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As you may know, BioJobBlogger was recently sued for defamation, invasion of privacy and punitive damages by Donna Roberts and Dawn Abrams two so called dog breeder.

To that end, a group of concerned dog advocates and friends have created a website called Stop Puppy Fraud to help to raise awareness about fraudulent dog breeders and to help raise money to defray legal expenses.

P.S. The dog in the pic is Moose-- a two to five year old mixed breed dog (misrepresented as a 9 month old Havanese purebred) rescued from Abrams and Roberts.

Thankfully, he is in much better shape today than in the pic (taken less than a week after we purchased him from Dawn Abrams) with bilateral ear infections, a fulminant urinary tract infection that prevented him from urinating and necrotic gums and rotting front teeth that were ultimately saved by a veterinary dental expert).

Until next time...

Good Luck and Help Save the Puppies!!!!!!

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Summer has finally arrived and everyone I know is kicking back, looking forward to their previously planned vacations and enjoying their four day (summer hours) work week. While many folks still have jobs, the unemployment rates are not dropping as quickly as anticipated and large numbers of layed-off and right-sized former life sciences employees are still without jobs. 

I recently checked the BioJobBlog archives and quickly realized that I have written close to 100 posts on how to craft an industrial strength resume, conduct a job search, prepare for a phone or face-to-face job interview, network and negotiate a job offer. To that end, I thought it might be informative and constructive to resurrect some of these older posts and re-assemble them into a thread that describes each step of the job hunting process. Also, as many of you may know, I was recently sued by an odious individual for invasion of privacy and defamation because I exposed her alleged illegal dog breeding and puppy mill ring. 

Consequently, much of my free time over the next two weeks will be spent on the case. That said, I will begin posting daily job hunting tips and advice on July 5, 2010.

I hope that my readers find this series useful. Also, I would like to hear from those of you who despise and abhor persons who mistreat and abuse animals and are willing to help me put my accuser out of business for good!!!!!!!!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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As many of you know, I have had an ongoing dispute with a nefarious dog grifter (Donna Roberts) and her daughter (Dawn aka Grace Abrams) for the past two years. While my direct dealings with these odious people have ceased, I frequently get messages from others, who, like me, were unwittingly scammed by Donna and her spawn after purchasing puppies and dogs from them.

Invariably, every time I post a new story about Donna et al, I receive repeated vitriolic and threatening rants from Donna and her cronies. I typically add them as comments to the related stories posted to BioJobBlog. However, from time to time, I like to reveal some of her comments so that others can get an impression of the person who I and others like me are dealing with.

Finally, FYI Donna, the word slander is used for spoken word misattributions and potential damage. I believe the word that you ought to use when referring to my posts is libel which is reserved for alleged damage that may result from the “written word”

An unapproved comment has been posted on your blog Bio Job Blog, for entry
#263325 (Dawn Abrams and Donna Roberts Continue to Scam Would Be Dog
Owners). You need to approve this comment before it will appear on your
site.

IP Address: 68.39.22.204
Name: Donna Roberts
Email Address: shadyoakhavs@yahoo.com
URL:
Comments:

“This is a riot.  I have not bred a litter of pups since 2007 and all your
observers are claiming to buy a dog from me, claiming my house stinks,
claiming dogs had hookworms (puppies are wormed with Drontal 5 times before
sold and hookworms are very easy to get rid of) Mr. Mintz you have never
been to my house. No names have changed, we all have our real names, it's
just your continuous slander and lies Mr. Mintz. Should I write everything
out for you, so you can get it right.  The children he is talking about are
my grandchildren, there are 7, ages 16 to 5. My daughter married a farmer,
a very hardworking, honest man. The house Mr. Mintz calls a rundown farm
house was built in 1897 and for it's age it is not very rundown. My
daughter keeps it neat and clean as far as someone can with 7 kids. All 3
of my daughters do not have one complaint against them and I have had very
few for my dog breeding hobby of 42 years. In 2007 I ran into a few people
who falsely accused me of selling sick pups, which was not the case at all,
yes the pups had a parasite but not one vet issued an UNFIT FOR PURCHASE
within the 14 days allowed by law. The two women involved, Barbara Harra
and Laurie Pallantee took it to the extreme but in the end I was found
innocent of all charges.  I would never sell a sick pup. As far as my dogs
go I have 4 dogs left, 2 males and 2 females that have not produced
anything in the last 2 years.  So Mr. Mintz your claim of a puppymill is so
bogus. We are a family that loves animals and we live a very full life and
it is so sad that you Mr. Mintz are such an unhappy person that the only
thng you have to get your Jolly's off is slandering us.”

Please continue to spread the word about these unsavory characters.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Puppy Seeking!!!!!

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Despite a down economy, it appears that business for the dog grifting team of Donna Roberts aka Marcie Duben (and many other false identities) and Dawn Abrams is booming. The reason that  I know this is that over the past week or so I have received several message regarding from BioJobBlog readers about bogus dog transactions.

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Despite court rulings, statewide investigations and public humiliation, Dawn Abrams and Donna Roberts continue to scam would be dog owners who want to buy puppies and give them good homes. 

A would be client sent me an e-mail message claiming that he was duped by the dynamic duo of sleaze because he didn’t research them in advance. Like me, he believed that these people were legitimate before it was too late. 

According to his message, these brazen and seemingly unrelenting grifters are currently doing business as:

Havanese Puppies Ready to Go (Danalyn, Medford/Vincentown)

537 Oakshade Rd., Vincentown, NJ 08008

609-346-6571

The Vincentown address is where Dawn Roberts lives in a run down farm house with 6 children. Apparently, Donna Roberts is using one of her tried and true aliases Marie Dueben (who I think is the name of one of her ex-husband’s wives). The person who wrote to me contends that these odious individuals are also doing business as My Cute Muppets on the Puppyfind website.

Despite repeated unsuccessful attempts to shut Dawn and Donna down, these amoral and unethical scumbags continue to dupe innocent, unsuspecting would-be dog owners. It is a shame that these jerks are not big enough criminals to make it onto the New Jersey State radar of people to put away. But, as I always say, what goes around comes around.

And I hope that Dawn and Donna’s days of reckoning comes around sooner rather than later.

Until next time…

Keep the faith; there is justice in the world! 

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An intrepid reader of BioJobBlog alerted me to a new venture started by Donna Roberts and Dawn Abrams. They allegedly run an operation called Groomers United (based in Shamong, NJ) and advertise on AdoptAPet.com under the same name. The reader cautions “beware of their sob stories and how they are performing a service to the community—they are actually selling older puppy mill breeders at elevated prices claiming that they are “rescuing” these dogs.”  And, for all you cat lovers out there, you can also adopt rescue cats at AdoptAPet. 

I wonder if Groomers United is a registered not-for-profit animal rescue organization. Maybe the State of New Jersey ought to look into it?

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For the past year or so, I have been dealing with Donna Roberts, a so-called dog breeder who recently was convicted in New Jersey on three counts of animal cruelty. Ms Roberts recently contacted me because I chose not to post several of her most recent vitriolic and abusive rants against people who maintain that she is less than scrupulous.

In case you are interested, I didn’t post her most recent comments (like I have in the past) because I am frankly bored with them. That said, when Ms. Roberts has something honest to say, I will gladly publish her comments. I suspect that it will be a cold day in hell before I do that!

If you would like to contact Ms. Roberts directly --to hear what she has to say--please contact her a shadyoakhavs@yahoo.com  I am sure that she would love to  hear from you!

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I heard today from another one of Grace Abrams’ grifting victims. Apparently, this individual purchased a sick puppy from Ms. Abrams several months ago which at one year old developed some problems that likely resulted from congenital defects due to inbreeding. This person told me that a friend of hers also purchased a ‘Havanese” from Ms. Abrams which they suspect really isn’t a Havanese (despite ‘papers’ that indicate that it is). As you may recall, we also received suspect pedigree papers for the dogs that we purchased from Ms. Abrams (which prompted us to get both dogs tested). I sent Grace’s most recent victims information on the Wisdom Panel DNA tests that we used to perform genetic testing on our dogs, the results of which confirmed that Moose, our so-called Havanese, was really a mixed breed dog!

I wonder how long it will take Donna Roberts to send me one of her threatening, vitriolic notes  (read the comments) after I post this story?  I will keep you posted….

Until next time…

Good Luck with finding a new puppy!!!!!!!

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My recent post about Donna Roberts appears to be a very popular one. No fewer than 50 people have read the post and I am now starting to receive comments from people who have had similar experiences to mine after purchasing puppies from Ms. Roberts and her daughter Grace aka Dawn Abrams. Check out this story and another that I found on the Ripoffreport.com after being alerted about them by one of my readers.

It appears that I am not the only person who received threatening comments from Ms. Roberts. Check out this bogus diatribe against a former customer who dared to question Ms. Roberts’ integrity and veracity after she purchased a very sick puppy from her.

Donna, in case you are wondering (I know you will read this), veracity means “truthfulness”—something that you know nothing about.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Donna Roberts and Grace Abrams story.

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 I invite those of you who have been following this story to take a few minutes to read the comments that Donna Roberts continues to leave on my blog. Ms Roberts, who was convicted of several counts of animal cruelty in New Jersey last summer, is the mother of Grace aka “Dawn” Abrams who fraudulently sold me my dog Moose several months ago. Although, Ms. Roberts was not involved in the transaction between Grace and me, she continues to send me threatening and bullying e-mail messages proclaiming her daughter’s (and her own) innocence.

I continue to post Ms. Robert’s comments because I want people who read my blog to understand the type of person that I am dealing with! Unfortunately, she reminds me a lot of Sarah Palin—another woman of questionable ethics and integrity. And, I am sad to say that Ms Roberts is about as bright as Ms. Palin too!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Vote for Obama

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 As you may recall, I purchased two dogs, a 10 week old Havanese puppy and a supposed 9- month old male Havanese “rescue puppy” named Marcus (now called Moose, see pic) from a New Jersey dog breeder named Dawn aka Grace Abrams. From the outset, we had suspicions about Moose’s age and true heritage. Our suspicions were heightened after our veterinarian announced that Moose was much older than 9 months and that he was suffering from ear and urinary tract infections, two types of intestinal worms and had 4 loose teeth because of periodontal disease. Also, Moose didn’t look anything like Sandy.  Based on photos we found online, Moose looked more like a Maltese than a Havanese—something that was verified by casual conversations with Maltese owners and many veterinary professionals. 

Because of my molecular biology training, I wondered whether a genetic test, similar to those used for human genetic testing, was commercially available for dogs. Much to my delight, I discovered that Mars Veterinary had developed a test called the Wisdom Panel that can be use to analyze and verify or refute the lineage of over 135 breeds of dogs. Because of our growing suspicions, my wife and I decided to have both of our dogs tested to verify their breed designations. We received the Wisdom Panel results for Sandy and Moose last week. Like other things in life there is some good news and some bad news. First, let me give you the good news.

The Wisdom Panel results revealed that Sandy is truly a Havanese (there were negligible traces of other breeds but they were consistent with the Havanese breed as a whole). Now, the bad news (which is actually good news for us). Moose the supposed 9-month old Havanese is in reality a mixed breed dog whose lineage consists of equal amounts of Havanese, Miniature Poodle, Shih Tzu and Maltese. This result coupled with the bogus Havanese pedigree papers that Ms. Abrams gave us when we purchased Moose, suggests that Ms. Abrams, who claims to be an experienced Havanese breeder, likely committed fraud when she sold him to us. After all, how could an experienced Havanese breeder like Dawn, who has been selling “Havanese” puppies for the past few years, mistake a 2 year old mixed breed dog for a 9-month old Havanese puppy?  

Despite mounting evidence against Dawn and her mother, Donna Roberts, they continue to sell dogs to unsuspecting would-be pet owners. With this in mind, I recently came across several new ads likely posted by Dawn and Donna using old and sometimes new aliases to sell their dogs!

http://www.breeders.net/detail.php?id=210048 

http://www.breeders.net/detail.php?id=143532

http://www.breeders.net/detail.php?id=210055

http://www.breeders.net/detail.php?id=21004

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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As the saying goes—the plot thickens. A couple of days ago a person who has been following our unfolding doggy drama recommended that I look into a DNA testing kit for dogs called Wisdom Panel MX. The Wisdom Panel MX was developed by Mars Veterinary, a subsidiary of the candy bar maker that also manufactures and sells dog food.

Scientists at Mars spent about 6 years mining and analyzing canine genome databases and were able to develop breed specific probes that can distinguish between 130 different breeds of dogs with close to 85% reliability. That said, while the test may not be able to reliably tell you exactly what you have, the sensitivity of the test is sufficient to tell you what you don’t have i.e., it will tell you whether or not your dog is a purebred or a mix.

 As I mentioned in previous posts, we were purportedly sold two Havanese dogs. If the dogs are truly Havanese, then the Wisdom Panel should reliably verify that assertion. Similarly, if our dogs are not really Havanese or a mix of Havanese and some other breed (s) then the Wisdom Panel tests ought to be able to tell us that as well.

As luck would have it, on our recent excursion to Maine, we literally ran into two relatively uncommon purebred dogs ( at least uncommon to us) —one was a Maltese and the other a Bichon. Moose—the rescue puppy who was advertised and sold to us as a 9 month-old Havanese—looked almost identical to the Maltese. Further, a so-called groomer (who posted a comment on a previous post about Moose) referred to him a Maltese which tended to validate our idea that Moose was not a Havanese but really a Maltese or a Maltese-mix.  

Again, coincidentally, my wife took Sandy (our Havanese puppy that we previously bought from the same breeder who sold us Moose) to be groomed today. Since it was Sandy’s first visit, the groomer asked what breed she was. After pausing for a second, the groomer replied “I am not  completely sure but I don’t think Sandy is a purebred Havanese –she looks like she has a fair amount of yorkie (Yorkshire terrier) in her.”

The Wisdom Panel MX kits arrived by FedEx today and we are taking the dogs to the vet at 4:00 to have blood drawn. Stay tuned for future updates.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

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Since the original post about bogus dog breeding in New Jersey, I received several comments from the alleged breeder(s)" who sold us our dogs Moose and Sandy.  I invite you to read them---they are very interesting to say to least. 

A person who became involved with our little doggy drama sent me a link to a company that does genetic testing verify or refute canine breed or pedigree claims.  We are going to have both of our dogs tested.  We suspect that Moose is not a havanese as billed but a maltese/bichon or maybe a maltese/havanese mix . As luck would have it, we met both a maltese and bichon during our trip to Moosehead Lake in Maine and learned alot about both breeds. Moose looks alot like a maltese but unlike pure malteses who are all white, he has quite a bit of cream coloring in his coat.

The jury is still out on Sandy (who we bought as a 10 week old puppy) is suppose to be a full-blooded havanese female.  She looks like havanese that we have seen in photos, but given the circumstances we are not certain that she is really what she is supposed to be!

If either or both of the dogs are not what they were claimed to be in the pedigree papers that we received, it is our belief that we have a good case of fraud or at the very least misrepresentation on our hands.  As most of us know, DNA doesn't lie!  Who says that Cary Mullis didn't deserve to win the Nobel Prize for developing PCR!!!!!!!!!

Please read the back story (see below) about our journey into the underbelly of bogus dog breeding in the Garden State!!!

Original Post

Several months ago, my wife and daughter saw a “really adorable” dog at a school fundraising event.  My wife asked the owner what type of dog it was and she was told “it is a Havanese.” Neither my wife nor I had heard of the breed before but, after doing some Internet research we learned that it is related to the Bichon and is called Havanese because the breed originated in Cuba. As former residents of Miami (we met there) and familiar with all things Cuban my wife and I decided to buy a Havanese puppy for our daughter and two sons (they had been vigorously campaigning for a dog for the past few years).

The first step in our search was to Google the breed and see whether there were any Havanese breeders in New Jersey. Much to our delight, we found five Havanese breeders in New Jersey and no fewer than three were in driving distance from our home. To make a long story short, we purchased a wonderful 10-week old Havanese puppy called Sandy from a private breeder named Grace Abrams who runs Havanese 4Ever in Vincentown, NJ. A couple of days after we brought Sandy home, my wife took her to her first veterinary appointment and disappointed to learn that Sandy had serious case of ear mites and a round worm infestation. While we concerned, we didn’t think much of this (although Grace had certified that the puppy was healthy and disease free) and went on with our newly-minted Havanese existence.

After living with Sandy for several months (and spending way too much money to build a fence for one dog), my wife and I decided that Sandy needed a companion to play with. Imagine our delight, when we saw that Grace was looking for a home for a young, Havanese male that she had recently acquired “from a couple relocating from North Carolina to New York City.”  After seeing the ad on Grace’s website, my wife, Sandy and I drove back to Vincentown examine the “9 month old healthy Havanese male” that was dumped on Grace’s door step. Grace informed us that she had been caring for the dog for two weeks and that he was filthy and in very bad condition when she first got him. Without any hesitation, we adopted the dog (Moose) for $400 (after Grace knocked off $150 because of the ear mites and worms with Sandy) and thought all was right with the world. We also received some nominal paperwork including Moose’s veterinary records, his pedigree papers and a receipt.

A couple of days after we brought Moose home, my wife took him to the vet for a physical examination. Much to her dismay, the veterinarian told my wife that Moose was not 9 months old but closer to 3 years, had a bad case of gingivitis (and 4 loose teeth that needed to be pulled) and an ear and urinary tract infections. After receiving three frantic phone calls from my wife who was in tears, I contacted Grace and informed her that things were not right with Moose and that we wanted our money back. Again, to make a long story short, Grace refused to give us a refund unless we brought Moose back to her. Of course, we didn’t comply and Moose (who is a wonderful, loyal and sweet dog) is now an official member of the family. That said, with the help of a pet advocacy organization, NJCAPSA which has been investigating puppy mill fraud in NJ, we learned that Grace Abrams is a member of a notorious ring of South Jersey dog grifters run by her mother Donna Roberts who in 2007 was found guilty under NJ Statute 4:22-26L on three of five counts of animal cruelty.

Grace aka Dawn Abrams and her mother Donna Roberts purportedly purchases puppies from Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite puppy mills (allegedly run by a nefarious character named David Zimmerman) and sell them from Boston to Washington DC as well as locally in New Jersey. Although never convicted of fraud, numerous complaints have been filed against Donna and Grace claiming that they supplied customers with falsified veterinary certificates and bogus AKC or other registration papers. Sometimes, Robert Cohen, an odious licensed New Jersey veterinarian, issues “health certificates” for Donna/Dawn’s puppies and so-called “rescue animals”. Not surprisingly, Cohen’s name appeared in court documents in several cases of fraud brought against Donna Roberts.

Because of her convictions, Donna Roberts keeps a low profile. Grace/Dawn Abrams is the front person but her mother Donna Roberts actually calls all the shots. Over the years, Donna and Grace/Dawn have sold dogs under the following kennel names: 1) Dark Moon Havanese, Shamong, NJ,  2) Shady Oaks Havanese, Howell NJ, 3) Kissy Face Havanese, Lakewood NJ, 4) Havanese Breeze, Medford NJ, 4) Havanese 4U, Indian Mills, NJ and 5) Havanese 4ever, Vincentown, NJ. Be warned that they also advertise Havanese and other breeds on PetFinder, Craig’s List, Breeders.net, Doggie.com and others pet sites where there are no ad listing charges.

Also, be aware that they are alleged to sell dogs under the following names or aliases:

Dee Woods

Dee Roberts

Gloria Anderson

Donna Anderson

Rachel Anderson

Donna Marie Dueben

Donna Truex

Robin Lewis

Robin Anderson (Donna Robert’s sister)

Marci Jean - advertises under the same phone number as Shady Oak

Carol Lang

Grace Abrams - Havanese4ever

Paul - Shady Oak Havanese

Marci Dueben - Havana Breeze Havanese

After we learned about Donna and her co-conspirators, my wife and I (who is an attorney) thoroughly examined the papers that we received for Sandy and Moose from Grace Abrams. Sure enough, no fewer than five of their aliases appeared in various capacities (e.g., owner, seller, breeder etc) throughout our documents. Further, Robert Cohen was the veterinarian of record who signed all of Sandy’s veterinary certificates. Although Moose was billed as a 9 month Havanese we now believe that he is a 2 year old Bichon, Shih Tzu or a mix. We think that he was probably a former breeder dog in a PA puppy mill (since he was not neutered). Sandy is likely a true Havanese but I wouldn’t be surprised that turns out not to be the case.  

I wrote this piece because the emotional and gut-wrenching experience that my family and I have gone through has had a profound effect on me. To that end, I am going to do everything possibly to shut down the operations run by Donna Roberts, Grace/Dawn Abrams and their co-conspirators.  Any suggestions, ideas, help (especially Internet/technology-wise) on how to put these people and their ilk out of business would be greatly appreciated.  Please feel free to repost this piece on any appropriate pet and dog breeder sites or blogs.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Puppy Hunting!!!!

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