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PetSafe shock collars lawsuit overview:
- Who: A dog owner is suing Radio Systems, the manufacturer of PetSafe shock collars.
- Why: The plaintiff says the company falsely markets the collars as safe and harmless to use on animals, when they in fact harm pets.
- Where: The PetSafe shock collar lawsuit was filed in a California federal court.
Radio Systems markets its PetSafe shock collars as being safe and harmless, when they actually harm pets physically and psychologically, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Steven Hernandez filed the class action complaint against Radio Systems Corporation Oct. 21 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
According to the lawsuit, Radio Systems makes PetSafe shock collars and markets them as being “safe” and “harmless”. The shock collars deliver electric shocks to pets via a collar worn around their necks.
“In fact, the use of electric shocks is gravely dangerous to the pets’ physical and psychological well-being,” the lawsuit states.
In Hernandez’ case, he says he used the collar on his dog until he noticed a sticky residue and foul smell coming from his dog’s neck.
“He removed the Shock Collar from his dog and saw that a patch of fur was missing from his dog’s neck,” the lawsuit states. “His veterinarian identified holes in his dog’s neck that coincided with the placement of the inserts in the Shock Collar Product.”
Radio Systems used misleading language to conceal reality of shock collars, lawsuit alleges
To conceal the true nature of the shock collars, Radio Systems uses euphemisms to describe what being electrocuted by a shock collar feels like for a pet, the lawsuit states.
Among the most popular terms that it uses to falsely describe a painful electric shock are “static correction,” “surprise,” “tickle,” and “stimulation,” it says.
On the product’s packaging and website, Radio Systems prominently displays false claims that the collars have been scientifically proven safe, and are recommended by veterinarians and professional dog trainers, the lawsuit states.
Instead, there are hundreds of documented cases that reveal the use of shock collars can cause pets severe injuries, including skin ruptures, bruising, inflammations, burns and infections, the lawsuit states.
The shock collars also lead to psychological stress, anxiety, and depression caused by the repeated painful shocks, the lawsuit states.
The plaintiff is looking to represent anyone who purchased a collar in California.
He’s suing under California consumer and business laws and seeking certification of the class action, an order preventing Radio Systems from labeling the products as safe, financial restitution, fees, costs and a jury trial.
In September, Bayer was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging it continues to market that its Seresto flea and tick collars are safe for pets even after tens of thousands of pet injuries and more than a thousand deaths.
Do you have a PetSafe shock collar? Let us know what you think of these allegations in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by Amber L. Schubert, Robert C. Schubert and Willem F. Jonckheer of Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP.
The Radio Systems class action lawsuit is Steven Hernandez v. Radio Systems Corporation, Case No. 5:22-cv-01861 in the U.S. District Court Central District of California Eastern Division.
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28 thoughts onPetSafe shock collars falsely advertised as ‘harmless,’ class action claims
I purchased 3 pet safe shock collars , add me please.
Please add me. We used them on vibrate and they even left marks.
Add me used on my dachshund and he lost hair around nexk
Same here we got one for are little dog and put it on her and it hurt her Burt hurt her bad .so we but it up will never but that on her no more or any other dog .so please people if you have one don’t use it on your dog !
I have the PetSafe invisible fence system. I paid $380 for it & the collar burnt my dogs neck. I still have the worthless unit sitting on a shelf. I want my money back!!
I used to use the shock collar on my son’s black lab. I stopped using it because I thought it was hurting him. The hair was gone around his neck & he had soars & scabs from the shock collar. I think it is the cause of the lumps he has all over his body. I’m not talking about little lumps either. He has huge lumps all over his body from that shock collar. They should be outlawed because of the hurt & damage they cause all of our pets. I hope they get banned from being sold!
Had a petsafe wireless containment for 10 years. Curious if the radio frequency is safe for long term use in the home. 10 year daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor and been researching links relating childhood cancer to the “safe radiation” used in the wireless containment systems
My cat died ,I’m sure this cat food the cause
Please add me I have two
I have purchased 3 Pet Safe shock collars for my dog and also the in ground wire fence. He won’t even go off the porch with in ground fence collar. He yelped very loudly when I had his regular shock collar on level 3. When we installed the in ground fence , I had the collar in my hand and accidentally touched the 2 prong things at the same time and my hands and arms hurt for about 3 days.