice actor.

• 55:20Speaker 04

  Dave and Emily may treat Oscar as a family member, but he is still a dog and a champion show dog at that. Betsy has spent years developing the Corso breed and Oscar is one of her best opportunities for success in showing and continued breeding. Dave snatched Oscar during a competition. This is not the action of someone who thinks they are in the right. It does not matter that there is no written agreement. It is therefore by the court ordered that the Connie Corso dog, Oscar, is owned exclusively and solely by Betsy Shaw.

• 55:54Speaker 03

  It never once cites a Kansas law. It never cites a law.

• 55:58Andrea Gunning?

  But the ruling was clear. Oscar would have to leave. In the eyes of the state, he was Betsy's property.

• 56:05Speaker 03

  It was just the culmination of a massive amount of deceit and just untruths that led to that.

• 56:13Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave had five days before they had to hand Oscar over to Betsy. They tried to savor every last second with him.

• 56:21Speaker 02

  Every night when he was home, I would kiss him on his big forehead, right between his eyes and say, you're my very favorite Connie Corso boy.

• 56:30Andrea Gunning?

  They decided to throw Oscar a going away party.

• 56:33Speaker 02

  We wanted him to be surrounded by love and care. And it was a cold, windy Sunday afternoon. And we invited people that knew and loved us and Oscar to a park. And friends that came out brought toys and treats. And one of our friends, who's a photographer, was there and she took some, she took some great family pictures of us. And it was a really nice afternoon.

• 57:02Andrea Gunning?

  That would be the last day they'd ever spend with Oscar.

• 57:07Speaker 02

  On Monday, Monday night at 7:00, his handler came to pick him up. Betsy didn't even come. It was terrible. We had to put him in the back of his handler's car in a crate that was too small for him. And of course I was crying and Dave was crying. I just remember hearing Oscar cry all the way up the driveway.

• 57:28Speaker 03

  It was gut wrenching. Absolutely gut wrenching.

• 57:34Andrea Gunning?

  Oscar left on November 30th, 2020. But Emily and Dave weren't ready to accept that he was gone forever. So they hired a new attorney.

• 57:44Speaker 02

  We immediately filed an appeal.

• 57:47Andrea Gunning?

  This was the start of a years-long legal battle, trying to get Oscar home. The case was elevated to the Kansas Court of Appeals in January 2023. We got audio from that hearing.

• 57:59Speaker 05

  This is a litigation over the ownership and control of a prized show animal and family pet by the name of Oscar. Oscar's a Kana Corso and enjoys a...

• 58:11Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave's attorney presented their case, arguing that they should be considered as Oscar's rightful owners, that their evidence for ownership was never properly reviewed.

• 58:22Speaker 05

  I can't help but close but to think and remember the condition that Oscar is suffering from at this point, and that is that dogs love, dogs grieve, and to recognize the desperate pain that Oscar is in and for him to have a fair chance for Dave and Emily to lay out their case, and they cannot rest until that happens.

• 58:43Andrea Gunning?

  And the judges agreed. Emily and Dave's due process had been violated by the district court. They should be considered co-owners of Oscar. At first, it felt like a glimmer of hope. But Betsy appealed, and the court ordered he would stay in her care while the appeals process played out. Oscar didn't come home. And to Emily and Dave, that was all that mattered.

• 59:08Speaker 03

  You just leave there and you're like, I'm living in the Twilight Zone. I just want the truth to come out, and I want Oscar back. That's the two things. I want the truth, and I want Oscar. And beyond that, I'm fine.

• 59:18Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave's account of this story is detailed in district court records and the lawsuit they filed against Betsy. What started as a very simple question, "Who owns Oscar?", proved to be difficult to answer under the law. Eventually, the case was escalated to the Supreme Court of Kansas in May of 2024. The Supreme Court ruled that they couldn't decide. They agreed that the case wasn't properly evaluated. But it wasn't in their jurisdiction to rule on ownership disputes. That was the district court's job. They would have to start the process over. For Emily and Dave, it was another heartbreak. They'd been waiting years, and now they'd have to wait more.

• 1:00:03Speaker 03

  It's a shame that this whole process has dragged on this long.

• 1:00:08Andrea Gunning?

  There was one more thing Emily and Dave's original lawyer didn't tell them. If they'd filed a stay, they might have delayed handing him over to Betsy until the appeals process was finalized. All these years, Oscar could have been at home with them.

• 1:00:24Speaker 02

  It was just one betrayal on top of the next, on top of the next, on top of the next, and they continue still.

• 1:00:30Andrea Gunning?

  This is the limbo they're still living in. It's been six years. They're still waiting for the next legal step. Meanwhile, Oscar has spent years on the road. He's become the winningest Kana Corso in AKC history. He's won Best in Show 12 times. Emily and Dave have been stuck in the grieving process for years. It's been harder than when they've had dogs pass away.

• 1:00:56Speaker 02

  Death is hard, and it's final. If Oscar had passed away, we wouldn't worry about his well-being every day. We wouldn't worry about him being in a kennel for 23 hours a day. We wouldn't worry about him having enough food or not having enough food. He would not be lonely, or sad, or cold, or hot, or painful, or neglected, or bored. Knowing that he's out there, but not knowing how he's being cared for, that's the hard part.

• 1:01:23Andrea Gunning?

  This betrayal is layered. Emily and Dave didn't just lose Oscar. They also lost a close friend.

• 1:01:32Speaker 02

  This wasn't just some crazy person doing a terrible thing. This was a seven-year friendship that got turned on its head unexpectedly. It was a genuine friendship. We do mourn the loss of Oscar, and we mourn the loss of our friendship with Betsy and Toby. And of course, we mourn the loss of Toby because he passed.

• 1:01:51Andrea Gunning?

  Emily and Dave still hope that one day, all the hurt and anger will melt away to open the door to a kind conversation with Betsy.

• 1:02:00Speaker 02

  We just used to be such friends, and it's so sad that all of that's changed. I would love to be able to sit in a room with Betsy and agree to just go forward in kindness and love.

• 1:02:11Andrea Gunning?

  We reached out to Betsy for comment. Her attorney informed us that she was unable to give a statement at this time, given the ongoing litigation over Oscar. The trial for Oscar's ownership is now set to take place in December of 2026.

• 1:02:26Speaker 02

  There have been very few weeks that this hasn't taken up time, resources, and finances. We have literally not been on a vacation since this started. Every spare minute and every spare dollar we have has gone into trying to get Oscar home for the last chapter of his life.

• 1:02:48Andrea Gunning?

  Oscar is nine and a half now. The average lifespan of a Kana Corso is about 10 years.

• 1:02:55Speaker 02

  Our greatest wish would just be to have Oscar home for his last chapter and to allow healing and restoration for our family unit.

• 1:03:04Speaker 03

  I just want him to come home. I just want him to have the joy of going to work and seeing patients like he used to, and him greeting him with his big smile and his waggy tail.

• 1:03:13Andrea Gunning?

  A couple of years ago, he was competing at the Westminster Dog Show in New York. Emily and Dave decided to fly up and watch.

• 1:03:22Speaker 03

  We gotta be at the show and watch him win.

• 1:03:25Speaker 02

  Which was bittersweet. At one point, I had gone to the restroom, and I was standing in a hallway behind the arena.

• 1:03:33Andrea Gunning?

  Emily turned around, and there he was.

• 1:03:36Speaker 02

  His handler had him, and she was literally six feet away from me with her back turned to me. And I so badly just wanted to call his name and hug and kiss him, but it was before he went into the ring, and I didn't want to upset Oscar or ruin his focus. Wonderful to see him and heartbreaking to see him.

• 1:04:01Andrea Gunning?

  Since then, Betsy has stopped campaigning Oscar. He's been neutered and can no longer compete. Today, Emily and Dave still live in Kansas City. Emily went back to school to become a veterinarian. She graduates next year. Dave still runs his clinic. In the meantime, their family has grown. Their home is filled with pigs, cats, and dogs. But there will always be a place for Oscar. They're not giving up hope.

• 1:04:29Speaker 02

  I would love for our nightly prayers to change from, "Please, Lord, protect Oscar until you bring him home", to, "Thank you for bringing him home."

• 1:04:39Andrea Gunning?

  A few years ago, Dave and Emily started The Oscar Project, a site where people can find resources about property law and fair contracts for animal owners. They don't want anyone to be in the same position they were in with a dog they loved and no papers to prove ownership.

• 1:04:56Speaker 03

  This is a pain that no one ever needs to feel again because you can set the parameters from the very beginning. They say contracts make for better friends, and boy, is that true. A written contract would have made for a much better friendship.

• 1:05:13Andrea Gunning?

  We end every weekly episode with the same question. Why do you want to share your story?

• 1:05:19Speaker 02

  I binge betrayal, all of it, and could resonate so much with the betrayal trauma. And I had never heard that expression before, but that so perfectly describes what we've lived through. We have lived a life full of betrayal trauma for the last several years on multiple levels. Ultimately, I hope that we save other people from being in this type of situation. I hope that we can use our ignorance, what we didn't know seven years ago, to prevent someone else from going through this heartache and trauma.

• 1:05:50Speaker 03

  The past is the past. We can't go back and change any of the last six years, but we can change what happens going forward.

• 1:06:04Andrea Gunning?

  On the next episode of Betrayal Weekly.

• 1:06:08Speaker 06

  He is the epitome of evil. He loved that people thought of him as this boring economist. And at night, on weekends, whenever he had the opportunity, he was living this wild life that nobody knew about. When this did start unraveling, he actually used the words, "I've been unmasked."

• 1:06:37Andrea Gunning?

  If you'd like to share your story on betrayal, please email [email protected]. That is [email protected]. Please note that we are not a mental health organization. If you are in crisis or currently experiencing domestic violence, we encourage you to seek local help or dial 911. Please contact organizations that offer immediate support. In our show notes, we've included a list of US-based resources. You can follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod or find me @it'sandrea gunning. To access our newsletter and additional content and to connect with the Betrayal

• 1:07:19Andrea Gunning?

  community, join our Substack at betrayal.substack.com. We're grateful for your support. One way to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts. And don't forget to rate and review Betrayal. Five-star reviews go a long way. Big thank you to all of our listeners. Betrayal is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Fason, hosted and produced by me, Andrea Gunning, written and produced by Lea Jablow and Olivia Hewitt. Our story editor is Monique LaBord. Also produced by Ben Fetterman. Production management by Kristen Malchurie.

• 1:08:03Andrea Gunning?

  Booking support by Curry Richmond. Our iHeart team is Ally Perry and Jessica Krychek. Audio editing by Tanner Robbins with additional editing and mixing by Matt Talbekio. Voice acting by Todd Gans. Betrayal's theme composed by Oliver Baines. Music library provided by MyB Music. And for more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, so buying a new car or new home starts by building credit, right? So how do you start building credit? Easy, with OnePay's Builder Card.

• 1:08:46Andrea Gunning?

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• 1:09:13Speaker 01

  OnePay is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Coastal Community Bank or Lead Bank, members FDIC. Builder Card results may vary and aren't guaranteed. Learn more about banking through OnePay at onepay.com/podcast.

• 1:09:28Speaker 02

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• 1:09:58Speaker 07

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• 1:10:28Speaker 06

  Sprained wrist, ankle twist, broken thumb can't make a fist, busted knee, surgery, that patch of ice you didn't see.

• 1:10:36Speaker 07

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• 1:10:47Speaker 06

  Tendon tear, nose repair, tripping on that broken stare, dislocation, operation, moped crash while on vacation.

• 1:10:55Speaker 07

  Do not take Gernavix with CYP3A inhibitors. Avoid use with grapefruit or liver problems, as these may increase side effects. Tell your doctor about all your medicines if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Gernavix may make certain medicines and birth control less effective. Side effects include itching, muscle spasms, rash, and elevated muscle enzymes.

• 1:11:13Speaker 06

  Joint displacement, knee replacement, fell on marbles in the basement, ladder slip, broken hip, that rock climb where you lost your grip.

• 1:11:22Speaker 07

  To learn more about Gernavix, ask your doctor, call 1-833-589-PAIN or visit gernavix.com.

• 1:11:28Andrea Gunning?

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.