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

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

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

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.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (3)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

 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!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (6)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (23)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link