Complaint Review: Paula Shepard

That's interesting considering what I was told by mental health- a completely different story. Be that as it may or may not be...the facts still stand -you A) obviously don't have your life or your behavior pulled together, B) you didn't follow your agreements at all and all but walked away from this dog for almost a year leaving the total responsibility on me and C) obviously thought you could use me and have it all work out. Think again, I dont take too well to people attempting to use me and violating their agreements.

 Yep, I can say bipolar, I make no secret of the fact that I deal with bipolar which is depression just like you have plus another part. But I also have had it under control for years now, enough so that I can raise two kids and maintain several animals alone (yes, without having someone else to take over my responsibilities), have maintained my home and property paying all my own bills (and bills that were rightfully yours too for the last year) for years and years, became a recognized service dog specialist among other accomplishments. It also allows me to guage with an experience others lack, what is actually unavoidable disability related behavior and what is actually just lack of character and/or caring- you can't bullcrap me on that score like you can people who lack actual experience living with it in a personal way. It also means that I dont judge someone based solely on some pre conceived notion based on the fact they have a mental issue like many people can and will do.

 Ok, so say you only have simple depression, that you are actually being truthful....I have alot more then that to deal with and STILL manage to be a decent, productive human being and see to my responsibilities and follow my agreements. Why do you think mental health called ME to see if I would be willing to assist them with this problem- I didn't call them. Depression has never stopped me from caring for and about my kids or my animals, it has never stopped me from taking complete responsibility for them either. Your claims of I was depressed holds no water with me when it comes to stuff like thisI have been there in intimate detail, bought several t shirts. In the end the fact still stands that you are unwilling/unable to do what you needed to do- not based on a pre conceived notion but based on your *actual* actions and behavior. That is a nightmare situation for any living being who has to depend on you- whether or not it is your fault, that being still has their needs not being met. Telling them its not your fault doesnt put food in their bellies or roofs over their heads. I am not sending an innocent off to live that nightmare. And I think this is what has you the most riled, I dont fall for feel sorry for me it wasnt my fault card.

I have thought about this issue extensively, I don't take such actions lightly at all. In a years time I am positive you had more then $5 to your name that could have helped out with Guido. You had access to a phone more then once every 3-4 months. If you REALLY cared about this dog, saw him as your lifeline, you would have shown more of an interest, you would have managed more then $5 to see to his care.

If this situation was recoverable at all to start with, you blew it with your threatening and illegal actions. Guido doesnt even know you anymore, he greeted you like he greeted the sheriffs that came to deal with your crap that he has never met before and that is your doing as well.

You arent the only one who is having a hard time financially or mentally- a lot of us are in this economy. Celia, do you really think I have to STEAL dogs to have dogs? Laughs, I have people offering to GIVE me dogs for free all the time of all shapes and sizes, especially nowadays. The problem here is not that I am a thief, its that you are a flake. Being a flake works when youre talking about a computer or a tv, it does not work when you are talking about a living breathing being with feelings.

You really need to go and see to your own life and leave me and mine alone. While at one time Guido WAS your dog briefly when he was a pup, you essentially walked away from him for all intent and purposes and abdicated responsibility with your actions if not your words, he is no longer your dog and hasnt been your dog for a long while now. You might as well have dropped him off on a street corner for all the care and consideration you have given him over the last year. I have spent the last year paying MY money for his needs to be met, my family has spent hours upon hours of OUR time to care for and train him. The owner of an animal is the person who ultimately pays for their care and upkeep and takes responsibility for all things pertaining to them- and it cost more then $200 btw. I believe that would be me and my family that did that, not you. Everyone who hears about what happened, sheriffs included agrees that Guido was abandoned and that I am the rightful owner now. The only one that fails to recognize that is you and yours.

Believe me when I tell you that you are walking a thin line with the sheriffs, they are rather irritated with your continuing behavior, and I get the distinct feeling the way they talk that they would just love to catch you or one of your people in the vicinity of my home and put an end to all of it.

In any case I am done speaking to and dealing with you, I have other things I need to be doing.

Can you say bipolar, Paula! I take meds for depression Paula-thats all.My housing situation had Nothing to do with mental illness,it had Everything to do with losing  my JOB. Please get your FACTS correct before posting your own wishes.Guido is my dog-Get your own yorkie ,you thief

How interesting your half fairy tale is. The facts are that Celia is mentally ill and became homeless due to her mental illness and mental health called and asked me if I would be willing to take this dog on as she didnt have the money a boarding establishment would charge and the only other place the dog could go was the pound because they know I am a private service dog trainer. She also made an agreement to pay for the puppy's actual costs, she agreed that I would keep the dog for a couple (2-3) months, she told me how dearly bonded she was to this dog. I told her that the cat could remain in the house for about a week but then it would have to become an outdoor cat as I couldnt have it in the house and I couldnt be responsible if it ran off (as she had told me the cat was rather spooky in nature), she agreed to this too. The cat did pretty much run off the second it got outside like I feared.

 What happened was I had the dog for almost a year, she called about 4 times in that whole year about a dog that she supposedly was deeply attached to, she sent a total of $5 to pay for the dogs costs over the course of the year a couple weeks after she brought him. What she took to be unfriendliness is that I was working on something pretty intensely each time she called, hyperfocusing, I am not one to sit totally idle very often. If further on down I seemed a bit tense and unfriendlywell that might have something to do with her not living up to the agreement or her responsibilities. She dropped him off and essentially washed her hands of him save the occasional phone call.

THEN she shows up at my house suddenly after all this time not hearing from her, without any prior notice and asks to be let into the house to visit with guido, I let her in to visit with the dog as she stated, and she picks up the dog and announces she is taking him. I objected then she dug around in her purse and offered me $200 which I declined. Money matters nothing to me when it comes to an animals safety. I and the children DID block the doors and I would NOT let her out with the dog, she threatened both children and assaulted my 13 year old daughter (as stated in police report with pictures they took). Celia physically assaulted me for the 5th or 6th time trying to force me from my door and my daughter took that opportunity to pull the dog from her and run and lock herself in my bathroom.My daughter bravely rescued the dog from her anyway after she handed the phone to me which had a 911 operator listening to everything that occured.

Celia initially refused to leave but then did so before the police arrived. Celia again showed up a couple weeks later with two large men standing there to intimidate me. I am a single women with minor children out in the country alone. When I realized it was her and saw the men I DID slam the door shut as she tried to force her way in. She then went around my house to try to get in through other doors. I again called the police. When they saw me on the phone they left. The sherriff called me later to tell me he had intercepted them on their way out of the area, stopped them, and told me that he had told them that they were NOT to be anywhere near my property again, to leave me alone and told me that if they did and they were caught, he would be happy to level assault and battery on a minor against her and that he had told them that if they wished to dispute this that Celia could do so in court. Still they have been seen driving back and forth on the roads in front of and around my property.

 I am more then willing to go to court on this and have a judge make a decision...no problem, but I have yet to be served with any papers and it has been about 2 months since she last was here- plenty of time.

 The fact is, if she were all that attached to him she would have called more then once every 2-3 months with her sole mention of him being- so how is guido?. She couldnt have cared all that much about the dog or she would have checked in on him more often, or tried to visit with him at the very least.

As evidenced by her actions in thinking she could suddenly show up to my home, get in under false pretenses, to basically TAKE the dog by force (which was obviously her plan from the beginning)she is still not mentally well enough to operate rationally and within the confines of reality. Then she thinks she is going to bully and intimidate me with bringing two men onto my property to threaten me. Since she obviously is not doing well mentally, and has already shown she cant manage to take care of herself and certainly has no driving interest in seeing to Guidos needs until it happens to suit herwhat will happen to Guido the NEXT time she does something irrational and loses her place to live or gets herself thrown in jail as she is perilously close to now. Hes not a cute little puppy anymore like he was. Where will GUIDO end up and what kind of a life will he have? At least he is loved and cared for in a stable home here where he belongs to a pack.

 I took Guido in good faith that she would follow her agreements and see to her responsibilities when he was an untrained puppy. We have paid for all but $5 of his wants and needs the entire time. He didnt get the crap food that she would have me feed him but the high quality food my dogs eat, we saw to all his grooming needs as he is a long haired dog, veterinary needs, toys, chewies. We socialized and trained him from the bottom up. He sleeps with my children every night..trotting after them as they head to their beds.

Now it would have been a whole lot different had she seen to her responsibilities, has she shown a true and urgent interest in Guido all the way along, had she done a little more then $5 the whole time. But as it stands, the agreement was for 2-3 months with her paying his actual care costs. At the 4 month mark I could legally consider him abandoned and her to have breeched the agreement. At that point he became mine to do with as I wish and no longer hers- I could have placed him out elsewhere.

If she wishes to dispute that then she can actually file in court rather then just talking about it. I refrained from doing the bodily damage to her I could have done when she was assaulting myself and my children in our home rather then doing the minimum to ward her off. I did so and so did my minor children because we fully understand she is obviously significantly mentally compromised. But that is the limit of my tolerance for her behavior.

I doubt seriously the mental health people want to mess with this, theyve only apologized to me on several occasions that they got me into this by calling and asking me to take him in the first place and then you flaked on me and Guido both. But hey if they want to come great, the more the merrier. And by the way, when you initially brought Guido, I had no other fosters in my homeI simply said from time to time I will take a rescue in who needs me. Also I could sue you right now for slanderyoud better watch your step. My patience has its limits.