Here is my story on the dealings that I had with Shelly Landry Ruffino and let me tell you it was a CATASTROPHE! I came across Shelly back in 2006 when I was looking to add a brindle
Rat Terrier to my breeding program. Little did I know back in 2006 how good Shelly is at scamming folks out of money. She told me she had a litter on the way and due any day so I should send
a deposit right away to get pick of litter. I immediately sent her a deposit for a puppy she said would be $150.00. A few weeks go by and she sees other people getting more money for their puppies
and hers jump up to $450.00 instead of the $150.00 that she quoted me to begin with. Well I don't mind paying for what I want so I bit my tongue and set my mind to getting that elusive brindle
puppy that I wanted. Shelly contacts me several days later and needs me to finish paying for the puppy, as something has occurred in her life, and she needs money to buy dog food. I immediately
send her the remainder of the money and await puppies to be born for my puppy pick. Puppies are born and she sends me pictures of NON-BRINDLE puppies that she is calling brindle. When
I explain to her that I want a BRINDLE she tells me I can have pick out of the next litter and assures me from one of my 1st requirements that the next litter carries dilute as well. Next litter arrives -
NO BRINDLES and when I see pictures of dam - She is BLACK and not blue as was told to me. You can imagine my 'head shaking' wonder what in the world is this woman doing breeding when
she can not distinguish blue from black. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt until they back me into a corner and knock me over the head with their lack of knowledge so off we go to getting
pick of the next litter and the next litter and the next litter and the next litter. Now Shelly seemed to move around a LOT during a couple year period there and once even moved to Florida. She claimed
she would ship me my brindle puppy but I was not holding out any hope. 6 years later in 2012 I am still sitting here minus $450.00 and WITHOUT a brindle puppy from Shelly.
Boy - if you want to hear a hum-dinger of a story about Chaos and getting your house invaded then you should hear the story this breeder in Florida has to tell when Shelly descended upon her and
moved into her home. I ask you - who or what kind of person moves thousands of miles without even a place to move into especially with MULTIPLE dogs!!!!!!
Now you would think a person having dealt with that scenario would KNOW better than to get in any deeper with this person but remember me telling you about the 'benefit of the doubt' and
the 'knock on the head'? Shelly has moved back to Texas by this time after the lady in Florida literally has to throw her out of her house and has to deal with dogs left behind. In 2011 I had a group of Rat
Terriers that I planned to place as I was getting more dogs than I wanted and up pops Shelly. She wants to do a puppy-back deal of 9 Rat Terriers with 1 puppy back per dog. 1 female was bred so I
required 2 back from that litter which made the deal for 10 PICK puppies back from their 1st litters. Several litters of puppies are born and I make my puppy picks. When it gets to be about time for the
puppies to wean and be brought to me, Shelly conveniently falls off the face of the earth, so to speak, and when I finally make contact with her again I find she has SOLD the puppies that belonged to me.
She whined that she was broke and needed the money and if I was truly her friend that I would not be upset and would of wanted to help her out. Shelly loves pulling the 'poor me', 'misunderstood',
'friendship', 'something happened', 'sick', 'kids stole my stuff' routine and has gotten it down to an art-form.
Well what can I do put await arrival of more litters and pray I get those! Well I waited, puppies arrived and 'poof' - they went the same way as the last. That is the ones anyway that lived as
Shelly claimed a LOT of the puppies to of not made it to weaning. At this point I am livid and express my total astonishment that ANYBODY would do such a thing not ONCE but TWICE!
At this stage, I just want my dogs back and be through with Shelly Ruffino. I told Shelly to send them back and she becomes irate and refuses and starts trying to playing her 'ole poor me' cards.
I am not going there - "Remember I said that!" Well after I spend a few days getting my blood pressure back to normal, Shelly talks me into giving her ONE more chance. I swear "SUCKER" is
written across my WHOLE body.
Shelly is wanting a blue female badly and NEEDS one to my way of thinking or I will NEVER get my brindle, blue carrier puppy and as it so happens I have a blue female ready for a new home.
If your giving Shelly something you would think she will come get it but I held this female almost 5 months and she came and got her just as she was due to have puppies. If she owes YOU something then
don't hold your breath waiting on it as you would be wasting your time. I am having another one of those 'sucker' moments as I let Shelly come and get bred Blue female and owes me 2 puppies back
for her and as of October 2012 - 10 months after getting her I have yet to get any puppies from this female. Okay now wait for it - 'Remember that knock me in the head person" - yeah ME,
She isn't through with me yet and I apparently am not as smart as I give myself credit for. Of course ASSUMING it is possible to EVER get any recoup of puppies I have to continue to at
least tolerate her.
Dog has puppies and I stay on her that a certain puppy is mine. I continually remind her which puppy is mine and finally after having to make the trip to Conroe, Texas myself to get the puppy
I consider myself blessed to of finally gotten ONE puppy after almost a year of waiting - that is if you aren't counting the multiple years I've been awaiting the brindle she owes me. Well as would
so have it I had a group of Min Pin/Harlies I needed to find new homes for and Shelly is wanting to get into those breeds. I convince myself that I have finally gotten through to Shelly and that she
understands now that she HAS to give me my pick puppies and everything will run smoothly from this point forward. I have a friend who also had shut down her kennel and moved and her kennel
operation was being stored in my storage building. Shelly was interested in some of the things for sale and wanted me to bring those to Conroe with me when I brought the other dogs and would
pay me CASH for them as well as for gas. I repeatedly asked Shelly several days before I made the trip if she had the money and she continually said 'YES'. I spoke with her prior
to leaving my house and asked her again if she had the FULL Amount in CASH for me and she again said she did. The night before the trip I paid my friend out of my own pocket for the things
Shelly was SUPPOSEDLY BUYING from her and SUPPOSEDLY paying me for the next day. SUCKER! - Yeah that would be me! My so-called intelligence has totally abandoned me
apparently at this point. Anyways to make a long story short - I show up in Conroe with 17 more dogs in tow and kennel equipment. She is $200.00 short in funds as she claims her daughter stole
her money earlier in the day, which I have discovered since then is a regular story she tells folks when she is short on payment. Says she has funds coming in THAT DAY and will pay me that
night for what is left owed. She then tells me that I will need to drop off a puppy for her in the Dallas-Ft Worth area on my way home. HUH - I'm not going to Dallas-Ft Worth or anywhere in
that general direction. She tells me then that she will call the puppy buyer and have them meet me along my route which isn't with even the biggest stretch of the imagination going to be convenient
for the puppy buyer. Well, needless to say, Puppy Buyer is not going for Shelly's arrangements and Shelly has to make other arrangements other than a FREE RIDE by me. Several days later I
hear from THIS Puppy Buyer only to find she has purchased a puppy that SHOULD of came to me, by all rights, as it came out of one of my dogs that Shelly had yet to give me a puppy pick out
of. Shelly tells this lady, I am holding up the puppy papers, so the Puppy Buyer deems to call me and discuss the situation. Shelly has given this lady the run-around, told her the normal 1/2 truths,
if not outright lies and this lady isn't as naive as I seem to be. After several conversations with this lady I agree to send her the puppy papers, after all it isn't her fault, Shelly and I are having issues.
In the meantime Shelly sends this puppy buyer papers from a another litter, from a dam that is not the dam to the puppy and doesn't even have the right birth date on it. Shelly has no idea, her
puppy buyer and I are communicating nor that I have sent the lady the correct papers to her puppy. She makes up story after story to try to cover her mistakes and does not realize her puppy
buyer is fully aware of her conniving ways. As I write this I am still awaiting the $200.00 that has been promised me every month for the last 10 months!
Okay - let's stage left - stage right - as I have apparently taken to thinking my life is fiction and what she has done to me in the past - just isn't registering in my brain as I continue to let her come
and get several Yorkies and a sweet little Biewer Yorkie male on 'guess what' - you got it - a 'puppy back deal'. Now to her credit when she came and got the Yorkies she did bring me a
Rat Terrier female puppy that I had to fight tooth and nail over to get as the dam had to have a C-Section and for some reason Shelly saw that expense as giving her the right to 'not owe me a
puppy'. DO NOT THINK SO and I did not wave from my conviction that I WAS to get the female out of that litter regardless of what her vet bill was. WHY would she even think the cost
to keep the dogs, birth the dogs or any cost of the dogs should be bared by me? During this little 'fight of wills' I had once again asked for my dogs back which she told me were being sent back
in a week which I'm sure you can already guess never happened.
Now we are into mid 2012 and Harlies are having puppies and I'm claiming my puppy picks. Shelly is calling every day, until guess when, you got it ..... until it is time to bring me my pick puppies.
Several days go by and I can not get her to answer her phone - BIG RED FLAG is flying full flag by this time! When she finally calls me she has one of her normal stories of being in the hospital
and can't travel. Now she doesn't tell me on this day that she has ALREADY SOLD my puppies but waits until a few days later when I ask her how many puppies she is sending and WHEN.
Imagine my fury when she says "NONE" and that she had to sell them to pay her Electric Bill. LET ME STRESS - if she can't pay her dang electric bill without selling something that does not
belong to her then maybe she needs to get a JOB that doesn't involve dogs and puppies that deserve a steady supply of food.
Chocolate Yorkie delivers puppies and she owes me 2 pick puppies. Tell her I want the 2 chocolate females and a week later she informs me that the puppies are not PUREBRED and
she isn't sure how that happened. Of course I do not want any cross-bred dogs so once again Shelly has achieved in not having to fork over any puppies.
At this point I'm wondering if Shelly is responsible enough in her separation methods to know who is bred to who and who and even who is the dam to the puppies. She told me once a litter of
brindles had a merle sire and the mother was a merle as well. After explaining to her that she had just screwed up if that is the way she bred them and HOW do you get a brindle out of 2 merle parents
she changed her story as to who the sire was. She continually was asking me the names of dogs - now if I had a dog for 10 months and actually interacted with that dog and cared about that dog I am
100% certain I would know that dogs name ESPECIALLY since the dogs she got from me had tattoos in their ears that would of made it pretty easy to I.D. them and LEARN their names. She would
call and tell me that such and such dog had puppies and give me a list of the Gender, Color and Pattern. She would call me a week later and give me a totally different list of puppy description and sex
and often times she would even change the name of the dam and I would have to tell her to go look in the dogs ear and tell me which dog had puppies.
Shelly couldn't even send me pictures of puppies once as she had hocked her camera.
Now if you think Shelly is your friend then you need to re-evaluate what a friendship is. She has a so-called friend name Hannah that she told me she turned in for dog abuse and repeatedly told me
that Hannah was not her friend and she would never let one of her dogs go to Hannah but I know for a fact that Hannah has several dogs already gotten from Shelly. She told me and several others,
I've discovered, really ugly things about Hannah and her mother and the way they house their dogs. She has another so-called friend named Norma that she has said really ugly things about to me.
Carol, a lady in Florida, actually took Shelly in and gave her a place to live and Shelly does not have one nice thing to say about Carol.
She calls one day to tell me one of the dogs she owes me for has been bit by a spider and is dying and several days later tells me that the dog did indeed die. She calls me another day to tell me
one of the Min Pin females had gotten ripped up by the other dogs and has a huge hole in her side (*this dog she actually returns to me Scars and all - Unbelievable). She called me one day to tell me the
Biewer male she got from me had been torn to shreds by the other dogs. She even LOST a dog one time and did not even realize the dog was missing until I was notified by a Dog Foster Parent
that she had a dog that she believed belonged to me that had been picked up by Animal Control in Conroe, Texas. I call Shelly to ask her where this certain dog is that I KNOW by Tattoo and NAME
and she swears it is in her kennel and even walks out to her kennel and swears she is looking at that dog. I called her on her untruth needless to say. Here is another long story short - She DID not have that
dog, had not had that dog for some time and apparently had no clue she was missing it. How can you not know when you have a dog missing? I cringe to think what she must of said to Animal Control
and/or Foster parent but she supposedly somehow got the dog back. I personally would of preferred it stayed with the Foster parent and found a forever loving home but that didn't happen.
MULTIPLE litters of Harlies are born and low and behold she can't seem to get any to survive. I am not believing any of her lies but what can I do?
?? I see her internet ads for puppies
that she has not told me about so I KNOW she is screwing me. One lady calls me about a HP puppy she purchased from Shelly that she is certain is only 4 weeks old at the oldest but yet I know
nothing about a 4 week old litter. This lady is having to really work to keep this puppy alive and low and behold Shelly had decided she is through dealing with this lady and will no longer answer
her calls. Shelly is good at not answering calls when she knows they are from people wanting to complain so if you are ever in that situation with her then use another number to call her as she will
answer thinking she has another perspective puppy buyer calling. (*You HAVE to play the game with Shelly). Shelly's phone number changes a LOT and she has multiple numbers but you can
usually find her current number on a new puppy ad or on her website.
Low and behold at this point another puppy buyer of hers contacts me about papers not gotten from Shelly and Shelly once again blaming me for not being able to produce them. Now did
I sale HER dogs? Did I renege over and over and over on puppies owed her? The answer to both questions is "NO". Shelly did that and needs to stop blaming others and take responsibility for her
own actions. She even gave this puppy buyer the same old "My Daughter Stole" story and scammed this lady into buying her a pack of cigarettes. She also told this lady straight out lies about
me and that I had sold dogs out from under her. "WHICH dogs would those be Shelly? The ones you were coming to get every week for 6 months? Yeah I sold those as it finally became clear
you were never coming to get them, were never going to pay for them and I damn sure was not giving you any more dogs on any kind of puppy pay back." She also told this lady I had 500 dogs
and used my dogs to live off of which was a flat out lie and she KNOWS it as I've never owned 500 dogs or anywhere mega close to it and my husband has a good paying job which she is also well
aware of. She is like the pot calling the kettle black as IF she has all of the dogs she got from me that she STILL owes me for then by my calculations she would have more dogs than I do and
SHE DOES LIVE OFF OF HER DOGS INCOME. Shelly just likes to down others and is good at it!
Yes you can buy CHEAP or CHEAPER puppies from Shelly as she is always needing money and is out for a quick sale. What you have to ask yourself is "Is it worth dealing with her to save
a few bucks, take the chance of not getting the puppy you picked, not getting a puppy ever, not getting papers on the puppy you bought or getting an unthrifty puppy which Shelly is not likely to
ever replace?" Shelly will have a thousand and one excuses WHY she should not be responsible for a puppy that dies.
Shelly told me a Vet was coming to her home and cropping her Min Pin and Harlies ears when they were just a few days old. I've SEEN a puppy from those so called crops and it was a
very poorly done crop that was uneven - the ears were not even the same size and the dog had what would appear to be ear lobes rather than a clean cut next to the head. If you got one of these
puppies and are considering having the puppies ear redone then ASK SHELLY for the name of the Vet and contact them as any Vet worth their license WILL redo such sorry crop jobs at their own
expense. Bet you do not get a name though - if you do please let me know.
Shelly's phone number changes a lot - here are some of the numbers she has used: 936-828-2833, 936-828-2739, 936-588-6950. She goes by the name either Shelly Ruffino (*common law
marriage name to Thomas Ruffino) or Shelly Landry. She has several email addresses such as contactus@a2zratterriers.com and sruffino123@gmail.com
She list Conroe, Texas or Montgomery, Texas as her place of residence at this time.
Down to the final straw in October 2012. I have nothing to show, save 2 puppies, for close to 30 dogs Shelly has taken. I get a call from a Courier that is less than an hour from my house and
needs to make sure he is delivering 3 dogs to the right address. HUH?
? I know nothing about 3 dogs being returned TODAY! I haven't heard from Shelly in 2 days so WHY am I surprised
she is screwing me AGAIN! Well I go meet the Courier and am expecting 2 Min Pin females that she has co-hearse me into taking back and her brindle RT male that she was to loan me to finally pay
off the brindle puppy she has owed me for YEARS! What do I find though when I get to the meeting place but 3 Min Pin/Harlie females that she is returning and one of those is one that has had
puppies that she sold puppies off of and PROFITED from and now wants to just send the female back and not expect to owe me anything. Thing here is that she said SHE was coming in the
next week to bring me back the 2 dogs I reluctantly agreed to take back and her brindle RT male for me to use and she was to pay me the $200.00 she owed me along with another $800.00 to
buy 2 males as she has no males to breed her Min Pin and Harlies to. She kept saying she was going to send me the $75.00 to register litters from puppies she had already sold but I'm still stumped
as to WHY she would do that as she NEVER gave me puppies from those litters so I don't see me getting papers a SECOND time for her when I have not gotten my puppies. See I finally
realize that Shelly thinks if she has ever pulled a fast one over on you one time that she can do it over and over and over again.
Call me Naive, call me stupid, call me Slow but as of today call me "ENLIGHTENED" as it has fully dawned on me that this lady is nothing but a 'USER', "Scam Artist", and "Liar".
I have put Shelly on notice that I want my dogs or payment for ALL dogs and I will not tolerate her back-stabbing, slanderous ways any longer. Oh yes, Shelly loves to act like she is your friend
but is QUICK to talk about you to others and run you down. Enough is Enough and I've had ENOUGH!!!!!!!!
If you deal with this woman then get ready for nothing but excuses as she is full of 'em:
1. Expected Date of Births of puppies (*always seems to be wrong on when puppies are due)
2. Colors and Patterns supposedly going to be produced (*always seems to be wrong on what she is expecting and even labels her puppies wrong when they do get here)
3. Been in Hospital (*expect this answer if she has been avoiding you or hasn't followed through with shipping/delivery).
4. Family member stole from her
5. Car broke down (*hers or somebody else she had to go pick up)
6. Had to buy her pain meds, had to pay her electric bill, etc .....
7. Papers are coming or it's somebody else's fault she doesn't have the papers
8. Puppy died (*most likely you will not get this excuse till you show up for your puppy and what she hands you isn't the one you bought).
9. Needs you to pay some more on what you owe for the puppy that your SUPPOSEDLY getting
10. Family member died (*her family seems to have 9 lives and gets reincarnated a lot)
11. Courier Issues
12. Waiting on somebody to pay for puppy or waiting on her monthly checks to hit her account
13. Waiting on Thomas' disability check or her School Check
14. Is behind on Rent and HAS to pay her rent or she will be evicted.
If a puppy dies get ready for it not being her fault as she will come up with a LOT of excuses how it is all your fault or her favorite is "It wasn't at the Vets office when it died".
Look what Shelly wrote to a Ministry
Shelley R.'s Profile
Joel Osteen Ministries
4/8/2012
You have people like joel Osteen that make millions on a sunday and us as a family can not go to church cause we have no car. My husband has loss his job because of this he has another job waiting but still no car. Joel Osteen and his church could donate a car to us, I have y doubts. Shelley Ruffino 936-588-6950 Lord someone help us! In GOD we pray!
Location: Montgomery, TX Yelping Since April 2012
"The Lord Helps Those That Help Themselves Shelly"
BE WELL ADVISED
IF you purchase Rat Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers, Biewer Yorkies, Miniature Pinschers or Harlequin Pinschers from Shelly Ruffino and they came from me you
WILL NOT get ACR or HPA papers as she did not/has not fulfilled her obligations in order to get those papers. Shelly will probably throw some nothing hardship/foundation papers on them and
try to con you into believing they are worth the paper they are printed on. Do not be fooled!!!!!! If they are not ACR/HPA papers then you have no guarantee of lineage or accurate pedigree as
ACR/HPA has the only pedigree database for these dogs.
Until which time Shelly pays me in full - $17,500.00 that she owes - I have signed contracts - I will NOT release any more papers to any adult dogs and/or puppies born at Shelly's.
If you purchase from Shelly, then so be it, you deal with her and take your chances on NO papers.
If you have purchased puppies from Shelly and are unable to get your papers from her then I advise you to contact the registry and file a complaint on her.
Shelly is currently under a review process at ACR/HPA and I imagine the result will be for her to be banned from further registration with them and placed "Not in Good Standing".
