A woman who owns an East Tennessee dog training franchise and a trainer she employs are facing animal cruelty charges in connection with the death of a puppy.

A University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine necropsy on the dog concluded it died from starvation and dehydration. He was severely emaciated at the time of his death and had little food in his digestive tract, the report states.

More:Knoxville veterinary behaviorist offers 5 tips on picking an obedience trainer

Randolyn "Randi" LaFerney — who owns Off Leash K-9 dog obedience schools in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee, in Asheville, North Carolina, Florida and Texas — and trainer Andrew Hunigan, 28, of Johnson City, were charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after a puppy named Dallas died while under Hunigan's care, according to the Johnson City Police Department.

LaFerney, 55, of Piney Flats, also owns the Duck Donuts franchise in Knoxville. The doughnut shop, located at 6104 Kingston Pike in Bearden, opened in 2017.

LaFerney is currently not involved in operating the Knoxville location as the investigation continues, Duck Donuts spokeswoman Kristen Kellum said Wednesday.

Knoxville Duck Donuts owner:'No idea' dog was unhealthy until she learned of his death

"Duck Donuts is aware of the current situation regarding one of our independent franchisees," Kellum said in a statement. "Duck Donuts does not condone animal cruelty, and we are deeply saddened by the loss of Dallas, the bull terrier. We take matters such as these very seriously and hold all of our franchisees to the highest standard of conduct when representing the Duck Donuts brand."

A social media storm has erupted, with many calling for patrons to boycott Duck Donuts.

LaFerney and Hunigan were arraigned in court in Washington County, Tennessee, on Tuesday and are set to appear in court at 9 a.m. June 12, according to the General Sessions court clerk. No pleas have been entered yet.

They could not be reached for comment.

Dog owner's lawyer: Dog's stay was extended

Dallas, an eight-month-old miniature bull terrier, had been living with Hunigan for more than five weeks when the franchise informed owners of his death, according to Bob King, an attorney for the dog owner's family.

King said the owners originally sent Dallas for a two-week training program at Off Leash K9, and thought the dog was at the facility, but the franchise sublet the training to Hunigan.

"He ended up staying for five weeks," King said. "Apparently that was a pattern with the trainers because we've had calls from across the country on this case saying other people's dogs were held longer than they'd signed up for and were picked up in a similarly emaciated condition."

King added the family was told they could not check in on Dallas because it would interrupt his training.

Asheville trainer responds

LaFerney owns another branch of the nationwide franchise in Asheville, North Carolina. Fallon Houser, regional director and head trainer at the Asheville location, has spent the last two days watching the social media storm play out as news spreads of the animal cruelty case in Tennessee, she said.

She added LaFerney is minimally involved in operations in North Carolina. "Randi has been hands-off for over two years," Houser said, adding that she holds her Asheville Off Leash trainers to exacting standards.

"I hire dog fanatics. I hire rescuers," Houser said. "These are people that nurse dogs back to health, that donate their time to dogs that need them."

She added that trainers often volunteer as foster parents for local rescue organizations.

"There's a lot of trainers who could lose their livelihood," Houser said in a conversation with the Citizen Times.

"For every one trainer that makes an error in judgement or shouldn’t be a trainer at all, there are literally hundreds more that work tirelessly to better the lives of dogs and clients all over the U.S. on a daily basis," she said in a Facebook post.

News Sentinel Staff Writer Travis Dorman contributed to this story. Asheville Citizen Times staff writer Elizabeth Anne Brown also contributed to this story.