Katie Thurston Calls Out ‘Judgment’ Over Sending Dog to 1-Month Training Amid Cancer Battle

Former Bachelorette Katie Thurston is not here for criticism of her decision to send her new puppy, Charlie, to a professional dog trainer.

“He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to go to a professional for dog training for a month,” Thurston, 34, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Thursday, May 1, sharing a photo of her pet. “While Jeff [Arcuri] is gone for the next two months, this will help me immensely with navigating my own care as well as his.”

Thurston and Arcuri, 36, adopted Charlie last month after she relocated to New York City amid her breast cancer battle. (Us Weekly broke the news in March that Thurston and the comedian tied the knot before she began treatment.)

In a follow-up Instagram Story, Thurston reposted a fan comment about the hopes of Charlie thriving in training.

“I really think this will make him an even better emotional support for you for the rest of his life,” the social media user wrote. “He is so lucky to have been chosen by you and Jeff.”

Thurston felt the same, writing back, “We feel that too. As a longtime cat lady, I learned quickly about the puppy blues. And while we have come a long way, he needs someone with more dedicated time and experience.”

Thurston and Arcuri decided to send their pup to Andrea Arden, who the reality TV alum said can give Charlie “one-on-one attention” during training.

Another follower, however, criticized Thurston’s “terrible” decision to send her dog away for a month. The social media user claimed that owners need to train pets themselves to “build that bond.”

“The judgment is not needed,” Thurston replied in another Instagram Story upload. “We’ve had him for two months, and now Jeff is gone, and I’m going through it on my own while battling cancer. Not that I owe you an explanation, but I wanted to remind you to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before judging.”

Thurston was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in February, which was elevated to stage 4 at the end of March when the illness spread to her liver. As a result of the updated diagnosis, Thurston and her oncologists needed to adapt her treatment plan.

“I’ll be on Letrozole + Kisqali + Zoladex as my first line of treatment,” she wrote via Instagram in April, noting chemo was “off the table” because her cancer is HER2-negative. “This is a custom plan based on being [/] having HER2-negative, Luminal B, hormone-positive breast cancer. Letrozole to block estrogen, Kisqali to stop cancer cells from growing, and Zoladex to shut down my ovaries. If this treatment stops working or if the cancer grows again, [chemo] an option we’ll revisit. We will closely monitor the treatment plan and make sure it’s working for my body.”