It seems quite a bit more than suspicious. When he returns for his dog, your relative should ask him where he traveled to for said “training” and what kind of training he received. If anything doesn’t pass the smell test, your relative should report this to the FBI. Seriously.
Re the dog; IIRC Sharia law does not permit the owning of pets. Muhammet apparently hated dogs.
It seems that a Muslim can own a dog for hunting or home security but I don’t think they are supposed to allow them inside the house or particularly like them.
If this Middle Eastern Pilgrim owns a cute little shitzu or poodle I’d wonder if he was a serious Muslim; a vicious pit bull would be more consistent with hard core Sharia IMHO.