South Boston dog trainer who is accused of animal cruelty now also faces lawsuit by former landlord

The owner of the Andrew Square building where Tyler Falconer used to run a dog training and boarding facility yesterday sued him for the rent he stopped paying when he was charged with animal cruelty and shut his business.

In a lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court, Core Investments in the Back Bay says Falconer owes it $186,000 in rent, plus interest and fees, for the space he leased at 4-6 Wadleigh Pl., near the Andrew Square T stop for his Falco K9.

The MSPCA initially charged Falconer with animal cruelty in March, although he was not arraigned until May on three felony counts of animal cruelty and three counts of dog tethering-confining, involving three boarded dogs that were allegedly emaciated when their owners picked them up, one with a foot puncture wound.

After he shut Falco K9 in March, he stopped paying rent, Core Investments, through its Smiley Wadleigh Ellery subsidiary, charges. The amount it's seeking includes roughly $84,000 in rent from April through September, plus the remaining balance on his lease, the company says, adding it will also seek to add interest, a 5% fee for each month missed and the cost of bringing the lawsuit.

Falconer's criminal case remains open in South Boston Municipal Court, according to court records.

Innocent, etc.