on april 27th, i wrote of a very disturbing situation that is still ongoing, btw.
a "child" was lost - then found and now that "child" with four legs is at the center of a HUGE furor.
piper, a 7 yr old 5 yr old champion shetland sheepdog, got loose during a stay at a friend's house during easter weekend while her owner was at the sheltie nationals in st louis, missouri.
a shelter in a different county from where she was being cared for, franklin county, ended up with piper.
piper was microchipped and the contact number was recorded and called by the franklin county in possession of piper... but no one answered - after all, it was the weekend of a major holiday. the shelter never called the contact information again (all confirmed on the franklin county shelter intake sheet showing ONE attempted call on friday afternoon of easter weekend with no followup call made again).
THIS is piper - Ch. Legacies Pipe Dream
and here she is with her friends!
she's the delicate thing in the middle!
monday morning, piper WITH the microchip information recorded on the release form from the shelter) was turned over to central ohio sheltie rescue run by and controlled by one individual, penny g. sanderbeck sanderbeck describes COSR (central ohio sheltie rescue, inc) as follows on zoominfo (cached page, as her website is now deleted along with her facebook profile):
As part of our dedication to the welfare of dogs, Central Ohio Sheltie Rescue frequently assists with the recovery of lost dogs throughout the nation. Through our 100+ recoveries, we have become very experienced and knowledgeable regarding successful lost dog recovery. We provide guidance and assistance for lost dog searches for all dog breeds, and we have a strong network to share lost dog information. Have a lost dog and need help, Call us (614) 578-0921
Our experience with lost dog recovery has allowed us to accumulate several helpful procedures to aid dog recovery. Our best resource on lost dog recovery is our �How to Find a Lost Sheltie� booklet. The booklets are available for $2.00 (which is a considerable value for the piece of mind and information) by emailing CenOHSheltieResc@aol.com. Over 2,000 of the booklets have been distributed to dog owners all over the world, and we receive numerous emails monthly praising the advice and tips in the booklet.
1. Do not hesitate to contact search volunteers. The first couple hours of a dog search are critical and by waiting just one hour, the dog could easily travel several miles. As soon as the dog is discovered missing, contact volunteers to assist with the search. Our experience has proven that the time it takes for the owner to seek assistance is one of the largest determinates of when/if the dog is recovered.
2. Search the immediate area on foot and in vehicle.
3. Hang big signs�.not flyers�.in the area dog was last seen. Use color photos! Make them large enough to read from the car (at least 16 x 22) � if you can�t see them, no one else can either. Use a cell number or other number that someone can respond from immediately when called. Note the size of the posters above. The posters must be large enough to be seen from far distances. Weatherproof Signs or change them after rainstorms.
4. Hand out flyers to everyone you see and ask businesses in the area to hang flyers in windows. People take a stronger interest in locating your dog when they are given a flyer and are more likely to contact you.
5. Run an ad in the local papers. Give a detailed description of your dog and offer a reward.
6. Call the dog warden, police, shelters, humane societies, vets in the area, emergency veterinarians, dead animal pick up or Dept. of Transportation, local Lost-a-Pet volunteers (Mary Jane Stockdale for Franklin County 614-471-7397), breed rescues and mixed breed rescues. Post your information to local lost-a-pet web sites (such as Pet FBI at www.petfbi.com).
7. Visit the shelters (remember the private ones as well) every other day. Most shelters only hold dogs for three days before the dogs can be adopted by the public. Don�t rely on someone else to recognize your dog. Your description of the dog is generally hard to match, and animal shelter employees receive numerous demands for their time daily.
8. Search any wooded areas, creek beds, culverts, parks, etc. where the dog could be hiding. Understand that your dog is scared and confused, and he may not respond to you. Be prepared to use food, safe animal traps, slip leashes, and fencing to capture your dog.
9. Expand your coverage area by one mile per day in all directions for every day the pet is gone. Move signs, hand out flyers, make calls, etc.
Be DILIGENT�the dog�s life may depend on it.
Contact CenOhSheltieResc@aol.com� for more information, consultation, or to order �How to Find a Lost Sheltie� booklet .
Lost/Found Dog Listings on Our Site
We will list lost and found dogs (regardless of breed) from the Central Ohio area on our website to help get the dogs back where they belong. Our policy is to assist you in your search, not do it for you. So that the listings remain current and meaningful, we will request an update every 2 weeks or the listing will be removed. To request a listing or update a current one, please e-mail request/update information to webmaster@centralohiosheltierescue.org . Any listings placed on our site will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors.
Click Here to View Lost & Found Listings
please make special note of this paragraph above!
As part of our dedication to the welfare of dogs, Central Ohio Sheltie Rescue frequently assists with the recovery of lost dogs throughout the nation. Through our 100+ recoveries, we have become very experienced and knowledgeable regarding successful lost dog recovery. We provide guidance and assistance for lost dog searches for all dog breeds, and we have a strong network to share lost dog information. Have a lost dog and need help, Call us (614) 578-0921
the following day, the family from whose yard piper got loose AND the owner (who had just returned to town) along with others searching on the owner's behalf FINALLY found where piper was located and called sanderbeck expecting to pick piper up for a joyful reunion.
what has happened next is difficult to comprehend on any level.
please come below to see what happened and is STILL ongoing...
yesterday, the cosr website resurfaced with a "public statement" offered by her attorney - one filled with discrepancies and misstatements of fact (as copied to yesterday's diary here.)
cosr (central ohio sheltie rescue) run by penny sanderbeck, refused to return the owner's calls even after receiving massive documentation proving ownership by veronica covatch (and co-owned by michele wilson). sanderbeck claimed on the COSR facebook page that she needed time to determine the true owner since six people had called her regarding this dog..
covatch's friends (NOT six different people trying to claim piper) had called to verify that covatch was the legitimate owner and explained to sanderbeck why piper had been in ohio instead of the home state of pennsylvania (covatch was at the national shetland sheepdog specialty show).
still, sanderbeck refused to contact covatch despite receiving multiple emails showing proof that covatch was the owner. covatch offered to even pay for a dna test to prove piper is her dog - she has still piper's dam but sanderbeck stated she needed "time" to sort out the real owner via the cosr facebook page but because of personal issues and since people said bad things about her, this was not a priority. sanderbeck ALSO stated SHE had decided to place the dog in foster since that would be "best" for the dog.
covatch received a message from sanderbeck (not a phone call) that "a line had been crossed" (because total strangers were criticizing sanderbeck) and piper would not be returned and sanderbeck was "done". sanderbeck then deleted the cosr facebook page and website. however, i was able to take screenshots of the original sanderbeck statement regarding this dog prior to the facebook page being removed and messages via facebook stating she will not return piper to covatch have also also preserved. those screenshots have been provided to covatch. that statement made by cosr is also in the first diary on this topic.
several reputable rescue organizations got involved to try to mediate the situation after
the internet exploded with dog lovers and owners concerned and outraged as the story spread via facebook and this site. breeders, legitimate rescue organizations, dog owners all were furious that sanderbeck when she claimed (through the cosr facebook page posted that she would not return piper because she had determined "it" would be better off in a different home) - all without ever talking to covatch and after receiving full documentation of ownership. yet, everyone held back commenting to let the mediation work.
during this time, sanderbeck alleged that her home had been broken into and she felt "threatened" by those asking for piper to be returned. the mediators asked that negative posts be removed from the internet to try to give them a chance to bring piper home.
everyone involved backed away for nine days in hopes that a resolution to bring piper home would be found. that is when i agreed to temporarily unpublish my first diary (one that resulted in multiple raging facebook messages demanding i take it down and a kossack with only one other comment since 2008 being banned for trying to "out" me for writing it). my agreement was that should piper not be returned, the diary would be restored. that diary has now been updated and republished will all the original comments intact.
sanderbeck has refused to neotiate despite to the multiple offers made to her to resolve this situation. the honest rescue representives valiant attempt to mediate and resolve this standoff failed, despite the pleas from ALL parties that sanderbeck's obstinance is harming the very concept of "rescue".
the mediators walked away after 80 hours of work after TRYING to get sanderbeck to negotiate without success. she refused to respond. according to the information published by the chief negotiator, sanderbeck was offered a free security system for her home, all expenses involved in "rescuing" piper and any associated costs paid to her, plus, a fundraiser for her rescue organization with publicity and acknowledgement for reuniting the lost piper with her owner - and still, she won't back down. even i offered to publish her response uneditted and without comment on this site.
sanderbeck claims that piper is "legally" hers. no one currently knows where this dog has been placed or the status of her health or if she is even still alive. the owner is grieving, American Shetland Sheepdog Association and other national rescue organizations have disassociated themselves from cosr and delisted her organization. sanderbeck's argument has serious flaws legally (fortunately, i am not the only person taking screenshots of the discrepancies in statements made by sanderbeck and her attorney.)
as more people come forward, even the very legitimacy of cosr and sanderbeck's "organization" is in question. in late 2012 (according to sanderbeck's linkedin profile), the board dissolved COSR and it is now being operated solely by sanderbeck.
also, we have, as yet, been unable to find ANY IRS for 990 on record - and that search will continue through the FOIA.
Question:
I work for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Are its financial statements available for public viewing -- especially regarding management salaries?
Answer:
Indeed. Nonprofits are required to submit their financial statements and other information -- including the salaries of directors, officers, and key employees -- to the IRS. (For information on who is considered a key employee, see IRS Form 990 and its instructions.)
The IRS and nonprofits themselves are required to disclose the information on Form 990 to anyone who asks. Nonprofits must allow public inspection of these records during regular business hours at their principal offices. However, many people won't even need to ask -- a number of websites make Forms 990 available for the searching, including the Foundation Center at http://fdncenter.org and GuideStar at www.guidestar.org.
former board members stated that the two other members listed on the "current" board have been inactive since 2008 - a direct violation of the 501c3 requirements. and, there are no filings with the irs as to the status of this organization - despite requirements to do so.
now, lawyers are involved - some donors are refusing to give to ANY rescue and the battle is raging again. i am personally worried for the impact this will have on the good and honest rescue organzations that work diligently to reunite lost pets and have done wonderful work in placing dogs in need. those legitimate rescues are worried, as well.
i had HOPED this update would be that veronica covatch had her dog home safe with her and not adopted out to some perfect stranger who has no idea of the firestorm stepped into. however, that was not to be, not yet, anyway.
now for the legal issues.
sanderbeck knew when she picked piper up that there was an identifying microchip and made no attempt to locate the legal owner. the shelter, under ohio revised state code 955.16, (2) states that a dog with identification MUST be held 14 days if registered and listed with the county. without contacting the information on that microchip, the county could not and did not know whether or not the dog was registered within that county or any other. indeed, piper is licensed permanently in pennsylvania - making this NOT just a state issue, but one of "stolen" property across state lines!
furthermore, on the franklin county website under "finding a lost pet" - the website has actually published the following information (thereby recognizing the legitimacy of microchips in locating a lost animal):
subsequent to obtaining piper, sanderbeck was given paperwork proving the identity of the owner, veronica covatch and had deliberately kept piper from covatch. sanderbeck was notified within 24 hours of taking possession of piper by covatch... not weeks or months later - but 24 hours after sanderbeck took possession and 4 days after piper's escape.
this is where the law gets very interesting.
ohio revised code 955 actually recognized the legitimacy of microchips as identification by requiring animals be microchipped in three specific incidences: one for dangerous animals, one for animals owned by felons and, finally, for exotic animals. ohio code recognizes the legitimate use of microchips in identifying animals.
indeed, franklin county shelter microchips adopted animals, so they, too, recognize microchipping as a means of identifying lost pets. this raises the questions the question of whether or not franklin county shelter added yet ANOTHER microchip to piper.
also, the revised ohio laws were enacted in 2006, prior to the extensive use of microchipping as a means for recovering lost pets, there is ample legal support for microchipping to be considered a means of identification. by calling the number associated with piper's chip, the shelter acknowledged this as a means of identifying this pet. without that identification, the shelter had NO information about where the dog might be licensed - which county, which state - nor who the owner might be. however, the microchip was registered and the information was readily available and linked to veronica covatch.
furthermore, christopher berry wrote this treatise on the laws for recovering lost pets in this treatise Legal Rights and Duties in Lost Pet Disputes (michigan state university college of law) discussing the rights of owner and "finder" of lost pets, as well as the responsibilities of shelters and veterinarians. he discusses "common law" regarding "property" (which the dog is considered) at length. rights of the owner do not simply disappear when a dog is "found" or given over to a rescue.
indeed, in some states, california, south carolina and connecticut, failure to return an animal to the rightful owner is theft. in california, any shelter or rescue who knowingly refuses to return and hides a dog that is microchipped is subject to charges of theft.
so, there is case law and precedent to support veronica covatch's right to recover piper and the "case" to allow forfeiture to sanderbeck appears weak, if not completely indefensible since she had information showing covatch the owner and still is hiding the "property" from the rightful owner. and, also from berry's treatise regarding any lost pet, he states: While criminal actions rest solely within the domain of the state, a true owner wronged by a finder may file a police report and ask the state to pursue a criminal action.
why is this so important? ANY person can have a pet escape - we are told that microchipping is the best way to recover a lost "family member" - yet, if this shelter and this (questionable) "rescue" is allowed to simply "decide" not to return a dog only missing for four days and actively sought by the owner, then there are major flaws in the law that must be remedied!
we are joining with legitimate rescue operations, breeders AND pet lovers of purebred and mixed breed dogs (and cats and ANY pet) to push for stronger regulation of the outlier "rescue" groups that are damaging the reputations of those who care animals in need.
microchipping MUST be codified to ensure that owners like covatch don't have their beloved pets stolen (many times, for financial gain as rescued purebreds have an "adoption fee" of $350 and much higher!)
we also are going to work to ensure states like ohio require more than a letter of continuation for 501c3 organizations to ensure their legitimacy and that the state require notification for changes in the board of directors of ALL nonprofits when filing for continuation. we are also asking for stronger assurances that all filings are made to the IRS (specifically form 990) for any contributions or donations or costs associated with the placement of any animal received and that all records of those transactions that are supposed to be open are, indeed available.
one final note on this - the franklin county shelter has not answered its telephone during business hours for two weekends now raising yet another problematic question regarding the release of a dog with a microchip (piper). after placing a call on a friday to the listed number associated with the microchip that held the records of the owner, by not answering phones at that shelter, how was turning over piper on monday legal?
we want to see individual states also clarify the laws pertaining to procedures for both animal shelters as well as rescue organizations clearly regulated to prevent this type of event from occurring again.
one further step we will be seeking is to have the u.s. department of agriculture (which passed new regulations aimed toward hobbling dog fancy breeders to ALSO enact regulations about standards required for rescue operations (this is a topic for another day, however). no legitimate rescue organization would object to ensuring proper handling of dogs coming into their care. a number of rescue organizations have already agreed to come onboard with these efforts.
these new regulations will also help prevent animal hoarding under the guise of "rescue" and help protect those animals most in need.
i'll be writing much more about this as we get underway - but first, we want to bring piper home! for anyone wanting to join the facebook group - go here and ask - we welcome your input and look forward to having your help!
and, if you would like to sign a petition in support of veronica covatch and piper, go to this site....
if you would like to help with the legal expenses now that this appears to be headed into a court of law), you can go here... veronica covatch has put up a gofundme page at the urging of many of us who want to help right this injustice and bring piper home!
i'll have contact numbers to call on later this week to contact the commissioners in charge of the franklin county shelter and for the ohio dept of agriculture to ask them to recover piper, as well as the number for the ohio agriculture department, which is the regulatory agency for rescue organizations in the state.
there is much to do to make sure this little girl comes home!
we won't abandon you, piper!