SERVICE DOG COMPANY COMPLAINTS: Family claims Raleigh nonprofit sold them aggressive dog and knew it

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sobie Cummings is an 11-year old-Waxhaw girl who has autism.

Her parents said they paid a nonprofit called Ry-Con $13,900 for a service dog. But they said the dog was aggressive.

"There was actual foaming at the mouth, haunches raised on two feet like a bear," her mother, Rachel, said.

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They told Action 9 they returned the dog to Ry-Con and asked for their money back, but never got it.

On Thursday, Action 9's Jason Stoogenke was talking about Ry-Con live on Facebook. Mary Matthews saw it and reached out to Stoogenke. She said Ry-Con took that dog, turned around and resold it to Matthews' family just a few weeks later.

Stoogenke asked Matthews how she could be so sure. She said, "I knew from the beginning that [the dog] had a previous home. (Ry-Con's owner) did tell us a long story about how it was a failed placement."

The dog was for her daughter, Addison, who is 9 years old and has autism.

But, as time passed, Matthews said the dog "attempted to bite at children in public. My heart dropped," Matthews said.

She said the dog cost more than $13,000, and that she had set up a payment plan and spent about $5,000, but then gave up.

"This is not what we signed up for," she said.

She said she gave the dog away to a family without children and reported Ry-Con to the North Carolina Attorney General. Nearly 50 families filed complaints with the attorney general. He is investigating and the Wake County Sheriff's Office told Action 9 it's investigating if there was any criminal wrongdoing as well. Ry-Con is based outside Raleigh.

Action 9 emailed and called Ry-Con multiple times since last Friday but hadn't heard back as of 4 p.m. Ry-Con is in the process of closing down.

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