Letter: Westport siblings share touching story of how they reunited a pet with former owner who lost son; here is how you can help

Shannen Viveiros contacted Fall River Reporter to share her touching story. A read you don’t want to miss. Here is her story in her words and how you can help.

In June of 2021, I purchased my puppy Pablo from Doreen Biasi at AKC Dachshund NY. He did not have an easy transition home, and his first few months here were draining. He had Giardia and numerous other urinary issues that cost me hundreds of dollars to resolve. When I brought his issues to Doreen’s attention, I was met with a total lack of interest and concern, which left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Because I declined a health guarantee, I accepted full responsibility for his veterinary care and discontinued my correspondences with Doreen.

Fast forward to January 2023, I noticed a Facebook page called “Exposing AKC Dachshund NY” surface in a group I was in. This immediately caught my attention due to my prior experience with this breeder.

I became engrossed in following everyone’s stories posted in the group and decided to share my own experience of dealing with Doreen Biasi. After being attacked by Doreen on my Facebook review, she blocked me. This only fueled my desire to expose this breeder for who she really was. As more reviews began to surface, I grew emotionally attached to a specific testimony written by Tammy Beeler Proctor.

On January 28, 2023, Tammy shared her story about how Radar, a dog she had adopted at 8 weeks old through AKC Dachshund NY’s guardianship program in 2020, was taken back by Doreen and her daughter Ashley. She explained how “the very minute [she] met this dog he was [her] entire world”. After suffering the loss of her son, Chad, to cancer, Radar was her “healer” and “saving grace”. Radar was Tammy’s shadow. He even became the poster child for her dog training business. Following a bad falling out between Doreen and Ashley, Radar was stripped from Tammy, leaving her shattered. While at the time of her testimony she was unable to share the details of her loss, she did disclose that her heart was breaking all over again upon finding him for sale on Doreen’s Facebook page after years of wondering where he was and if he was ok. My heart ached for Tammy, as I couldn’t imagine having Pablo taken away from me. I immediately began thinking of ways to somehow reunite her with Radar. I contemplated starting a fundraiser to collect the funds for purchasing him back from Doreen, but quickly realized I didn’t have that type of time to waste before he was sold to someone else. Because I had just been blacklisted by Doreen, I knew I had to enlist some help to pull off the unthinkable. At 11pm that same night, I called upon my friend Katy Elizabeth and brother Chad Pavao.

Katy did all the communicating with Doreen, while Chad agreed to take the nine-hour round trip with me to East Meredith, NY from Westport, MA and put the dog in his name. Our plan was executed seamlessly the following morning, and we were able to secure Radar in a Dollar General parking lot from Doreen’s daughter, Ashley, less than 12 hours later from first inquiring about the dog!

When we received Radar, he was in rough shape. He was wet, foul smelling, had apparent dental issues, appeared underweight, and was visibly frightened. I wrapped him in a blanket and immediately reached out to Tammy via Facebook to tell her what I had done. This was my first correspondence with Tammy. Imagine the shock, and sheer emotion that we experienced when I was able to reunite Tammy with her long-lost puppy through my brother Chad. It was almost as if Tammy’s late son, Chad, had sent us to make this reunion happen. Many tears and stories later, we parted ways, and Radar was able to settle back into his original home with his mama.

After a few warm baths, hearty meals, and lots of love, Radar began coming out of his shell. Tammy was able to get him evaluated by a vet, where it was determined he will need extensive dental work, additional diagnostic testing, and neutering to bring his health back to good standing. While he’s doing much better, he still has a long road ahead.

Unfortunately, because Tammy is on a fixed income, her ability to afford Radar’s veterinary care is limited. While Tammy has done everything she can to give Radar the attention he needs, I feel compelled to do everything I can to help Tammy get through this together.

Tammy has had a rough go at life. Losing her son Chad to cancer being just a fraction of the hardships she’s endured. She suffers from severe seizures, was homeless in 2021, is a suicide survivor and is on a fixed income due to her disability. I know Tammy would sacrifice her own well-being for the sake of Radar, but I don’t think she deserves to.

On February 8, 2023, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of Doreen and Ashley Biasi after being found in violation of New York State Agriculture and Markets Law section 353 –Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance.

I welcome anyone who has the ability to share this story with someone, to do so.

If you would like to donate, proceeds will go directly towards Radar’s adoption fee, veterinary expenses, legal fees, and anything else that helps Tammy and Radar get back on their feet.

I have a list of resources that can help Tammy and the animals of AKC Dachshund NY. I encourage anyone with questions to reach out to me, and anyone who has a story to share about Doreen or Ashley Biasi to come forward and help put an end to this for good!

The GoFundMe Fundraiser

Details on the two arrests concerning animal neglect and cruelty.