Hope for Paws- Eldad Hagar Abandoned over 100 Dogs after Collecting Thousands in Donations

Who remembers this story from May 2010?  Race Against the Clock to Save Over 100 Animals

There have been many questions & rumors surrounding ELDAD HAGAR & HOPE FOR PAWS rescue. Some of the things in question date back more than 2 years, but if you're in the business of saving lives you'll never forget this one. Many dogs were abandoned, donations went missing & dogs died. I think it might be important to bring these things up, especially when the organization is always winning big charity grants, raking in tons of money & yet always begging for your votes & donations, but seems to rescue only a handful of dogs & has no animals up for adoption on their website.  

Also, just as an FYI. Hope for paws is NOT a new hope partner which means they do NOT rescue shelter animals. They never have. They don't take animals into their rescue & they don't even post animals up for adoption on their page- they give them off to other rescues once they catch and videotape. The only thing Eldad & HFP really push for is votes for winning money.

A few years ago, there was a hoarding case in Palmdale, CA that Eldad Hagar (Hope For Paws) was involved in http://sangabrielpets.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/hope-for-paws-rescues-over-100-dogs-from-hoarder-in-palmdale/ where he collected over 15 thousand dollars in donations. Most of those 100+ dogs he "rescued" were later abandoned, some shipped off to other states without even a vet exam, left in boarding or some even sent to high kill shelters where one shelter (Irvine) even wrote to Eldad to please come back & get the dogs he left, which he refused. 
  
Some dogs were left for over 18 months in boarding by Eldad who didn't even look back or try to help these dogs. Other rescues had to step up and re-rescue the dogs left behind minus the donation money. He basically took the money and ran. There are court records that prove Eldad abandoned those dogs at boarding without payment.  
  
Court Records: NON PAYMENT FOR BOARDING FEES OF THE PALMDALE/AZ DOGS
Case Number: 10S01264
TOP DOG RESORT, LLC VS. HOPE FOR PAWS, INC.
Filing Date: 07/07/2010Case Type: Small Claims (Limited Jurisdiction)Filing Court: San Fernando Courthouse
Status: DISPOSED BY JUDGMENT

A side note that is interesting: When Milan Radovic (the owner of Top Dog Resort, where Eldad dumped all the dogs & left) took him to court & won for non payment of these dumped dogs from Palmdale, Eldad's wife, Audrey, spoke on his behalf, while Eldad stood there silently & she told the judge the reason why he didn't understand the payment situation or fees was because Eldad could not understand or speak English very well. How many of you have heard him speak in his videos, in person or on the phone? There are hundreds of people who can attest to Eldad speaking perfect English. 

Upon hearing of the abandonment of all the dogs, the Executor of the  AZ dogs demanded via phone & letter those dogs he was given to  be returned to the estate. She did not like or approve of Eldad or Sharon Gold dumping the dogs.  


Speaking of Sharon Gold... she was also convicted of embezzlement and did prison time.  Yeah, great pair these two.,   She now lives in Washington State, operating a dog rescue, harassing fosters.  One foster claims she is very abusive with kicking dogs.  A transport told how she was bragging about how stupid people were because it was so easy to take their money.  

Eldad also had two dogs (Basenji's) killed that he "rescued" from Palmdale.  He and Sharon deemed them dangerous without even getting them properly evaluated.  They never even had a chance.   Milan at Top Dog and another witness can attest to this lack of compassion and total disregard to the right of life perpetrated by Eldad.

Let's not forget about the female Labrador left in a crate in Arizona to die a miserable death, melting in the hot desert sun.  A concerned citizen went back to find this horrifying sight. 

Eldad, Sharon and one other rescue were the last two to leave the site and this poor girl was left behind.  

 The only reason Eldad even bothered to "volunteer" to re-rescue the dogs he left behind was to save face. Eldad stole thousands of dollars in donations that were meant for these animals. And what's even worse are those who know the truth, yet continue to support Eldad. Why are people continuing to support him? Wake up... this is NOT rescue. I don't know any other rescue that is always armed with a video camera at every rescue & thinks that the best shots on film is the most important part of the rescue. In most other rescues, the animals are of first concern & a making a great video is only an afterthought.

The rescue of the abandoned dogs is credited to the many rescues that pulled together for the sake of the animals....one of those rescues being Pulling for Paws & others. They worked hard and tirelessly without the money or pats on the back to ensure the dogs abandoned by Eldad did not get left behind again. I commend those rescues that took on this mission without question. Eldad is NOT a hero, in my opinion...he's a fraud, a con, a marketeer...who's greatest achievement is tugging the heartstrings of thousands while dipping into their pocket books. It seems the main point behind this man is make a few great videos, & push them out all over Godvine, Facebook & other social networking sites, for maximum recognition & donations. How many animals does he really rescue a year? A handful? Is he a glorified dog catcher? Many of the dogs he uses in his videos are turned over to other rescues to care for after the initial, glorifying save & video.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6zvLGN8C58  

WITNESS STATEMENTS

Witness A
Eldad left one of those dogs from palmdale/az hoarding case behind in a crate to die in the AZ sun.....but he didnt get that on film......many.of the.dogs were dumped in boarding at Top Dog in California. We took one of those dogs and it's hard to look at him and think he could of been the one left behind in the crate. 


Witness BI witnessed this one with my own eyes & put my own reputation at stake. Not good. These animals were abandoned by them & good people's donations were not going to the animals in need. Quite a shame. I can name at least 5 rescues who came in & saved those dogs that Eldad abandoned yet took the donation money. And yes, some died, not just that one in the desert.


Witness C
Eldad & I worked together when he responded to helping me with an ongoing cat hoarding situation... only to leave me feeling completely used once he got footage to show he was a cat rescuer, as well. Created videos asking for money, then BAILED on ALL of us!! And I'm putting all that nicely & in a nutshell. It was ugly & WRONG!! There are a lot of details on specific situations where he acted like scum. I was shocked. Thought he was a hero, too. Add another 20-25 cats/kittens to the animals on which he's bailed but collected $$$.


He also nearly killed a litter of kittens by grabbing a tube of Frontline saying, "gimme that... let ME do it" (cuz he claims to also be going to VET school). Turned out he used up the entire tube VS. one drop per kitten. Two of them crashed, were rushed to emergency vet in Eagle Rock. After the vet helped stabilize, he picked up the worse one, said , "no sense letting it die at the vet & paying the overnight stay", took the kitten home, shot video of him with another rescue dog cuddling in a bed", submitted it to the Bonnie Hunt Show where he made THAT video go viral, collect more donation monies & fans, bad-mouthed that vet... saying, "he saved Hunter's life". Ewww, I better stop now... I'm gonna throw up.


Witness D
The Chase Community Giving grant is over and I am RELIEVED!! We did NOT get enough votes to secure a spot on the leader board which means we will NOT be receiving any of the grant. I am a rescuer, I spend my days scooping poop, racing to the shelter to make sure dogs are safe or to the vet to make sure they are well, facilitating dogs being pulled to safety, transporting dogs, responding to emails from potential adopter's, arranging home checks, weeding through applications and networking dogs in danger. I do not have time to video tape every dog I rescue, every trip to the shelter or set up live stream cameras while I wash puppies for your votes. I don't have the money to buy expensive ads on Facebook promoting myself nor do I have the huge network of supporter's in the states and/or over seas to bring in votes. If you voted for us I hope it was because you know I work hard, genuinely love & care for animals, and deserved the money.


Witness E
Why bother, the masses are STUPID - they want to believe in fairy tale BS - no one wants to be a part of the WORK it really takes to save an animal - sure, I'm off to WASH my rescued pitbull & shep..tune in...it's FREE, it's not glamorous....that SOB Eldad has left dogs to die, abandoned an old chow & left a pittie on the street left a dog to die in a crate & WTF - keep on sending HIM money..I give up.


Rebuttal to Witness E by Witness B
I bother because there ARE good & decent rescues & rescuers out there who never get a chance, any donations, or any accolades for all the hard work they do day & night to save animals. I bother because this is absurd what is going on with Eldad & how people are snowed. I bother because the animals matter most to me of all.

  

The other concerning thing is he has won the Chase Charities giveaway again ( in addition to a Toyota Highland this year & other contests).. He's won 4 years in a row, first as Hope for Paws & then in following years by partnering with The Kris Kelly Foundation, & just this past week where he partnered with another Foundation winning $100,000. I don't even think you're allowed to enter more than one year in a row. I guess "partnering" with another organization is a way to get around this. But how many small rescues rake in over $100K a year? This is public record for a non profit & this was just in 2010. How much money is spent on advertising? How much money actually goes to the animals in need? It may deserve closer examination.

For those who want a second opinion, there is another blog for you to read that was researched independently and her findings are outlined in great detail.  is-hope-for-paws-shady-hollywood

SUMMARY
Eldad abandoned so many dogs from a Palmdale rescue at Top Dog Resort.He said he'd get them all spay/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, rehomed etc.... he did not and yet he took about $15,000 in donations.

Eldad and Sharon said they were in Arizona getting 12 dogs off an estate, came back with 11.  One of those dogs was left behind to die a miserable death. 

Several other rescues had to step in to vet the dogs,spay/neuter, find them homes etc, on their own dime without the recognition they deserved for saving the dogs he abandoned.

Eldad also had 2 dogs from Palmdale euthanized at Top Dog resort he considered dangerous without having them properly evaluated first..

Some of the dogs were abandoned for over 18 months.

Pulling for Paws took a majority of these dogs along with other rescue orgs. Their names are all at the end of that video, Rescue Uncovered, on youtube.

Eldad was sued in court and lost.

http://www.freenewspos.com/en/home-news-article/f/271623/today/allegations-of-fraud-dog-killing-and-pet-abandonment-surround-hope-for-paw

In conclusion
Real rescues don't have time to go out and video tape everything they do, let alone edit the video adding haunting music & text and then posting all over the world. That does NOT make you a top rescue, that makes you a video editor & marketeer and to use God to profit from is appalling. If you're going to support a rescue, please support a real rescue that doesn't abandon dogs everywhere, or leave them in crates in the hot desert sun as they drive away in an air conditioned van with all the donation money. Please make sure who your donating to is really concerned about the animals they claim to 'rescue'.

Reviews can be read here.
        Listed below are screenshots of some of the reviews.

Amy Verder is at it AGAIN

For many of us, the name Amy Verder aka Let Them Live Rescue, brings feelings of disgust and anger.  We have watched her pull scam after scam, warning others to no avail.  

Her supporters seem to be oblivious to her tactics and would rather ignore the red flags than to admit there's a problem. They seem to never notice all of her animals that go missing, her constant desperate pleas for money (usually during some sort of grave, ultra urgent crisis), or her persistent rants against the people that "hate her."

Her followers apparently believe her claims that she's a true savior of animals, not to mention a lot of other outlandish claims that she has never proven (a long list that is beyond the scope of this post), such as her claim that she is fully trained as a veterinarian. No proof of this exists because it simply is not true. 

Her most recent "emergency" (she has one every week) is that of several puppies she's rescued.  She now claims that there are 24 dogs with parvo.  However, it appears that one of her supporters has unwittingly told the truth.  

Here is Amy's original post, which she quickly deleted when she was questioned:

You'll notice Elisha defending Amy.... so why is it that she posted this?......

Coccidia is NOT parvo.  

Read more here: Coccidia- Not fatal
Read more here: Parvo - Fatal

So, Amy removed  the original post and then posted again.....  

Someone please explain to me how they can be recovering "at home at two separate vets"?  Treating parvo at home?  Really?  

Let's not forget, this is the same woman who acts like she's above the law, dosing her dogs with drugs that only a veterinarian should use. 

So many warnings and reports 
1 Rescue Undercover- Amy Verder and Propofol, March 2012
2 The Controversy over Let Them Live Rescue
3 Rescue Hall of Shame 
4 Ripoff Report
5 Yelp Report
6 Exposing Bad Rescues Report

*** It's important to point out that neither Crystal Harley, Tracey Benzel nor Susan Barrett are admins of this blog or our Facebook page.  Amy's attack on them was unwarranted and her claims are completely false.  I was the one that called the shelter in Florida and talked to the rescue coordinator about Amy, not the ladies mentioned above.  

Domino Effect Rescue Ranch- Smoke and Mirrors

 Domino Effect Rescue Ranch

I have come across very distressing news about a horse rescue in Florida.  It seems that this rescue has had nothing but problems since they first started up 4 years ago.  

Of course to hear one of the co-founders tell the tale, she's been victimized and done nothing wrong. According to Dinelle Ashcraft, it's all fabricated lies to harass and cause her problems.  

They've lost 6 horses recently, three of them from colic.  

First, let's take a look at the property.  You won't find these photos on any of her blogs or Facebook page and I don't blame her for not wanting to show you. It's pretty disgusting.  

Keep in mind, they now have as at least 25-35 horses on 1.5 acres. Yes, you read that right... 1.5 acres.  

I've been told that as long as the horses are getting exercised daily, this shouldn't be a problem.  Well, for as much time as she spends on writing her blog and posting on Facebook, when exactly do these horses get their exercise?  

Even with two people, that's an entire day needed just for exercising. This doesn't include feeding, grooming and cleaning stalls.... oh, but wait, they don't clean up after their horses.  Look for yourself.....

These photo's were taken at the end Sept 2013, long after the rain had come, yet the mud and puddles remain.  This was taken the same day that Animal Services visited them about a complaint of a horse with an injured leg.  

This is acceptable to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office- Animal Services. 

FOUR YEARS of horse manure, built up, packed in and this what the horses eat off of when they're fed.  

You would think water would not be left standing so long due to the sand.  But years of build of the feces causes the water to make long standing puddles. Just think of the mosquito problem they must have... not to mention the smell. 

Notice the tree bark eaten off the trees?  Horses are tied to these trees and are left there for days.  

Everywhere you look... manure, manure, manure.  

How often do you think this pony gets out?  Weekend pony rides? He does look well cared for in his cramped quarters.  

How many hazards have you seen so far?  
The fact there is so much feces and standing water due to the amount of rain Florida gets, thrush could become a serious problem.  

The following photo's were taken in July 2013 after the rains.  Notice how the surrounding areas are dry?

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          Now, let's look at some of the horses....  

LADY

This is Lady.  Lady had a knee injury that required surgery and needed to be kept confined for 90 days while she healed.  She didn't get a private stall... instead, she was turned out with the other horses.  

Dinelle also claimed that the original owner was going to euthanize her.  THIS IS NOT TRUE.  He NEVER said he was going to euthanize her.  

In fact, when he found out that this was being said, he demanded the horse back.  This is when Lady mysteriously disappeared.  The whereabouts of Lady is still unknown.  

I think it's important to point out that they DON'T have stalls.  They do have pens.  And they currently have 6 full sized horses in one 100x75 ft pen.  

WHERE IS LADY NOW?

This was Lady before Domino Effect 

Lady arrives at Domino Effect... Doesn't look like she's getting the stall rest they promised. 

This is Lady AFTER Domino Effect... thin and sun bleached. They claim the vet said to make her drop weight. Does she look overweight to you in the above photos?  NO. 





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RIP JUSTICE

Let's take a look at Justice aka Capone... 

Justice was neglected long before he got to Domino Effect, but he had found an angel that was nursing him back to health prior to going to DERR.  

He had gained 150 pounds and was looking good.  

Here's a video- 

After he arrived at DERR he declined rapidly. losing 100 lbs in just ten days.  Improper feeding caused serious internal injuries and he had to be euthanized.  

Of course, as you hear Dinelle tell the story, she blames a poisonous ragweed that he had consumed prior to arriving at DERR.  It was confirmed with a vet that had he eaten the poisonous weed prior to entering DERR, he would not have gained weight, (which he did gain 150 lbs).  

The DERR vet refused to perform a necropsy on the horse.  Not sure if it was at the urging of DERR to not have a necropsy done or if the vet just didn't care enough to know the truth... maybe it was both.  

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MAGGIE

Here's a video of Maggie.  She was being loaded by Bob Ashcraft of Domino Effect Rescue Ranch.  He had blindfolded her with a feed bag claiming "this is how you load a skittish horse."  

She got away from him and ran through a barbed wire fence which resulted in HUNDREDS of stitches.  

Bob's handy dandy work.... poor Maggie

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See Bob ride.... or not

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They currently have 6 full sized horses in 100x75 ft pen and nothing but sand.  Can you say colic?  

Speaking of colic.... they've lost a few horses to this ailment.  Yet, they continue to blame others instead of taking responsibility for the conditions in which they feed and keep these horses.  

RIP Shia- victim of poor feeding habits resulting in colic.  She's one of 3 who have suffered this painful death (that we know of). 

This is a photo of Shia the day before she died. 

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For more reading, check out these articles-

Three Dead horses in 6 weeks 

Horse Charity Trouble for Domino Effect 

Blindfolded horse tragedy sparks investigation of Domino Effect Rescue Ranch in Florida

Domino Effect ranch refusing to return horses to Plant City farm 

Domino Effect sparks ethics investigation of county employee 

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I didn't realize they were rescuing under their non profit and then transferring to their profit business- RDA Equine Services

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What do they do with the horses when they die?  

They bury them!!!

They do it in plain sight too... kind of....   

Did they use Lyme?  How deep were those holes dug?  

And here's a burial of another horse.  Is that a washer and dryer?  This must be right by the house.  

So, if the horses are buried in various places around the property, how do they prevent foot traffic from crossing over them?  25+ horses is a lot of feet.

  

Now you tell me... 

1. there is 1.5 acres 

2. about 25+ horses 

3. water floods parts of the property... home,       
    structures and pens use up more space (which brings
      available space for the horses down considerably)
4. at least 6 have died and some were buried (not just in
      one place, but scattered)
Then how do they keep the horses, people and children off of the graves?

So, for those of you that are following along, below is a little visual aid that will put things into perspective. 

Yes, there's a map 

(which will also help the slower ones catch up)

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We ask that anyone who has witnessed things, first hand, to please come forward (good or bad).  

Witness testimony- (names are left off the blog to protect the eyewitnesses, but can and will be called upon if necessary in court) 

Witness 1