Can you help? Duke's mange is nearly cleared up, and his hair is growing back in nicely. The following information is from another dedicated Dal rescuer:

We have an urgent situation going on down here now. They are ready to hand Duke over to someone NOW !!!!

He seems to be a big sweet goofy boy who loves attention from people. I don't know if or why he supposedly nipped Carolyn, I pried a chewy out of his mouth several times and he didn't give me any indication that he could even be capable of doing such a thing intentionally, you can never be sure about ANY dog, even your own pets can stress out and nip but I think he's okay. He also seems to be on the calmer side for a Dal ( which I love ), and his mange is gone. The scabs just need to fall off and his hair is already growing back nicely. Those pics that we sent you make him look bad, but he was wet in those so it looked worse than it is and he's not contagious to any other dogs, so don't worry about that.

BACKGROUND:

Duke was sent to a foster home in Illinois, but had to be shipped back within a few days, as he had gone straight from a vet's to a woman who had some small dogs. Duke did not adjust very well there, but the small dogs were not too happy with his presence, and the woman (Carolyn, mentioned above in Debi's description) could not handle the scuffles that ensued.

He was sent back to California, and has been at a boarding facility ever since. He also has an enlarged heart, but this has not slowed him down. He is still playful and loving, as described above.

He is approximately three years old and is neutered.

Her husband willingly lived in his workshop...but she had a ten year old son whom she sent to live elsewhere. She was in touch with one of Duke's helpers and both decided that Duke could not handle yet another long distance move. She was also in touch with a Dalmatian rescue person, and asked for her advice. The consensus was the same...Duke needed a rest from all the moves. And so, with much heartbreak, she sent Duke to the bridge, and was there by his side as he went. She is devastated by having to do this for a dog that loved her so much, yet she could not place her family in danger.

Duke is free, no longer in pain, no longer so afraid and confused that he feels the need to lash out. He more than likely was abused by men, as most of his aggression seemed to be towards men, though not all. He MAY have been able to be retrained, but my feel is that he could not. And, he is one of those dogs who could never, ever be trusted as safe. He WAS loved, and will be remembered by many.

Duke's orginal rescuer was a young girl in Southern California. She is "only seventeen", which she uses to gain sympathy for all her rescues. She has a phony rescue name, called the "Clyde Foundation"...but she is committing fraud as this is NOT a non-profit legal foundation. She uses many different email addys, and her name is Sarah V. (Sometimes goes by Sara.)

This girl has a very long history of scamming people out of untold amounts of money. She has been doing this for at least two years that I know of, and is not likely to stop. Her stories are always emergent, always horrible, always heartwrenching. Dogs will DIE if they are not helped, and money is of most importance.

I had my first run in with Sarah more than two years ago. She called me in WA state from her home in CA. She insisted she had my dog. (See Dulcie's picture. She is unique and easily distinguished from any other dal!!!)

She gave this big long story of how a group of dogs were used for 6-9 months in research, and were rescued just before they were to be killed. She had Dulcie..no doubt about it.

Now, I had been searching for over a year by this time. I was on several dog boards and the Dal-L list...everyone was on the edge of their seats, hoping and praying along with me that she had finally been found. A friend drove all the way from Lancaster, picked up her husband near the LA airport, to meet Sarah at a 711 in the Chino Hills... in rush hour LA traffic.

Sarah gave this long story of how she had this rescue and she was looking at my dog during the conversation, but when my friend met her, they had to wait on some woman who allegedly had Dulcie..and my friend knew as SOON as she saw it, it was NOT Dulcie. (My friend is not even a dal person.)

I cannot tell you how I felt....dead, numb, in total shock. I felt like a fool..I was in total disbelief that a fifteen year old girl would pull this kind of stunt!! I called her Mom and her Mom just blew it off...she did not care for this girl's rescue work but she could not control her anymore.

It was a month or so ago that I saw the story of the dal, Marmaduke. I got involved in that because I have never forgotten this girl...and I was not going to let yet another teenager lie and scam people, and cause yet more broken hearts. I knew the story she posted about him was nothing but lies... and I came to find out that this girl with Marmaduke was a 17 year old girl who lived in Diamond Bar. That name rang a bell, and I checked my atlas. That area is where "my" little scammer was from and sure enough, it was right next to Chino Hills. It was the SAME GIRL! No doubt about it...she was still at her games of lies and deceit and melodrama and was asking for donations!!!

Dal rescuers in So. CA tried very hard to help Duke. He was never officially in Dal rescue, as he had a huge bill of over $700 that had to be paid at this boarding facility. None of us had that kind of money, not even collectively, and he could not be released til that was paid.

The first foster Mom in Illinois had invested over $700 in him already, and he was boarded for some time in this kennel. He did not exhibit any aggression while there, but the scamming teenager said on his site (her site) that he "never bit without reason" and we could not get any clarification on what she meant by that. She also stated that the first foster mom had terribly abused him, and that he had been taken from her. And, he had lunged for her face while she was on the phone, which this teen blew off as nothing.

This girl suckered in another Dal owner, who believed the lies Sarah told and helped her out quite a bit financially, paying most of the costs of the vet and then the boarding kennel. This older woman did not know the history of this girl, and was trying to help while unaware of her many illicit dealings. She is a Dalmatian owner, not an experienced rescue person.

Through the website they had for Duke ("Marmaduke" to them), they found the woman in Alaska who wanted to help. They decided to send him to her. (The rescuers who met Duke did not see any signs of aggression when they met him, but it was on a very limited basis. Duke did not live with anyone other than the one foster mom in Illinois, and that was only for a few days...no time to truly temperament test him with a knowledgable rescuer. As stated, no one had the funds to pay his bill and even if that had been possible, there was no room in any foster homes. Southern California is simply too overrun with Dals to have made room for him.)

I have been emailing people who have had dealings with this girl. She has pulled some incredible stunts...bailing dogs out of one shelter only to set them free in another Animal Control's district to buy them time. Animals have escaped when she has volunteered at shelters. She has posted emergencies about dogs and cats and people have worked their tails off to find homes, only to be ignored, or days later told simply that the dog or cat got adopted.

Shelter workers look at all rescues with suspicion after dealings with this girl. People are jaded about rescue thanks to her scams. Some seem to know that she has used the donations sent for things other than the intended animal. She has had money wired to her to ship dogs out across the country...and when the donor/adopter gets to the airport to pick up the dog, it is not there.

I just found out that she pulled the same stunt she pulled with me on a woman who lost a Great Dane in Florida. I will be finding out more, but believe that she told the woman she had the lost dog, and the woman sent her money to have it shipped to her. Again, no dog was there.

Those of us who know all about her history of lies and scams would all like to see her held accountable. She has this phony "Clyde Foundation" and God only knows how much money she has scammed people out of. I want her stopped more than anyone. You cannot imagine how that made me feel two years ago when she lied about finding my beloved Dulcie...and then to find she has been lying and scamming people ever since!!!

Please be aware of this girl. If anyone can help in finding a way to prosecute her, please let me know. She needs to be stopped. Please crosspost this url to all rescuers, lists, and shelters.

June 2, 2000

I got an email from Sarah today...she is scared stiff. She wants me to take this page down, but I ain't gonna!! She says that she doesn't want to be afraid that "net pyschos" will come knocking on her door. (Takes one to know one, hmmm?) She swears she is out of rescue, but that remains to be seen. She claims that she made a simple mistake with Dulcie...after all, she is "just a kid". Sorry, but I am not buying it. Not after finding out she pulled the same scam not only on a woman in Florida who was missing her Great Dane, but also on another Dal owner...who also backed out of communicating with her when Sarah could not give information that would make this woman believe she actually had her missing Dal.

Nope. Sarah has burned far too many people. The jig is up, baby. I got you right where I want you now.

In a way, I owe Sarah a big thanks....I have warned people with missing pets about those who will prey on their emotions, and to never EVER give a dime to anyone, til they have their dog or cat in their hands. Sarah proves just how rotten even MINORS can be.

She has done far more damage to rescues and to shelters and to people who trust the honesty and integrity of rescuers than any one person I have ever witnessed...and she has been doing it for at LEAST three years, which means she started at least at the tender age of fourteen.

Her lies are consistently inconsistent. Tales told one way, then they change the next time they are told. I have seen a six month old apricot poodle turn into an eight month old white poodle within a day...and on the same rescue board!! Gee, must have been just a mistake by a "kid" there. *cough, cough*

Some people are having a hard time believing that this one girl could be so evil. I would like to start a page of experiences that others have had with her, and would only post a short paragraph describing what happened, without the name and email addy of the person involved. I have a few already, and will be adding more as I get permission.