Dog Training College, which had offices at Broadland Business Park in Norwich, went into liquidation in January owing creditors more than £800,000.

The owner of the company, Ben Nichols, is now believed to be running a new business called British Canine Academy with his sister, Roxanne Gray.

Roxanne Gray, who was previously employed by Dog Training College and is the sister of the company's former owner Ben Nichols, is the founder and CEO of British Canine Academy, according to its website (Image: Dog Training College)

On its website, the Birmingham-based company describes itself as an "education provider and national network for dog professionals", providing training courses and its own "BCA-approved" accreditation for qualified trainers.

Ms Gray, who was previously employed by Dog Training College, is listed as the founder and CEO of British Canine Academy.

Roxanne Gray, British Canine Academy founder and CEO (Image: Supplied)

However, there are currently no courses listed on its website, despite a dozen five-star reviews recommending the company and its courses being posted on Trustpilot since December - the same month Dog Training College ceased trading.

Five of its 12 reviews were posted on the same day, February 16, while a further three were uploaded to the online customer review platform on February 3.

Most are believed to be family and friends of Mr Nichols and Ms Gray.

Meanwhile there are also seven one-star reviews, all posted this month, which claim the pair are behind the new company.

In a reply to one of the reviews, British Canine Academy said it is "owned and operated by a former employee of that organisation, not by its previous owners or those responsible for the decisions that led to its closure".

In reply to another one-star review, it says: "Our website is relatively new and some areas are still being developed as we prepare to release training resources and expand the platform."

British Canine Academy has been approached for comment.

DOG TRAINING COLLEGE CLOSURE

Dog Training College closed without warning at the end of last year, leaving students who paid £2,000 for online courses out of pocket.

An update on its website says: "The Dog Training College brand has been acquired and is under new ownership.

"The new team is currently in the process of restoring systems, reactivating course access, and reviewing student records following the liquidation of the previous business."

The update on the Dog Training College website (Image: Dog Training College website)

A representative of the company contacted this newspaper in December, saying the alleged new owners would "honour all existing contracts" and "no student would be left out of pocket".

Students later reported receiving messages from the college's official social media accounts asking them to resume making payments for courses they could no longer access.

The messages were sent from 'Tom', who claimed to be an employee of the new company that had taken over Dog Training College.

The former company, Innovaze Ltd, appointed liquidators in January after HMRC filed a petition to wind it up over unpaid tax debts.

It owed the tax office more than £800,000 in VAT and PAYE, as well as more than £80,000 to 23 trade creditors, according to its statement of affairs on Companies House.

Dog Training College had offices at Broadland Business Park in Norwich (Image: Newsquest)

It was revealed by this newspaper that Dog Training College's accreditation for its courses ended in August last year.

This meant students who completed courses through the college since then would not be certified by the CPD Standards Office, as advertised by the company.

An email sent from the independent accreditors to a student, seen by this newspaper, said the company had been removed from its website directory and was not accredited.

It added that any CPD numbers or logos used during the period when it was accredited must no longer be used.

Dog Training College's website still advertises accredited courses, stating in its FAQs that they remain "independently assessed by the CPD Standards Office".

Dog Training College's website still claims its courses are accredited by the CPD Standards Office (Image: DTC)

DIRECTOR'S RESIGNATION

Leanne McWade, a former director of the company and a qualified trainer who taught at the college for more than a decade, resigned in September last year.

In a statement announcing her resignation, posted on Facebook, she said: "The company no longer aligns with my values or ethics."

Leanne McWade resigned as a director of the company in September last year (Image: Supplied)

Leanne McWade announced her resignation in a Facebook post (Image: Supplied)

The "important update" on Dog Training College's website reads in full:

The Dog Training College (“DTC”) brand has been acquired and is under new ownership.

The new team is currently in the process of restoring systems, reactivating course access, and reviewing student records following the liquidation of the previous business.

Our immediate priority is to ensure existing DTC students regain access and can complete their courses.

We shall be contacting students directly as systems come back online.

Thank you for your patience during this transition — further updates will be shared as soon as possible and more information is available.

© Norwich Evening News