The dog owner at the center of a viral video controversy after he was spotted partying with his husky, Roxy, at the Outside Lands Music Festival has apologized for what he says is unacceptable behavior.
Zeke Vogel, 34, said in a phone interview Monday that he was “devastated” and “mortified” to learn that footage of himself and Roxy taken at the festival this month had spread across social media, with Reddit users labeling him a pet abuser.
Outside Lands “is happy to host all trained service animals,” the festival’s rules say, but “other animals will not be permitted.” The Americans with Disabilities Act also says concert attendees have the right to be accompanied by a service animal.
Vogel, who works as a dispatch manager, said Roxy is a registered service animal but declined to share certification or provide any insight into how the dog helps him.
Vogel spoke plainly about the video, which shows him dancing energetically near speakers with the dog — which lacked ear protection — in tow before an altercation with other festival-goers.
During that confrontation, Merch.com CEO Ikey Bensimhon, a friend, tried to convince Vogel to leave the area. In the wake of social media posts identifying him, Bensimhon shared images of insulting emails and chat exchanges he has received accusing him of harming animals.
“Why is your CEO such a douche? He should not own an animal and needs to grow up!” said one email sent to Merch.com. Another admonished that “bringing a dog to a concert isn’t ‘cute,’ it’s cruelty.”
One person who recalled meeting the men at a festival concert stage shared her bafflement at the online reaction. “I see that you two are getting so much internet hate and I just wanted to say I’m so fucking sorry. People are disgusting and horrible.”
Vogel, who was visiting San Francisco from Los Angeles for Outside Lands, acknowledged that he had “a couple of tequilas” during the few hours he spent at the festival before walking with Roxy from Golden Gate Park to hail a ride-share back to his hotel.
“There’s no excuse,” he said. “I should have had the utmost care, especially more distance from speakers and ear protection. The way I took care of her wasn’t acceptable.”
Vogel said other festival attendees approached him to compliment Roxy’s behavior and share stories about their own dogs. He said he saw other service animals during his brief time at the event, nearly all without ear protection.
Vogel said he used protective ear equipment for Roxy in her earlier training years but had stopped the practice as she grew older and experienced diminished hearing. Vogel did not share the dog’s age.
Vogel said he feels “broken and distraught” about embarrassing Bensimhon and regrets that “it took a public shaming to get a lesson I should’ve gotten a long time ago.”
But some service dog trainers question Vogel’s claims that Roxy is a certified service animal and say the husky should never have been brought to the festival.
“It’s only a service dog if [the handler] has a disability and the dog has been trained to perform at least one task that helps the person with the disability,” said David Baron, who operates Service Dog School of America in Roseville.
Baron distinguished between service dogs and emotional support animals, which are considered pets under the law. For individuals with mental health conditions, he said, service dogs might perform medical alerts, provide therapy or distraction techniques during psychological episodes, or guide handlers to safety during crises.
Baron said even individuals who train their own service dogs must be able to explain the animal’s tasks.
“The moral of the story is that with every right comes a responsibility to another,” he said. “That’s the first thing I learned in law class in college. He didn’t do that.”