I have tried to sit down to write this message several times but have failed as my family and I have been overcome with tremendous sorrow. 

My husband, combat veteran SSG Séamus Fennessy was a K9 handler with MSA Security for five years. (UPDATE: MSA Security is now owned by Allied Universal, as of September, 2021). During this time Seamus and his K9 partner Mattie worked exclusively with each other – Mattie never had another handler nor had Seamus had another dog. At the end of 2018 my husband informed MSA that he was going to serve his country on active military duty but would be local and still able to keep up with Mattie’s training. Since MSA had previously allowed handlers to keep their dogs in similar circumstances we had no reason to believe this would be different. Except it was. At the 11th hour only 2 days before my husband went on orders we were abruptly informed that Mattie would need to be returned and someone “would pick her up in the morning”.  

Mattie was just shy of 7 years of age and nearing retirement when she was taken in January of 2019. Upon her birthday, April 26th, 2022, she will be 10 years old; she is currently still working, far away from home. The average lifespan of a Labrador Retriever is 12 years.

MSA & PWP have callously torn our family member, our beloved “Mattie Cakes,” from her family who loves and adores her. While our daughters and myself could hardly contain our tears, my husband remained strong despite a barrage of phone calls and texts from MSA which included threats of destroying his military career. 

My husband is a veteran and decorated war hero – and in the words of MSA themselves a “great employee”. Mattie is a goofy, lovable pooch who adores playing with the kids in our backyard and napping on the sofa. Neither deserve this treatment. 

MSA & PWP have taken Mattie from her loving home and ripped our family apart. This is devastating to everyone involved. Including our sweet Mattie, our lovable goofball who doesn’t understand any of this but is wondering what she did wrong to end up in a kennel torn from her family and everything she knows. It’s this image that haunts me. Mattie is innocent and in true MSA / PWP fashion they are using her as leverage as they routinely do with their dogs. 

Please sign our petition to urge MSA Security / Parella Weinberg Partners to return Mattie to the family who loves her.

And please let MSA & PWP know how you feel about this! Direct contact has a positive impact. CONTACT INFO:

K9 Director Mike Wynn (the ******** who deliberately moved Mattie across the country to keep her from her family), mwynn@msasecurity.net or msak9@msasecurity.net 

MSA Security main number, 212-509-1336

You can also follow our story on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaveK9Mattie/

And if you wish to contact us about anything, we do our best to answer each one of you individually and as promptly as possible through our email address: k9mattie@yahoo.com

Thank you all for your support, and God bless xoxo

MSA K9 Handlers Union