Despite his best efforts, Guardian Angel Service Dogs founder Dan Warren will have to answer before a Southeast Texas judge as to why he feels he is entitled to nearly $70,000 for a puppy he himself values at (only) $20,000. The ruling was made by 58th District Court Judge Bob Wortham on Wednesday, Jan. 16, in response to a motion filed by Warren’s attorney seeking to have the case squashed in Texas on a technicality outlined in an agreed to “Puppy Purchase” contract.
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Send me an Angel
While still a hefty sum of money for Labrador retriever puppy, Ryan and Tara McLeod were able to pay the $20,000 price tag initially quoted for the animal thanks to fundraising efforts and donations from a generous community. The animal was supposed to be able to alert the family if and when their son, Racer, was in danger of complications associated with the Type 1 diabetes from which the child suffers.
The disease causes Racer’s blood sugar levels to spike and drop to dangerous levels without notice, and puts the child in grave danger of falling into coma or dying in his sleep.
Racer’s plight became urgent in late 2011 when the then-2-year-old was stricken with his first diabetic seizure. Racer’s parents said that keeping their son’s sugar level on a stable level has been an ongoing battle.
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Foregone honeymoon
“(Warren’s) great working with you throughout the fundraising process leading up to buying the dog,” Ryan McLeod told The Examiner, “but once he gets paid, it’s impossible to get in touch with him and he passes off everything on to his trainers.”
The warm fuzzy feelings McLeod said he had when he first learned there was a way through Guardian Angel Service Dogs to keep his son safe while he slept were lost immediately after receiving the untrained puppy, Gunner, in May 2012.
“We were told we’d be able to sleep through the night and if the dog noticed Racer’s blood sugar change, he’d come and alert us,” said McLeod, a Beaumont firefighter who is perplexed and frustrated with the whole situation. “My wife and I would’ve never gone with this company if we’d known we were going to have to train the dog ourselves.”
According to McLeod, even though the family has had possession of the dog for 8 months, Gunner still cannot accurately alert and doesn’t even attempt to alert at night.
“I work with the dog every day, but I’m not a certified trainer,” McLeod said. “The dog is just not interested in alerting at all.”
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Insult to injury
While trying to train a dog with no prior experience in doing such a thing, the McLeods were then hit with a kicker: Warren filed suit against the family, saying he was owed not just the $20,000 but all of the funds raised through the family’s efforts, which amounted to “an excess of $60,000.” Ryan McLeod said he was floored.
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