Complaint Review: Heritage Speciality Dogs - Westfield North Carolina

Here are my credentals for everyone to read so you will understand I'm not some individual with a personal vendetta against Heritage Specialty Dogs:

I am an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, Delta Society Pet Partners Member, and a Certified Vet. Assistant. I grew up around a Vet. Hospital where my mother worked for over 30 years. I'm President of my own company and train dogs as a hobby. My labradoodle is a AKC Canine Good Citizen and a member of Delta Society. We visit various places for pet therapy including the Assist. Living facility where my father lives now. My labradoodle was training for Search and Rescue but he developed allergies so we couldn't pursue the training.

Another lady and I volunteered to be puppy raisers for this organization. She had puppy raised before for another group and this was my first experience. Mary Walker met with us in Jan. 09, gave us the dogs to raise in exchange for reimbursement of all the puppy's expenses and told us to alert her when the expenses totaled no more than $75 at a time so she could send us the money routinely, promised us sessions at her home to show us things to work on that were specific for Autistic Children, and give us equipment such as vests and patches. After spending 9 months with us, the puppies were to go back to HSD for further advanced training. None of this ever happened.

Emails to Mary Walker concerning reimbursement were returned in a VERY slow matter. Specific questions such as "I would like to visit your facility, when would be a good time?" were ignored. Excuses were given over 4 -6 week periods concerning where the reimbursement payment was or had it been mailed. The last time I asked for reimbursement, it took me 3 weeks of excuses,very slow responses, and then an email saying it was being mailed that day in 10 minutes. The check nevered showed up. The 2 payments I did receive were on Postal Money Orders, no company checks!

The other puppy raiser NEVER received any reimbursement at all! Mary Walker very rarely emailed us to ask how the puppies were doing or if we needed any advice on training. Most emails were initiated by me. Reputable Service dog trainers require puppy raisers to check in with them on a routine basis, attend seminars and training sessions, and evaluate the raiser's efforts in the puppy's learning.

Since "Red Flags" were going up in every direction, I decided to do a private investigation. It seems many families in NC are VERY unhappy with this organization. Now I'm finding out about families in CA, PA, and TX. Every story is exactly the same. Dogs too young to be placed in home to do the work, dogs not even trained in basic obedience, socialization, not housebroken, frightened or skittish, doesn't know how to ignore other animals or distractions, unhealthy dogs (heartworms, tapeworms, or underweight). Families were given excuses as to why the dogs couldn't perform or they or their own pets were blamed for the so-called Service Dog's behavior. Vet records did not come with the dogs most of the time and the ones that did were incomplete. I've examined the contracts from HSD and can verify that the listing of what the dog is supposed to be trained in, can't be done by 7 to 9 months of age! Also, a Service dog is expected to work an average of 6 years. These dogs must be physically stable. Most organizations will not release a dog for work until after it passes its 2 year. The reason for this is OFA Hip certification can't be done until this time. Plus, larger breeds of dogs do not mature mentally until after the age of 2.

Delta Society has been contacted and HSD has been removed from their Trainer recommendation list. As of this date, HSD website still uses Delta Society's name as a reference. An agent with Delta Society contacted me today to alert me that HSD has been contacted to remove their name from the website.

If you feel that you have been deceived by this organization, I encourage you to contact the NC Attorney General to file a complaint online. Contact the NC. Dept. of Agriculture to file a request for investigation online (they are responsible for all animal related businesses) and please file a report to the Better Business Bureau. If you are thinking about obtaining a Service Dog from this organization, I encourage you to ask for trainer verifications, ask to tour the facility ( you should find a trailer and a picnic like shelter wrapped in chain link fencing with no walls where the dogs stay), ask to meet the staff and find out their qualifications, ask for multiple references, and ask to see your dog perform it's tasks before signing a contract or paying a deposit.

An actual dog trainer with qualifications

Trinity, North Carolina

U.S.A.