Wag! is at it again. Heartbreakingly, we have to share that another customer trusted Wag! to take care of their dogs and Wag! failed in every tragic way. Wag! walked two dogs and only one of them made it home. It’s become a far too familiar tale for the “Uber of dog walking.” Wag! has lost more than a dozen dogs across the country. Sadly, some of them even lose their lives under Wag’s “care.”
Trusted Wag! to Take Care of His Dogs During Business Travel
Cody Martinez of San Antonio, Texas travels frequently for his job in sales. He was working in Philadelphia and needed someone to take care of his two Huskies, Sozin and Ozai. He was unaware of the bad press Wag! had received time and again for losing dogs or mysterious deaths occurring during Wag’s care. Like so many others, he assumed that hiring a professional service would be safe. He would come to regret this decision.
While working in Philadelphia, he received a call from a Wag! representative informing him that Sozin had slipped his collar during a walk and was lost. Cody told the New York Post, “I remember being at work and everything just stopped, and I felt this big pit in my stomach … it was just this ugly, ugly feeling.”
Wag! Took Minimal Search Efforts and Ignored Pleas for More Help
Cody immediately inquired about what efforts would be made to bring Sozin home. Wag! told him not to worry. (Yea, right!) Wag! was going to put up fliers and open a tip line. Days passed and no leads were coming in. The New York Post reviewed ongoing messages between Cody and Wag! and found a heartbroken man virtually begging for Wag! to do more. What did he get in return? The “runaround.”
Cody reported to the Post, “It was always very passive, ‘we’re spreading awareness,’ not ‘let’s take a look at these other resources we have at our disposal we can use to find your dog.” Wag! could have done much more to find Sozin. They have employed dog trackers to bring lost dogs home before. These trackers rely on using scent to draw lost dogs back home, a strategy that is highly successful when used in a timely manner. So why didn’t Wag! send a tracker out right away? Cody thinks it is because he didn’t go to the media right away.
Cody Goes to the Media and Suddenly Wag! Wants to do More
Cody doesn’t think it is a coincidence that the media attention surrounding Sozin’s disappearance coincided with Wag! suddenly being willing to hire a tracker. Cody was intentionally being quiet about it, fearing Wag! would not help as much if he caused a commotion, but now he feels differently. He told the Post, “Had I gone to the media [earlier] and spoken out, I’m sure it would’ve gotten more attention so [Wag] could minimize the exposure as much as possible so they don’t get anymore negative reviews.”
Wag! Tells Cody They are Calling Off the Search Completely
Wag did finally hire a tracker, but it was far too late. The scent trail had gone cold. The trackers knows she could have had a good chance of finding Sozin if she’d been called in sooner. About three months after Sozin went missing, Cody got a call from Wag! telling him they were finished with the search.
At first, Cody was hopeful that the call would be a resurgence of energy and help from Wag! but he was sorely disappointed. He told The Post, “I said, OK great, maybe I’ll have continued support, we’re gonna find your dog, but instead, the conversation went to ‘we’re not going to be helping you out anymore, we’re going to be cutting ties now, we’re not going to be flying anymore, we’re just going to be abandoning the search effort at this point.”
Cody Didn’t Know of Wag’s Terrible Record
If Cody had known that Wag! had such a terrible track record, he would have never hired them. He started looking into it and was shocked to learn of all the lost dogs and deaths that have occurred with Wag! Let’s do our part to hold Wag! accountable and make sure families think long and hard before hiring Wag!
We need your help! We have a voice, let’s use it!
Help others avoid the heartbreak of losing their dogs in the care of Wag! Share this story to warn dog families what can happen when you hire Wag! AND help bring Sozin home! He went missing in San Antonio and he is out there somewhere. Spread the word. Contact Cody on Facebook if you have any information.
H/T newyorkpost.com
Featured Image Cody Martinez/Facebook
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