FREDERICKSBURG, Va.—Two days after a Virginia woman sent her dog off to a board and train program, her dog was hit and killed in a car accident. Now, she's pushing for accountability and stronger protections to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
Rachel Cary said she still thinks about her dog Two Face, 'Tu' for short, every day.
"Tu was my baby. He brought so much joy to my life and made me very happy," she said.
Just a year and a half after she rescued the 30-pound micro bully, he was hit by a car while at a training program and died.
"I feel like a piece of me is missing," Cary said. "It was such a short amount of time. It definitely was not long enough."
Cary said Tu had behavior problems, which she believed stemmed from a history of neglect.
She said he displayed food and toy aggression, and at one point, he bit the hand of her fiancé's child.
It was then she knew she needed to get him help.
"I had the choice either to find him training again, or I had to get rid of him," Cary said.
That's when she found Obedience Kings Dog Training in Fredericksburg, owned by Rodney "Tank" Mosley.
Earlier this year, Cary enrolled Tu into a 2-week board and train program, which Mosley runs out of his town home, for $3,000.
Mosley also provided multiple sessions at Cary's home at no extra cost to prepare the dog for the program, both parties told CBS 6.
But just two days after Cary sent him off to start the board and train program in June 2026, she received devastating news.
"Tank called me, and he said to me— he was like, 'Tu just got hit by a car,' and I just— immediate shock," Cary recalled.
Mosley said he immediately took the dog to an animal hospital.
Vet records that Cary provided to CBS 6 showed Tu lost a lot of blood, went into cardiac arrest, and died.
"I never expected this to happen. I expected him to come home after the two weeks. I expected him to be to see improvement in his behavior ... but that wasn't the case. He never came home," Cary said.
'This should not have happened'
Mosley initially said he would meet with CBS 6 on camera to show us how the crash happened, but he did not respond to follow-up messages attempting to schedule that.
However, he explained his side of the story over a phone call.
Mosley said he took Tu outside to use the bathroom. While doing so, he ran into a neighbor and started chatting.
"So I was sitting there, just bullsh****** with him, and after a few minutes of talking with [him], a vehicle came down an adjacent road, and it was a very quiet vehicle. I was in conversation with [him]. I had control of Tu's leash in my left hand, and that vehicle passed by, and Tu took off and snatched the leash out of my hand," Mosley said.
Mosley said he started chasing after the dog but claims a driver blew through a stop sign, pulled into a parking lot, and reversed the vehicle over Tu.
"I do believe that accidents happen, but I believe it was preventable. This should not have happened," Cary said.
Cary said she told Mosley in advance that Tu had a tendency to chase cars. Mosley acknowledged to CBS 6 that was a "known problem."
"I knew about that. That was something we were going to be working on inside of the program," Mosley said.
Mosley said at the time, he had Tu on a 4-foot leash provided to him by Cary, rather than the standard 35-foot retractable leash he uses for all other dogs.
When asked for a response to Cary's belief that the accident could have been prevented, he said, "I agree."
"It could have been prevented. Had I had him on the leash that I train all my dogs on, it would have 100% been prevented. I made an exception when I took Tu. I made a bunch of exceptions so that I could help this family," Mosley said.
He said the reason he deviated from that practice for Tu was because of his extensive behavior issues, including an aversion to leashes.
"Like this dog was fu***** batsh** crazy, and I was the one that was gonna help change their lives because I knew exactly what he needed," Mosley said.
Mosley said he gave Cary a full $3,000 refund, despite their contract saying he would only be liable for up to $500 if the dog died.
He did not file a police report, and Cary said the only documentation of the incident provided to her was a narrative from Mosley's neighbor who witnessed it.
Push for accountability
In Virginia, dog trainers are not licensed or regulated by the state— something Cary believes needs to change.
"I think there does need to be or should be stronger standards to be a professional dog trainer," Cary said.
There are some private associations that credential dog trainers, but Mosley said he is not certified by such an organization because he believes those certifications "mean nothing."
"I trusted him as a professional trainer that Tu would return to me, and he didn't, and I feel that there should be safeguards in place that would prevent someone else from losing a family member the way that I did," Cary said.
Mosley said he was also heartbroken by the incident but added it was an extremely rare case.
He said he has worked with police canines across the country and was the first civilian board member of the Virginia Police Canine Association.
He also pointed to his 4.9-star rating on Google as a testament that other customers have been satisfied with his services.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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