Kane in Your Corner exclusive: Animal 'rescue' Pixies and Paws exposed
A Team 12 exclusive investigation uncovered the shocking truth about a nonprofit animal rescue organization that has been buying dogs from breeders, contradicting its mission.
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A Kane In Your Corner investigation finds a nonprofit that purports to be an animal rescue appears to be buying and reselling dogs from breeders.
Documents provided to Kane In Your Corner show Pixies and Paws, a self-proclaimed animal rescue based in New Jersey and serving the tristate area, purchased more than 160 dogs from commercial breeders in Ohio. The purchases were made during a three-month period alone. It's an arrangement some consumer groups say means Pixies and Paws is acting less like a rescue and more like an online pet store.
In an investigation in May, Kane In Your Corner spoke to Jonisha Lewis about her experience adopting a dog from Pixies and Paws. She said the dog had such significant health problems that her veterinarian deemed it "unfit for sale".
"My son was crying," Lewis said. "And he was just like, 'Why? Why Is this happening? Like, why is he sick'?"
Then there was the adoption fee – a whopping $1,500… which at first, Pixies and Paws refused to refund, although it eventually relented after Kane In Your Corner began investigating.
RELATED: Kane In Your Corner reveals animal rescue concerns about Pixies and Paws
Ashley Tremutola says she fostered a dog From Pixies And Paws. She says she got a negative impression when she was told to pick up the animal from a rest stop on the New Jersey turnpike.
"I went to the Vince Lombardi rest stop, like 8:30 at night," Tremutola says. "I was there with maybe 20 other people to pick up dogs".
According to Pixies and Paws' most recent tax return, the group took in nearly $1million in revenue in 2022. It also claimed about $700,000 in expenses, but it’s unclear what some of those expenses are. On the tax return, the group’s president, Jennifer Lamb, says Pixies and Paws operates out of her home, rent-free – but the nonprofit’s expenses included nearly $25,000 in property taxes and $109,000 in rent. Kane In Your Corner asked Lamb for an explanation but got no response.
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs confirms that it has received complaints about Pixies and Paws. Spokesperson Lisa Coryell said she could not confirm or deny if an investigation is underway.
