An animal rescue in southern Ohio said it would help dogs find homes. The owners pocketed the money instead, according to a lawsuit
An Ohio couple used a fake dog rescue to bankroll their business that sold puppies, according to a new lawsuit.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit on March 9 against Nathan and Sara Bazler of Butler and Opal Mustain of Portsmouth, who formed the nonprofit Dogs to the Rescue in Portsmouth. Yost said they pocketed donations to support another business instead of using the money to help dogs find permanent homes.
“It doesn’t take a bloodhound to sniff out this scheme,” Yost said in a statement. “When you exploit the generosity of animal lovers to fund a money-making business, you’ve strayed a long way from your charitable mission.”
The defendants served as board members for the dissolved nonprofit and earned $354,000 in 2022, despite working 10 hours or less per week, according to the lawsuit. Dogs to the Rescue reported just $42 in assets by the end of that year.
At the same time, the Bazlers owned and operated Maryland Puppies and Ohio-based Little Puppies. Maryland Puppies shuttered after the state’s attorney general accused the Bazlers of violating puppy mill laws and forced them to pay a $75,000 penalty.
A former manager said Nathan Bazler gave her a credit card for Dogs to the Rescue and told her to use it for Maryland Puppies’ expenses. Nathan and Sara Bazler used other credit cards with the rescue’s name to buy pet supplies, furniture, airfare and other items that weren’t connected to the rescue.
Despite that, the couple used money from the rescue’s bank account to pay off the credit card debt.
Yost’s lawsuit seeks restitution from the Bazlers and Mustain and could prevent them from operating another nonprofit in Ohio.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
