Animal Groups Send Out Alert for Con Man Posing as Animal Rescuer

A "Code Red" for all rescue groups was recently issued generated from a member of a collie club to be on the look out for an Alaska resident posing as a Good Samaritan trying to assist animals needing homes.

The alert reads:

"Please pass this on to all rescues with whom you have contacts and anyone you know who may be using Craigs List. He may not be targeting our particular breed(s) now but never know when he might change his '˜hunting pattern'. For the dogs, he MUST be stopped.

This guy has come through our Montana Pets on the Net system before as bad news. I don't know if you are still involved w/ the shelter there, but please forward this
on to anyone you know who is involved with adopting out dogs. Spread the word so no more unlucky canines will fall victim to this guy.

Please be aware he now has a new email address. Here is the email he sent: "flyingrichard@hotmail.com.

Old email address is flyingrichard@hotmail.com.
New one is akhayden72@hotmail.com.
Hello. I've got a new e-mail address. Instead of contacting me at flyingrichard@hotmail.com you can now reach me at my new Windows Live Hotmail address. Please send all future e-mail message to me at akhayden72@hotmail.com. In fact, you can simply reply to this message to contact me. Be sure to update your address book now."

Please crosspost to all shelters, rescue groups, and individuals posting pets on Craig's List Nationwide DNA:

Richard Hayden of Fairbanks, Alaska, is a dangerous con man seeking helpless dogs in the U.S.and posing as a dedicated animal lover wanting to adopt. He has killed many dogs.

Please read this alert. He was heading to Orlando Jan. 20. He gets these poor dogs through Craig's Lists postings from shelters, rescue organizations, and individuals. No one knows what he is doing to these animals. But the dogs he gets through Craig's List hasve all died. He is currently advertising a bogus Craig's List ad looking to adopt a female German Shepherd dog approximatley five to nine years old to take back with him to Alaska.

But the dog will die!

Below is his personal contact information. He must be stopped!
Phone number: 907-378-2807 907-378-2807 Email: flyingrichard@hotmail.com.

Richard Hayden is currently seeking dogs throughout the U.S. from rescue groups, shelters, and from private individuals via sites like Craigs List. Rescues and shelters are often impressed that he is willing to adopt at such a long distance and assume that someone willing to spend so much money to get a dog must be putting them in a good home. According to some of his information, he lives in an RV with three German Shepherds. In other applications he states he lives in a house with a yard. Sometimes he says he has one dog, in other cases no dogs.

He is an experienced con man and knows what to say and how to work the system. He has groups of devoted followers on Internet forums who think they know him and believe that he provides a good home.

The truth is very different. He has adopted countless dogs that have since disappeared. At least three dogs from rescues have died within weeks of arrival in Alaska . He told the rescues that two of them died of cancer (after being in perfect health and vet checked themr to sending) but he has been unwilling to produce any veterinary references to support his claims. The third dog supposedly drowned. He has adopted several other dogs from Anchorage and Fairbanks animal control centers that have since disappeared. He has potentially gotten many other dogs from Craigs List and similar sites.

He usually has multiple ads in different cities running. He will typically back off when rescues and shelters request a home visit or reference checks but is savvy to adoption screening systems and is good at manipulating well-meaning people to pull dogs for him.

He flies a small plane and sometimes comes for dogs himself. Iin other cases he has them shipped to Alaska .

He prefers German Shepherds, but is known to have taken Labs, Pit Bulls, and a Malamute mix. The dogs he gets are always large breed spayed females.

He prefers dogs that are overweight with passive, docile temperaments.

Please cross-post widely!

It is especially important to warn shelters who may not typically receive these alerts or be as likely to do the home visits and veterinary reference checks that would immediately expose this person."