Your Service Dog, Inc. / puppy scam Reports & Reviews (1)
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SCAMPULSE
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SCAMPULSE
If you know any contact information for Your Service Dog, Inc. / puppy scam, help other victims by adding it!
Scammer's website yourservicedog.com, yourservicedog.org, yourservicedogschool.com, yourservicedogschool.org
Scammer's address P.O. Box KXA, Ketchikan, AK 99950, USA
Scammer's email [email protected]
Country United States
Victim Location WA 98684, USA
Type of a scam Online Purchase
The company refuses or attempts to refuse to allow for the people that they promise to gift dogs to any legal representation during the process of contract signing or anywhere else along the way. They make you sign away your legal rights in the first contract. There are two contracts, and they are both extremely vague, making them impossible to fulfill on the end of the recipient / handler.
They claim in much of their materials that the dogs are gifts, but they hold the paperwork over the head of the individual they are “gifting them to.” At least that has been my experience. I was promised my dog's transfer paperwork in June of 2022, orally and in writing. It got to the point where no matter what I did, they wanted to add more hoops to jump. They added more criterion for them to keep their promise, that were not on the contract the way that I read it or understood it. I wrote a formal letter on May 6th, 2023 asking them to fulfill their promise from nearly a year earlier, citing only the communication issues and the runaround that they have given me despite that there have been other issues, as well.
The response I received 29 days later on a 30 day request included threats to remove my dog, citing that I was on the first contract rather than the second contract that I signed. I have certificates showing that my dog has completed three courses, and my understanding from the very beginning was that the first contract only applied to the first course. They are now saying that we have not completed two of those three courses, and I have been locked out of one of the three.
Further details below:
In April & May of 2021, I signed 2 online googledoc contracts for service dog and school. Signed them under duress, as first contract clearly stated that I had to give away any legal right to representation and had multiple threats to remove the dog. The second contract did not have an option for physical / mobility as the primary reason for need of dog. Tried to address various concerns, including these, with the headmistress of the school, Mary Walshe (since left). I was told they were mere formalities and not to worry about it. I was never given a copy of the first contract until June 4th, 2023 that was part of a letter of a convoluted and threatening nature. I was given a copy of the second contract within a day or two of signing it.
Prior to ever signing any contracts, Ms. Walshe assured me that the company would not fight me if I decided at some point that we no longer needed to take classes beyond those that I agreed to in contract. My understanding based on the contracts were that the first contract was for the first class, and the second contract was for basic one. The first contract was an evaluation course, and the 2nd covered basics, according to my understanding.
After several miscommunications and delays in placement, a neighbor went to Klawock Alaska to meet Miss Sullivan and pick up the dog on May 16th, 2021. I could not fly due to disability. Training commenced almost immediately, and we proceeded through three classes which I have certificates for.
When we were almost done with the third class, basic 2, my stress level related to the criteria and schedule of the school was increased to dangerous levels. My puppy’s trainer Rebecca, Ms. Walshe and I had a phone conversation in June, 2021 where I asked about the transfer that I had understood was going to happen at the end of basic 1. I was told that it was supposed to be the end of basic 2, but when I explained what was going on with my health, Ms. Walshe verbally tried to argue that it shouldn't make any difference whether the dog was in my name or not. She also disclosed that Nilou was already in my name, and so when I asked why they had not given the transfer paper, she said it was for my own protection. Toward the end of the conversation, she agreed to have the transfer papers sent as long as I agreed to have my parents write a letter stating that they would not break up my team, that is, the dog and myself. My parents did so right away, and I emailed it back to both Mary and Rebecca. I received an e-mail signed Lelah Sullivan and Mary Walshe saying thank you for the letter, and that I would be hearing from legal soon about the transfer of “the program dog.”
I never heard from them, and when I attempted to address the issue, was given the runaround, more hoops were added to jump, the dates of promise shifted further and further into the future and its at the point now that I have been threatened twice in the process of requesting they keep their promise. The first time was by Ms. Walshe on 8/23/22 at 1:20 PM Pacific time, which was a veiled threat suggesting that I give the dog back and start over with a dog unrelated to their company. It states also that they would only take a dog because of cruelty in the same statement. This comment was around the same time that we finished the basic 2 course, which I believe was around a week later. Miss Walshe stated that I had not heard from legal for the reason of not finishing basic 2.
However, after I wrote a query once again requesting that YSDI keep their promise from June of 2022 to sign the dog over into my name, sent May 6th 2023 which I emailed and mailed to the company (the one mailed has not arrived; sent the 8th of May, stuck between Anchorage & Ketchikan since the 15th, USPS certified mail), on June 4th, I received a letter from Lisa Settles (who apparently has replaced Mary.) In this letter, full of underlining, bolding, and red marks, she suggested that they would immediately remove my dog who has been here for over two years, there is a very real sense of both overt and covert threats. The letter also stated that we had not finished the first or the third class, despite that we have certificates and emails of congratulations regarding all three of the classes that we have finished. Around the end of April or beginning of May, Rebecca (trainer) admitted over Facebook messages that they have added criteria that was previously not there before my contracts. At one point she also said that she agreed and believed that what the company was doing to me and to my dog is wrong.
In between these dates, I got a phone call from someone who was concerned about what was happening enough that she offered to do an investigation of YSDI and its agents. This was a woman associated with The Pet Fund, and her findings suggested that the company may well be completely fraudulent. One of the things that she mentioned was that Ms. Sullivan, to the extent that she could find, had no definite identity on record with the state. Ms. Sullivan also goes by the name Shana Cohen, but police from an investigation 11 years ago could not identify whether either of these names were accurate.
Prior to writing the letter, I attempted to have a meeting on the phone with Ms. Sullivan and Rebecca the trainer three times in about a two week span, which they themselves requested. I showed up to every single call, and they did not show up to any of them. When I mentioned that I would be addressing my concerns in writing, I was told I didn't need to do that, they could meet with me over the phone in 1/2 an hour. But a few minutes earlier than that, I had been told it would be a couple of hours before Ms. Sullivan would be available to talk to me. I reiterated multiple times that I would address my concerns in writing, because I believe that if a business makes a promise, that promise should be kept. There has been a track record of nearly a year of promises not being kept, and a reminder of promises either being swept under the rug or the traffic changed as swiftly as possible, and I was just ready to be done with that. In good faith, I did everything that I possibly could for two years. Two years and then some, at this point. When you promise somebody dog training, you have them go through the dog training, not sit on the sidelines for close to 10 months doing nothing but practice of what has already been taught. When you promise to give somebody transfer papers, and they believe that you will do what you say, it is not acceptable to gaslight them and make excuses and add hoops to jump in order to allay and delay things. At one point, my dog was compared to a rocking chair, and I was told that if i didn't like their business practices to give my dog back to them. Who does that? That's not OK. At that point, my dog and I were extremely bonded, and they had already requested a promise in writing from people in my family not to split us up. So why would they threaten in a veiled way to split us up?
From the beginning, there was something that didn't feel right and looking back, despite having fallen in love with my dog before she arrived, I should have insisted on the time to have an attorney look at the contracts. I have learning disabilities that make it difficult for me to discern whether or not someone is attempting to pull the wool over my eyes. I did not feel like I had any choice but to sign the contracts if I wanted my dog, the dog that they had already promised multiple times and assured me would be mine. Though she is in my possession, it does not feel like she is mine because of the papers being held over my head. Some of the concerns at the beginning included questionable information on the form that was sent with my neighbor, who was kind enough to escort my dog from Klawock, Alaska to my home because I couldn't fly. I attempted to address both of the concerns related to questionable information on that form with Ms. Walshe, and I was basically called a liar related to one of the things, and for the other, I was lied to. But I did not realize until it was too late that I had been lied to. I realize now I should have done further due diligence, despite that i had attempted, with the help of multiple people, to research the company as well as possible prior to all of this.
A family friend offered to call Lisa Settles (who apparently has replaced Ms. Walshe) after I received an e-mail response from her to my letter, and she was informed them they had been investigated, but I do not know to what extent of disclosure there was. She also asked them not to contact me, unless it was through a lawyer. This friend, and a small number of other people who have better understanding of things like contract law and nonprofits, have been advising me on how to work through this.
I have contacted GuideStar with a query as to whether YSDI does or does not have a platinum rating for the year 2021. In 2021 when I looked, there was a blank next to their company name and there is currently a blank next to their company name. The other reason for the query being sent to GuideStar is a wide range of disclosures for financials on different websites. I consulted where's the attorney yesterday to get some advice and then filed complaints with the AG of Washington and the AG of Alaska, as had been recommended by multiple people. The ScamPulse.com what's next on my list, and I have also been advised to contact somebody in my state about possible ADA violation on the part of the service dog company. I recently became aware that it may be in our best interest to also contact the FDA. GuideStar has since responded, agreeing that contacting the AGs and ScamPulse.com were a good idea, and they also suggested contacting someone from the Tax Exempts and Government Entities division of the IRS, though that is beyond the scope of my specific concerns. It is not unimportant, just not related to what I am attempting to accomplish. I am simply trying to get the papers for my dog, and the Peace of Mind of no further contact, calling the contracts good if they were ever legal to begin with.
Between the questionable areas of contracts, the unfulfilled promises, misinformation and hiding information, learning about Ms. Sullivan's arrest record, the overt and covert threats to remove my dog, the emotional roller coaster that they have put my entire family on, and the stress that all of this has caused, I am at the point where I am readily in agreement with those who have been urging me for over a year to contact someone for help. According to a family friend who understands the law, YSDI would receive unjust enrichment if they removed my dog, not to mention cause (continued/ further) intentional or reckless infliction of emotional distress. They know what my disabilities are and seem to be attempting to use some of them against me through this process.
My dog is trained to the extent that I need, including the things that I can see in the book for the next set of classes they are attempting to mandate we take. A gift is a gift when you give it to someone without strings attached, a contract is a contract. They are not the same thing. I find it unconscionable that they would call stringing someone along a gift. I find it unconscionable that they would call emotionally gas lighting a disabled individual that they know has PTSD, among other things, a gift. If the dog is a gift, as they claim when they are drumming up money from people, why does it not feel like a gift when you have to fight tooth and nail for them to keep their promise?
There is no advantage for them keeping this going.
Whether this constitutes fraud, or scam, or both, that is for legal individuals to decide if it comes down to it. But given that I have heard both terms used by people who know law better than I as they listen to my situation, I am following their advice. I simply want peace. I'm not trying to cause difficulties. But I think other people should be warned about the potential stress and difficulties they may have also.