Hi,
My name is Sarah Kilgore and I am from Chattanooga Tn, first of all i want to say thank you so much for the contributions you have made to the thundervalley website, i felt like i was the only one who had been scammed and couldnt figure out exactly what was going on? Last october i contacted Joan Foote about getting a dog from her, i had a 10 year old rott that had to be put down, she had canine lymphoma. When i was ready and the time was right to get another, unfortunately i contacted Joan, we had several email and phone conversations and she placed me with an “upcoming” litter. I (stupidly) sent her the $500 deposit in a money order. After not hearing from her for 2 weeks after the pups should have been whelped i tried numerous times to get in contact with her, i was given the run-around… pups died, she wasnt pregnant, i will move you to another litter, this went on until february when she just stopped contact all together. Anyways i didnt contact you to give you my sob story. After reading nearly every post on the website i am heart broken for the dogs still in her care, if there is anything i can do please let me know. I was also contacting you about your dogs, although i am out $500 that i will never see, i am still interested in getting a rottie, I am not looking to show or breed, only as a pet. I would like some info on your upcoming litters if you have any. if you do not sell pet quality pups can you refer me to a reputable breeder? thanks for everything.
Sarah
Sara,
What are the odds that she would answer me a week after me finding out about her…. read the email below i recieved today… i really dont know what to say… i dont know whether to just tell her to forget it or to just tell her off? it made me sick when i got this message thinking how many others got the same message not knowing what i know.
—–Original Message—–
From: ThunderVly@aol.com
To: Sarah_Kilgore@BCBST.com
Cc: SprGirl423@aol.com
Sent: Sat, 31 May 2008 10:32 am
Subject: Re: Long time…
Sarah,We have a litter due to be born in early June that will go home early August. I could put you down on a puppy from this litter. Can you tell me again how much you have paid in so far? I have to find my notes on that. You wanted a girl, correct?
Thanks,
Joan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joan Foote & Stephanie Paulter
www.thunder-valley-rott.com
931/879-5995
3 responses so far ↓
1 Sara Bird // Jun 1, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I am so sorry for all the people who have paid out monies within the last several months. This letter is one of many that I have received. I was asked if Joan is still taking money from people. I have been asked if she is still continuing to sale puppies.
The answer maybe found in the letter above. The answer maybe found by contacting Joan. The answer maybe found when she no longer excepts your phone calls or responds to all of your emails.
I think the answer is that as long as nothing is done, or you are waiting for someone else to do something, Joan will apparently continue to do what Joan has been doing for the past few years.
I dont have the answer. I can only follow through with the case I started and the case that I intend to follow through until the end!
2 ThunderXElektra // Jun 2, 2008 at 12:05 am
I had noticed that Joan had two litters due in May. She hasn’t posted anythng about the puppies being born. Now she has two more that she says are going to be due in July.
Sarah K. why don’t you take her to court for your $500? I don’t trust her and I don’t want you to go thru the heartache like I did with behaviorial and heath issues. What sire and dam were you promised out of? Sorry you have to deal with her.
3 randifeist // Jun 2, 2008 at 8:42 am
So sorry, Sarah Kilgore, that you also have been scammed along with all of us. Thank the Lord you have not paid her anymore money and that you found this site.
I need to make several points here and even though several of us have not posted in awhile, does not mean we do not care or have given up.
Here is my perception on what is going on currently with Joan Foote and Thunder Valley Rottweiler. Call me an eternal optimist, but there are MANY factors happening here and now that are truly worth being grateful for. Since I had dealings with Joan Foote back in 2004 and fast forward into the present, there are TONS of changes that have happened and are happening at Thunder Valley Rottweiler.
These are all positive things that have taken place in the quest to shut these crooked, cruel, breeders down. I will try to hit the highlights as there are many. I just don’t want people to think that Joan Foote is getting off scott free with no repercussions in regards to her criminal ways.
O.K. here goes. This might get lengthy so pour your cup of coffee, pop or whatever and settle in for some informative reading.
First of all, Joan Foote to my knowledge is still on referral with AKC. She cannot register any litters with this organization. This is still a huge thing and has helped greatly to back her in a corner so to speak. She cannot command the huge bucks she once asked for her pups, and even though she might go through different avenues to register pups, she will have a very hard time getting $2000 a pup like she used to get. Currently she is advertising approx. 2 litters here and there as shown on her site. However sickening that may be, remember people, she used to advertise approx. 5 or 6 litters a month! So in my book, there is progress being made. Yes, it would be awesome if and when she never breeds another Rott again, but at least she is forced to slow way down. The number of people she used to scam was huge, as shown on this site and those that we have not reached, BUT, those numbers are down greatly. You bet we would LOVE to see the day when NO one is taken in by these crooks, but it didn’t happen overnight and will not go away overnight.
And excuse me for repeating myself, but, Joan Foote’s reputation is shot and known throughout the Rottweiler community as the crook that she is and was. TONS of people are staying clear of her and her criminal ways. We just came back from the big USRC Nationals in Kentucky in May. I was sitting front and center with my friends enjoying myself and watching the parade of beautiful Rotties from all over as they compete for top honor. Not ONCE did I or my friends see Joan Foote there in the 3 days we attended. This is a huge event and attended by the best of the best. Joan Foote once was involved with all these German shows, small and huge. She has it stated on her site that she is a professional handler, etc. Well, rumor has it, she no longer can show and it is well known that she has not shown her crooked face at any of these shows to the best of my knowledge. So in that respect, yes, that is also progress in my book. Where once she was held up to be somebody and was good at what she did, showing and titling her dogs, has been reduced to nothing but a bad memory and bad taste in ones mouth. I spoke with one individual at the Kentucky show, he brought up Joan’s name, and he had nothing good to say about her. I will say it again, reputation means the world. Amazing how a perfect stranger can out of the blue bring up her name and his disgust for her. So yeah, word gets around, BIGTIME. This person titled his dog by the way which was great, and he goes to several German shows so obviously knows what he is talking about.
Now, let me talk about the poor, precious Rotties still in her care. As much as we all would have loved to rescue them, tried to do what we could and our hands were tied, she has not purchased any new dogs that I am aware of. We can only thank our Lord for that. I have not seen any forward movement in her kennel at all. No new dogs, no new replacements, no nothing to the best of my knowledge. Her own young male named Riggs, is frozen so to speak. No new titles, cannot find an OFA rating on him, etc. etc. Her other dogs are all getting up there in age. Her females have been bred time and time again and many will not settle or when they do the pups die or the litters are very small. I have been watching her site since 2004(my story is on this site), so I have seen her females listed time and time again for breedings. When that happens, of course you will have problems. That is a no brainer. Does Joan Foote have money to purchase new dogs? More than likely not or they would have already been on her site.
There are still pending court case/cases against Joan and we wish them all the very best. It really does help to stand up for what is right and fight back. You might feel you are the only one out there doing it, but we are all behind you and ALL of this helps to shut her down or slow her extensively. This site alone has made a HUGE difference and I and many others will always be grateful to those for putting it up and allowing us all to get our stories out there. God bless you web master.
Well, in wrapping up, probably left stuff out, but tried to hit the highlights. I just want people to know that yes, there IS progress that has been made and is being made. I wish with all my heart that this nightmare ends someday and will believe in my heart that it will. I am optimistic and believe in a higher power. HE has taken over and is doing a great job!
So as I sat down there in my lawn chair with my cup of coffee at the USRC show in Kentucky, meeting wonderful new Rottie lovers, and watching an awesome show, it felt SO good to know that Joan Foote’s disgraced face was no where in site. She did it to herself and has no one to blame but herself.
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