Service Dog Fraud

Summary

The Knife: A True Crime Podcast

Episode: Service Dog Fraud
Date: March 19, 2026
Hosts: Hannah Smith & Pasha Eaton
Guest: Rebecca Peluso

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Hannah Smith and Pasha Eaton dive into one of the largest service dog frauds prosecuted in U.S. history, sharing the firsthand account of Rebecca Peluso, a single mother who was among dozens of families defrauded by Rikon Service Dogs. Through empathetic interviewing and clear-eyed reporting, the hosts unravel how desperate parents of children with disabilities were misled, financially burdened, and endangered by a scam involving untrained—often aggressive—service dogs.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Impact of Autism and the Search for Support

• Rebecca’s Situation
  • Rebecca Peluso is a single mom from North Florida with three children, including twins Ella and Emma. Ella has high-needs autism (04:40).
  • Challenges included Ella being nonverbal as a toddler, engaging in self-harm, and "eloping" (running away due to overstimulation) (05:17, 07:05), leading to dangerous situations and constant vigilance.
• Why a Service Dog?
  • Desperate for more safety and freedom, Rebecca learned about service dogs specifically trained for children with autism and how they could prevent running and provide comfort during meltdowns (08:21, 09:29).

2. Encountering Rikon Service Dogs

• How Rebecca Found Rikon
  • Rikon Service Dogs, owned by Mark Mathis, promoted itself as a nonprofit run by a member of the autism community (11:19), specializing in the rare Briard breed.
  • The organization promised fully trained service dogs for $11,000–$17,000 (13:08, 16:22), and required a 10–14 month wait time for training and delivery (14:37).
• Financial Sacrifices
  • Rebecca "sold my bed, my dining room furniture. I mean, sold whatever I could" to raise the money for her daughter's dog (15:59, 16:13).

3. The Deception Unravels

• Red Flags and Lack of Communication
  • Sparse updates were provided after the contract—just one in October 2018, months before the dog was due (23:09).
  • Rumors and Facebook posts began revealing complaints: improperly trained, aggressive dogs; lawsuits; and finally, news that Rikon was closing (24:01).
  • Mark Mathis then offered Rebecca the choice: surrender her dog or come collect it—no refunds (25:31, 25:43).
• Collecting Puzzle (the Dog)
  • Rebecca describes the tense pickup: Mark tried to dissuade her, was curt, demonstrated the dog’s "training" by aggressively forcing it to sit, and refused to provide even food for the dog (27:15, 28:41).
  • The training records ultimately proved negligible—at most sporadic, with little evidence of any substantial work (29:47, 30:12).

4. The Aftermath: Betrayal, Stress, and Organizing

• Living with Puzzle
  • Upon arriving home, Puzzle was fearful, not housebroken, aggressive towards family and pets, and terrified Ella (31:11, 31:45).
  • Rebecca: "Did he give me the wrong dog—or more likely, he's a lying sacka...You fill in the rest" (31:50).
  • After additional stress and at financial/emotional cost, Rebecca had to rehome her existing corgi and, eventually, Puzzle (33:19, 49:31).
• Recognition of Fraud
  • Realizing "maybe Rikon's haphazard way of operating wasn't just bad business. Maybe it was fraud, and Rebecca was ready to fight back." (35:17, 36:17)
• Community Action
  • Rebecca formed a Facebook group, "Ryconned," ultimately connecting 50+ families harmed by Rikon (41:18), organizing them to file complaints with the North Carolina AG and to contact news stations nationwide (41:58, 42:34).

5. The Scale of the Scandal

• Nature of the Scam
  • Most "trainers" at Rikon were unqualified—often just cleaning kennels (44:59, 45:37), and Briard breeders in the U.S. had stopped selling dogs to Mathis due to complaints (46:14).
  • Mathis often sourced dogs overseas at ~$2,000 and resold them for $15,000 (46:58, 47:22), sometimes reselling the same dog multiple times (50:54, 51:03).
• Devastating Consequences
  • Many children and families ended up with dangerous, unsocialized, uncontrollable dogs (48:30).
  • One heartbreaking account: a Canadian family’s daughter died by suicide, devastated when her long-awaited dog arrived untrained and aggressive, destroying her hopes for independence (52:29–55:14).
    • Notable Quote:

    "For my daughter, everything in her life was going to change and going to be better as soon as Bailee was her service dog. I really believe if we had gotten what we paid for and what we were promised by Mark Mathis at Rycon, my daughter would still be alive today." — Nancy Evans, Katie’s mother via CTV (54:41)

6. Legal Battle and Outcome

• Indictment and Prosecution
  • After extensive media pressure and investigation, Mark Mathis was indicted in 2020 on 42 counts, later pleading guilty to 50 counts of obtaining property by false pretenses in December 2025 (56:25, 57:31, 57:58).
  • He paid $100,000 restitution, received probation, but no prison time (58:30, 58:56).
• Reflection on Motivation
  • The hosts and Rebecca reflect on Mathis’ dual role as a parent in the autism community and a perpetrator (60:15).
    • Notable Quote:

    "He was a member of our community, and to do that to other members of our community is unforgivable. But I think it was twofold: narcissism...and money." — Rebecca (60:15)

  • Attorney General Jeff Jackson:

    "There are few things more cruel than exploiting families who are trying to help their children live safer, more independent lives. Selling fake service dogs isn’t just fraud. It robs children with disabilities...and puts them at risk." (60:43)

• Restitution and Aftermath
  • No family was made whole financially—and none could recoup the emotional cost (59:46, 59:49).

7. Broader Issues: Service Dog Regulation

• No federal certification requirements, standards, or databases exist for service dog trainers/providers (67:30).
• The lack of regulation makes families vulnerable (66:33, 67:30), and hosts draw important distinction between service dogs and emotional support animals (68:39).

8. Moving Forward

• Rebecca’s Current Situation
  • After losing so much, Rebecca eventually adopted a golden retriever puppy, thoughtfully noting:

    "He seems to instinctively know when she needs help, which is very adorable to say... Time will tell. Maybe one day he will be a service dog for her, but right now he’s picking up on what she needs." (62:33)

• Community and Advocacy
  • Through tireless advocacy, Rebecca helped bring Mathis to justice and created support for other families (41:18, 71:27).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sacrifice:

  “I sold my bed, my dining room furniture...and just slept on the floor instead.”
  — Rebecca Peluso (16:13)

• On Deception:

  “Did he give me the wrong dog—or more likely, he's a lying sacka...You fill in the rest.”
  — Rebecca Peluso (31:50)

• On the Emotional Toll:

  “You are excited to only find out that, under my daughter’s words, you brought home the big bad wolf, that you can’t take it anywhere.”
  — Rebecca Peluso (34:36)

• On Community Advocacy:

  “Well after I started the group...we ended up with approximately 50 families that were affected by this, we started digging into who do we contact and so forth.”
  — Rebecca Peluso (41:18)

• On the Broader System Flaw:

  “There is no required training standard, no federal certification or license, no service dog database...”
  — Pasha Eaton (67:30)

• On Motivation for the Crime:

  "Narcissism. Because he does think he's smarter than everybody. Even a judge said that in the courtroom. You are narcissistic. And I think the other part is money. He wanted money..."
  — Rebecca Peluso (60:15)

• On the Outcome:

  “Nobody’s going to be made whole, sadly. I wish everybody was. Cause I know...for a lot of families, it’s a hardship. Well...even if everyone was made whole for what they spent on the dog...the stress and the disappointment for them and their children...”
  — Rebecca Peluso (59:28, 59:46)

• On Hope:

  “We do have their little Christmas present...an English cream golden retriever...maybe one day he will be a service dog for her, but right now he’s picking up on what she needs.”
  — Rebecca Peluso (62:33)

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Important Timestamps

• Rebecca’s Initial Search, Sacrifice, and Choosing Rikon: 08:58–16:22
• Picking Up Puzzle, Signs of Fraud: 25:31–30:12
• Puzzle’s Behavior in Rebecca’s Home: 31:11–34:36
• Rebecca Organizes Families and Media Outreach: 41:18–43:37
• Details of the Lawsuit and Investigations: 56:25–59:21
• Fraud’s Devastating Emotional Effects: 52:29–55:31
• Reflections on Motivation and Systemic Gaps: 60:15–62:19
• Rebecca’s Moving Forward with a New Dog: 62:33–63:31

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Host Reflections

• The hosts marvel at Rebecca’s optimism and tenacity, highlighting her as emblematic of devoted motherhood and “a mother’s love” (71:43).
• They issue a broader warning that “service dog fraud is not representative of the profession—service dogs change lives, but finding a reputable provider is essential” (71:48, 72:04).
• They raise questions about the current lack of regulation and the vulnerabilities it creates for disabled families (66:33–67:30).

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Final Thought

This episode details an appalling fraud that preyed on some of society’s most vulnerable families. Yet, it’s also a testament to the power of community, advocacy, and resilience in the face of systemic failures. Rebecca’s journey from victim to activist embodies the “ripple effects” of true crime and the potential for hope and justice, however incomplete.

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For stories or to connect, email: [e-mail] or follow @theknifepodcast.

Transcript

[Pasha Eaton]

This is exactly right. Then she says, have you seen a photo of my son? And I'm like, who is this person?

[Boys and Girls Podcast Host]

Welcome to the Boys and Girls Podcast. Arranged marriage is basically a reality show and you're auditioning for your soulmate. And who's judging? Only your entire family. I sacrificed myself to this ancient tradition, hoping to find love the right way. And instead I found chaos, conflict, comedy, and a lot of cringe. Listen to boys and Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Danielle Robay]

Hi, I'm Danielle Robay, host of Bookmarked the podcast by Reese's Book Club. And this week we are talking about a monster, or maybe the woman who refused to be one. I'm sitting down with Maggie Gyllenhaal to unpack her new film the Bride. And trust me, this isn't your grandmother's Bride of Frankenstein.

[Pasha Eaton]

What I was more interested in was the monstrousness inside of each of us. You can spend your life running from those things, or you can turn around and shake hands with them.

[Danielle Robay]

Listen to Bookmarked the Reese's Book Club podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Hester Prynne]

When you feel uncomfortable, what do you put on?

[Pasha Eaton]

Biggie.

[DJ Hester Prynne]

You put on Biggie when you feel uncomfortable.

[Pasha Eaton]

Cause I wanna get confident.

[DJ Hester Prynne]

This is DJ Hester Prynne's Music is Therapy, a new podcast from Me A and licensed therapist. 12 months, 12 areas of your life. Money, love, career, confidence. This isn't just a podcast. It's unconventional therapy for your entire year. Listen to DJ Hester Prynne's Music is Therapy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alec Baldwin]

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This season on my podcast, here's the Thing, I talk to composer Marc Shaiman. It's about the hang. It's the pleasure of hanging out with the people that you're with. You know, Rob and I was always a great ha and journalist Chris Whipple.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Every White House staffer, they work in a bubble called the West Wing. And it's exponentially more so in the Trump White House.

[Alec Baldwin]

Listen to the new season of here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Anna Sinfield]

Hi, listeners. I'm Anna Sinfield, the host of the Girlfriend Spotlight, and I've got some great interviews coming your way. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season one, two, three, and four of the Girlfriends and every single episode of The Girlfriends spotlight 100% ad free and one week early through the iHeart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts Plus. You'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you love like Betrayal, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, the Brothers Ortiz, what Happened in Nashville, Hell and Gone, the Godmother and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[Hannah Smith]

This story contains adult content and language. Listener discretion is advised.

[Pasha Eaton]

The claims and opinions in this podcast are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the Knife or Exactly Right media

[Rebecca Peluso]

and reached out to news stations all over the country. And Sometimes I did 80 a night and I did this usually every two to three days even if I was pestering the same news station because like somebody's going to grab the story, somebody's going to put the pressure on the AG to do something.

[Hannah Smith]

Welcome to the Knife. I'm Hannah Smith.

[Pasha Eaton]

I'm Pasha Eaton. Today we're speaking with Rebecca Peluso. In 2018, Rebecca set out to find a service dog for her young daughter who has a high needs autism. And when Rebecca came across a nonprofit called Rikon Service Dogs, it seemed like the perfect fit. So she and her daughters made a 13 hour trip to North Carolina to

[Hannah Smith]

see for themselves what unraveled was one of the largest scale service dog frauds to be prosecuted in U.S. history. And we do want to say that since we are discussing a fraud involving animals, there is brief mention of animal mistreatment.

[Pasha Eaton]

Let's get into the interview. Thanks for being here today. Would you mind just introducing yourself?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Thank you for having me.

[Hannah Smith]

I'm Rebecca Peluso and where are you located?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I'm in Florida, North Florida. I'm a single parent of three children. The oldest is Kristin. She is now out of the house. She's in her 20s. And then Ella and Emma, they're now 13, they're twins and Ella is the one with autism.

[Pasha Eaton]

When was Ella diagnosed?

[Rebecca Peluso]

She's about two and a half, three years old. We did on our own go find functional medicine, doctors and psychologists and stuff and ended up getting that diagnosis for her. She's somewhere medium to lower range of it. She will always need somebody looking out for her.

[Pasha Eaton]

And what does a typical day look like for you and Ella?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well now we've got her sleep regimented. We can get up in the morning. We have to immediately take some of her supplements and things she does to help vitamin Bs and Ds. She doesn't absorb as well as Other things. So we have to supplement that. She eats about two or three things, which unfortunately caused an issue for us this past summer. We noticed she was walking funny and I noticed that one eye was going to one side. And we had to. The eye doctor, they sent us to ophthalmologist, who sent us to the emergency room. And it turns out one eye is now completely blind. And that's from probably malnutrition, they're saying, because she doesn't, one, doesn't absorb certain vitamins and two, doesn't eat a varied diet like most people I see.

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, that's devastating.

[Rebecca Peluso]

She does tend to get frustrated, bang her head on the wall. I've repaired many holes in the wall. That's an issue when she'll hit herself in the head too, if she gets frustrated. Cause she doesn't know how to really explain that she's upset or frustrated or things aren't going her way.

[Pasha Eaton]

Rebecca said that Ella is also the happiest, sweetest kid. She has a big heart, she's extroverted, and she's nurturing. But high needs. Autism also brings difficulty. Rebecca told us that as a toddler, Ella was minimally verbal. She used only two words. Rebecca took her to a speech therapist, and together they worked tirelessly to help Ella learn to communicate. And Ella has made progress. But as a single mom, Rebecca has had to navigate these challenges all on her own. And as Ella has grown and gotten older, some of those challenges have also grown.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Her eloping got worse. Meaning. I woke up one time at 2:30 in the morning. My back door was open. I was in a full panic looking for her. And she's, you know, several lots down. The whole neighborhood hadn't been built up yet, thank God. And I found her.

[Pasha Eaton]

How old was she when that happened, that you woke up and she had run down the street?

[Rebecca Peluso]

She was just under four.

[Hannah Smith]

Oh, wow. So very young.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

What is. You said eloping. Is that the term you used?

[Rebecca Peluso]

They call it eloping. I hate that term. Because it sounds very romantic.

[Hannah Smith]

Right.

[Rebecca Peluso]

It's not romantic to find your child missing. I call it running.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

That just means that she'll get up and run.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah. They get kind of overwhelmed with everything that's going on or a sense of panic and they run.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. I mean, that's really scary. You're waking up in the middle of the night and your doors open. I can imagine if that had not happened before. Wondering, like, had my child been taken right then. To find her down the street can be so Dangerous.

[Rebecca Peluso]

We've gotten to the point, even if we have workers in the house, I have to tell make sure you shut the door. Yeah, I have a sign on my door not to ring the doorbell, because she hears the doorbell, she'll open the door, but then she's going to keep going.

[Pasha Eaton]

Ella started running at around 4 years old. According to the National Autism Association, 49% of children with autism are affected by elopement or wandering, or as Rebecca calls it, running. There's a few reasons why this happens. It could be curiosity or feeling overwhelmed by their surroundings. And it can make everyday errands like going to the grocery store or a doctor's appointment a real danger. But it's around this time, back in 2018, when Ella was about 4 years old, that Rebecca became aware of service dogs specifically trained to help children with autism.

[Rebecca Peluso]

So I knew of somebody from one of my groups with autism who's got a son up in Mississippi, and they got him a service dog. And they said it's been a life changing thing for them.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, you know, I think most of us are familiar with sort of guide dogs or that kind of service dog. But in cases where the service dog is there to support behavioral challenges, what does that support from the dog look like with her?

[Rebecca Peluso]

With balance and so forth, the dog will brace against them to keep them from falling or tripping, which she does have that issue, even more so since her eyesight had become messed up. And when they're in a meltdown or a panic mood, the dog does what they call deep pressure, and that's laying across the lap and giving them pressure to help them relax, know they're there for running. They can curb them, which is to kind of come in front of them, kind of like a herd dog would come in front the sheep to keep them from going a certain direction.

[Pasha Eaton]

When did you decide this is something I'm going to pursue?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I guess she was about five, I think. I went online, I spoke to different people. Some of them had many years out before they could get a dog. Most of them are nonprofits, and they're overloaded, so they have long waiting lists.

[Pasha Eaton]

The American Disabilities act does not require any set amount of hours for a service dog's training to be complete. But most service dog training organizations say the process takes at least two years. Training begins in puppyhood. Service dog providers have long wait lists, sometimes three to five years long. But Rebecca would do anything to help her daughter move through the world more safely. So when she came across an organization called Rikon Service dogs in North Carolina. She reached out. Rebecca had first heard of Ricon in one of her Facebook groups. A community of parents whose children have autism.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Came across him online, saw nothing negative, went over to the bbb, Nothing negative.

[Pasha Eaton]

And how did Rycon describe itself in the messaging online? Were you on a website?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well, from their website, the owner had a child that also had autism, which he promoted heavily. And, you know, it really helped his child, kept him from running. He even had down there he sort of certified through the state for autism service dogs. I went to the website and I looked at their Facebook page also.

[Pasha Eaton]

Rikon service dogs was a nonprofit, and it was owned and operated by Mark Mathis. Mark Mathis was a member of the autism community. He had said his own son was diagnosed with autism. This really resonated with Rebecca. Maybe this was someone who truly understands what a child with autism would need out of a service dog. It made Rikon stand out to her.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Most places were using labs or golden retrievers. Some places had poodles, standard poodles. I should qualify that he had briards because this child had gotten a briard for somebody else for a service dog.

[Pasha Eaton]

And, you know, I'm a certified dog nerd. I was a dog before her. Grew up reading dog encyclopedias. But I actually am not familiar with a briard. I think most of us know what a lab and a poodle and a golden retriever look like. But describe briards.

[Rebecca Peluso]

I'll be honest, I had not heard of one before then. They are from Europe. They're herding dogs. They are big. Bit bigger than a golden retriever. Fluffy moppy dogs. I mean, they're adorable. I'll give them that. They are absolutely adorable. What he had was they're herding dogs, which makes them great for curbing children. He called them hearts wrapped in fur.

[Pasha Eaton]

So Rikon service dogs offered briards specifically.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Correct. And only briards would not train any other dog. Wouldn't train your dog. His service dogs ranged from some people had 11,000 all the way up to 16, 17,000. You get a fully trained service dog supposedly has passed their canine good citizen, which is a test showing that they can be out in public and not be reactive to people. Humans run. They know their commands. You need to get the service dog vest. I reached out to him by phone, spoke with him quite a bit, but

[Hannah Smith]

I know for over an hour.

[Rebecca Peluso]

And he's like, you really should come up and see them. I'll show you what they can do.

[Pasha Eaton]

In May of 2018, Rebecca, Ella and her twin sister all made the drive up to Wake County, North Carolina, to visit Rikon and meet one of their trained service dogs. And according to Rebecca, Rebecca, the trip went great.

[Rebecca Peluso]

She loved it. She walked right by the dog. I mean, she loved animals. Anyway, this is the child that would go pick up a chicken out of nowhere and go, look. And I'm like, no, put the chicken down. So, yeah, she was thrilled. She did very well with the dog. She didn't try to run, even though we were in an open space. So I thought, I think this might be a good fit. We contracted by, I think it was end of May to go ahead with the service dog.

[Hannah Smith]

When you had that first initial meeting in person with Mark, was there a conversation about what the timeline might be for a dog?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I did, and he said it could take anywhere 10 months to 14 months. I was like, okay, well, that's, you know, on the lower but average, because some places were a year, some are two years. Yeah. So.

[Pasha Eaton]

And is that weight the product of, like, there being many families in line before you, or is it puppies being bred or purchased?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Brethren? He said it was getting the puppies.

[Pasha Eaton]

Where was he getting the puppies?

[Rebecca Peluso]

He was getting puppies in the U.S. okay. But something became an issue with the U.S. breeders, and none of them would sell to him. He started going overseas.

[Hannah Smith]

Did you know that at the time?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I did not know that.

[Hannah Smith]

Right. I kind of want to ask to pause for a second and maybe you can tell us about, like, what this purchase meant to you and your family. You know, this is a lot of money. And what did that look like for you in your life at that time?

[Rebecca Peluso]

It was a relief to find a place to do a dog for her because I felt that was going to give us a chance to go out and be part of the world and part of the community. Is that a holed up in a house and feeling like you're hostage to autism?

[Hannah Smith]

And what did that look like financially for you as far as being able to pay for this dog?

[Rebecca Peluso]

It was going to be a burden, but if you have a child, you'll do anything for your child. I sold my bed, my dining room furniture. I mean, sold whatever I could to raise the money. Wow.

[Pasha Eaton]

You sold your bed?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah, I just slept on the floor instead, so. Wow.

[Pasha Eaton]

And what did your dog end up costing?

[Rebecca Peluso]

It was supposed to cost $15,000.

[Pasha Eaton]

$15,000. A lot of money. And for Rebecca, a single mother, the cost was astronomical. But she was determined. Rebecca sold her belongings. She reached out to her community to help raise the money because the promise of this dog was the promise of a life outside their home, allowing them to do simple things like go for or stop by the grocery store. Everyday activities that most of us take for granted. But for Rebecca, they had become impossibly stressful. There was always the fear that Ella might run off, get lost or hurt. A well trained service dog, she was told, could change their lives.

[Rebecca Peluso]

She and her twin were really excited. They got the see pictures and I would email and say, have you picked out the dog yet? And somewhere around July, he told us he had found a dog for us, was being trained for somebody else, but they had a funeral and couldn't afford the dog anymore. So the dog was going to be ours. He said it had already been partially trained because it was going to go to that other family, that he would now continue the training and work on what we needed.

[Pasha Eaton]

And how long was that training process supposed to take?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well, since he'd already had some training, he said it was supposed to take till the end of February 2019.

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow. Okay. So, I mean, to me, if I were in your position at that time, you know, it's a long wait for a dog, especially if you're a kid anticipating a dog. But to think of the kind of specialty training the dog needs, I mean, at least from my perspective, feels like reassuring that that much time is going into it.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Absolutely. Especially I was like, and with it already having some of the training, since it was supposed to be the intended for another family, we're going to get to that point sooner. Hopefully.

[Pasha Eaton]

Rebecca and her daughters were already excited to hear that a dog would be ready for them even sooner than anticipated. It felt like a lucky break. This dog was for Ella. But opening up Ella's world, that meant something to the whole family. Mark Mathis seemed to truly understand the load that a parent of a child with high needs autism is carrying. He seemed to truly want to help. But when it came to Rikon, very little was as it seemed.

[Danielle Robay]

Hi, I'm Danielle Robay, host of Bookmarked, the podcast by Reese's Book Club. And this week on Bookmarked, we're basically hosting the ultimate girls night. Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Rita Wilson, Angari Rice, and author Laura Dave. These are the women behind season two of the Apple TV series. The last thing he told me. We're talking about turning a book into a hit show and what it really takes to bring a story to life.

[Pasha Eaton]

The most important metric for me is do I want to share this book with somebody? That's what creates community. And that's the main thesis of our book club and why we started it was just to connect people together.

[Danielle Robay]

Listen to the Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts

[DJ Hester Prynne]

when you feel uncomfortable. What do you put on Biggie? You put on Biggie when you feel uncomfortable.

[Pasha Eaton]

Cause I want to get confident.

[DJ Hester Prynne]

This is DJ Hester Prynne's Music Is Therapy, a new podcast from me, a DJ and licensed therapist that asks one simple question. Who do you want to be? And what's the song that can take you there? There. Music changes what you feel, and what you feel changes what you do. Right that moment where a song shifts something inside you. That's where transformation starts. This year I'm talking to experts across every area of life, like personal finance icon Gene Chatsky, New York Times journalist David Gellis, relationship legend Dan Savage, human connection teacher Mark Groves, and the man who shaped my ear more than anyone, Questlove. They'll bring the strategies. I'll pair them with the right records and will teach you how to use the music to make change stick. This isn't just a podcast. It's unconventional therapy for your entire year. Listen to DJ Hester Prynne's Music is Therapy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Boys and Girls Podcast Host]

Ever feel like you're being chased by the marriage police? Welcome to Boys and Girls. The podcast of by dating isn't Dating. Arranged marriage is basically a reality show, except the contestants are strangers and your entire family is judging. You're sipping coffee with one, maybe grabbing dinner with another, and praying your karmic Ken or Barbie appears before your shelf life runs out. Trust me, I've been through this ancient and unshakable tradition. I jumped in hoping to find love the right way, and instead I found chaos, cringe and comedy. And now I'm looking for healing. Boys and Girls dives into every twist and turn of the arranged marriage carousel. The meet awkward, the near misses, the heartbreak. And let's not forget all the jokes. Listen to boys and Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hannah Smith]

Has the news been getting you down? I'm Megan McCardell and I'm here to help. I'm the host of a new show from Washington Post Opinion called Reasonably Optimistic, and it's an antidote to the pessimism

[Rebecca Peluso]

that's riddling America right now.

[Hannah Smith]

Every Wednesday, I'm going to talk to people who see a path forward.

[Pasha Eaton]

It does seem to me that there is some awakening of a desire to act together to solve problems where they are.

[Rebecca Peluso]

You know, I am a believer in

[Alec Baldwin]

America and it's worth fighting for.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Join me Wednesdays on YouTube or wherever

[Hannah Smith]

you get your podcasts.

[Alec Baldwin]

Hey, it's Howie Mandel and I am inviting you to witness history as me and my How We do it gaming team take on Gilly the King and wallow two six seven's million dollars gaming in an epic global gaming league video game showdown. Four rounds, multiple games, one winner, plus a halftime performance by multi platinum artist Travy McCoy. Watch all the action and see who wins and advances to the the championship match against Neo right [e-mail] that's globalgamingleague.com everybody games.

[Pasha Eaton]

Rebecca was thrilled to learn that her daughter Ella, who has autism, would meet her new service dog even sooner than expected. The dog's name was Puzzle, and Puzzle just needed a bit more training. Rebecca was eager for updates.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well, I kind of pestered him a little bit, saying, do you have any updates how the training is going? What's the dog going? Yeah, we finally got our one and only update. October 2018.

[Pasha Eaton]

What was the update?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Dog's doing great. Knows when the vest is on, that's working, knows up, knows to sit, doing so good. And I was like, okay, well good, we're promising here.

[Pasha Eaton]

So and so you're, you're told about your dog in July, you get a training update in October, and you anticipate receiving the dog in February. But what happens after that update in October?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I started hearing a little bit about a lawsuit happening somewhere around September. October.

[Pasha Eaton]

Where do you hear about it?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I joined a group of people who were either getting a Rikon dog or had one. I was like, what lawsuit? And then I see him pop up on his Rikon page asking people to give him positive reviews. And I was like, I can't give you a review. I have nothing to give. I don't have anything. How do I review you? Nothing.

[Pasha Eaton]

Soon, rumors were swirling about what was really going on at Rikon. The same Facebook groups where Rebecca had been introduced to the idea of a service dog and to Ricon were now percolating with posts from people who received dogs that were not properly trained, that were aggressive, and there were lawsuits. Rebecca was deeply concerned. She'd already sent Rikon thousands of dollars. But before she could really dig into it, more bad news arrived. Rikon was closing its doors.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Then beginning of November, we get our Next invoice for payment, and I start hearing remnants of he's closing. I was like, what? Then shortly thereafter, I think it was around the 12th of November, we get emails that he's closing. Come get your dog from Rikon? Yes. He said he thought he could do affordable dogs for people, and he just realized it's just not able to do it. And I think it was more about the lawsuit because I heard there was a second lawsuit in there.

[Pasha Eaton]

But he wasn't addressing that in these emails.

[Rebecca Peluso]

No.

[Pasha Eaton]

And you just, you're seeing people talking about it on a Facebook page and simultaneously you're getting emails from Rikon saying, hey, this just isn't sustainable because we've been, you know, offering the dogs at such a low cost, and so we're going to shut down. Did you have any concerns then about where things stood with your dog or what was the communication there?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well, he offered to have us surrender the dog to him or we can come pick up our dog. I said, I've paid more than enough for this dog. I'm coming to get it.

[Hannah Smith]

Was he offering you a refund on your money?

[Rebecca Peluso]

No.

[Hannah Smith]

And how much money had you paid him at that point?

[Rebecca Peluso]

At that point, he'd gotten $10,600 from me.

[Hannah Smith]

So you had paid $10,600 to him? He's not offering a refund, but he's saying, either you can just give me the dog and I'll get your money back or you can come get the dog. Is that the situation?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Correct.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay, so then walk us through what you did next.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well, I reached out to my brother and said, will you drive with me up there to get the dog? So I said, I'm traveling with, you know, two little girls. He said, sure. We immediately went up there. We were up there in a couple days. Even once I got there, Mark was, yeah, you sure you want the dog? You sure you want the dog? I was like, well, I wouldn't have driven this far if I didn't want the dog. I'm not surrendering to the dog. Yes, well, I do have people who would take the dog. I was like, that's fine, but I've paid for the dog. When we got up there, there were no dogs in the kennels outside. And one of the workers was out there, and she's like, are you here to pick up a briar? I was like, yes, puzzle. And she took me to Mark Mathis office. Get in there. And another worker goes, this is the dog you're here for. And Mark goes, no, I know what she's here for. That's when he starts to yell, poor me. I'm being vilified. I tried to do the best. And I'm biting my tongue. Cause I'm thinking, poor you. I don't feel sorry for you. I'm so. Yeah. And he brings out the dog, shows me it can sit. But he's a little more aggressive with sitting, I've noticed, because he would grab the dog by the muzzle and pull it up. Because that's what you have to do to make sure she sits. I was like, I guess I could make anything sit if I did that, but I won't. In the meantime, while I was inside, I didn't know one of the girls in the office brought some dog food out to the van and said it. And she goes, that's the only food that dog will eat. That's what she told my brother. At least. When we walk out to the van, Mark's going, who's that? Who's with you? I was like, that's my brother. He rode up with me. I guess he didn't want strangers on the property or I don't know what his issue was. And then he made the girl get the dog food out. He goes, I know what you're doing. Made her get the dog food out and had her put it up. And I was like, I don't know what that meant.

[Hannah Smith]

What do you mean get the dog food out of your car?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Out of my van that she put in the car.

[Hannah Smith]

Oh, so she was going to give you a bag of dog food. Like, here's some food with the dog.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah, the only one she knew he would eat. Supposedly she would.

[Hannah Smith]

And then Mark was like, don't give them the dog food.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, no dog food with a $10,000 dog. And also I'm curious about the moment that he is demonstrating how to make the dog sit. Because, you know, I would never claim to have had a well trained dog, but we all knew how to sit, right?

[Hannah Smith]

Without grabbing them at all. Like, yeah, you know.

[Pasha Eaton]

What was your sort of reaction?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I was actually horrified. I mean, I can't imagine grabbing a dog under their muzzle and yanking them up. That has to hurt. Like I said, I suppose you can make anything sit if you were rough with them like that.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, we have a gap now because you're picking up the dog in November. But this dog, according to Rikon Service dogs, needed training that would take through February. So did Mark or anyone at Rikon Service Dogs express concern for you taking the dog before Its training was completed despite the circumstances?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Not at all. I mean, the only thing he had to say, really, was, people are vilifying me. I'm not a bad guy. I tried to do the right thing. And I'm thinking, I just want the dog, and I want out of here.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay. What were you told about where Puzzle was at in her training?

[Rebecca Peluso]

He just said she was on the right track, and that's why I said I want her training lungs, so I know where she's at. Of course, he had the excuse. He was very busy. The officer, he will get them to me.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

Did he ever get them to you?

[Rebecca Peluso]

After months of kind of emailing him constantly. Okay. He finally did send them to me, and I got. I think it was one sheet with really not much on there. It looks like it was. The dog was trained a handful of times, maybe, and would go weeks and months without training. And dogs need that repetition all the time. You can't just skip a month and go back.

[Pasha Eaton]

I couldn't help but recall earlier in our conversation with Rebecca where she remembered visiting Rikon's website during her initial search for a service dog and reading that they were certified by the state of North Carolina. And I thought, how could North Carolina certify an organization that operates this way? Well, they didn't. The state of North Carolina doesn't offer certification or licensing to service dog providers or trainers. They're not involved. Rebecca, her daughters, and her brother, they'd driven 13 hours to North Carolina to pick up their new dog, Puzzle. And according to Rebecca, the whole Visit lasted maybe 15 minutes. Mark Mathis was curt, rushed and seemed far more concerned with protecting his reputation than ensuring that Puzzle was ready for her new home and her new role as a service dog. To Ella, Puzzle seemed scared and confused. She was dirty and refused food and water. It was unsettling.

[Rebecca Peluso]

The dog didn't work with the kids. She was afraid of even ceiling fans. There was one hallway in the house for some reason she was afraid of. I still don't understand that. Was not housebroken. Chased stray cats in the backyard. It had knocked down Ella a few times, just jumping on her. And once she was on the ground clawing at her. Wow. And then I'd separate them. She'd go upstairs, and the dog would chase her upstairs. She became very fearful of the dog, which she'd never been afraid of any animal. She caught the big, bad wolf.

[Hannah Smith]

What were you thinking those first couple days as you witnessed this behavior from the dog?

[Rebecca Peluso]

All I could think of, I was like, did he give Me, the wrong dog. Or more likely, he's a lying sacka. You fill in the rest.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Because there's no way this dog is as trained as he says and is acting like this.

[Hannah Smith]

Not even, like, trained, just like a house pet.

[Rebecca Peluso]

I mean, I was ready for, okay, might have an accident or two in the house because. Suggesting their house, but not constantly. There was no housebreaking.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. I mean, it sounds like the dog just sat in a kennel at Rycon and then got sent home.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Right. We had a corgi. I put her in boarding while we were gone, but we had about two days before I picked up the corgi. So that the corgi could have the, well, puzzle. The rear could have time to kind of get settled before we introduced a dog to her. I get the corgi, bring her home. Puzzle charges at the corgi, did not like the dog. Very aggressive towards her dog. Had to separate constantly. Got to a point where I was like, okay, I don't want to do this because we've had this corgi so long, but we may have to find

[Pasha Eaton]

her a home, the corgi, Because I

[Rebecca Peluso]

don't want the corgi to get hurt.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And were you at that point then, still hopeful that Puzzle would be able to help Ella with more time and training, or why did you decide to think about rehoming the corgi and not rehoming puzzle?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I was 60 to 70%, you know, thinking that I can get a trainer local to work with us.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Peluso]

And I was like, but in the meantime, I don't want the corgi hurt. So it's better off to find the corgi at home. At least she's safe.

[Pasha Eaton]

Well, and also, you're $10,000 into this other dog. You know, you're a single parent. You have multiple children, and Ella has, you know, higher needs. Adding this layer of an aggressive, untrained, large dog to the household, you know, what was that like for you?

[Rebecca Peluso]

It was extremely stressful. But really wanting to find the service dog that would work for my daughter was so important. It got to the point I told the children, I said, only I open that crate. I don't want this dog loose.

[Pasha Eaton]

Extremely stressful. Barely scratches the surface of this experience. The built up hope and excitement. The Ella's world was about to get a whole lot bigger with the support of a highly trained service dog. Only to bring the dog home and have it be aggressive and untrained financially and emotionally. Rebecca had gone all in to provide this opportunity for her daughter.

[Rebecca Peluso]

I think as an autism family, a lot of us become very ingrained with trying to stay home, near home base, where we're safe, our child is safe. So thinking about the opportunity now, we can go out in the world, have our child be part of the world, part of the community, and experience things that they don't always get to experience. And they're excited. You are excited to only find out that under my daughter's words, you brought home the big bad wolf, that you can't take it anywhere. You can't even take it on a walk in your neighborhood because it might hurt one of the other dogs on a leash.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Peluso]

You know, now you're making yourself even more stuck in the house because you got to worry about that dog.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. You had mentioned your world, you know, felt pretty small, and that was a hope in bringing the dog home. And then you were right back where you started with the added stress of an aggressive dog. The dog that was supposed to help Ella and make the world more approachable, safer was only adding stress and disappointment. Ella was afraid of Puzzle, and Rebecca, on top of that, had to make the difficult decision to re home their corgi in order to keep it safe. Rebecca was sleeping on the floor because she'd sold her bed to help pay for this service dog. She also told us that she'd reached out to Rikan multiple times after bringing Puzzle home and never hear. That's when Rebecca began to realize maybe Rikon's haphazard way of operating wasn't just bad business. Maybe it was fraud, and Rebecca was ready to fight back.

[Danielle Robay]

Hi, I'm Danielle Robe, host of Bookmarked, the podcast by Reese's Book Club. And this week on Bookmarked, we're basically hosting the ultimate girls night. Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Rita Wilson, Angari Rice, and author Laura Day. These are the women behind season two of the Apple TV series. The last thing he told me. We're talking about turning a book into a hit show and what it really takes to bring a story to life.

[Pasha Eaton]

The most important metric for me is do I want to share this book with somebody? That's what creates community, and that's the main thesis of our book club and why we started. It was just to connect people together.

[Danielle Robay]

Listen to the bookmarked by Reese's Book Club podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Hester Prynne]

When you feel uncomfortable, what do you put on Biggie? You put on Biggie when you feel

[Pasha Eaton]

uncomfortable because I Want to get confident?

[DJ Hester Prynne]

This is DJ Hester Prynne's Music is Therapy, a new podcast from me, a DJ and licensed therapist that asks one simple question. Who do you want to be? And what's the song that can take you there? Music changes what you feel, and what you feel changes what you do, right that moment where a song shifts something inside you, that's where transformation starts. This year, I'm talking to experts across every area of life, like personal finance icon Gene Chatsky, New York Times journalist David Gellis, relationship legend Dan Savage, human connection teacher Mark Groves, and the man who shaped my ear more than anyone, Questlove. They'll bring the strategies. I'll pair them with the right record and will teach you how to use the music to make change stick. This isn't just a podcast. It's unconventional therapy for your entire year. Listen to DJ Hester Prin's Music is Therapy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Boys and Girls Podcast Host]

Ever feel like you're being chased by the marriage police? Welcome to Boys and Girls, the podcast where dating isn't dating. Arranged marriage is basically a reality show, except the contestants are strangers and you're ent entire family is judging. You're sipping coffee with one, maybe grabbing dinner with another, and praying your karmic Ken or Barbie appears before your shelf life runs out. Trust me, I've been through this ancient and unshakable tradition. I jumped in hoping to find love the right way, and instead I found chaos, cringe and comedy. And now I'm looking for healing. Boys and Girls dives into every twist and turn of the arranged marriage carousel. The meet awkward, the near misses, the heartbreak. And let's not forget all the jokes. Listen to boys and Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alec Baldwin]

Hi, it's Alec Baldwin. This season on my podcast, here's the thing, I'm speaking with more artists, policymakers and performers like composer Mark Shaiman. Once you've established that you have the talent and it's about the hang, it's the pleasure of hanging out with the people that you're with. You know, Rob and I was always a great hang. We would sit in kibbutz for hours and then eventually get around to the music. That's what I mostly think of when I think of him. The time together. Laughing lawyer Robbie Kaplan.

[Rebecca Peluso]

The great gift of being a lawyer is the ability to actually change things in our society in a way that very few people can. You can really make a difference to causes in the United States if you bring the right case at the right time.

[Alec Baldwin]

Marriage equality.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah, Windsor's the perfect example.

[Alec Baldwin]

And journalist Chris Whipple.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Every White House staffer, they work in a bubble called the West Wing and it's exponentially more so in the Trump White House.

[Alec Baldwin]

Listen to the new season of here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Anna Sinfield]

Hi listeners, I'm Anna Sinfield, the host of the Girlfriend Spotlight and I've got some great interviews coming your way.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Way.

[Anna Sinfield]

I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of season 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Girlfriends and every single episode of the Girlfriend Spotlight 100% ad free and one week early through the I Heart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts plus you'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you love like Betrayal, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, the Brothers Ortiz, what Happened in Nashville, Hell and Gone, the Godmother and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[Pasha Eaton]

Rebecca knew there was power in numbers and that her family wasn't alone in receiving receiving an untrained service dog from Mark Mathis. So she started a new Facebook group and she called it Ryconned.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well after I started the group and we ended up with approximately 50 families that were affected by this, we started digging into who do we contact and so forth. So it was okay, everybody needs to contact North Carolina ag, which we all did. Nothing was really being done and that's kind of typical.

[Pasha Eaton]

Unfortunately, Rebecca couldn't stand by and watch nothing be done after connecting with so many families who'd found themselves in the same position after paying thousands for a service dog from Rikon. She didn't want Mark Mathis to get away with it. So she came up with a new plan.

[Rebecca Peluso]

So somewhere in December, I started, I wrote up a whole proposal thing email of the story for not just myself, but other people, and reached out to news stations all over the country. And sometimes I did 80 a night. And I did this usually every two to three days, even if I was pestering the same news station because like somebody's going to grab the story, somebody's going to put the pressure on the AG to do something. And we finally did get somebody and then we got other news stations and then the AG decided we're gonna look into this and we're gonna press charges.

[Pasha Eaton]

And so it sounds like in October when Mark and Mathis and Rikon Service Dogs files for bankruptcy. He's also being sued by two different families.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Correct.

[Pasha Eaton]

But they're civil suits.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yes.

[Pasha Eaton]

And so then you. When this happens with Puzzle Gather, everyone who's been wronged by him or feels that they've been wronged by him on a Facebook page. And you start pushing to local news stations to put pressure on the North Carolina Attorney General's office.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

What month do the news stories start coming out and when do you hear from the Attorney General?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Around the end of January, I had a new station reach back to me. I said, okay, where are you? And they told me what state, what town. I said, okay, here's the members I have in your area who are willing to talk to media. And then I'd reach out to those people and say, you all are willing to talk to news News. This is who wants to talk to you. And I put them together.

[Hannah Smith]

What did you see come from those stories coming out?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I think the best report we had was actually Kelly Kennedy in North Carolina because she went in depth with what he was doing. But I really think that helped put the pressure on because they also reached out to the AG about it. Cause we all said we had filed with ag, so.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, I see. So the news stories are reaching out to the ag like, hey, these families filed. What have you done about it?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah, what's your comment on this?

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow, that's great.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. What did you see happen from there?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I saw AG pick it up and start really digging into his finances, everything. That's when we found out, you know, first of all, he filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which is personal. So that actually got dismissed because this is a business, not personal. So then he filed under 13 that did get thrown out because they said. They looked at and said, no, you can't. We're not letting you do this. We found out that he spent a lot of the money transferred into his account for, you know, clothes, trips, Amazon websites. He spent the money on other things for his own personal.

[Hannah Smith]

Was there an information that came out about, you know, how much training? Cause you're saying he spent a lot of this money. So what was going on with the dogs? Like, did you learn. Was there training? What all was uncovered with what he was actually doing in this operation?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Well, there was some training, but it was by anybody he hired off the street. They weren't. You know, I think. I think I did hear of one person who was truly a trainer who went to work there, and I think they quit within a couple of days because they're like, no. And we found that trainer through my Facebook group, Ryconned. It seemed like most of the trainers were really there to clean, throw food at them. So I don't think the trainers were hired to actually train. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

And did you learn anything about the trainer's sort of qualifications to train service dogs?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I think he had no one, really, except for that one that I heard about who was a trainer. Because another person who joined the Vicon group who had worked there said she had no training. But Mark said he would teach her.

[Pasha Eaton]

I see.

[Hannah Smith]

Did he teach her?

[Rebecca Peluso]

No. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

And I'm doing, like, the quick math on it. I mean, There are over 50 families in this Facebook group that feel like they were wronged by Rikon service dogs. The dogs are costing about $15,000 at least. Like, that's a lot of money.

[Rebecca Peluso]

I would say, on average, people were charged around the 13 to 15. He was so bad that the breeders here knew it, the Briard breeders, and wouldn't sell to them, but didn't. They should have caused an uprising. Yeah. The poor breeders overseas did not know. They just knew. This guy's coming over and buying all of my puppies, which is ridiculous for even the best breeder. I mean, he probably did not tell them they were going to be search dogs. But you're lucky if one dog out of a litter can be a service dog, and that's even out of golden retrievers from labs. But he would buy all their puppies and bring them back.

[Hannah Smith]

Do you know how much he was paying for dogs?

[Rebecca Peluso]

He told us 3,700. What he actually paid the breeders. Cause I reach out to some of the breeders was 2,000.

[Hannah Smith]

So he's like, let's say for one dog, he's paying $2,000. He has to go to Europe or whatever eventually. And the cost of that, he's paying whatever he's paying to the people off the street to supposedly be trainers. But that's still a huge profit margin that he's bringing in.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Oh, yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

The working dog registry describes briards as independent and says that that independence can require a lengthier training process. It also says that socialization plays a pivotal role in developing a briard's effectiveness as a service dog. They can be protective, but if that protectiveness is not met with proper training from a young age, it can develop into overprotectiveness. We looked into this because aggression seemed to be a common trait among the dogs that families took home from Rikon. But this isn't necessarily because of the breed. It could be a lack of training, a lack of socialization, which are arguably two of the most important qualities in a service dog, that they are well trained and well socialized. I'm curious. In this group of people that had gathered online to discuss their experiences, having a dog with behavioral challenges like aggression or extreme fear of people or whatever it is, that's really difficult. You know, what were people then doing with these problematic dogs?

[Rebecca Peluso]

We had a person who was a briard breeder here. She's actually Briard rescue here in the States, who was helping people rehome their dogs.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, that's great.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Most people realized their dog was not going to ever be a service dog. Some people still thought so. At my point in January, I thought so. I actually hired a trainer here to come out and kind of evaluate the dog. All right, this dog. No.

[Pasha Eaton]

And what did that cost you to hire this trainer?

[Rebecca Peluso]

That was $600 to get an evaluation. And then when they said, no, this dog can't be a service dog. It's not gonna be acceptable service dog. I reached out to this briard rescuer lady, and she helped me find somebody who's in Daytona. And she had had briards. She made sure all these dogs went to experienced briard owners.

[Pasha Eaton]

So you were able to successfully rehome Puzzle to someone who was knowledgeable about the breed?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yes.

[Hannah Smith]

Did you learn anything about Puzzle's history, what her life had been like before she came to your house?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I know she originated from Czech Republic, because I did track down who the breeder was. I found that out. And she was relieved to know where a puppy is because we had breeders who were, please help me find my puppies. I wonder if my puppies are okay. I did have one trainer tell me, I think that's the dog that went home with Mark, and he's not nice to these dogs. I said, well, that could be part of the reason. They're aggressive, too. Yeah, I know they use shock collars a lot. I know he yelled at them. There's no doubt part of the dog's aggression and timidness is from the way it's handled. I mean, just from seeing how he made her sit when I picked her up. I'm not grabbing any dog by their muzzle, that fur under her mouth, and pulling them up to make them sit.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, but she hadn't been sent to a different family before you.

[Rebecca Peluso]

I think she was sent to two before me, to be honest with you, because she had the names Frieda on her Vet records were Frieda, Zoe, and then Puzzle Two.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Because he had a dog, another dog named Puzzle, so they named it Puzzle two for the vet records.

[Pasha Eaton]

So your sort of thinking is that she was sold, returned because of these problems and then sold again?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah, I think we were. Her third home.

[Hannah Smith]

Which then takes it one dog that he paid two grand for, instead of selling it once for 15,000, that turns into $45,000 for him if he's selling it three times.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Right. Well, that was just like the one I told, oh, commie in North Carolina, that that was sold to them. They returned it. They were the ones who had the second lawsuit. And then he resold it to somebody. I think it was South Carolina or Virginia, you know, one of those. But that dog was sold several times, and then that family rehomed it.

[Hannah Smith]

And with most of these people, like the 50 people that were in the group with you that you found, were they families that were looking for service dogs for their children with autism, or were there different types of people that needed service dogs?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Among them, most of them were autism. You had others that had, you know, other medical issues but would fall, you know, along the same kind of lines of what they would need.

[Hannah Smith]

And were most of them children?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I think they were all children. I think there might have been one who was not a child.

[Pasha Eaton]

50 families. That's a lot.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah. It was considered one of the largest surf dog scams in the country.

[Hannah Smith]

What were the other stories? I mean, you know, obviously there's 50 families, so there's a lot of them. But can you kind of give us an idea of some of the other people that you spoke with and what they were experiencing in their homes with these dogs?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Probably the worst one was person in Canada. She'd gotten a dog for her daughter who was about age to go to college, brought the dog home. The dog was extremely fearful of men and aggressive towards men, which she had a brother, so the brother couldn't even leave his room. The child realized this dog would never be her service dog, and in January, she committed suicide. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

And the parents of this child, who was about to go to college when this all happened, believe that her dying by suicide was a result of, like, heartbreak from the dog situation.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Realizing that that dog would never be our service dog.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, wow.

[Rebecca Peluso]

It was heartbreaking when her mother reached out and told us that.

[Pasha Eaton]

I was like, yeah, I mean, yeah, there aren't words for that. The woman Rebecca is referring to here is Nancy Evans. In 2018, Nancy's daughter Katie had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of a service dog from Rycon. I reached out to Nancy for this episode and we had a brief email exchange, but unfortunately Hannah and I were un to interview her. But Nancy has spoken publicly about her daughter Katie and how their experience with Rycon unfolded. Katie struggled socially. She was diagnosed with ADHD and a learning disorder. She suffered from extreme anxiety. Katie felt a service dog could help give her confidence to meet new people and make new friends. She was over the moon with excitement. But when the dog arrived In November of 2018, it wasn't House trained, it wasn't socialized, and it didn't even have basic obedience training. It was also reactionary toward men. For Katie, this was devastating. She'd hoped that with the service dog, she might be able to go to college and live more independently. Her dream was crushed. On January 2, 2019, Katie Evans died by suicide. She was 19 years old. Her mother, Nancy, spoke to CTV News Canada, who published an article on January 10, 2019, quoting Nancy as saying, for my daughter, everything in her life was going to change and going to be better as soon as Bailee was her service dog. I really believe if we had gotten what we paid for and what we were promised by Mark Mathis at Rycon, my daughter would still be alive today.

[Hannah Smith]

And I wanted to ask a follow up question about the family who had the terrible tragedy of their daughter dying by suicide. And I'm sure there's a lot of reasons for that, you know, that go into that, that led them to believe that the dog was the, maybe the factor that led their daughter to do this. But you had said she was about to go to college. Was the dog supposed to like, help her get to college and be independent?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yes.

[Hannah Smith]

And then was she looking at not going to college now because the dog was so ill behaved?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I don't know about that. I know that she became very depressed because her brother couldn't even come out of the room because the dog was aggressive and didn't like men. And she realized she couldn't go out and do things because of this dog. And I think at that point she just felt like, I'm not gonna get to go anywhere. It's horrible.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

There's so much more that's tied in with these dogs. As you've explained. It's about being able to have freedom and agency and be part of the world. And that's a huge deal. And having the promise of that and then that taken away from you would be incredibly difficult.

[Pasha Eaton]

Were the majority of other families, their stories, you know, were they similar to yours?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Most of them were very similar with Aggression. There was one who. He never even got his dog. And Mark still kept his money.

[Pasha Eaton]

Rebecca's plan to raise awareness through the media worked. In 2019, the North Carolina Attorney General's office opened an investigation into Rikon service dogs. And In February of 2020, Mark Mathis was indicted on 42 counts. He reportedly provided 66 dogs to families over the span of a decade. The AG alleged that Mathis sold service dogs that he said could help children with developmental or medical needs, but that Mathis knew his dogs were not trained to service dogs. There were over 50 complaints from families about Rycon. One family returned their dog after he attacked two other dogs and asked for their $14,000 back. According to ABC11, Mark Mathis refused to give them a refund and blamed the family for a lack of experience in dog handling and told them that they would not be getting their money back because they had surrendered the animal. Yeah. And then in 2025. So, you know, last winter, there's an update. He pleaded guilty. What do you think? Sort of changed.

[Rebecca Peluso]

He changed lawyers a couple times. I think his lawyers kind of told him, you just need to own up, you know. And I think the AG was pushing to do the right thing too.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. So In December of 2025, he pleaded guilty to 50 counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. But, you know, it took over six years since the first complaints came into the Attorney General's office.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah, it was like what, seven years.

[Hannah Smith]

And what was happening during that six or seven years? Was he just delaying the process or how did it. What was going on?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I think he was stalling a lot of it. In a way, I guess it was good. We all kept contact with AG and I think it gave the AG more time to dig deeper into his finances and what he has done to make it a harder case for him. So in a way, his stalling may have been a good thing, even though justice is extremely slow.

[Pasha Eaton]

Can you tell us a little bit about his sentence?

[Rebecca Peluso]

He had to that day pay $100,000 to the court so that there could be some remittance back to these families.

[Pasha Eaton]

But he was never taken to jail. He was never taken to prison.

[Rebecca Peluso]

He got to self turn himself in when he was charged.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. When he was charged. But when he was sentenced, he received 12 separate sentences of probation.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yes, he got probation. The only reason they did that is because he has a good paying job. He is an engineer, so he makes good money. So they wanted to let him keep working so he could afford to get some of his money. Back to the people. Nobody's going to be made whole, sadly. So that was the agreement. But if he doesn't do as he's supposed to, he can find himself in jail. Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

Are you gonna receive anything back from him as part of the restitution?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yes.

[Pasha Eaton]

That's good.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Like I said, nobody's getting made whole, sadly. I wish everybody was. Cause I know not just for myself, but a lot of families, it's a hardship. Well.

[Pasha Eaton]

And even if everyone was made whole for what they spent on the dog, you know, the hours put in and the stress and the disappointment for them and their children.

[Rebecca Peluso]

No, I wish we'd never gone through it, to be honest with you.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And, you know, given that you only interacted with him in person a couple of times, what do you think was driving him to do this? You know, he is a parent to a child with autism, so I think it would be reasonable to assume he understands a lot of the challenges that parents in that position might be facing. What do you think was his driving force?

[Rebecca Peluso]

That was the worst part about it, is that he was a member of our community, and to do that to other members of our community is unforgivable. But I think it was twofold. Narcissism. Because he does think he's smarter than everybody. Even a judge said that in the courtroom. You are narcissistic. And I think the other part is money. He wanted money because he wasn't working as an engineer when he was doing his service dog industry. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

Attorney General Jeff Jackson said there are few things more cruel than exploiting families who are trying to help their children live safer, more independent lives. Selling fake service dogs isn't just fraud. It robs children with disabilities of support they rely on and puts them at risk.

[Hannah Smith]

Did Mark say anything? Did he make a statement at the sentencing hearing?

[Rebecca Peluso]

He gave a. I'm sorry. Which is basically what he said was, I'm sorry, but there was no emotion behind. Was pretty robotic. It's kind of like, say you're sorry, I'm sorry. You know, it wasn't heartfelt.

[Hannah Smith]

Didn't feel genuine to you?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Correct.

[Hannah Smith]

Did you ever get any, like. Not that there would be a logical explanation from this man, but I'm so curious. Do you know why he chose Briards?

[Rebecca Peluso]

I think he just fell in love with the breed. It was unique and different, and, you know, when you're a narcissist, you want something unique and different. I think that's what it was for him. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

Like, maybe it gave off some sort of, like, I'm specialized because I'm using this lesser known breed elitism.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

Because I spoke to another family that we didn't end up doing interviewing who still owns their dog but has to keep her separate from anyone who comes over to the house. And it is a full time job to manage the dog because of its aggression. It's certainly not helpful to their child with autism.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Wow.

[Pasha Eaton]

Having been through this experience with Rikon, it seems like there are other service dog providers that are trying to do the right thing and maybe having very real success training dogs to help help children like Ella. Is it something you would ever consider doing again?

[Rebecca Peluso]

With a ton of background research on whoever they are? We do have their little Christmas present they got last year which is a English cream golden retriever. And he seems to instinctively know when she needs help, which is very adorable to say. Cause I was like, I don't know, maybe he could be what you need. We'll see now as he grows, we'll see if he can become a service dog for her. But he knows when she's not feeling well, he'll immediately go lay on her. He knows if she's getting stressed out, he'll start whining and if he can't get to her. So that dog seems to instinctively know what she needs and they've got a cute bond.

[Hannah Smith]

That's really sweet. Yeah, Good to hear.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Time will tell. Maybe one day he will be a service dog for her, but right now he's picking up on what she needs.

[Pasha Eaton]

What's his name?

[Rebecca Peluso]

Blizzard.

[Pasha Eaton]

Blizzard. That's cute.

[Hannah Smith]

Before we get into talking about our interview, which I'm sure we have a lot to say about, congratulations on episode 48.

[Pasha Eaton]

Thanks. You too. One year of the knife.

[Hannah Smith]

One year of doing the knife. And thank you so much to all of our listeners. Listeners for sticking with us, for listening, for commenting, and for supporting us.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, it really means so much. Hannah and I had an idea for this show and. Exactly right. Believed. And here we are. So we really appreciate your support and people like Rebecca are what make this show so interesting to produce that they're willing to share about these incredible experiences that they go through. And you know, Rebecca, despite everything that she did to obtain the service dog for her daughter and then all of the disappointment that followed, she expressed frustration and anger with Rikon service dogs, but she never complained about the hardships that she faced. They were just part of motherhood for her.

[Hannah Smith]

To the point where in the interview we had to ask her like, Rebecca, tell us what this means to you because we know. And we could tell from talking to her, her that this was much more than losing some money and getting a dog that you don't like. The repercussions of this in her life were so massive, but she's such a positive person that she just kept bringing it back to, I'll do anything to support my daughter.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. I mean, she was sleeping on the floor to afford this service dog that actually ended up having no training. And that was sort of a passing moment that we had to come back to because it's like, wow, these are the sacrifices that parents like Rebecca are making. And she's just incredible for what she's been through and the way that she looks after her children. You know, it's interesting, too, this whole idea of service dogs and what are the rules? Because Rikon was a nonprofit, that was true. The American Disabilities act has a written standard for service dogs, which is service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. And this is sort of vague by design, because all manner of people exist in the world and might have different needs out of a service dog. So it would be maybe damaging to say this is exactly what service dogs have to be able to do to qualify, because.

[Hannah Smith]

Right, that makes sense. So there's maybe a resistance to making the definition too strict, because then people might be excluded.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. It's like, we don't want to have this narrow frame of mind when it comes to what a service dog looks like, because it could be for someone who experiences seizures, or it could be someone who's visually impaired, and those dogs might have different training.

[Hannah Smith]

Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

And still, any public establishment, like a grocery store is, because of the ada, has to let that dog in. And so it's important. But. But it also leaves room for people like Mark Mathis and Ry Khan.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And so, obviously, in the episode, we get into reasons why he was not doing what he was supposed to be doing. And part of that is that he wasn't actually really training these dogs. He wasn't hiring trainers. He was clearly not investing the hours into training these dogs that need a lot of training that he was telling people. But. But I don't know if you found anything about, like, are there requirements for things like that? Like, if he had done a little more training, would that have put him legally, like, in a better place? Like, is there a specific amount of training that has to be done in order for a dog to, like, be qualified as a service dog?

[Pasha Eaton]

So there is no required training standard, no federal Certification or license, no service dog database. And Mark Mathis, although Rikon employed trainers, it wasn't clear that their was a lot of training being put into the dogs. You know, or maybe it was like rapid fire training before someone took a dog home. Whatever he was doing or the trainers he was hiring, maybe by no fault of their own, it was ineffective and seemed very sort of not regulated even by Rikon. I also wanted to mention that there's a big difference between a service dog and an emotional support animal. And the ADA also distinguishes between the two. The ADA distinguishes that animals that are a source of emotional support are not service animals. That would fall under the ada, which, of course ensures protections to people who are renting or makes sure people can, you know, go into grocery stores with their service dogs or enter other businesses. They are legally protected because of the ada. And I just wanted to note that we're not talking about emotional support animals here. We're talking about true service dogs.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

Rebecca talked a lot about how Mark Mathis, being a member of the autism community, he said that his own son was diagnosed with autism, and that really meant something to her because he would understand the unique training a dog like that would need. And that was really surprising to me because you would think someone in that position would be even more careful and respectful.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, it was really shocking.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

Like, how could you do this to other parents when you know how hard this is?

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, my gosh. And an aggressive dog in any household is so stressful.

[Hannah Smith]

Yes.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, unfortunately, we can both attest to this. Yeah, we have some bad dogs. RIP Bunker. But, like, when I had Bunker, anyone coming over, I had to put him in a different room. I had to walk him. Like, you described it once perfectly, and it stuck with me as Pac Man. Just always, like, crossing the street when you see someone. And it is, like, very stressful.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, it is. Yeah. I had a dog like that as well. It was always really stressful. He came over. I mean, his whole thing is that he would lunge at people's crotches.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, my gosh.

[Hannah Smith]

So obviously that creates a lot of awkward situations. And then you're just like, sorry, you can't meet my dog. He's really sweet, believe me. And I'm failing as a dog.

[Pasha Eaton]

You just can't go near him as well.

[Hannah Smith]

But it is like, it adds a level of stress. And when you already have so much on your plate like Rebecca did, it's heartbreaking to think that this thing that was supposed to be this promise and solution ended up just making her life harder.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. I mean, she had to re home their beloved pet, and she did that out of safety. And then to think about, okay, if you send a service dog out into the world with a child who is relying on that service dog, that dog better be unflappable. Because even people or children with good intentions may not respect the space of a service dog. May question why it's there, May not take you seriously when you say, oh, this is a service dog. Please don't pet the service dog, or they may let their dog run up to it. I mean, that dog needs to be, like, bomb proof, like a police horse, you know? And these dogs, they were not that way.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. Which is too bad. And it's not the dog's fault, obviously.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

We were really hopeful we're not gonna upset the Briard community. But, you know, it was a unusual choice of breed, given the strong herding instincts. And there's breeds that are decidedly very good at this and popular for a reason. So we. Yeah, that's why we looked into it further. But just really appreciate Rebecca, and I just think she's so cool for spearheading this movement that ended up with the attorney General's office actually prosecuting.

[Hannah Smith]

Where has she found the time? I don't know how many hours are in this woman's day because she was already so busy, and then she's contacting 80 different outlets, pushing this story, determined to get justice. I was like, okay, this is amazing. I'm so impressed.

[Pasha Eaton]

A mother's love.

[Hannah Smith]

Truly.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. Wow. Hats off to Rebecca for that.

[Hannah Smith]

Yes. And, you know, obviously, this is a story about service dog fraud, and so it's not representative of service dogs in general. We love service dogs. They're so helpful. You know, they do change lives, and so it's just important to find a place that is legitimate.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, absolutely. Service dogs play such an important role. And, you know, Rebecca said she was open to finding one again in the future. And if that happens for her, I hope that it's everything they had hoped it would be. The first time.

[Rebecca Peluso]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

And so, you know, this Year of the Knife has been such a joy for Patia and I. A learning experience. We have gotten more comfortable with what the show is and what kind of stories we want to tell. And it's really people like Rebecca, you know, being willing to open up and tell her story that allows us to continue with the show and make content that feels important and valuable to us. And so, you know, if you have a story that you want to share or, you know, of one that you think would be a good fit for the knife, Please reach out and pitch us the story. Even if you're on the fence, just send it to us. You can reach us@the knifexactlyrightmedia.com yeah, and

[Pasha Eaton]

also, I wanna say when we do get emails, people are, I don't know why, but surprised when we respond. And I have to say, like, we get maybe one a week. We always respond.

[Hannah Smith]

You can email us and we will email you back.

[Pasha Eaton]

It's a guarantee.

[Hannah Smith]

Well, that's it for our episode.

[Pasha Eaton]

Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week. If you have a story for us, we would love to hear it. Our email is thenifexactlyrightmedia.com or you can follow us on Instagram, henifepodcast or blueskyenifepodcast.

[Hannah Smith]

This has been an exactly right production. Hosted and produced by me, Hannah Smith

[Pasha Eaton]

and me, Pasha Eaton. Our producers are Tom Breyfogel and Alexis Amorosi.

[Hannah Smith]

This episode was mixed by Tom Breifogel.

[Pasha Eaton]

Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain.

[Hannah Smith]

Our theme music is by Birds in the Airport.

[Pasha Eaton]

Artwork by Vanessa Lilac.

[Hannah Smith]

Executive produced by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark and Danielle Kramer.