Happy Tails Rescue Foundation

Foster Family: On 5/12/16, we were also informed by the foster Mom that she was 'fired' from the rescue and they removed all the dogs from her home, after she pursued help for her other dogs who had been exposed to parvo this past weekShe mentioned puppies had died already died of parvo, and she was requesting assistance for the last puppy (or 2?), and they refused to helpShe therefore contacted another rescue for help, and was then 'fired'She said those puppies shouldn't have died, and they could've been saved if the rescue would've been willing to get them the help they neededWe reached out to the attorney general's office, who sent HTR a letter requesting response to our complaint within daysdays went by with no correspondence from HTR to the attorney generalThe attorney general sent a second letter on 6/13/requesting a response within daysAt this point, I have heard of no responseTHIS IS 100% INFORMATION aboveNot one thing typed above regarding the foster home is correctAttorney general was also sent a response We have refunded her complete adoption fee in full and took over all medical responsibility for this matter from the point the she brought the puppy back to usWe believe this matter is resolved

I am rejecting this response because:
There are so many issues with Dedra's last message I don't even know where to start. My vet never said I harassed themThey are not happy to hear this about this accusation either. I never slandered them on social mediaIt's called freedom of speech and I reported to one person the issue I saw and asked him to please be aware of situations like this in the futureHe was grateful for the heads up. I never refused to send recordsThere was no fax listed on the Happy Tails website so I had to have my vet personally call to get a fax number to send records over since Happy Tails has flagged my number as a Do Not Answer(super professional). Happy Tails has now refused to provide my vet with the documentsWhether Happy Tails emailed them to me when I adopted Charlie or not, there was no reason they shouldn't have sent records to my clinic upon their requestWhat I was told wa that they spoke with a woman possibly named Jodi and verified it was not Dedra, who was less than cooperative. Still have never received information on Dr*** who they want to perform the surgeryGoogled her again and found nothing. I have never harassed themI have responded to dedras emails similar to how it has been done on here, the Revdex.com websiteI have placed one phone call which was never returnedI sent an additional email today, again requesting my dogs documentsWhich was never returned. I feel eel like I am interacting with a year old who refuses to eat their peas and all they can say is "no". Revdex.com we will not be reaching an agreementThis woman is not of sane capacity to be running a company or to be at the customer service levelI have legitimate concerns about their business practice, ethics, and legalityBased on prior Revdex.com reports that I had not read until this week, I realize that Happy Tails has done this before and will continue to do it until being shut down

I am rejecting this response because: That’s fine, but I did reach out before I bought medication as stated in the contractIt’s not my problem that there wasn’t a quicker way to respond

I am rejecting this response because: I was told by the representative that I would be refunded if it didnt work out for any reason She said later that she didn't know that we would have to jump through hoops to get my $ back I never signed any contract for the dog and I told the representative (my step sister) that I couldn't take "Ruby" without an overnight to see how she would do I was also told she had a clean bill of health, and she doesn't. The problem here is that there are conflicting facts that were given to me Im not worried about getting my money back...my credit card company is handling it but what is a problem is that there are literally thousands of cats and dogs who desperately need homes and if an organization is not giving consistent information to potential parents and issue such as mine arise, what good has this done to help the pets? People get frustrated and angry and complainthis doesn't help the organization with reputation which in turn doesn't help the pets get their chance at a good forever home. I hope that in the future this organization takes more care to train their representatives to know policy so that when they are promising potential parents....they can in fact deliver Please, it is hard enough to find homes when things are done properly and above board These animals are counting on us to help them They need us I couldnt take Ruby under the circumstances and rather than refunding me promptly and taking steps to see that this doesnt happen again they chose to fight me on the refund This is NOT the way to acquire needed funds for the adoption organization I have all of the texts, and chat records to back my conversations with the representative and also I have the email from Laura but none from this hotmail address

This is the second complaint on the same dog, from the same householdWe are currently responding to the other complaint as well. Vet records were sent and we offered to take the dog back and refund their moneyThey declined

*** adopted a puppy on 3/She filled out a surrender form on 3/Her reason for wanting to give Kelly was stated as What is the reason you wish to surrender the animal to Happy Tails: Daughter has bad allergy to herAlso she is not connecting with any of us.What else do you want Happy
Tails to know about the cat/dog you wish to surrender?: She a good dog and very smartI have no idea why she would believe a week old puppy was potty trainedShe did not mention this as a reason for return or a issue at all until nowI have attached the adoption contract she signedIt states the adoption fee is not refundableShe also signed a puppy promise where she says she understands that puppies are a lot of work and need A LOT of training She claims to have returned Kelly due to to allergies, but comes back weeks later and states it is because the week old puppy was not potty trained

When we were contacted about the puppy being sick we responded in about an hour, right when the email was seen, and offered to take the puppy back, refund the adoption fee, and take over medical costsThey declinedAttached is out adoption contract showing that we do not reimburse for medical
expenses and if they feel the adopted animal is sick they should contact us PRIOR to purchasing any medications or treatments to discuss optionsThey choose to keep the dog and treat on their own and denied our request to have her return to the rescueThe dog did have two vet visits prior to being adopted and was with the rescue for almost three weeks before moving to her new home, and showed no sign of illnessNone of her litter mates are sick

I personally responded the second I saw the emailIt was within an hour of getting their emailAdopters have all our information, and it is listed on our website and facebook page

I am rejecting this response because:
This is 100% NOT resolvedThe rescue did not focus on my concerns and our reaching out numerous times to access veterinary assistance through them prior to our emergency visitThey instead focused their attention on my very last paragraph, which did not address our request for resolution or address our situation directlyThe foster Mom was, and has been, excellentShe was our only source of appropriate assistance through the process, and my husband and she even started his IVs when we dropped him off with herHTR refused to assist us with a dying dog, despite our escalating concerns and requests for help, until we had no choice but to bring him in on our ownThey then failed to reach out to me or the vet while I sat there waiting for a planThe foster Mom was the only one who communicated with me while I was at the vet (while she was working her other job) to help come up with a planHTR refused to help and failed at communicating with us in a respectable and timely manner to get help for this dogThis dog was clearly sick, and HTR was aware of the exposure so should have responded appropriately to our calls for helpAs we did not get to keep the dog we fell in love with, had to spend hundreds of dollars to disinfect our house, car, and yard so our other puppy wouldn't get parvo, took the dog to an emergency vet appointmet to save him, and did everything in our power to get help from HTR prior to that with no luck, we should absolutely get reimbursement for the vet visitHTR refused to help us when we so desperately needed help, and due to that negligence we needed to do what we could to save the dog

She was given the vet records for vet exams at two different vet clinics where no issues where notedWe offered to take the dog back and give a refund if she provided vet records saying the clinics we used missed the issuedShe declined

I am rejecting this response because: This is NOT true!! I did send the foster a text msg from the ER on the night of 4/24/asking for the phone number to contact Laura I was told from the foster per Presof Happy Tails to just send an email I already knew that I was not going to get reimbursed for this pup or help with the hospital bill as I already signed and read the contract I was not asked for the medical records until 5/28/when I went in person to the Happy Tails event in Fridley to meet a new pup named Louise and met PresLaura in person as I had already submitted and application for Louise and had already been an approved applicant with Happy Tails That is how I adopted the pup in the first place NO, I was never asked for the medical records before that!! The Presof Happy Tails lied to me stating she sent me an email requesting the records I double checked my email and it was NOT there! I had a vet apptfor the pup on 4/25/that I had to cancel due to the pup was already in the hospital and put down on that day My vet stated it sounded like she could have been born with parvo So it may be that I purchased a fatally sick pup for $ And it seems she is blaming me for all of it I had that pup for days

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/24) */
*** and his family were good friends with Wendy's foster familyWendy was also temperament tested by a dog trainer prior to arrival hereShe has been around lots of other dogs and childrenI am sure when they met her she was calm as she was
getting proper exercise in her foster homeHusky's are very high energy dogsHusky's are also vocal dogsBarking at the door is behaviorI have personally meet Wendy can had her around my dogs and my five year old son and she is a VERY submissive dogThe foster home did go and pick her up from the adoptive family and has zero concerns on her or her families safety
Our adoption contract clearly states:
Remember this is a rescue animal and HTR has little or no knowledge of the animal's previous environment and therefore is not responsible for the temperament or health of this animal, other than as specifically set forth in this AgreementThere will be an adjustment period, especially with older animals and in multi-animal homesRemember to be patient, consistent, and understanding
I am aware that the dog I am adopting has an unknown pastThey may have different behaviors in my home vs the foster home
NO REFUNDS will be issued in the event of a return
I understand, as stated in my adoption contract, my adoption fee is NOT refundable
They were also send this letter when they said they would like to adopt
Below you will find instructions on how to submit the adoption paymentPlease sign the adopter contract that will be sent to youAfter these steps are completed, we do require that your new dog be picked up at the foster home within 48hrIf you are getting a dog that still needs be altered we require they be picked up hours after their surgeryAdopters will need to provide all supplies for their new pet, and bring a leash with you for pick upYour adoption payment will put this dog on hold for youThis adoption payment is nonrefundable, as will be stated in your adoption contractMost of our animals have multiple applications and we do need payment within hours of this email being sent or we will need to contact the next applicationTo submit your payment:
1) Go to www.tailsrescue.org
2) Click yellow Paypal button on the right for "donate"
3) in the "Enter Description" section, put the name of the animal you are adopting
4) Submit $(adoption fee + tax+ service fee)
5) When you receive the email receipt, fwd to the rescue email so this can be put on file for you: [email protected]
They were told MANY time that the adoption fee is nonrefundableThey also had numerous meeting with Wendy before they wanted to pursue adoption
I attached some comments from the foster mom of Wendy from talking about this situationAs I said her family and the adoptive family were good friends
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/02/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
It is not our purpose to get into a they said/we said battleIt is so sad that Happy Tails Rescue is more concerned about not refunding money than they are about the actual dog itselfOur top concern is safetyWe never disputed that the dog was calm when we first saw her for minutes or when we saw her for the 2nd time (and final) for minutesIt was our mistake for making a decision too soonWe know who the foster person is as a person in our communityThat was the first time we had ever been to her homeYears ago she stopped by our home for less than minutesThe dog had proper exercise in our care as wellShe was walked/run three times each day and we have a large yard that we took here out inA husky does need a lot of exercise and we have never disputed thatWhat we do question is that Happy Tails - Laura promotes the dog is a husky mixThe original paperwork, that we were not provided with until two days after we had the dog, says Wendy, the dog, is a Hound MixNOT a husky mix.According to the Attorney Generals office this allows us the right to have a breach of contract claimWe can pursue a refund further with the Attorney Generals office as well as the Internal Revenue ServiceWhat we hope to accomplish here is make this public as we fear for any child or person who adopts this dog if it isn't a good fitThe poor dog would not benefit from an improper fitAny reputable shelter/rescue would be more concerned with the well being of the dog and the safety of peopleAgain, we never disputed the dog was calm and submissive when we met herWe are simply relaying what happened when neighborhood children calmly entered our home and the dog became a vicious guard dogIt was then very clear Wendy staying in our home would not be a good fit for us OR for her, the dogWe spoke with reputable rescues in Minnesota who all said they have a week period in which you take the dog into your home and make sure it is a good fit for the dog and the familyIf it isn't they happily take the dog back and no money is exchanged until you have had ample time to decideLaura was very firm on getting the money immediately and very firm on the no refund policyWhat we want to bring to light is that is she really running a reputable rescue where the interests of the animals and the families come first? That is our main concern and seems to be the consensus with the others rescues we have spoken with recentlyIf she doesn't feel she should return our money after only having Wendy a few days and realizing it was not a good fit that is up to herWe will pursue it further with the Attorney Generals office
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2016/02/03) */
Here is the paper work that does say Husky mix, including her rabies certificateShe has listed as a Husky mix- hound very well could be the other mix
She has had ZERO behavior issues with anyone she has interacted withThis includes all staff at the shelter she at, including the person that temperament tested her , the vet staff that saw her, the volunteers that transported her, the foster that had her the first night she arrived, the foster home she was placed with after her first night, volunteers that handled her after she arrived, or me or my child
We are firm on our no refund policy with is stated multiple times through out the adoption processWe also believe that giving a dog less than hours to adjust to new household is not fair

I am rejecting this response because:
They never offered a refundThey said, in an email that we still have saved, that we would not get a refund and that we should return the dog

Jane (puppy) was returned to Happy Tails Rescue (HTR) on 3/30/after adopter, *** ***, stated she was "dying." A volunteer from the organization met her that evening to get the puppyThe puppy was eating, drinking, and playing that nightHTR reached out to *** as we were very confused
as to why she was claiming she was sick*** told HTR to no longer contact her and that her lawyer would be in touchHTR seized all communication with *** at that pointWhile there was nothing visibly wrong with Jane we scheduled the soonest appointment we could the next day. Attached is the vet record saying that Jane is a "healthy puppy." It is dated 3/31/We have also attached the adoption contract, which states there are no refunds and no reimbursement without prior consent*** reached out the morning of the 30th letting us know Jane was sickHTR offered to meet her and take Jane back that morningShe let HTR know Jane was sick and she needed to return herAfter HTR offered to meet her and take Jane back *** brought Jane to the vet and had a lot of testing done, which nothing was foundShe then again said she wanted to return her and we accommodated ASAPThere is many unknowns in this caseIt is unknown if while in ***'s care: Jane had access to adequate food and water, was stressed out, got into something, or if the whole thing was made up and/or exaggerated***'s vet made no diagnosis and the vet HTR brought Jane to the next day said she was healthy. HTR offered to take Jane back before there were vet bills***'s vet did not diagnose anything She showed no signs of illness after she was returned HTR had a vet exam the next afternoon done to verify that she was indeed healthy There continues to be no health issues and she is thriving

Despite the fact that we have never received any confirmation from the adopters vet confirming any issues we did reach out to our vet that preformed the surgeryShe has offered to see the pet and take care of any issuesThe adopter has denied using our vet clinicWe have offered to have a clinic
we work with a look and if it is determined if there is an issue from surgery and repair itThe clinic we work with does not use donated or poor materialsThis issue while may be common with the vet she works with, is not common with the vets we work withLast year we had animals receive spay/neuter surgeryIn years we have never had this issue. We have offered to cover the repair at our clinic with our trust and licensed vetI have attached a copy of her adoption contract

The adopter has vet records saying that no issues were
noted on exam and we offered to take Brownie backShe belives we lied about a health issue when we have paperwork to prove we didn’t and the issue was simply missedWe offered to take him back and refund herI’m a little confused why she would think she would get to keep him and get a refundIf there are health concerns she is welcome to bring him back and get a refund

I am rejecting this response because:
There shouldn’t be a confusionIf your vets didn’t spot the tooth but mine did a couple days after we got him and the foster mom noticed the tooth as well, it grew while he was still under Happy Tails careAgain, we were never told we would get a refund if we returned himIt was just stated in the email to return him and nothing more I’m sure keeping the dog and a refund seems like a confusing concept, but I’ve reached out to you before filing this with the Revdex.comWe don’t need a complete refund, even a portion would be fineWe paid $for him and training $and honestly we didn’t want to go to the training because of this situation

Our offer to have the vet that perform the surgery fix the issue (if there is one) remains the sameWe talked with adopter's vet today and she is not on the same page as adopterAlong with harassing us the vet clinic has informed us that she is also harassing themWhen she denied our offer to have our surgeon take a look at it, refused to send us any of her vet documentation, sent us harassing emails, slandered us on social media we have decided to stop all communication with herAll the records we have were given to her at the time of adoption

Foster Family: On 5/12/16, we were also informed by the foster Mom that she was 'fired' from the rescue and they removed all the dogs from her home, after she pursued help for her other dogs who had been exposed to parvo this past week. She mentioned 3 puppies had died already died of parvo, and she...

was requesting assistance for the last puppy (or 2?), and they refused to help. She therefore contacted another rescue for help, and was then 'fired'. She said those puppies shouldn't have died, and they could've been saved if the rescue would've been willing to get them the help they needed. We reached out to the attorney general's office, who sent HTR a letter requesting response to our complaint within 10 days. 10 days went by with no correspondence from HTR to the attorney general. The attorney general sent a second letter on 6/13/16 requesting a response within 7 days. At this point, I have heard of no response. THIS IS 100% FALSE INFORMATION above. Not one thing typed above regarding the foster home is correct. Attorney general was also sent a response.  We have refunded her complete adoption fee in full and took over all medical responsibility for this matter from the point the she brought the puppy back to us. We believe this matter is resolved.

Please see info in other complaint filed by [redacted]- Same dog- same adopters