Wag Class Action Says Dog Walking App Isn’t Safe

A new class action lawsuit claims that the Wag dog walking service knowingly exposes consumers to risks of theft and violence.

Wag is a dog care service that offers dog walking and dog sitting in 43 states and more than 100 cities.

Thousands of dog walkers are employed by Wag, which the company claims have racked up “more than 10 trillion steps” and “more than 4 million potty breaks.”

In a recent Wag class action lawsuit, plaintiff Barbara Meli claims that the dog walking service connects their customers with unvetted strangers who are put in a position to steal and commit other crimes.

“In short, Wag reaps huge profits in this new age of a mostly unregulated gig economy where lives are sold for profit, at the cost of silent deaths to the dogs who are meaningless in this technological business model,” Meli claims in her Wag class action.

Meli reportedly owns three dogs and recently signed up with Wag to pursue dog walking services. Meli reportedly relied on Wag’s promise that their dog walkers are “thoroughly investigated,” but after a little research says she discovered the “horrendous history of Wag dog killings, thefts and beatings and Wag dog walkers committing other crimes in consumer homes.”

Between 2015 and March 2018, Wag has allegedly lost at least 11 dogs. Additionally, a dog was lost in June 2019 and was reportedly hit by a train, resulting in its death. Last month, a dog was reportedly reunited with its pet parents after being ruthlessly stolen by a Wag dogsitter.

In her Wag class action lawsuit, Meli claims that Wag’s response to the incidences are subpar and that the company fails to protect their customers.

“Accidents and incidents are rare, but we know the impact even one can have on the family involved,” Wag said in a statement, but Meli says this is not enough to counteract their history of problems.

In order to manage their bad press, Wag reportedly went as far as enlisting the marketing services of actress Olivia Munn who has starred in countless movies and TV shows. In one case where a dog was lost, the company reportedly “sen[t] actress Olivia Munn to meet and greet the distraught pet owners.”

Additionally, the Wag class action claims that terms and conditions allegedly allow the company to use consumer information in advertisements.

When dog walkers are walking dogs with GPS tracking, they have the option to take pictures of the animals to send to owners. This helps to let owners know that their dogs are safe and enjoying themselves.

However, Wag reportedly sneaks terms into their consumer agreements that allow them to use the pictures for advertisement purposes. Meli’s Wag class action claims that this is a violation of privacy.

Other terms and conditions allegedly limit consumer liability claims to only $500 which Meli and her counsel claim is too low, especially considering the billions in profit that Wag makes every year.

The Wag class action claims the company should use their profits to “personally interview, actually train their dog walkers, and fund competent background checks, which are evidently not in place by virtue of the demonstrated criminal conduct of their walkers dispatched to consumer homes.”

The dog owners are represented by Susan Chana Lask of the Law Offices of Susan Chana Lask.

The Wag Dog Walker Class Action Lawsuit is Barbara Meli v. Wag Labs Inc., Case No. 9:19-cv-03807, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

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