# Rescue lost its license over a technicality!



## Dremulf (Mar 25, 2016)

The Rescue I foster for lost its state license after the woman running it moved to a new town and misspelled the name of her new address (the road), Now the state wont even let her reapply. I live in Maine and that is where the Rescue is located.


This rescue has been function for 15 years now, and started in New Jersey, it WAS 501c3 until last year when she changed the name of the rescue because another rescue from NY moved into the state with the same name and sued. (they had big funding, and we run on donations from small business and private individuals).

The poor Rescue lady is stuck where she is, the rescue is going into the red because of the 501c3 thing, and we've been plagued with people trying to scam us. Someone actually broke into my house last week to try and steal one of the puppies I am fostering. (my GSD cornered her in the kitchen and wouldn't let her move. GOOD DOG!!)

If anyone knows of a good way to get the process moving again, I will pass it along to the rescue. The poor woman suffers lupus and other problems and really doesn't need the added stress of this paper work crap.

I ask for help because the state says we cant adopt out any dogs until the rescue is licensed again, and that includes transport to other rescues, we literally JUST got a transport of 15 puppies from the south, they have been vaccinated, groomed, and held for the required length of time, but now are stuck in limbo.

So in short, the state canceled over one letter mistake, and now wont even let her apply or fix the mistake, stating some stupid rule, about more than one application in 30 days.


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## WonderBreadDots (Jun 26, 2012)

Where is the license issued from? Local? State? Federal? Is it the non-profit designation that you are talking about?


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## titiaamor (Nov 17, 2011)

501(C)3 is a federal designation. The state designation/registrant is important as well, but the reason and the non-reapply doesn't sound right. Something is not adding up.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

That doesn't make any sense. There are rules in place to cover transcription errors, which is what that is. I refer to them as "don't fire the secretary! rules" because they have kept me from being fired, lol. Something happened to the 501(c)3 designation, but that wasn't it.


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## Dremulf (Mar 25, 2016)

the 501c3 cant be reapplied for until we get the state license back, according to the woman at the office, and the state license has a 30 day wait between applications...we also think something is not right, but its our word vs theirs


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

What is the license for? Where are you located?

I've never heard of a rescue needing a license to adopt out dogs in our area.


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## Dremulf (Mar 25, 2016)

in maine you need to be licensed and insured, because a bunch of morons were pulling dogs from southern shelters, they would only take pregnant females or females with pups, then they would sell the pups for profit without providing medical care, and the moms, if not adopted within a few days of the pups being gone, would be dumped at local shelters, so now if you want to be a 'legitimate' rescue that can advertise in the state you need the license.


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## Rock knocker (Sep 14, 2015)

Dremulf said:


> the 501c3 cant be reapplied for until we get the state license back, according to the woman at the office


What woman at what office?

Have you been to this site? https://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Application-Process

I think you may be asking too many questions too many places. Look up the answers on line for both the state and Fed issues. That way you'll get a written reference to applicable codes. Right now you're relying on the off the cuff answers from people who's only known qualification is answering the phone.

People are allowed to make mistakes, and misspelling (almost) never voids a contract or application.


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## Rock knocker (Sep 14, 2015)

http://www.maine.gov/dacf/ahw/animal_welfare/forms.shtml


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## Rock knocker (Sep 14, 2015)

You might want to find out if there are non profits that supply legal help and advice to other small non-profits. A name change or a DBA should not have necessitated letting the 501 lapse, and a misspelled word should not turn the world upside down. A person with more savvy at navigating these bureaucracies could probably get you back on the road very quickly.


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## Dremulf (Mar 25, 2016)

thank you, the rescue is following the advice on here (I emailed the link to this topic) and a NJ lawyer who worked with the rescue before is going to work on the 501c3 issue

as for the state level, we have contacted another rescue that has their own lawyer who offered to help, hopefully the issue is resolved soon, these puppies have more energy than a 6 year old who just ate a years supply of Halloween candy!


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