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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Subject:</B> Eye Dog
Foundation investigated<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
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<P>This organization is not currently operating as a guide dog training program
and the lives of the dogs are in danger because of the disorganization and
neglect that the organization'<WBR>s current administration is causing. <BR>In
addition, any funds that this non-profit, tax-exempt organization are collecting
are going toward suspect purposes and donors deserve to know this. <BR><BR>Click
on this link for the story and for a link to a video version of it. The
print-friendly version of the story-text is pasted below the link. <BR><BR><A
href="http://www.abc15.com/content/news/investigators/story.aspx?content_id=1c901007-c4ff-4802-a144-ed00ccc4b7c8">http://www.abc15.<WBR>com/content/<WBR>news/investigato<WBR>rs/story.<WBR>aspx?content_<WBR>id=1c901007-<WBR>c4ff-4802-<WBR>a144-ed00ccc4b7c<WBR>8</A><BR><BR>Custody
battle erupts over seeing eye dogs in Phoenix<BR><BR>Reported by:<BR>Josh
Bernstein<BR><BR>Email:<BR><A
href="mailto:jbernstein%40abc15.com">jbernstein@abc15.<WBR>com</A><BR><BR>Produced
by: Dan Siegel<BR>Last Update: 10:04 am<BR><BR>A custody battle is brewing over
25 "service dogs in training" in the Phoenix area.<BR><BR>The future service
animals are owned by the Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind, a California-based
non-profit group that operates a training center in Phoenix.<BR><BR>But a large
group of volunteers, foster families that agreed to help raise the dogs, are
refusing to return them.<BR><BR>"I couldn't feel comfortable handing this dog
back to a foundation that is not functioning and feel good about it," Diana
Anderson said.<BR><BR>Anderson and 24 other volunteers entered into agreements
with the foundation to provide the dogs a home and bring them to training
sessions at the foundation's<BR>facility in South Phoenix.<BR><BR>The goal of
the foundation is to train the dogs and then place them with the
blind.<BR><BR>But volunteers like Eldon Ploetz say the foundation is in
shambles, that dogs are not receiving the necessary training, and they claim not
a single dog<BR>has been placed with a blind person in more than a
year.<BR><BR>Ploetz and his wife have helped raise and foster Kiesha, a German
shepherd.<BR><BR>In late September, Ploetz received a letter from the Eye Dog
Foundation's attorney stating, "DEMAND IS HEREBY MADE that you immediately
return Kiesha to<BR>the Foundation."<BR><BR>The letter continues, "I understand
that you have breached at least two parts of this Agreement. You have not
followed the instructions of the staff, and<BR>you have not attended all the
Training Classes."<BR><BR>Other volunteers received similar letters.<BR><BR>But
the volunteers claim the trainers are not properly certified, and the ones that
have been hired have not stayed on with the foundation.<BR><BR>Additionally,
they say the Foundation had been shut down for weeks and they have neglected the
dogs.<BR><BR>"We understand they cut off the food for the dogs that were in the
kennel," Ploetz said.<BR><BR>Ploetz's wife said she would rather go to jail than
give the Kiesha back to the foundation.<BR><BR>"They are valid concerns," said
Dacoda Whittemore, a former operations manager who worked at the foundation's
training facility for only a week.<BR><BR>Whittemore said the dogs are
"absolutely" receiving better care with the foster families, "not just because
the management isn't functioning properly, but<BR>there’s no staff qualified on
the foundation at this point to be able to take and care for these dogs
properly."<BR><BR>Dexter Morin, a former trainer at the facility agreed with
Whittemore, submitting his resignation earlier this month.<BR><BR>Before
leaving, Morin turned over several dogs to the foster families rather than
leaving them at the training facility alone.<BR><BR>In his resignation letter,
Morin wrote, "I contacted the puppy raisers to inform them of my concerns of
leaving the dogs on the premises without the guarantee<BR>that they would be
attended to."<BR><BR>Morin goes on to state, "I in good conscience turned them
over to the puppy raisers for the safe keeping of the dogs."<BR><BR>The Eye Dog
Foundation and its attorney have declined our repeated requests for an on-camera
interview.<BR><BR>In a statement to ABC15, the Foundation's attorney, John D.
Clark, wrote, "The contract clearly states that each of the dogs belong to the
Foundation, and<BR>gives no ownership rights whatsoever to any of the puppy
raisers."<BR><BR>The letter goes on to state that "the Foundation directed each
of the puppy raisers in writing to return the Foundation's puppies to the
Foundation within<BR>five days. It now appears that the puppy raises are
refusing to comply with the Foundation's directive."<BR><BR>Let us know what you
think. Please post your comments below.<BR><BR>Statement from attorney on behalf
of the Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind<BR>The Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind
is a non-profit California corporation that was established as the name
suggests, to provide guide dogs for the blind.<BR>It is authorized to operate in
Arizona.<BR><BR>The Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind owns more than 25 puppies
that were placed under bailment contracts with parties who were to raise the
puppies, i.e.,<BR>puppy raisers.<BR><BR>Each of the Contracts clearly states
that each of the dogs belong to the Foundation, and gives no ownership rights
whatsoever to any of the puppy raisers.<BR>The puppy raisers merely had the
right to raise these puppies.<BR><BR>The Contract also stipulates that the puppy
raisers were required to comply with the Foundation’s directives regarding the
puppies.<BR><BR>Last week, the Foundation directed each of the puppy raisers in
writing to return the Foundation’s puppies to the Foundation within five
days.<BR><BR>It now appears that the puppy raisers are refusing to comply with
the Foundation’s directive to return the Foundation’s puppies.<BR><BR>The puppy
raisers are apparently attempting to raise a number of specious issues to divert
attention away from their clear breaches of the bailment contracts.<BR>None of
these issues give the puppy raisers the right to deprive the Foundation of its
puppies, which the puppy raisers are apparently attempting to do.<BR>Copyright
2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. <BR><BR>Scripps<BR>Scripps TV Station Group<BR>© 2008
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