UNTRUE STATEMENTS MADE ABOUT TPWR

Dear Supporters,

Tickled Pink Weimaraner Rescue (TPWR) has been maliciously attacked by a former volunteer. This individual spread vindictive rants and fabricated statements to the public in an attempt to discredit the rescue and to acquire dogs for himself, animals who could have otherwise been saved by rescue.

While these defamations began months ago, until now our volunteers have kept it their highest priority to care for the dogs in our program. At this time however, we feel it necessary to present the truth rather than leaving false accusations indefinitely defaming our organization without correction.

The account below is not intended to serve as a response to the individual responsible but rather to give an account of the untruths that were spread publicly and in addition to show proof of the facts. TPWR does not wish to engage in further discussion on the facts presented below; our organization has and will remain focused on the commitment we make to each animal in our program.

Thank you for your continued trust and support,

Tickled Pink Weimaraner Rescue

Untrue: TPWR has been accused of removing a foster dog without justification from a foster volunteer, who claimed that the dog was his

True: The dog in question was in a temporary foster situation with TPWR’s accuser, George Garay, and his partner, Amy Farner. Despite both having signed a binding foster agreement which outlines specifically the care guidelines each foster volunteer commits to when taking in a TPWR foster dog, the accuser repeatedly and continuously ignored these requirements (Figure 1). Due to his non-compliance and negligence, and despite numerous attempts by TPWR to provide support and guidance to improve compliance with guidelines, public safety and the dog’s life were endangered. After careful and thorough consideration of all possible options, TPWR transferred this dog to a different, long-term foster home in the best interest of this dog and the public. To read the full account of truthful facts pertaining to this conflict, please read Arnold’s true story.

Figure 1: TPWR foster contract signed by Mr. Garay and Ms. Farner

Untrue: TPWR’s accuser claimed on social media that while under his foster care, this dog never bit or reacted towards another person

True: While under foster care with TPWR’s accuser George Garay, the dog in question did in fact bite another person. Given the fact that the dog entered rescue with a serious illness and was medically unstable, the dog had not yet received his rabies vaccine when the bite occurred. Local animal welfare authorities were notified immediately and the dog completed a required 10-day quarantine period, which was followed by receiving his rabies vaccination as required by law (Figure 2).On social media, temporary foster guardian of the dog and TPWR’s accuser, George Garay, at first misrepresented the facts of the bite incident and denied that the bite had even occurred; later, when confronted, he acknowledged the bite had occurred, however minimized the incident evidencing his pattern of ignoring the public’s safety while caring for a dog that had exhibited reactivity towards another person (Figure 3).

Figure 2: Bite incident report filed by local animal welfare authorities

Figure 3: TPWR accuser George Garay misrepresenting and minimizing details of the bite incident on social media

Untrue: TPWR has been accused of fabricating the illness of an entire litter of puppies who came from Mexico with a life-threatening medical condition

True: A litter of five puppies, all of whom arrived critically ill with parvovirus from Mexico, needed life-saving treatment. They required not only a costly but also a lengthy course of treatment as the strain of their virus was resistant (Figures 4, 5).  After more than three months of care, the puppies were all finally deemed healthy and adopted into loving, forever homes.

Figure 4: TPWR puppies hospitalized with resistant strain of parvovirus

Figure 5: One of several TPWR veterinary invoices for care of Parvo puppies

Untrue: TPWR has been accused of misappropriation of funds on its 2013 IRS tax return

True: TPWR solicits public donations for the care of each animal in its rescue program. When insufficient donations are raised for care provided to any particular animal, the animal would never be denied the care but instead the rescue's volunteers pay with their personal funds. The images which the accuser displayed in public posts have been modified to support their lie; the actual tax return, which is public record, includes each year’s ending balance. Since commencement and to date, TPWR has never carried a positive balance to a successive fiscal year. For further clarification, the rescue's marketing expenses in 2013 were more costly than other years because a large order of merchandise was purchased to be used for fundraising at events as well as on the rescue’s Etsy page (Figure 6).

On only one occasion have TPWR’s fundraising efforts resulted in donations exceeding the amount of the original fundraiser goal. The funds that were received in excess of this goal were used to create a separate fundraising event whereby the entire proceeds were donated to several other rescue organizations (Figure 7).

Figure 6: TPWR 2013 IRS Form 990 and Etsy storefront

Figure 7: TPWR fundraiser benefitting several other rescue organizations

Untrue: TPWR has been accused of violating terms of partnership with the ASPCA as well as responsibilities to the IRS

True: Multiple lies were told about TPWR being "under investigation" for violating terms of partnership with the ASPCA as well as TPWR’s responsibilities to the IRS.  The fabrications were so preposterous as to say that volunteers with TPWR would be "going to jail.”

TPWR has been and continues to be in good standing with organizations such as the ASPCA as well as with the IRS. The accuser has no response to show that his claims against TPWR were even acknowledged by either entity. The accuser fabricated statements and manipulated the TPWR website in his defamatory posts (Figure 8).

Figure 8: TPWR remains in good standing with the ASPCA

Untrue: TPWR has been accused of defrauding the public and IRS by fundraising for a deceased dog named Lola

True: TPWR maintains a status of good standing with state and federal agencies including the IRS; all of the information filed with local and federal agencies is public.  TPWR’s accuser claimed that public donations were accepted to finance the care of a dog named Lola after the animal was deceased. The rescue has not ever and will never solicit donations for none other than live animals and program services. To be more specific in regard to this accusation, the animal in question - a beloved Weimaraner named Lola - was sponsored privately by a TPWR volunteer (Figure 9).

Figure 9: TPWR volunteer’s private sponsorship of rescue dog in question, Lola

Untrue: TPWR has been accused of allowing a dog to die due to volunteer neglect

True: Since its inception, TPWR has lovingly cared for every dog in its program; each in individual foster homes, never in long-term boarding facilities or kennels. Structured foster guidelines are shared with all volunteers and foster families in order to provide each dog with the most diligent care and to set our foster families and animals up for success. The care provided for dogs in TPWR’s program is exemplified by photo albums posted on the rescue’s Facebook page (Figure 10):https://www.facebook.com/TickledPinkWeimaranerRescue/photos/?tab=albums

Figure 10: TPWR photo albums documenting care of rescue dogs

Untrue: TPWR's accuser claimed that he had received unsolicited messages and information questioning TPWR's record

True: TPWR’s accuser George Garay claimed that he had received unsolicited messages from others offering negative information on TPWR when in fact it was he who sent out private messages via social media to a number of individuals within the rescue community soliciting such information.  In his messages he offered to pay $1000.00 for information which would assist him to sway the public perception of TPWR, a reputable organization (Figure 11).

Further, the accuser posted on his own and in many other public web pages that he was offering to pay money - as he phrased it "hiring private investigators” - to provide negative information on the rescue (Figure 12).

Figure 11: George Garay offering money for negative information on TPWR

Figure 12: George Garay soliciting to hire random people to ‘investigate’ TPWR

Untrue: TPWR’s accuser and his followers claim that their intentions were focused on the return of their former temporary foster dog

True: TPWR accuser George Garay and his followers claim that with their social media rants and accusations their only goal was for the TPWR rescue dog that had to be removed from Mr. Garay’s and Ms. Farner’s foster care to be returned to them. Very soon after these social media attacks began, Mr. Garay’s accusations and fabrications turned into personal attacks and vendetta against specific TPWR volunteers and were no longer focused on the rescue dog.

On at least three occasions, TPWR’s accuser George Garay and two of his followers (one individual claiming to be the director of another Weimaraner rescue) have directly interfered with the rescue of Weimaraners in need.In each instance, TPWR was in the process of assisting a Weimaraner needing rescue; TPWR’s accuser as well as his followers directly contacted the owners, finders, and shelter representatives, using untrue information in an attempt to dissuade the parties from allowing the dogs to be assisted by TPWR. This in fact complicated the acceptance of several dogs who did enter into TPWR’s rescue program in addition to endangering the safety and care of those who instead went to George Garay.

Instance 1: TPWR was contacted by an owner who wanted to surrender their Weimaraner. They had placed an ad on Craigslist but also contacted TPWR directly (Figure 13). During the time that TPWR was assisting the surrendering owner with placement of the dog into a TPWR foster home, the owner was contacted by one of the accuser’s followers, a person named Pat Austin. Pat Austin sent multiple emails to the surrendering party, discrediting TPWR and threatening them not to surrender the dog into TPWR’s care (Figure 14).

Instance 2:TPWR was contacted about a senior Weimaraner with serious medical conditions in a kill shelter and had begun to work with the shelter for the development of a rescue plan. One of the accuser’s associates, a person named Josh Hickam, contacted shelter representatives directly on multiple occasions in an attempt to dissuade the shelter from placing an animal at risk for euthanasia and needing medical attention for rescue with TPWR, the only rescue organization able to immediately assist (Figure 15).

Instance 3:TPWR was contacted about an injured Weimaraner who was reportedly found on the side of the road and whose finder was looking for assistance (Figure 16).

After a great effort was made by our volunteers to assist the finder to at least provide the dog with immediate medical attention (TPWR being willing to sponsor required

veterinary care) and help to locate the dog’s rightful owners, the finder abruptly stated that no further assistance was needed. Upon further questioning, the finder revealed that an individual named “George” had contacted them wanting to take the dog and had convinced them that rescue was bad for the dog.The finder forwarded screenshots of communications with this individual, whose phone number matched that of TPWR’s accuser George Garay. In their communication, he persuaded the finder to distrust TPWR as an accredited rescue organization and instead accept that the dog be given to him for the payment of $250 (Figure 17).Despite repeated attempts by TPWR volunteers to continue to assist this dog in need, this was the last information that TPWR received on the dog as the finder abruptly and permanently discontinued all communications with TPWR volunteers. No further knowledge has become available as to the whereabouts or well-being of this dog.

Figure 13: Craigslist ad regarding rescue Weimaraner who entered into TPWR’s rescue program

Figure 14: Associate of TPWR accuser dissuading and threatening surrendering owner not to place their dog with TPWR

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Figure 15: Associate of TPWR’s accuser Josh Hickam interfering with rescue

Figure 16: Injured dog needing rescue assistance

Figure 17: TPWR volunteer communicating with finder of injured dog needing assistance

Untrue: TPWR’s accuser is a responsible pet owner (as he claims to be)

True: TPWR accuser George Garay has a history of irresponsible pet guardianship and disrespecting public safety as evidenced by public records showing his violations of proper dog guardianship and vaccination protocol (Figure 18).

Mr. Garay misrepresented his personal record in the adoption and foster volunteer applications that he had submitted to TPWR. Unfortunately, knowledge of Mr. Garay’s history of disrespecting and endangering public safety became available to TPWR only after he had adopted from TPWR and after he had acted as a foster volunteer. Had this information been available to TPWR prior to that, i.e. at the time of his applications, Mr. Garay automatically would have been disqualified from adopting and/or volunteering with TPWR.

Figure 18: Public record of George Garay’s irresponsible pet guardianship

Untrue: TPWR’s accuser is a responsible dog rescuer (as he claims to be)

True: Following a series of defamations and fabricated accusations, TPWR’s accuser George Garay used social media to take into his own home a large number of rescue dogs claiming to act on behalf of and for the well-being of these dogs. During this process, he continued to attempt to dissuade animal rescue partners of TPWR from allowing dogs the security of a reputable, federally recognized 501(c)(3) rescue organization. Instead he continued to take in dog after dog into his apartment and then rental home - as many as 8 in the span of only a few weeks - only to ultimately advertise and sell them on Craigslist through and with his partner Amy Farner (Figure 19).

These actions are in stark contrast to the honest and hard work that reputable animal rescue organizations invest in the thorough process of placing animals into qualified foster homes and eventually into safe and dedicated adoptive families.

It should be obvious to anyone who has put their own efforts into the process of reputable animal rescue that the actions of individuals like these put homeless animals into danger and at unnecessary risk to their lives.

Figure 19: TPWR accuser George Garay and his partner Amy Farner advertise and sell homeless dogs on Craigslist

Figure 19 (continued): TPWR accuser George Garay and his partner Amy Farner advertise and sell homeless dogs on Craigslist