Triangle dog owners, walkers in a bind after company changes ownership

At first, they thought maybe the owner skipped town, but 919 Dog insists they are still open for business.

Becca Gorham, a teacher who doesn't want to leave her 8-year-old Labradoodle, Ollie, unattended all day long, used the company's services.

"To take good care of him, I feel like I need a walker to come around noon each day," she said.

When Gorham heard from her dog walker, Heidi Dragon, that the company they both contract with had cut them off, she was shocked.

"This is just not right, and what can I do about it?" Gorham said.

Dragon said her suspicions about the company were confirmed when she didn't get paid.

"I was real super-suspicious. This didn't feel right," she said.

Gorham said she prepaid about $1,000 for services she doesn't think she will ever receive.

"I've paid for about three more months of walks ... this is a major problem," Gorham said.

"The loss is terrible," Dragon said. "I feel a betrayal in trust."

Dragon said she did not get paid as expected on Tuesday.

Anne Davis insisted the company is still open. In an email to WRAL News, she said that the company is under new ownership and in the process of restructuring, cutting 20 percent of their staff and changing their service areas.

"We have a couple of dissatisfied former clients and contractors that were assigned to them who did not take the updates to their liking. Unfortunately, we have been unable to come to an expedited resolution so far, but we are working on it alongside our management team and outside counsel," she said.

"It is confusing as to how or why this happened," Dragon said.

Multiple people have reached out to WRAL News saying that they have contacted 919 Dog and have not yet gotten reimbursed for their prepayments.