I own 2 Fenwald GSD's and I love both of them. I went to a Military conference in Cleveland and thought the safest place was back with the breeder, Cindy Heimenz, owner of Fenwald Kennel. According to her, my male bit a teenager on the hand and required stitches. Then she called me and told me that my male attacked an undocumented worker she hired and put him in the emergency room with injuries. I left my husband in Cleveland and my young daughter and myself drove to Wonder Lake to retrieve my dogs.
When I was driving through Indiana, she called me again and started an argument about me owing her around $850.00 for the undocumented worker's injuries. I continued driving to Wonder Lake. When I made it to Schaumburg, IL (about an hour from her kennel) she called me again and told me not to come there, she was closing and I could not have my dogs back. I told her I had driven about 8 hours from Cleveland and I was coming to her kennel to get my dogs. She then told me that she was going to shoot me.
I called the McHenry County Sheriff and they met me at her Kennel. When we arrived, she had closed early and locked the gate, so we could not enter. She also refused to answer the phone when the sheriff tried to call her to retrieve my dogs. Needless to say, my daughter and I were very upset with what had occurred and went home without my dogs. I was worried of what she might do to them.
The next morning I went to the McHenry Animal Control and the officer made contact with Cindy Hiemenz and told her she could not keep the dogs and that she had to give them back. I again called the McHenry SHeriff and he met me at Fenwald Kennel. When we arrived there at approximately 10:00AM, she had again locked the gate. Plus, she must have thought I was coming there with a SWAT team, because she piled wood over the whole driveway, at least 10 ft. High (looked like a giant beaver dam) so that we could not access her facility.
This time the sheriff was able to make contact with her. She would not let us on the property, but, she and 3 or 4 other people led both my dogs (including my male who allegedly attacked 2 people) to the locked gate. She then demanded $850.00, plus approximately $400-450 for the boarding fee (she even charged me for the previous night when she refused to give my dogs back to me). I told her in the presence of the Sheriff that I only had the boarding fee (she insisted on cash) and no more. I handed her the money through the locked gate and she opened the gate about 10 inches and let my dogs out.
I immediately noticed that something was wrong with the dogs. They weren't happy to see me. When I put them in my vehicle they just laid down and went to sleep.
I thanked the sheriff for his help and drove home. I was worried about my dogs, so I made an emergency visit to my vet because I didn't know what she had given them-they had been given some type of tranquilizer. Luckily, the dogs recovered.
Next, I had to deal with the authorities in 2 counties because of her allegations. I had to bring my male to a vet in McHenry County and in my dogs defense, he passed all the temperament tests administered and licked the vet's hand. MY dog can't talk, but if he could, I'm sure he would have a story to tell as to what really happened when he was in Cindy's care.
CIndy Hiemenz alleges that my male German Shepherd attacked 2 of her employees, yet I never saw or talked to either alleged victim. Nor, did they ever try to contact me.
After that experience, I would not recommend that she ever be allowed to own or care for any animal again. I was happy to hear that the authorities were finally catching on to her and that she was leaving Illinois. I think after my experience with her, the sheriff even went there to confiscate some dogs that she refused to pay a breeder for.
It is upsetting to hear that she has moved to Texas and is still doing the same thing, only under different names. I'm not easily taken-but I am very sorry I ever had anything to do with her, or Von Fenwald Kennel-and I am even sorrier that I put my 2 German Shepherds, both of whom I love dearly, in the care of Cindy Hiemenz.
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