WASHINGTON — Virginia’s attorney general is suing a service dog organization he claims endangered lives with false claims the dogs can alert people to fluctuations in blood sugar and get help if needed.
“They were not getting that kind of an animal — [Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers] was delivering untrained puppies with behavioral issues and people were being ripped off,” Mark Herring said. “It’s reprehensible.”
Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers is based in Madison County, Virginia, which is south of Culpeper.
Herring said the group charged tens of thousands of dollars for “so-called” diabetic alert dogs and, in many cases, delivered animals with no ability to notify people about potentially life-threatening high or low blood sugar situations.
The lawsuit seeks damages of up to $5,000 per violation, to get refunds for dogs lacking promised skills and to stop future deceptions.
The group told many customers that it would help them raise money through charitable contributions to cover the cost of the dogs. “And, over the last few years, this company has not registered in Virginia as a charity eligible to [make] charitable solicitations,” Herring said.
The service’s owner and CEO, Charles D. Warren Jr., also misrepresented himself as a former marine, who trained dogs for the military, but has never served in any U.S. branch of the military, according to the lawsuit.
WTOP reached out to Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers for comment and received an emailed response, which reads, in part, “We have not yet seen the attorney general’s lawsuit, but we deny any allegation of wrongdoing and we absolutely deny that we have ever set out to mislead, cheat or defraud our many happy clients.”
The service has been working with the attorney general’s office to address areas of concerns and said it would “fight these ridiculous allegations at every step.”
Over the past couple years, Herring said his office has received more than 50 complaints from people all over the county. He believes there may be more victims.
Anyone who thinks they might have been taken advantage of is asked to contact Virginia’s Consumer Protection Office either online, by email or by phone at 800-552-9963.
