Found an adorable puppy through a posting on Adoptapet.com by Lucky Dog Foundation. Lucky Dog Foundation claimed to be a non-profit animal rescue organization. I made arrangements to meet Maggie from the Lucky Dog Foundation at a Starbucks in Cerritos, Ca to meet the little puppy. I was asked to make a donation of $475 and I added and extra $30 with the promise of receiving 2 receipts for the "charitable" donation. I was told the $475 included a refundable $75 deposit to get the dog spayed. Per the contract I was given, the deposit would be returned after I provided evidence that the dog was spayed.
I was also given a non-descript piece of paper as evidence of immunizations and was given a certificate that provided one month's wourth of vetrinary services through VCA Hospitals.
Since the adoption, I discoverd my adorable puppy had parisites and worms. VCA Hospitals had never seen the certificate for free services before and is researching its validity. Lucky Dog Foundation has refused to respond to my emails requesting the refund of my spay deposit despite my timely submission of the receipt. Lucky Dog Foundation has also refused to respond to my request for the charitable donation receipts.
I have since performed some research and discovered a number of people who have reported similar issues, specifically problems with the validity of the VCA Hospital Certificate and a failure to get their spay/neuter deposit refunded. I have also searched IRS to determine if they were really a charitable organization and discovered that they are not listed as one. I researched Los Angeles and Organge County Ficticious Names and found no record of them.
I adopted a female GSD (German Shepherd Dog) from Lucky Dog Foundation at a Starbucks in Brea in April of 2014. I paid a $400.00 donation and a $75.00 deposit for spay. I was told that the spay fee was included in the donation if I went to a Vet they had on their list.
They did not give me this list. I had until she was months old to get her fixed. Every vet I talked to would not do the procrdure that young. I asked for the list of their providers to get the job done. I emailed 4 times I called 3 times. No email and no calls were returned.
When I met with the Lucky Dog rep, I told her about my vet and she told me that AAA Animal Hospital in Huntingting Beach was on their list. When I took Xena for her check up, a day or 2 after I got her they had never heard of them, they also called and no calls were returned.
I found their Facebook page and posted to the page. I was chastised for posting a not so friendly (Not mean, just not flattering) on their page. "This is not the forum for this type conversation" I posted back to the page you never return call or emails, what else can I do?
Both posts were deleted. All I was trying to do was comply with the contract. I allowed another month to pass. She was now almost 6 months old. Again neither calls nor emails were returned. I posted to their Facebook page again and was again chewed out for using the page. The comments were deleted and I was blocked from the page.
Xena is now 11 months old and has severe hip dysplasia. This could have been seen had they screened the puppies prior to giving them to adoptive families. I am devastated and do not have the money to get her hips replaced. I would dissuaed anyone from using either Lucky Dog Foundation or Adopt-a-Pet. Seems once they have your money they are done.
WARNING - FAKE TAX ID- NO MICROCHIP - FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD I just adopted an adorable puppy from Lucky Dog Foundation on 12/28/13. I was told she had shots, was micro-chipped, and even promised a free bag of dog food from Blue Buffalo as she was part of the Home 4 the Holidays animal adoption program. I sent an email to the rescue on the 27th and received a response the next morning and was told that I could come and meet the dog that day - at a Starbucks in Orange County as this rescue has no building but is all foster family based. I paid $475 (typical for rescues) with the promise of $75 refunded after I get her spayed. Well as an experienced dog owner, I knew my dog had parasites because of her feces and the amount of times she had to go and so I took her to the vet. The paperwork that was emailed to me had a shot record (but no vet's name) it even had a microchip number but I had my suspicions and told my vet to scan her for a chip. When none appeared, they offered to x-ray her to be sure as sometimes chips migrate or are "dead" because they were never activated - but hey...no microchip showed up on the x-ray. So I decided to do a little more investigating and went to look up their tax ID number - guess what - that didn't exist either as well as even trying to look up their foundation under non-profits,
I was told that my "donation" was tax-deductible and also told to keep in contact and send pictures - yeah sure like they really care!! I just hope other people read this and refuse to adopt from them. They are on petfinder.com and adopt-a-pet.com...and I am copying the last email I sent to them
.Still awaiting your response as I said I could be at your vet tomorrow. Of course if your foundation is as I have stated you will not follow through.
Please respond.
Sent from Denise's iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Date: January 2, 2014 at 3:40:47 PM PST To: Lucky Dog Foundation Subject: Re: Feedback via the Lucky Dog Foundation Adoption Application [#763]
Ann
I have searched your tax ID on several websites for non-profit status and otherwise. If I am mistaken I apologize in advance, however you can always forward me a copy of your 501(c)3 letter for my files.
Thank you
Sent from Denise's iPhone
On Jan 2, 2014, at 3:04 PM, "Lucky Dog Foundation" wrote:
Denise,
Your dog, as all dogs in our rescue are microchipped before being adopted. If your veterinarian is having an issue reading/locating the microchip then we will need to make arrangements to have a new microchip inserted immediately. Please let us know when you can meet us (within the next 7 business days) at our veterinarian’s office to have it placed.
We advise all adopters have their dogs checked by their veterinarian immediately after adopting. Unfortunately, your dog did not exhibit any signs (even a clean fecal) of parasites, but unfortunately they can be hard to detect, but common in puppies (especially in those who have been in shelter/rescue environments).
The dog you applied for “Polly” is a 6 month old German Shepherd. Based upon your answers to questions on our application, we did not feel she was a fit for your family and had you meet another younger, smaller, female dog in our care. This was also sent to you in a separate email and then one to ask if you would like to meet her.
The tax ID number on the adoption contract is correct. Please make sure ALL terms of the adoption agreement are followed including those pertaining to the spaying of your dog in order to not have the Agreement rescinded and have your deposit refunded.
Regards,
Ann Cho
Director
Lucky Dog Foundation
From: Sent: Thursday, January 2, 2014 2:17 PM To: Lucky Dog Subject: Re: Feedback via the Lucky Dog Foundation Adoption Application
Hi Jessica
I'm not sure how to word this email but I'm sure that you already know my puppy was never microchipped. As I am a little different than most of your adopters, I had my puppy checked out right away because she needed treatment for parasites. I asked the vet to scan her which of course revealed no microchip and they even double-checked with an x-ray. I also know that the tax ID number you supplied is also incorrect. I would appreciate a phone call or email back within 24 hours from you or someone that can address these issues from me. Judging by all of this falsification, should I even expect to get back the $75 for getting my dog spayed, the dog that wasn't even the dog pictured?
On Dec 28, 2013, at 12:03 PM, Lucky Dog wrote:
Hi Denise,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We were at our vets office for the microchips. Can we make it 2:30? You will be meeting with me the foster and another volunteer Nancy Roberts. I just googled a location that is close to the freeways and where our earlier appointment is (hopefully easy to find). It's a Starbucks with a large outside seating area. The physical address is 2035 E. Katella, Anaheim. My cell phone number is 562-543-3399.
We will have all of the puppy's paperwork with them so if all goes well at the meet and greet we have the option of finalizing the adoption, allowing the puppy to go home with you.
Our adoption donation is $400 for puppies under the age of 1 year, plus a refundable $75 spay/neuter deposit. This donation is tax deductible as allowed by law and helps to offset the costs that we have incurred for the dog’s care and housing during their stay with our group. Because the minimum Adoption Donation rarely covers the costs associated with each dog, we ask that adopters who are in a position to give additional funds do so at their discretion. It is requested that the adoption donation be in the form of cash, money order or cashier’s check made payable to the Lucky Dog Foundation. Any additional donations and or spay/neuter deposits may be made in the form of cash, personal check and or credit card.
Would you please email me back to confirm today's appointment at 2:30pm?
Thank you, Jessica Hughes
Adoption Coordinator
On Dec 28, 2013, at 10:07 AM, wrote:
Will 1:30 work out. I could probably be there closer to 1 if that helps. I'll be leaving at 12
Sent from iPhone
On Dec 28, 2013, at 9:24 AM, Lucky Dog wrote:
Great! Would around 12pm in Anaheim work for you?
Jessica
On Dec 28, 2013, at 9:13 AM, wrote:
Yes we are in the early afternoon
Sent from iPhone
On Dec 28, 2013, at 9:01 AM, Lucky Dog wrote:
Thank you for your application. Are you available to meet her today?
I would give them negative stars if I could. I, too, had the same experience as everyone else. Lucky Dog lied about my puppy being microchipped and vaccinated. Fake tax ID number. My puppy had worms. No refund upon neutering and fake certificate for VCA hospital for free puppy well visit exam. I am glad to see more warnings about lucky dog foundation on the Internet. When I adopted my puppy 2 years ago, nothing came up for lucky dog foundation to alert me about their dishonest, abhorrent, greedy business. It is very unfortunate that these people are taking advantage and lying to make a profit. Please adopt a pet from the animal shelter instead.
Lucky Dog Foundation - Fraud - No refund of spay deposit
I've recently had a very similar experience to that described by other posters. I wish that I had thought to search Lucky Dog Foundation out. There seems to be a fairly large number of people who have been defrauded. They spin a very good story. I reached out to an adoption web site to get assistance in contacting Lucky Dog Foundation, as Lucky Dog Foundation doesn't seem to reply to requests for refunds. When the adoption website contacted Lucky Dog Foundation, Ann Cho threatened me with libel and threatened to take my dog. I've got everything documented in email. Lucky Dog Foundation was kicked off of Adopt a Pet due to this particular episode.
I too meet Maggie at a Starbucks in Los Alamitos, Ca. She was really smooth. I bought into the story.
I had the vet confirm that the dog was chipped with the correct ID. Thankfully, the dog is healthy.
Too bad this site doesn't offer a negative rating for Lucky Dog Foundation.
After responding to an ad on Petropolis, ie Adopt a Pet, I met "Maggie" at a Starbucks in Cerritos. She brought the puppy and I gave her $400 cash which she said was tax deductible (ha, ha). She said the puppy had all her shots, was fixed and was micro chipped. She told me she would email me the vet records that afternoon. Never heard from her again! Call and emailed several times with no response. Finally gave up and brought the puppy to the vet to find out she had parasites. Sweet puppy, but this website is a scam. Don't know where they are getting these dogs, scary! Do not get a dog from them!!!
Lucky Dog Foundation Reviews
Found an adorable puppy through a posting on Adoptapet.com by Lucky Dog Foundation. Lucky Dog Foundation claimed to be a non-profit animal rescue organization. I made arrangements to meet Maggie from the Lucky Dog Foundation at a Starbucks in Cerritos, Ca to meet the little puppy. I was asked to make a donation of $475 and I added and extra $30 with the promise of receiving 2 receipts for the "charitable" donation. I was told the $475 included a refundable $75 deposit to get the dog spayed. Per the contract I was given, the deposit would be returned after I provided evidence that the dog was spayed.
I was also given a non-descript piece of paper as evidence of immunizations and was given a certificate that provided one month's wourth of vetrinary services through VCA Hospitals.
Since the adoption, I discoverd my adorable puppy had parisites and worms. VCA Hospitals had never seen the certificate for free services before and is researching its validity. Lucky Dog Foundation has refused to respond to my emails requesting the refund of my spay deposit despite my timely submission of the receipt. Lucky Dog Foundation has also refused to respond to my request for the charitable donation receipts.
I have since performed some research and discovered a number of people who have reported similar issues, specifically problems with the validity of the VCA Hospital Certificate and a failure to get their spay/neuter deposit refunded. I have also searched IRS to determine if they were really a charitable organization and discovered that they are not listed as one. I researched Los Angeles and Organge County Ficticious Names and found no record of them.
I adopted a female GSD (German Shepherd Dog) from Lucky Dog Foundation at a Starbucks in Brea in April of 2014. I paid a $400.00 donation and a $75.00 deposit for spay. I was told that the spay fee was included in the donation if I went to a Vet they had on their list.
They did not give me this list. I had until she was months old to get her fixed. Every vet I talked to would not do the procrdure that young. I asked for the list of their providers to get the job done. I emailed 4 times I called 3 times. No email and no calls were returned.
When I met with the Lucky Dog rep, I told her about my vet and she told me that AAA Animal Hospital in Huntingting Beach was on their list. When I took Xena for her check up, a day or 2 after I got her they had never heard of them, they also called and no calls were returned.
I found their Facebook page and posted to the page. I was chastised for posting a not so friendly (Not mean, just not flattering) on their page. "This is not the forum for this type conversation" I posted back to the page you never return call or emails, what else can I do?
Both posts were deleted. All I was trying to do was comply with the contract. I allowed another month to pass. She was now almost 6 months old. Again neither calls nor emails were returned. I posted to their Facebook page again and was again chewed out for using the page. The comments were deleted and I was blocked from the page.
Xena is now 11 months old and has severe hip dysplasia. This could have been seen had they screened the puppies prior to giving them to adoptive families. I am devastated and do not have the money to get her hips replaced. I would dissuaed anyone from using either Lucky Dog Foundation or Adopt-a-Pet. Seems once they have your money they are done.
WARNING - FAKE TAX ID- NO MICROCHIP - FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD I just adopted an adorable puppy from Lucky Dog Foundation on 12/28/13. I was told she had shots, was micro-chipped, and even promised a free bag of dog food from Blue Buffalo as she was part of the Home 4 the Holidays animal adoption program. I sent an email to the rescue on the 27th and received a response the next morning and was told that I could come and meet the dog that day - at a Starbucks in Orange County as this rescue has no building but is all foster family based. I paid $475 (typical for rescues) with the promise of $75 refunded after I get her spayed. Well as an experienced dog owner, I knew my dog had parasites because of her feces and the amount of times she had to go and so I took her to the vet. The paperwork that was emailed to me had a shot record (but no vet's name) it even had a microchip number but I had my suspicions and told my vet to scan her for a chip. When none appeared, they offered to x-ray her to be sure as sometimes chips migrate or are "dead" because they were never activated - but hey...no microchip showed up on the x-ray. So I decided to do a little more investigating and went to look up their tax ID number - guess what - that didn't exist either as well as even trying to look up their foundation under non-profits,
I was told that my "donation" was tax-deductible and also told to keep in contact and send pictures - yeah sure like they really care!! I just hope other people read this and refuse to adopt from them. They are on petfinder.com and adopt-a-pet.com...and I am copying the last email I sent to them
.Still awaiting your response as I said I could be at your vet tomorrow. Of course if your foundation is as I have stated you will not follow through.
Please respond.
Sent from Denise's iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Date: January 2, 2014 at 3:40:47 PM PST To: Lucky Dog Foundation Subject: Re: Feedback via the Lucky Dog Foundation Adoption Application [#763]
Ann
I have searched your tax ID on several websites for non-profit status and otherwise. If I am mistaken I apologize in advance, however you can always forward me a copy of your 501(c)3 letter for my files.
Thank you
Sent from Denise's iPhone
On Jan 2, 2014, at 3:04 PM, "Lucky Dog Foundation" wrote:
Denise,
Your dog, as all dogs in our rescue are microchipped before being adopted. If your veterinarian is having an issue reading/locating the microchip then we will need to make arrangements to have a new microchip inserted immediately. Please let us know when you can meet us (within the next 7 business days) at our veterinarian’s office to have it placed.
We advise all adopters have their dogs checked by their veterinarian immediately after adopting. Unfortunately, your dog did not exhibit any signs (even a clean fecal) of parasites, but unfortunately they can be hard to detect, but common in puppies (especially in those who have been in shelter/rescue environments).
The dog you applied for “Polly” is a 6 month old German Shepherd. Based upon your answers to questions on our application, we did not feel she was a fit for your family and had you meet another younger, smaller, female dog in our care. This was also sent to you in a separate email and then one to ask if you would like to meet her.
The tax ID number on the adoption contract is correct. Please make sure ALL terms of the adoption agreement are followed including those pertaining to the spaying of your dog in order to not have the Agreement rescinded and have your deposit refunded.
Regards,
Ann Cho
Director
Lucky Dog Foundation
From: Sent: Thursday, January 2, 2014 2:17 PM To: Lucky Dog Subject: Re: Feedback via the Lucky Dog Foundation Adoption Application
Hi Jessica
I'm not sure how to word this email but I'm sure that you already know my puppy was never microchipped. As I am a little different than most of your adopters, I had my puppy checked out right away because she needed treatment for parasites. I asked the vet to scan her which of course revealed no microchip and they even double-checked with an x-ray. I also know that the tax ID number you supplied is also incorrect. I would appreciate a phone call or email back within 24 hours from you or someone that can address these issues from me. Judging by all of this falsification, should I even expect to get back the $75 for getting my dog spayed, the dog that wasn't even the dog pictured?
On Dec 28, 2013, at 12:03 PM, Lucky Dog wrote:
Hi Denise,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We were at our vets office for the microchips. Can we make it 2:30? You will be meeting with me the foster and another volunteer Nancy Roberts. I just googled a location that is close to the freeways and where our earlier appointment is (hopefully easy to find). It's a Starbucks with a large outside seating area. The physical address is 2035 E. Katella, Anaheim. My cell phone number is 562-543-3399.
We will have all of the puppy's paperwork with them so if all goes well at the meet and greet we have the option of finalizing the adoption, allowing the puppy to go home with you.
Our adoption donation is $400 for puppies under the age of 1 year, plus a refundable $75 spay/neuter deposit. This donation is tax deductible as allowed by law and helps to offset the costs that we have incurred for the dog’s care and housing during their stay with our group. Because the minimum Adoption Donation rarely covers the costs associated with each dog, we ask that adopters who are in a position to give additional funds do so at their discretion. It is requested that the adoption donation be in the form of cash, money order or cashier’s check made payable to the Lucky Dog Foundation. Any additional donations and or spay/neuter deposits may be made in the form of cash, personal check and or credit card.
Would you please email me back to confirm today's appointment at 2:30pm?
Thank you, Jessica Hughes
Adoption Coordinator
On Dec 28, 2013, at 10:07 AM, wrote:
Will 1:30 work out. I could probably be there closer to 1 if that helps. I'll be leaving at 12
Sent from iPhone
On Dec 28, 2013, at 9:24 AM, Lucky Dog wrote:
Great! Would around 12pm in Anaheim work for you?
Jessica
On Dec 28, 2013, at 9:13 AM, wrote:
Yes we are in the early afternoon
Sent from iPhone
On Dec 28, 2013, at 9:01 AM, Lucky Dog wrote:
Thank you for your application. Are you available to meet her today?
Jessica Hughes
Adoption Coordinator.
Frauds and scam artists
I would give them negative stars if I could. I, too, had the same experience as everyone else. Lucky Dog lied about my puppy being microchipped and vaccinated. Fake tax ID number. My puppy had worms. No refund upon neutering and fake certificate for VCA hospital for free puppy well visit exam. I am glad to see more warnings about lucky dog foundation on the Internet. When I adopted my puppy 2 years ago, nothing came up for lucky dog foundation to alert me about their dishonest, abhorrent, greedy business. It is very unfortunate that these people are taking advantage and lying to make a profit. Please adopt a pet from the animal shelter instead.
Lucky Dog Foundation - Fraud - No refund of spay deposit
I've recently had a very similar experience to that described by other posters. I wish that I had thought to search Lucky Dog Foundation out. There seems to be a fairly large number of people who have been defrauded. They spin a very good story. I reached out to an adoption web site to get assistance in contacting Lucky Dog Foundation, as Lucky Dog Foundation doesn't seem to reply to requests for refunds. When the adoption website contacted Lucky Dog Foundation, Ann Cho threatened me with libel and threatened to take my dog. I've got everything documented in email. Lucky Dog Foundation was kicked off of Adopt a Pet due to this particular episode.
I too meet Maggie at a Starbucks in Los Alamitos, Ca. She was really smooth. I bought into the story.
I had the vet confirm that the dog was chipped with the correct ID. Thankfully, the dog is healthy.
Too bad this site doesn't offer a negative rating for Lucky Dog Foundation.
No Shot Record, The Puppy has Parasites
After responding to an ad on Petropolis, ie Adopt a Pet, I met "Maggie" at a Starbucks in Cerritos. She brought the puppy and I gave her $400 cash which she said was tax deductible (ha, ha). She said the puppy had all her shots, was fixed and was micro chipped. She told me she would email me the vet records that afternoon. Never heard from her again! Call and emailed several times with no response. Finally gave up and brought the puppy to the vet to find out she had parasites. Sweet puppy, but this website is a scam. Don't know where they are getting these dogs, scary! Do not get a dog from them!!!