HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Two families say they paid thousands of dollars for service dogs for their special-needs children, but the Henry County company did not deliver.
A portion of the price of each dog, ranging from $5,000 to $6,200, was paid for with donations.
Denise Marsh was quoted a price of $5,000 for a service dog that would alert to seizures. Marsh’s now-16- and 11-year-old sons both have daily epileptic seizures.
After raising nearly $4,000 in donations, they secured Blue from Guardian of the Night K9 in Locust Grove. The Millbrook, Alabama, resident said. %
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“It turned into getting a 10-month-old puppy who was not house-trained and who did not alert to seizures.”
Marsh even posted video on social media that showed Blue growling at her eldest son.
Concerned for their safety, they had the dog evaluated.
"The evaluation said that she did not have the characteristics to be a service dog," Marsh said.
In Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Troy and Crystal Pietroske recently dealt with Guardian of the Night K9 owner Corey Fox to secure a service dog for their 7-year-old autistic daughter.
“She has a lot of meltdowns so the dog was going to be trained in deep pressure therapy,” said the mother.
However, before receiving the dog, the family sent the company a letter asking for training logs and veterinarian records.
What they say they got was an abrupt cancelation and no refund.
"I don't think if the dog was properly trained she would've had a problem with it," stated Mrs. Pietroske.
Attorney Vinny Lotti emailed Channel 2 Action News a statement that said in part:
"While it is unfortunate that two customers feel dissatisfied, Guardian of the Night K9 vehemently denies any allegation of wrongdoing." The statement goes on to say that the company "feels strongly about helping people and caring for animals as evidenced by its long standing track record of satisfied customers."
The Marsh and Pietroske families, however, say they simply want to help other families in the same spot avoid heartache.
“This has really been a traumatic experience for our family,” said Marsh. "It's been a painful experience.”
Embarrassed, Troy Pietroske added, “I feel bad I’m going to have to send people who donated an explanation letter instead of a thank you letter."
Cox Media Group
