On May 8, 2018, Dean Heckathorn, who runs Keystone German Shepherds in Oklahoma, agreed to sell me a 3-year-old male German Shepherd named Vince for $2000. Mr. Heckathorn claimed that Vince was completely healthy.
Because the transport service could not pick Vince up for about a month, I told Mr. Heckathorn that I would use PayPal to put a $500 deposit on Vince, plus the seller’s fee. Mr. Heckathorn agreed to this.
When we discussed the deposit, Mr. Heckathorn did not state or even suggest in any way that this deposit—which was a deposit on an adult dog, not a puppy—was nonrefundable. He also did not state or even suggest in any way that this deposit could be refunded only after Vince was sold to someone else if the sale did not go through.
I would not have put a nonrefundable deposit, or a deposit that could be refunded only after the dog was sold to someone else, on an adult dog before he had been tested for heartworms and tick diseases. Heartworms and ticks are a huge problem for dogs in Oklahoma. Vince has been kept outdoors in a kennel in a country area, which has exposed him to mosquitos and ticks.
On May 9, 2018, I used PayPal to send Mr. Heckathorn the $500 deposit plus $25 to pay for the seller’s fee. I spoke to Mr. Heckathorn’s wife, Patty, while I was sending this payment. She told me that Mr. Heckathorn usually does the computer stuff and is much better at it than she is.
After about May 9, 2018, all of my communications with Mr. Heckathorn were by text. He refused to call me. He also refused to answer when I called him.
These texts verify the accuracy of this Yscam
Because the transport pickup date for Vince was approximate, Mr. Heckathorn asked me to tell him right away when I got a more exact date. I got this date on May 27, 2018 and texted Mr. Heckathorn that day to let him know.
I also asked Mr. Heckathorn when we could talk about vet arrangements for Vince. Vince needed current vaccinations and testing for heartworms and tick diseases. Mr. Heckathorn texted me that he was “doing family stuff” that day and could probably call me the next day.
Later that day, I used PayPal to send Mr. Heckathorn an additional $900 for Vince plus $50 to cover the seller’s fee. I texted Mr. Heckathorn to tell him that the rest would be sent in a few days.
This made a total of $1,475 that I sent Mr. Heckathorn for Vince.
Mr. Heckathorn did not call me the next day and did not answer the phone when I called him. I sent him a text that day which stated:
ME: “If the vet stuff does not happen very soon the transport people will refuse to transport Vince. We need to talk asap about getting the vet stuff done.”
When Mr. Heckathorn agreed to sell Vince to me, I told him that I had to talk to the vet who would see Vince in order to discuss what needed to be done. I also told him several times that I would pay for all of the vet stuff by giving the vet’s office my credit card info over the phone. Mr. Heckathorn agreed to this.
On May 28, 2108, Mr. Heckathorn texted me that he would take Vince to the vet on May 30, 2018. He finally texted me the vet’s number only after I repeatedly texted him asking for it.
Mr. Heckathorn then sent me a text which said:
HECKATHORN: “They [the vet] don’t take pay pal so we’ll just pay it and email you a receipt.”
It now appeared that Mr. Heckathorn did not want me to call the vet’s office before the vet saw Vince. This would have made it impossible for me to tell the vet that Vince needed to be tested for heartworms and tick diseases.
I responded with a text which stated:
ME: “Of course the vet doesn’t take paypal. I mentioned to you several times that I will call the vet & give them my credit card number & that I need to tell them what needs to be done.”
Mr. Heckathorn also suddenly changed his excuse for not calling me. He now claimed that he “had been up for almost 48 hours delivering puppies with two difficult litters.” This time period included the day when he supposedly could not call me because he was “doing family stuff.”
In his text, Mr. Heckathorn also complained, “Are you having a bad day? . . . You sound very angry with your tone.”
I texted him that I had a huge problem with his “refusal to spend a minute to text me the vet’s name and number,” especially since he “had time to send me a long text complaining about my perfectly reasonable request that [he] text me the vet’s name & number.” My text also said that I had never had a breeder refuse to provide this info.
The next day, I called the vet’s office. I found out that they do not do in-house tick disease testing and would have to send this out to a lab. The results might not come back for days, possibly not before the sale was completed.
The vet’s office also had no idea what the bivalent flu vaccine is. Vince needed this vaccine because he probably would have been exposed to both types of dog flu during the transport.
The vet’s office also informed me that ticks in their area are so resistant to Advantix that they do not provide Advantix to their clients.
I sent Mr. Heckathorn the following text about this:
ME: “This vet office doesn’t even know what the bivalent flu vaccine is. They also do not do the SNAP 4DX test for tick diseases. Vince needs to see a modern vet who has kept up to date. Where else can u take him?”
Mr. Heckathorn texted the following response:
HECKATHORN: “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of those things. He has always been treated with advantix and I’ve never seen a tick on him. We’ve never heard of the bivalent flu. You could wait and have your vet do that when he gets to your place. If he has a tick disease I’ll pay for the treatment.”
I texted Mr. Heckathorn the following response:
ME: “He will probably be exposed to the dog flu during the trip. It can be fatal. Ticks r hard to find on GSDs and r resistant to advantix in OK. Tick diseases can be very hard to treat & can be fatal. I would be an idiot to pay this much for Vince and not take care of this basic health stuff now. I have never before had a breeder object to my doing this. Can u take him to a vet in Tulsa? If u can I will find a Tulsa vet who does this stuff”
Mr. Heckathorn then sent me a text that mentioned the OSU vet college but complained that it was “very pricey.” I texted him that I would call them now.
It was now clear to Mr. Heckathorn that I was determined to have Vince tested for heartworms and tick diseases. He responded with the following text:
HECKATHORN: “By-the-way, lose the attitude. I haven’t objected to anything that you have asked. If you accuse me again on being the worse breeder ever or if you are rude to me one more time. We are done. I’ll will refund your money less the deposit and block you on my phone.”
At this point, there was no way Vince’s sale could go through. I never accused Mr. Heckathorn of being the “worse breeder ever,” and I was not rude to him. Mr. Heckathorn’s text made it clear that he considered it “rude” for me to keep insisting that Vince be tested for heartworms and tick diseases, and that he would cancel the sale if I continued to do so.
I sent Mr. Heckathorn the following text:
ME: “It is not rude to insist on basic health checks. Your flying off the handle about this is a huge red flag. In more than 30 years I have never had a breeder act like this. They have been very happy to deal with someone who cares so much about the dog. Please cancel this sale & refund my money.”
Since Mr. Heckathorn’s text said he would not refund my deposit, I also sent him the following text:
ME: “If I do not find a full refund in my paypal account by the end of today I will file public complaints with the BBB, yscam, & multiple public internet dog forums. Very few people will have any sympathy for a breeder who expects someone to pay 2 grand for a dog that might have a tick disease”
The following texts tell most of the rest of the story:
HECKATHORN: “If you send me one more threatening or rude text, I will block you from my phone. As long as you are civil, I will be glad to leave communications open.”
ME: “The only further communication needed from u is a full refund. The transport has been canceled”
HECKATHORN: “I’m being more than nice by telling you that I will refund your money, by law, I’m not required to refund your deposit but I will. The amount you just sent will be refunded today once Patty [his wife] gets home. [There was no reason to wait for his wife to get home, since she told me that Mr. Heckathorn usually does the computer stuff and is much better at it than she is.] The original deposit will be refunded as soon as we sell Vince. That may take a couple of months, but if you give me grief, we will keep that deposit which is our normal procedure of no refunds on deposits. So please just be nice and patient as we have been with you because it’ll be in your best interest.”
HECKATHORN: “If you attack us on line, we will be keeping your $500 deposit, which is our legal and moral right to do so. In addition, we may decide to pursue you legally if you post anything online that is liable and or malicious lies.”
ME: “Everything I post will be totally accurate. Your texts say it all.”
ME: “Still no refund. If it’s not there by midnight tonight I will immediately post the yscam & BBB complaints which will accurately quote your texts and mine”
HECKATHORN: “There’s a lot of things my flesh wants to say to you, but then my spirit tells me that you are a very sad and lost soul. We will pray for you. My wife has to do the refund through PayPal. She’s been at a funeral out-of-town. When she gets home it will be late and she will be tired. She will do it tomorrow during normal business hours. Since you can not control your impulses, I’m going to block you on my phone. I strongly suggest you take your pills or poor yourself a drink and relax before you have a stroke. Try praying to the creator, our God, Jesus Christ. You will feel better. Please just Relax, chill, and exhale; things could be a lot worse.”
ME: “You have until noon tomorrow to get the paypal refund to me. BTW Jesus didn’t think much of dishonesty – remember what he did in the temple when it became a den of thieves?”
Here’s what Jesus did in the temple:
“12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:12-13
On June 4, 2018, Mr. Heckathorn sent me two emails which included the following statements:
HECKATHORN: “If you post that lie [a yscam] anywhere online, I will not refund your deposit. It is our policy not to refund deposits, but we are trying to be kind to you. Therefore, you can either be patient and behave yourself and control your psychotic impulses and get your money back, hopefully sooner than later, or you can act like a crazy person and piss us off so that we have no desire to work with you.”
HECKATHORN: “File it all [a yscam]. Do your worse. You crazy old bat, I had no problems with you paying for a thorough vet inspection, vaccines, tests, etc. What I had a problem with was your psychotic outbursts.” [These “psychotic outbursts” are my texts shown above.]
HECKATHORN: “There are consequences to your crazy behavior such as if you continue to threaten us and post lies it's going to cost you $500.00. If you control yourself and have some patience, we will refund your deposit.”
Mr. Heckathorn refunded only $922.15 of the $1,475 that I sent him. This means that he is still refusing to refund $552.85 of my money as of the time that this yscam is being submitted.
It is completely dishonest for Mr. Heckathorn to keep my deposit when he never gave even a hint that he would later claim that my deposit is nonrefundable, or that it could be refunded only after Vince was sold to someone else if the sale did not go through.
If a deposit really is nonrefundable, or can be refunded only after the dog is sold to someone else if the sale does not go through, an honest seller will make this totally clear—in writing—before the deposit is made.
Mr. Heckathorn’s texts and emails make it clear why he is refusing to return my deposit: He is using this as a threat to try to silence me.
It’s not working.
The most shameful thing that Mr. Heckathorn has done is to suggest that Jesus is backing him up in his scam.
If Mr. Heckathorn ever refunds my $552.85, I will update this Report to let yscam.com know.
Keystone German Shepherds Reviews
On May 8, 2018, Dean Heckathorn, who runs Keystone German Shepherds in Oklahoma, agreed to sell me a 3-year-old male German Shepherd named Vince for $2000. Mr. Heckathorn claimed that Vince was completely healthy.
Because the transport service could not pick Vince up for about a month, I told Mr. Heckathorn that I would use PayPal to put a $500 deposit on Vince, plus the seller’s fee. Mr. Heckathorn agreed to this.
When we discussed the deposit, Mr. Heckathorn did not state or even suggest in any way that this deposit—which was a deposit on an adult dog, not a puppy—was nonrefundable. He also did not state or even suggest in any way that this deposit could be refunded only after Vince was sold to someone else if the sale did not go through.
I would not have put a nonrefundable deposit, or a deposit that could be refunded only after the dog was sold to someone else, on an adult dog before he had been tested for heartworms and tick diseases. Heartworms and ticks are a huge problem for dogs in Oklahoma. Vince has been kept outdoors in a kennel in a country area, which has exposed him to mosquitos and ticks.
On May 9, 2018, I used PayPal to send Mr. Heckathorn the $500 deposit plus $25 to pay for the seller’s fee. I spoke to Mr. Heckathorn’s wife, Patty, while I was sending this payment. She told me that Mr. Heckathorn usually does the computer stuff and is much better at it than she is.
After about May 9, 2018, all of my communications with Mr. Heckathorn were by text. He refused to call me. He also refused to answer when I called him.
These texts verify the accuracy of this Yscam
Because the transport pickup date for Vince was approximate, Mr. Heckathorn asked me to tell him right away when I got a more exact date. I got this date on May 27, 2018 and texted Mr. Heckathorn that day to let him know.
I also asked Mr. Heckathorn when we could talk about vet arrangements for Vince. Vince needed current vaccinations and testing for heartworms and tick diseases. Mr. Heckathorn texted me that he was “doing family stuff” that day and could probably call me the next day.
Later that day, I used PayPal to send Mr. Heckathorn an additional $900 for Vince plus $50 to cover the seller’s fee. I texted Mr. Heckathorn to tell him that the rest would be sent in a few days.
This made a total of $1,475 that I sent Mr. Heckathorn for Vince.
Mr. Heckathorn did not call me the next day and did not answer the phone when I called him. I sent him a text that day which stated:
ME: “If the vet stuff does not happen very soon the transport people will refuse to transport Vince. We need to talk asap about getting the vet stuff done.”
When Mr. Heckathorn agreed to sell Vince to me, I told him that I had to talk to the vet who would see Vince in order to discuss what needed to be done. I also told him several times that I would pay for all of the vet stuff by giving the vet’s office my credit card info over the phone. Mr. Heckathorn agreed to this.
On May 28, 2108, Mr. Heckathorn texted me that he would take Vince to the vet on May 30, 2018. He finally texted me the vet’s number only after I repeatedly texted him asking for it.
Mr. Heckathorn then sent me a text which said:
HECKATHORN: “They [the vet] don’t take pay pal so we’ll just pay it and email you a receipt.”
It now appeared that Mr. Heckathorn did not want me to call the vet’s office before the vet saw Vince. This would have made it impossible for me to tell the vet that Vince needed to be tested for heartworms and tick diseases.
I responded with a text which stated:
ME: “Of course the vet doesn’t take paypal. I mentioned to you several times that I will call the vet & give them my credit card number & that I need to tell them what needs to be done.”
Mr. Heckathorn also suddenly changed his excuse for not calling me. He now claimed that he “had been up for almost 48 hours delivering puppies with two difficult litters.” This time period included the day when he supposedly could not call me because he was “doing family stuff.”
In his text, Mr. Heckathorn also complained, “Are you having a bad day? . . . You sound very angry with your tone.”
I texted him that I had a huge problem with his “refusal to spend a minute to text me the vet’s name and number,” especially since he “had time to send me a long text complaining about my perfectly reasonable request that [he] text me the vet’s name & number.” My text also said that I had never had a breeder refuse to provide this info.
The next day, I called the vet’s office. I found out that they do not do in-house tick disease testing and would have to send this out to a lab. The results might not come back for days, possibly not before the sale was completed.
The vet’s office also had no idea what the bivalent flu vaccine is. Vince needed this vaccine because he probably would have been exposed to both types of dog flu during the transport.
The vet’s office also informed me that ticks in their area are so resistant to Advantix that they do not provide Advantix to their clients.
I sent Mr. Heckathorn the following text about this:
ME: “This vet office doesn’t even know what the bivalent flu vaccine is. They also do not do the SNAP 4DX test for tick diseases. Vince needs to see a modern vet who has kept up to date. Where else can u take him?”
Mr. Heckathorn texted the following response:
HECKATHORN: “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of those things. He has always been treated with advantix and I’ve never seen a tick on him. We’ve never heard of the bivalent flu. You could wait and have your vet do that when he gets to your place. If he has a tick disease I’ll pay for the treatment.”
I texted Mr. Heckathorn the following response:
ME: “He will probably be exposed to the dog flu during the trip. It can be fatal. Ticks r hard to find on GSDs and r resistant to advantix in OK. Tick diseases can be very hard to treat & can be fatal. I would be an idiot to pay this much for Vince and not take care of this basic health stuff now. I have never before had a breeder object to my doing this. Can u take him to a vet in Tulsa? If u can I will find a Tulsa vet who does this stuff”
Mr. Heckathorn then sent me a text that mentioned the OSU vet college but complained that it was “very pricey.” I texted him that I would call them now.
It was now clear to Mr. Heckathorn that I was determined to have Vince tested for heartworms and tick diseases. He responded with the following text:
HECKATHORN: “By-the-way, lose the attitude. I haven’t objected to anything that you have asked. If you accuse me again on being the worse breeder ever or if you are rude to me one more time. We are done. I’ll will refund your money less the deposit and block you on my phone.”
At this point, there was no way Vince’s sale could go through. I never accused Mr. Heckathorn of being the “worse breeder ever,” and I was not rude to him. Mr. Heckathorn’s text made it clear that he considered it “rude” for me to keep insisting that Vince be tested for heartworms and tick diseases, and that he would cancel the sale if I continued to do so.
I sent Mr. Heckathorn the following text:
ME: “It is not rude to insist on basic health checks. Your flying off the handle about this is a huge red flag. In more than 30 years I have never had a breeder act like this. They have been very happy to deal with someone who cares so much about the dog. Please cancel this sale & refund my money.”
Since Mr. Heckathorn’s text said he would not refund my deposit, I also sent him the following text:
ME: “If I do not find a full refund in my paypal account by the end of today I will file public complaints with the BBB, yscam, & multiple public internet dog forums. Very few people will have any sympathy for a breeder who expects someone to pay 2 grand for a dog that might have a tick disease”
The following texts tell most of the rest of the story:
HECKATHORN: “If you send me one more threatening or rude text, I will block you from my phone. As long as you are civil, I will be glad to leave communications open.”
ME: “The only further communication needed from u is a full refund. The transport has been canceled”
HECKATHORN: “I’m being more than nice by telling you that I will refund your money, by law, I’m not required to refund your deposit but I will. The amount you just sent will be refunded today once Patty [his wife] gets home. [There was no reason to wait for his wife to get home, since she told me that Mr. Heckathorn usually does the computer stuff and is much better at it than she is.] The original deposit will be refunded as soon as we sell Vince. That may take a couple of months, but if you give me grief, we will keep that deposit which is our normal procedure of no refunds on deposits. So please just be nice and patient as we have been with you because it’ll be in your best interest.”
HECKATHORN: “If you attack us on line, we will be keeping your $500 deposit, which is our legal and moral right to do so. In addition, we may decide to pursue you legally if you post anything online that is liable and or malicious lies.”
ME: “Everything I post will be totally accurate. Your texts say it all.”
ME: “Still no refund. If it’s not there by midnight tonight I will immediately post the yscam & BBB complaints which will accurately quote your texts and mine”
HECKATHORN: “There’s a lot of things my flesh wants to say to you, but then my spirit tells me that you are a very sad and lost soul. We will pray for you. My wife has to do the refund through PayPal. She’s been at a funeral out-of-town. When she gets home it will be late and she will be tired. She will do it tomorrow during normal business hours. Since you can not control your impulses, I’m going to block you on my phone. I strongly suggest you take your pills or poor yourself a drink and relax before you have a stroke. Try praying to the creator, our God, Jesus Christ. You will feel better. Please just Relax, chill, and exhale; things could be a lot worse.”
ME: “You have until noon tomorrow to get the paypal refund to me. BTW Jesus didn’t think much of dishonesty – remember what he did in the temple when it became a den of thieves?”
Here’s what Jesus did in the temple:
“12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:12-13
On June 4, 2018, Mr. Heckathorn sent me two emails which included the following statements:
HECKATHORN: “If you post that lie [a yscam] anywhere online, I will not refund your deposit. It is our policy not to refund deposits, but we are trying to be kind to you. Therefore, you can either be patient and behave yourself and control your psychotic impulses and get your money back, hopefully sooner than later, or you can act like a crazy person and piss us off so that we have no desire to work with you.”
HECKATHORN: “File it all [a yscam]. Do your worse. You crazy old bat, I had no problems with you paying for a thorough vet inspection, vaccines, tests, etc. What I had a problem with was your psychotic outbursts.” [These “psychotic outbursts” are my texts shown above.]
HECKATHORN: “There are consequences to your crazy behavior such as if you continue to threaten us and post lies it's going to cost you $500.00. If you control yourself and have some patience, we will refund your deposit.”
Mr. Heckathorn refunded only $922.15 of the $1,475 that I sent him. This means that he is still refusing to refund $552.85 of my money as of the time that this yscam is being submitted.
It is completely dishonest for Mr. Heckathorn to keep my deposit when he never gave even a hint that he would later claim that my deposit is nonrefundable, or that it could be refunded only after Vince was sold to someone else if the sale did not go through.
If a deposit really is nonrefundable, or can be refunded only after the dog is sold to someone else if the sale does not go through, an honest seller will make this totally clear—in writing—before the deposit is made.
Mr. Heckathorn’s texts and emails make it clear why he is refusing to return my deposit: He is using this as a threat to try to silence me.
It’s not working.
The most shameful thing that Mr. Heckathorn has done is to suggest that Jesus is backing him up in his scam.
If Mr. Heckathorn ever refunds my $552.85, I will update this Report to let yscam.com know.