SDWR – Facing Mass Lawsuit In The State Of Virginia
SDWR bridges the gap between people with disabilities and service dogs. The organization utilizes a unique training method that entails up to 18 months of service dog training. Each SDWR service dog comes with a “Lifetime Training Guarantee.”
Contact Us
The About Us page was informative about SDWR’s training techniques. The Contact Us page shows the address PO Box 647, Madison, Virginia 22727, and the phone number (540) 543-2307. A WhitePages reverse phone search shows the phone belongs to Warren Retrievers at 1543 Beahm Town Rd., Culpeper, VA 22701. The Virginia State Corporation Commission website verifies this as well.
Warren Retrievers is an inactive LLC in Virginia. It appears the company was established on January 16, 2008, and automatically canceled but eligible for reinstatement.
Commonwealth Of Virginia Investigation
A Google search showed Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers is under investigation. The Attorney General for the state of Virginia initiated an investigation in May 2018 after receiving a report that alleges ineffective service dog training.
Glen Franklin Koontz, company attorney, told NPR his client denied the allegations. An SDWR service dog can cost up to $27,000.
A former customer alleged her $15,000 SDWR service dog was skittish and not cut out for diabetic service duty.
A 2017 study conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia revealed that service dogs are not as “accurate” or “reliable” as diabetic glucose monitors.
A 2016 study conducted in Oregon revealed service dogs were able to detect hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) events only 36% of the time.
2018 Lawsuit
In 2018, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring filed a lawsuit against Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers. The lawsuit alleged the organization was selling “poorly-trained puppies’ for tens of thousands of dollars. The allegations claim SDWR service dogs had behavioral issues and inadequate training or skills.
Afterword – SDWR Scam
Some experts believe SDWR service dogs are nothing more the dogs that wear store-bought Service Dog vests, which can be purchased at most pet stores for $50 or less. Service dog scams are dime-a-dozen on the World Wide Web. There is no federal service dog registry or certification, but this has not deterred millions of American consumers to invest in Service Dog vests.
Whether SDWR diabetic service dogs are effective cannot be validated. However, the company is facing a mass lawsuit that alleges the dogs are “ineffective.” Thorough research will prevent you from becoming the next service dog scam victim.
These scam artists are preying on vulnerable people with serious medical conditions. There is not enough evidence to determine the effectiveness of service dogs. However, there is enough evidence to honestly say diabetic service dogs are ineffective.
Is SDWR a scam? According to Attorney General Herring, yes it is a scam.
