FINDLAY, Ohio — Service dogs can be a life-saving resource for people with disabilities. A Findlay non-profit promised to give families that much-needed help, but instead they are accused of leaving families out thousands of dollars and without the trained service animals they paid for.
11 Investigates has been looking into Pawsible Angels for a few months. The 501(c)(3) was founded in 2016, and claims to offer obedience and service dog training.
These are services that families needed, but instead they say they were either ghosted by Pawsible Angels, left without a dog or both.
Ronni Western's granddaughter has a rare condition that causes seizures. She was hoping to their dog trained to help hold her down to prevent injuries during a seizure.
Kayla Obeunors daughter has sensory and nervous system complications and needed training for their dog:
Amber Haney is blind in one eye and has no peripheral vision. She needs a dog to help her get around:
The cost of service animals can be expensive.
"We have all these medical bills, we need a service dog. A friend of mine said Pawsible Angels would be good," Western said.
Amber said she started talking with Pawsible Angels in 2021.
"They picked the dog and I actually had to buy the dog from the shelter," she said.
Amber said she knew nothing about the dog Pawsible Angels picked.
"He would be very hyper, he would constantly whine in class because he didn't want to sit still, he did try to snap at people, especially the skateboarders or bicyclists that would drive past," she said. "There were some people he would get excited for and pee all over the place."
Amber said she had to train the dog herself and only had four months until his first test.
"He's on the other side of me, it's the bad side," she said. "I have no peripheral vision. How am I supposed to correct the dog if I can't see the dog?"
Training the dog wasn't working out. When she and her family told Pawsible Angels about the situation, she was met with resistance.
"[They said] 'We want the dog back, you can't keep the dog,'" Amber's uncle, Stephen Haney said of Pawsible's response. "'It's not able to be a pet or service dog and we need him back. And you don't get any of your money back,"
Amber did sign a contract agreeing to 'no refunds', but Amber argues that it isn't fair to assign a service dog to a person if it isn't able to be trained. 11 Investigates examined a copy of the contract and found nothing about taking the dog back if it can't be trained.
Stephen is a disabled veteran and got a service dog through a different non-profit.
"My dog was basically already trained when I first got him," Stephen said.
11 Investigates spoke with another non-profit service dog program and were told they train the dog before they're turned over to someone. Amber had to pay for her dog and do the training herself.
"[They] left her like high and dry with no money, no dog, no way to do anything else," Stephen said.
Amber said the non-profit did take the dog back after he failed his test.
The Haneys said they fundraised to afford the $6,000 for the agreement for the dog and services.
A similar situation occurred for Ronni Western.
Western initially reached out to Pawsible Angels to get training for Sully, a service dog in need of more training to hold 11-year-old Story down when she seized.
"[Pawsible Angels] quit showing up out of the blue and said Sully wasn't a good fit anymore, and told Tori that she was going to find another one," Western said.
Western said the new dog only weighed around 20 pounds.
"That is not going to work, Story will hurt that dog," Western said. "And then [Pawsible Angels] just disappeared."
Western said the family also faced the daunting prospect of Pawsible's no-refund policy.
"She said there are no refunds, and I was like, 'What? You have a lot of money. Thousands of dollars.'"
$4,700 to be exact. Combined, three families 11 Investigates spoke with spent more than $10,000 on services that they said Pawsible Angels never provided.
Western's family also had a fundraiser, sold raffle tickets and t-shirts to pay for Sully's training.
11 Investigates spoke with three previous board members for Pawsible Angels. Each of them wanted to stay anonymous out of fear of retaliation.
"I have no idea where the finances went," one board member said.
All the members we spoke with said they never received details on where the funds were going.
Since Pawsible Angels is a 501(c)(3), it is exempt from taxes. Therefore, it's not easy to access documents to finances and the non-profit only has to fill out a Form 990-N E-postcard. All WTOL 11 could find through the IRS were three form 990-N's, stating the organization makes less than $50,000 annually.
Michele Frank is listed on the Better Business Bureau website as the owner and main contact on the organization's website.
She agreed to sit down and interview with 11 Investigates. The same day, she sent us a text, stating her attorney advised her not to speak with us.
Frank sent a the following statement:
"Pawsible Angels, Inc, was governed by a board of directors. I was a force free volunteer trainer at Pawsible Angels and I provided training and resources to dog owners. I volunteered with this organization for over 8 years, and I am passionate about helping animals and their families. In this capacity, I helped close to 300 dog owners.
I am aware of the recent allegations of mismanagement of donor funds, among other things. I want to assure you that I have never been involved in any wrongdoing. I have always acted in the best interests of the organization and its donors, and never without Board consent.
I am confident that the allegations will be investigated and that I will be cleared of any wrongdoing. However, the court of public opinion is not the place to hear the allegations.
My training methods are scientifically based. Potential clients were made aware of this prior to seeking training. I will not condone the use of shock, prong or choke collars. These methods are inhumane and run counterintuitive to the leading science.
As a non-profit, it was Pawsible's policy to not refund money to clients as said money was considered a donation after the fair market value of the services provided were deducted. This is in keeping with the IRS rules. Any and all refunds would have to be approved by the Board of Directors.
In addition, there seems to be some confusion about a tax lien. This lien came about while Pawsible Angels was closed during COVID. I am currently working with the state to resolve this issue, and have full faith that it will be resolved satisfactorily.
I ask that the public remember there are two sides to every story, and, due to pending litigation, I am limited as to what I can comment. Thank you."
Frank stated that she was only ever a volunteer. However, in her resignation letter from the organization, she referred to herself as the executive director and is the principal officer according to the IRS.
Frank was also getting paid. WTOL 11 was given a copy of a check from Pawsible Angels to Michele Frank.
Records show the Ohio Attorney General's office recently determined the non-profit to be out of compliance. According to the office, Pawsible Angels did not submit its annual reports for 2020 and 2021, which are required by state law.
As a 501(c)(3) it is dependent on donations.
Kayla Obenour said she paid Frank $1,000 for training in March of this year. It was taken as a contribution. That's what the non-profit wrote in response to her negative online review.
"There were times when people wrote checks for higher amounts, and Michele took them as donations. But they weren't meant to be," a former board member said.
Kayla said she paid Frank in cash in March and alleges she wouldn't provide a written agreement for the services.
"She [Frank] said, 'Well the way I do things, I don't need a contract,'" Obenour said.
Agreeing to provide a receipt over text, Obenour waited but said she never got it.
"I found a board member and they were not even aware that she was seeing any customers or clients for training because they had not formally met since 2020," Obenour said.
Obenour's March 30 post online about her experience led others to come forward with their own.
The board received Frank's resignation letter on March 28, stating she is taking the clientele with her.
Now she's got a new business: Ohio Comfort Creatures, a dog training business.
Pawsible Angels and Michele Frank have not been accused of criminal activity.
Pawsible Angel's doors are also officially closed after Frank and the board resigned.
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