Bio Job Blog : Bio Jobs : Biotechnology Jobs : Biopharmaceutical Jobs : Bioscience, Biotech Jobs : Bio Job Blog : Biocareer : Bio-Business Training, Biotechnology Training : Jobs in Biology : Internships in Biology : Internships in Biotechnology

While I wasn't much of an Andy Warhol fan, I do subscribe to his assertion that everyone at some point in their lives has “their 15 minutes of fame.” I believe that I have about 5 min left, so I wanted to alert BioJobBlog readers to an article that was posted on the New Jersey Citizens Against Pet Shop Abuse (NJCAPSA) site detailing the SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) lawsuit filed against me by two nefarious South New Jersey dog sellers. These lawsuits are intended to silence vocal critics of persons engaged in questionable activities. It has been increasing used by puppy millers, pet shop lobbying groups and other entities who want to silence animal rights and other advocates that support the humane treatment of animals.

While the case against me was dismissed with prejudice, there currently is no anti-SLAPP lawsuit legislation in NJ. This lack allows persons to sue others whether or not the lawsuits are without merit or frivolous. For those of you who may not have been sued in the past, I can tell you that the fees associated with getting SLAPP lawsuits dismissed can be as high as $50,000. Knowing this, persons who file SLAPP suits, expect defendants to settle before any additional legal action is taken. I chose to bear the costs of litigating the suit because the persons, who sued me, have in the past threatened, intimidated and sued others who publicly spoke out against them. 

Those of you, who may know me, understand that I am neither a crusader nor a martyr. That said, I will fight or litigate anyone who attempts to deprive me of constitutionally-guaranteed right to free speech and expression. Nevertheless, the lawsuit filed against me had its intended impact on my blogging activities. That is, I could not blog about the plaintiffs for over five months. Perhaps more egregious, was the chilling observations that the lawsuit filed against also silenced others who had been vocal about the dubious dog-selling practices of the plaintiffs. And, sadly, during that period, the plaintiffs ramped up their dog-selling business and continued to advertise and sell puppies and dogs with impunity.  

It is ironic that the legal system, which is supposed to protect the rights of all Americans, can also be misused and abused to take them away! 

To learn more about SLAPP suits and their adverse effects on First Amendment rights, please visit this site.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Fighting!!!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The recent dismissal of the SLAPP (Suit Against Public Participation) suit brought against me by Dawn Abrams and Donna Roberts was very welcome and much appreciated.  For more coverage of the case, please read this and this.

While the case seemingly was about a dispute between a disreputable group of dog breeders and a pet owner, the case had much more to do about the First Amendment and free speech.  Please read the amicus brief submitted to the court on my behalf by the Humane Society of the United States. SLAPP suits are becoming increasingly popular vehicles to intimidate and silence bloggers and others. 

The sad thing about the current American judicial system is that anyone can sue you--with or without a good reason.  I think that  it is time that legislation is passed that seriously punishes litigants and their lawyers who willfully and knowingly file SLAPP suits. The current penalties and sanctions are a joke.

Although I was able to defend myself against a frivolous lawsuit that had no merit, it DID silence me (and the rest of the blogosphere) and it cost me an enormous amount of money!  Unfortunately, the people who brought the suit against me continued to sell dogs to would-be pet owners while my hands were tied because of pending litigation.

I find it ironic that I had to spend tens of thousands of dollars to be able to exercise my right to free speech which is supposedly guaranteed--at no cost--to all Americans.  To that end, if you would like to help to defray my legal expenses please visit StopPuppyFraud  or our Crowdrise page and make a donation. 

Until next time...

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

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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!!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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!!!!!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (4)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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! 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (7)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

There was a very disturbing article on the front page of today’s New York Time about an increasingly popular practice of debarking dogs by people who live in urban areas like New York City. Debarking is accomplished by severing a dog’s vocal cords. The practice may be more widespread than reported because of nuisance pet policies imposed on apartment owners by co-op boards in the city. According to the article, the surgery usually leaves the animal with something between a wheeze and a squeak in lieu of a bark.               

While I am not a card-carrying animal rights activist and find excessive barking annoying, I am a dog owner and a biologist who strongly believes in evolution. And, as far as I am concerned, if dogs weren’t meant to bark they wouldn’t! Taking away a dog’s only means of verbal communication (one of my dogs “whines” when she needs to go out and the doggy door is shut) is, in my opinion, detrimental to a dog’s physical and behavioral well being. As one animal behaviorist said in the article:

“Dogs are usually barking because of some frustration. It’s frustrating to be a sheepdog with no sheep. What I’d be concerned about is, if you are debarking a dog and it has an underlying happiness.”

Proponents of the procedure say that it is a harmless procedure and dogs that have been debarked don’t act any differently than they did before the operation. Luckily, many younger veterinarians have deemed that the surgery unnecessary and unethical and refuse to perform it.

My first experience with debarking was after I inadvertently purchased my two dogs from the daughter of a notorious and nefarious New Jersey-based puppy mill breeder. I learned that it is not uncommon among puppy mill owners, to silence their dogs to prevent detection by authorities by shoving metal rebar down their throats. The repeated assaults on a dog’s vocal cords caused scarring and sometimes rupture which, in turn, renders the animal unable to bark. Imagine my outrage when I read that some veterinarians knowingly and willingly perform this surgery because pet owners requested that it be done!

I think the practice of debarking is repugnant, reprehensible and not justified in any circumstances. If your dog has a barking problem, hire an animal behaviorist or call Cesar Milan, aka the Dog Whisperer. It is likely there is an underlying behavioral problem or cause of the problem that can be fixed by behavior modification or pharmacological interventions. Debarking surgery is a convenient and facile solution for pet owners who say they love their dogs but are unwilling to spend the time and effort required to solve the problems. 

In conclusion, if dogs weren’t meant to bark then they would not have when they first appeared on the planet!!!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Don't Forget to Hug Your Puppy Today!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (8)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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!!!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (4)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

 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

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link