Complaint Review: Shelley Ruffino - Mesquite Texas

http://www.ripoffreport.com/shelley-ruffino/animal-abuse/mesquite-texas-03b22.htm

I came across your story accidentally looking for a home for sale in my area. I decided to check out Ruffino Farms myself with the address used by them online in Montgomery County, Texas (908 Yellowstone River Rd., 77316). I was shocked to find a poorly kept 2-1 house, with trash outside, dog kennels outside, dogs standing on cages in dog runs and cages behind the house. I took a couple photos with my camera as I drove by. A man was in the driveway (short dirt drive) looking at me angrily. I did not know if any of these reports were true, but my first impression was PUPPY MILL.

Two days ago I drove by again, two weeks later. This time the house was empty, a neighbor said they were evicted, and the neighbor said they ran an illegal dog business out of the house. This young man was a teenager, and I did not press him for answers. He was proud to tell me what he knew, saying he did not know it was illegal, as he thought anyone who sold dogs was a legitimate legal business. I can't confirm they had an illegal business, was a puppy mill, or that they were evicted. THAT IS UP TO THE SHERIFF AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO DETERMINE.

But I can tell you I feel sorry for the DOGS in their possession, and home owners left to clean up that mess. The house and smell of dog urine and dog feces was as strong as I ever smelled before. MUCH OF THE CARPET WAS RIPPED OUT, and the filth inside and out of the house was what resonated in my mind as a FILTHY DOG HOARDER. Maybe that is why they left the front door wide open, to air out the house? I am especially concerned for the dogs.

 By the carpet being ripped out, collapsing floors, strong dog urine and feces smell, trash inside and out, and dogs in/on cages and in dog runs two weeks earlier behind the house (photographed), I truly am concerned for the dogs. That is why I came back, to take more pictures. But they moved out, and I doubt left a forwarding address. But since they advertise so much online, I feel their trail should be easy to pick up. And it use to cost .25 cents to get a FORWARDING ADDRESS REQUEST from the U.S. Post office. So they will get your mail, contact the Post Office to see how this works.

And YES, I did find a third arrest for Shelley M. Landry Dec. 04, 2012. I did not see anything listed on the aliases used (per comments Baker, Crotty, Ruffino). There was no aliases listed by the sheriff department for her online. The last arrest was Dec. 2012 for theft by check amount $20-$500 (all 3 arrests were same charge, each time. She was arrested for theft by check in 1997, 2009, and 2012) here in Montgomery County, Texas. I did not see any arrest records for Shelley Ruffino, Baker, or Crotty, but the website only shows Mis-D crimes online.

You'd have to go to Montgomery County, Texas Sheriff Department and ask and pay for records to find IF there were ever any felony arrests. I can not confirm this is the same Shelley Landry listed in the complaints that was arrested, listed here online. However, the arrest record for Shelley Landry listed the same address listed online as Ruffino Farms place of business. (The dumpy smelly house on Yellowstone River Rd., Montgomery, Texas (also Montgomery County, Texas).)

The address last listed (which is now vacant) is 908 Yellowstone River Rd., Montgomery, Texas 77316. http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/RUFFINO.FARMS.936-828-2833/map?novum=1 

RED FLAG//or creative business practices??--
http://www.a2zratterriers.com/Home.php "I WILL BE ACCEPTING PERSONAL CHECKS, WESTERN UNION, MONEY GRAM, AND NOW I HAVE A CHEAPER WAY FOR MY CUSTOMERS TO SEND MONEY WITH WALMART'S GREEN DOT LOADABLE CARDS THAT COST 3$.THERE IS NO MONEY BACK ON DEPOSITS just because you change your mind.

(...hmmm, how would police and you prove it was SALE, not a GIFT, if you gave her gift cards for a down payment? And how would she prove to the IRS how much money she made?? This is alarming to me, and "red flags" because I feel it does not smell right... just like their dumpy house they called Ruffino Farms. That is misleading to me. There was nothing that was a farm (to me at that location), except maybe breeding and cross breeding dogs?) 

I would stay FAR FAR AWAY from these people. Just based on what I saw of the house, and mess they left behind. Broken glass in the yard, multiple burn piles, carpet pulled up, smell of urine and feces and nasty inside the house, outside a burnt out mattress, places which make it look like it could be a burial place dug up in the yard. And I took photos of large ROUND BLACK PLASTIC BAGS piled up at the end of the driveway. It was very large pile, as wide as their car, and the pile was as tall as to the top of the trunk of their car.

My first impression, those bags are too round. You don't want to know what I thought was in those bags-- the thought is real, and horrific. The man in the driveway was watching me drive by taking photos. Or else I would of checked to make sure the police should of perhaps been involved, regarding the contents of those bags. But the bags and trash, and people are gone. I'm sure Ruffino Farms and a2z Rat Terriers will show up somewhere locally again. They do all their business ONLINE, so they leave a long trail behind them.

If you paid by credit card, your credit card company should fight for you. If you involve police, anything over $1,000 (I think?) is considered a felony (if found guilty). But in all cases, if you feel you were a victim of a crime, you need to file a report with your police or sheriff department. I work as a neighborhood watch, and don't appreciate crime. If it were our family, we would not have a problem reporting what we felt was a scam or crime. I feel you can't complain about crime in community, but nothing report it. That to me is hypocritical.

Only the sheriff department or police can determine if there were any crimes committed. But they have told me about other situations, (unrelated examples) saying, they want ALL reports on ALL individuals and on ALL suspected crimes. The reason is, when the pile of complaints is high enough (where there might of not been sufficient evidence or any evidence in a single complaint), a large number of complaints by a number of people makes what the sheriff called " circumstantial evidence" where no or little evidence might of existed prior. Like a smoking gun... circumstantial evidence weighs in where there are many complaints (per sheriff department).

So, if you are a victim of any crime or scam, don't complain solely online. Turn it over to police or sheriff or officials. It may take time, but with enough complaints, authorities should be able to do something to help you and stop crime. Doing so will help others before being victimized, and hopefully you will get any money back that you are out. So do yourself a favor, report items to proper authorities or officials. And keep all evidence as proof, to back up what you are saying.

Shelley was supposedly arrested in Montgomery County, Texas in February 2013 for Public Intox and Hot Check Violation.   After doing a little research I have found she also goes by the names of Crotty, Baker, Landry and Ruffino. 

Shelley Ruffino's cell phone # 1-936-333-9921

If you have payed by paypal file a dispute with them, if they cant help you file a dispute with your credit card. Good luck to all have delt with Shelley Ruffino

I am so sorry for the heartach you had to endure from Shelley, Many people have tryed to stop her but there seems to be no end to her cons and scams. Here is a phone# that might work for Shelley.

1-936-333-9921 Also please file a report with paypal and if they cant help you, file a report with your credit card. Best of luck to you.

If you have been scammed (*ripped off) by Shelley Ruffino  (*Shelley Landry) please contact the FBI's internet crime division.   The only way for us to STOP her and make her pay for her deceptions is to get enough reports for them to build a file (*case) on her and put her out of business.

This mishap begins when my son and daughter in law took a transfer to the great state of Texas. After accepting the transfer they found what they thought to be a reputable breeder of rat terriers. Contacted said breeder in February 2012 and started the process of purchasing for the new member of their family. Of course they wanted to be sure they were in their new home before receiving the said puppy so had about 2-3 months to decide what colors and such.Shelley was very accommodating at first, befriending my daughter in law and gaining her trust. The new puppy's parents were decided they were to be Rain and Buckle and breeding was to happen asap. Shelley had told them that Rain was younger and this would be her first or second time being bred. Buckle on the other hand was about 14 years old and this would be his last time breeding. She even put it on her website that it was his last.A few days go by and Shelley contacts them about another dog which desperately needs a home and she thought of them (lol) but they would have to pay for it now, yes she could deliver to NY. The fee was $75 wow thats right all the way from texas, but they would rather she keep him til they got to there new home. For the cost of this other dog was $50.00 and my son and daughter in law talked it over and thought it would be alright. He was a tiny tot and was told he was about 1 years old so he would be good for the new puppy when she got there. So they sent the $50 through pay pal and asked her to keep him til they got down to Texas and were situated in there new home.

Now with one pup already paid for and waiting for them, they had to wait for Rain to go into heat and be bred for there other little girl they wanted.A month goes by and by then its April and my son and daughter in law are heading down to Texas. Shelley had been keeping in contact letting them know Rain was going to be in heat soon. A week before they left for Texas Rain had been finally went into heat and Buckle had bred her. So now all to do was to wait the 9 weeks or so for the arrival of the puppies.Before my son and daughter in law had made it to Texas they had talked to Shelley and made arrangements to have the older dog to be delivered to there apartment a week after they got there and made sure they had all of there things delivered first before bringing in the pup.

Moving time had come and my daughter in law had called Shelley to let her know that they had made it to Texas and were excited to get the one dog the next week. But..Shelley was having troubles. She said that her nephew had taken her car without her permission and totaled it so now she had no way to get up to them. So Shelley asked if they could pay for the puppy in advance with a little extra so that she could get a new car. Red flag..it flew up, but Shelley had been good with them so far, had been keeping in contact regularly. So they agreed and sent her $400 dollars via pay pal to help her with the car. Shelley got it and then the week went by and no call no dog. Daughter in law called her and Shelley answered and said that the car dealership wouldnt take her check or needed her husbands pay stub but he wasnt working til another week so he wouldnt have it. But she would find a way to get the dog up to them. Daughter in law got a call from Shelley the April 22nd. And she told them that she was going to borrow her daughters car the next week and drive up for she had another dog to deliver up farther then they were so she could stop by and drop him off.

So finally after the week went by Shelley had come and dropped off the dogbut forgot his papers saying she had rushed out of the house cause she knew the drive was going to take her all day and had forgotten them. But she said that she would send them through the mailstill no papers for him.A few weeks after they are received the first dog Shelley called them to ask for more money. Saying things were really tight and she was going to lose her water and how was she going to water all of her dogs if its turned off. Red flag!Feeling it was totally unprofessional to continue to ask for money from clients, my son wrote her an email saying he was sorry but he was not going to send her any more money. He also told her that the dog that we had gotten first we had taken him to the vet and told her that he had gained two more pounds and filled out and wasnt super skinny anymore. Well then Shelley got mean and nasty in her reply saying that she would never mistreat her dogs and always fed them right. She also said that he was a stud and sometimes studs run a little skinny. Whatever the reason there was no need for her to get hostile for them not wanting to give her anymore money.Now its may and the new puppy is to be born soon. No calls from Shelley and cant get a hold of her.
 
Finally after the week the puppies should be born my daughter in law has gotten a hold of her by phone and Shelley has said that the puppies werent born yet and that she had scheduled a visit to the vet that week to get her checked out and make sure there are actually puppies in there. Just to be safe my daughter in law and son had looked at other photos of another liter that had been born and had picked out a little girl just to be safe so they would get a puppy. Well vet visit comes and goes and they finally get a hold of Shelley and she told them that Rain had a false pregnancy. Understanding that yea that could sometimes happen they said it was alright and they still wanted the other little girl they had picked out for there just in case situation. A few weeks go by and no contact from Shelley and Daughter in law calls her and Shelley tells her that the momma dog had rolled over and laid on a few of her puppies while Shelley was in the shower and they didnt make it. Of course one of the puppies was the one that they had picked and Shelley didnt contact them about it in any way.So now feeling as though things are not in there favor Shelley tells them that two liters are to be born close together and she will have puppies soon in about a month or so. So they agree and wait for the other liters to be born.So its been about three months since they were supposed to get there intended puppy and its August.

Finally a litter is born and there are 10 puppies Shelley has even sent pictures of them with Missy the momma. My daughter in law and son are excited for they will finally have the puppy they have been waiting for. They ask Shelley which puppies are female so they can pick her out and tell her that they want the tail left long on the puppy as well. Shelley then lets them know that 4 of the puppies didnt make it and only one girl was left. Feeling sorry that the puppies didnt make it, daughter in law apologizes about it. She tells Shelley that they would still like the remaining little girl and Shelley approves and lets them know that she is smaller but she fights to eat and once she hits two weeks she will be in the clear for making it and being strong. A week goes by and no word from Shelley, so daughter in law calls her to check on the puppy, Shelley has to tell her that she didnt make it, in fact she passed a few days ago. So why didnt she call to tell them. Shelley told them that there was still that other litter that was to be there within the week and they could get first pick still. Upset they refused.

It had been 4 months since they should had gotten there intended puppy. So they went with one of the remaining boys that werent set aside yet. A week before it would be time for them to get him no word. Got a hold of Shelleys husband and tells them to call there currier and fix up a date and time to get him. Called the Currier he told them that he would call Shelley the next day and set it up. NO call from either of them. Daughter in law gets a hold of Shelleys husband again and asks if the currier has gotten a hold of them. No he hasnt so she called the currier a few minutes after and got a hold of him and he said he tried to call them but no answer but he would try again. Obviously communication wasnt there best feature. But after a few days it just got ridiculous. In October a new puppy was to be delivered. After driving down from NY, I , took my future daughter in law down and picked up puppy. NOT FEMALE and the tail was docked not as promised but at least they have a puppy.So all in all, they have paid 400 for new puppy plus 50 for the older dog that needed a home. They had to wait almost 4 or 5 months til they got the other puppy. My son is livid and best not to call and express himself. His fiancee is continuously in contact with Shelley when she can actually get a hold of her. Shelley has come up with excuse after excuse and we are all tired of it. Between asking for more money, having car trouble, saying she has been in the hospital several times or she is in the shower and will call back later and never does. Or she is working on school work and cant be bothered. Several litters have been born and apparently all are dead. How can someone run a business like this? Shelley still owes them $100 back that they sent to help her out.

And now her phone numbers that my Daughter in law has dont work. Shes posted on her face book wall, tried email. NOTHING like shes fallen off the face of the earth again as it seems she has done to many other people.I wish anyone who comes in contact with this woman good luck, buyer beware she is not what she makes out to be. The internet can be very deceiving.