Three main reasons [to be discussed in detail below]: For the first time ever I had to reprioritize tasks Amy wanted me to do for her, and at the same time we also had our first-ever disagreement about the overall quality of a dog and I apparently then had the unmitigated gall to want to fire an incompetent, unethical, dishonest "handler".

This just goes to show how unfair and unreasonable Amy Fernandez is the instant things don't go exactly her way. And throughout all this, despite all evidence to the contrary, Amy wanted to pretend "the book" was totally hers--as if I'd done nothing--that's when things completely fell apart.

The fact that most people, friend or foe, could clearly see how good of friends Amy and I were only speaks to the level of deception Amy is capable of, forewarning that she'll turn on anyone should the mood strike her. I was her best friend, personal champion, biggest supporter, and financial backer of whatever she wanted to do [most cases she didn't even have to ask--I did "it" anyway]. And for absolutely no tangible reason whatsoever she's chosen to take a path of destruction, rather than act rationally, flexible and professional.

The only thing I'm "guilty" of was not being available those last few months to do all the things she'd been taking for granted the past several years--which was exactly why I gave her the courtesy of several months repeated notice about my impending unavailability. That had been the ONLY time EVER that I'd asked her to respect my "real" job, and told her "her" stuff would have to take a back seat.--but she wouldn't stand for it!

Apparently myself, like so many others before me; MaryDee, Barbara & Kevin and Janice--basically anyone that's ever spent big money backing her dogs--each and EVERY one of us has been thrown in the trash for varying trumped up "damages against Amy". It's now clear that Amy has always had a deep-seated hated for all of us--each more successful than she herself could ever dream to be. This has more to do with her failings as a person than anything we've done--with her continued inability to accomplish anything on her own, without claiming others work as hers.

The real killer is though while all the others have spent tons of money showing her dogs, I'm the only one that's spent a greater amount on backing Amy herself.

What finally tipped you off to the type of person Amy is?

I was tipped off the moment I dared to disagree with her on something. In hindsight, I only wish something big had come up sooner so once I'd disagreed with her, I would've known by her wicked response to back away. It's not like I'd been doing things "her way" all these years, it just happened to be that everything we'd been doing we'd been totally agreeing on--at least the "big" stuff [or so I thought]. And that most things I gave a top priority to and did immediately. But when my work schedule went crazy last February 2000, even though she knew full well it was coming, things still fell apart.

In other words, I told her "no" for the first time when she had yet another personal project she wanted me to do.

I had been telling, preparing, warning Amy for several months, since November 99 in fact, that my work schedule was going to be more hectic than ever from February until April. [And unless one is living under a rock they've heard the stories about how crazy a Microsoft employee's worklife is--I'm no exception.] I told her I would basically be out of touch during that time, having to dedicate myself 110% to my real job. [Considering it was my real job that kept all her personal projects funded, one would think it important for me to stay employed.]

It had been a really big deal for me to even get the time off for both Westminster AND Crufts--my bosses were quite upset I had two vacations in a row, even though I had scheduled the time off more than a year in advance. So the days between the two shows was especially critical for me to focus on work. Apparently Amy had been ignoring what I'd been telling her for months, thinking that with enough pressure, followed by ever-escalating threats and intimidating notes, she could still get what she demanded from me--but things didn't work out that way. She didn't get what she wanted, yet showed her true colors in the process.

Yes I was that busy. And unless you're in the same crazy high tech industry it's hard to understand how it takes over one's life. There wasn't time for personal calls from work, nor from home as I was working 12-16 hours a day and had my home computer dialed in, so the line was always busy. Or was I expected to cancel my meetings, or throw co-workers out of my office because I had to make a personal call? And that I'd told her this busy time was coming--I'd expected it...and expected her to understand. After all, anytime she needed a break to focus on a watercolor for a client, she expected me to do things on my own. But I guess I can't expect her to compare painting a $500 portrait to publishing a multi-million dollar, mission-critical, ad campaign-dependent, worldwide website for the most successful software company in the world now can I?

It's truly amazing how her and all her unemployed sit-at-home cronies all speak to know this type of work style. Most of these people haven't ever had jobs, much less anything that involved more than cooking fries or making change. Even people that have full time jobs can't really understand unless they're in the industry.

I've also been asked this question several times by former friends--why didn't I just send some kind of email to Amy. The problem here is that I DID. [But don't forget the point I'm trying to make is that I didn't have time for any type of personal communication during this period--much less to the level that Amy was heatedly, threateningly requiring.]

I sent three emails to her during the time between New York and England. But each email was met with an even more heated, hateful reply from her about why I wasn't answering--demanding that I do so [like a spoiled child stomping her feet]. In each round Amy would tack on several more questions demanding an immediate answer. She even went so far as to state that undoubtedly she believed "I'd prefer to settle it now"--which only meant she was disregarding the main subject of my emails--that I didn't have time. After she disregarded my third message, I stopped responding altogether; I wasn't about to risk my job to calm the self-imposed fears of a hysterical, irrational lunatic.

Actually it was pretty minor, but in hindsight I now understand Amy's misguided reasoning. After six years of promises and leading me on to spend more and more money, the time had finally come when she had to make good on her commitment of sending me a specials quality dog--for me to personally show.

But then Amy claimed that not only did I have a dog to show, but that the dog I had was Specials quality--even better than the record breaking Bubblena [Ch. Razzmatazz Spectacular]!! She claimed that it was my fault, my lack of knowledge of training and grooming that held this dog back! [Keep in mind, this was also the first time she'd ever spoken to me in such a manner--with such disrespect and contempt--almost as if it had been building, for say, six years.]

For the most part, the dog isn't even showable--much less to the level required to be a Top Special or even a consistent Breed winner.

Amy knew more than anyone the challenges trying to show this dog, as prior to bringing Carmel to me she had spent the previous 6 months desperately trying to show her--never finishing better than last place. She finally quit altogether when Carmel tried to bite a judge and they got excused from the ring. Because Amy needed to get Carmel out of her house since she was afraid she'd bite visitors, Carmel came to me as a Pet specifically because I'd had a reputation of success working with temperament-challenged dogs. Amy just didn't want me to her spay her as she wanted to breed her in the future. [If I hadn't taken Carmel when I did, Amy's plan was to put her to sleep--you know, KILL her.]

So in March of 98 when Amy came to Washington State for a Pacific Northwest Judge's Seminar, she brought Carmel with her to send home with me. Two months went by before I could get close enough to Carmel to even put a lead on her. I could  barely touch her as she was a snarling, snapping, vicious ill-tempered dog. Amy had even teased me that she was betting Carmel was still wearing the ratty sweater she had on when Amy gave her to me--and Amy was right, I couldn't get close enough to the dog to take it off.

Carmel's sire is nicknamed Cujo for goodness sake, with all the ferocious temperament this name implies. [More on Cujo [Zucci the Professor] below.]

What did you promise to do with Carmel then?

There was never any intention or promise on my part that I would show her--the only thing Amy asked of me was to provide Carmel with a safe loving home, and then some day we would breed her. Yet after many months of intense work by me, I asked Amy if I could "try" to show her--just to finish her. She said yes, but didn't hold out any hope that I'd do any better than she'd done--speaking to me in her superior condescending tone she likes so much. But I got 5 points pretty quickly--then Amy suddenly changed her tune and said I MUST finish her before I breed her!! It wasn't until the 2000 New York visit that she mentioned how Carmel had been elevated to Top 10--All Breed contending Special--if NOT for me!

Are you saying Amy didn't think a dog's temperament should play a role in whether or not it's show quality?

That's exactly what I'm saying. She felt that since this dog was conformationally correct and quite strikingly beautiful, that that should more than make up for her lack of temperament. Keep in mind though, the great Amy herself couldn't do anything with this dog--she'd given up.

Cujo is a huge, ferocious, white, cut-down powderpuff that Amy takes credit for importing from England. Actually the only part of the "importing" that Amy did was receive the dog at her home and submit the AKC registration in her name. Another former friend and backer actually paid the import bill--big surprise here. In fact, at the same time Cujo arrived, he came with two other bitches--also paid for by this woman--but registered under Amy's name.

Amy gave Zucci the Professor the nickname "Cujo" because of the very reasons one would think--he's ferocious and most people, including Amy herself, can't really touch him--without getting bitten of course. I'm not sure how she managed to cut him down, one of life's little mysteries. Knowing what I know now, I have little doubt that the temperament problems arose AFTER being imported, as this is quite the pattern with Razzmatazz dogs being raised in her home for more than 6 months. One only wonders what the "true temperament" of The Professor would've been had it not been for Amy. I also imagine that he simply looks huge, because of his botched haircut, if it's fair to call it that, as I've not gotten closer than 20 feet to the dog. And when Amy tried to hold him on a table for me to look at, she couldn't even hold him still as he was snapping wildly at her, so no telling what his "true size" is either.

Out of Cujo's three litters, the first litter was Ziggy & Twiggy [Ch. Razzmatazz LeFauve & Razzmatazz Sheherazade]: both dogs are on the large end of the standard [~13"] and both very nasty biters with terrified personalities. Amy showed them individually and as a brace. She finished Ziggy, but was never able to finish Twiggy, nor put any points on her after extensive showing. She later sent Ziggy to Europe to bask in the glory of more European titles. Twiggy always bit me on the hind-end every single time I turned my back--she did this to other people as well. I imagine Ziggy would have done the same, as he's tried to bite me many times--but at Amy's house all the male dogs are caged in the basement so they don't mingle with other dogs much less house guests.

The second litter was Blue & Carmel [Razzmatazz Kobalt Blue & Razzmatazz Clever Confetti]: one very big but extremely outgoing, the other very nice but completely terrified. Blue came to me when he was 11 weeks old, so I was able to salvage what would surely have been the typical terrified personality. Blue's very outgoing and well-trained because of me, but he's also very tall. Even so I still put 14 pts on him, just needing 1 major to finish. All the dogs in my area at the time were 9-11" so he stood out like a monster. There was also another dog from this litter that was sent to Amy's friend Coty in the Philippines. But Coty wasn't ever able to show this dog either--temperament "issues"--so she bred her instead.

The third litter was Hibiscus & Ivy [Ch. Razzmatazz Hibiscus & Razzmatazz Poison Ivy]: both dogs are pretty small [~11"] and both very terrified personalities. Polly Lamarine [a true professional handler] showed Hibiscus for ages until she finally finished her. Then for some strange reason Polly started to Special her--[if Polly only heard the nasty comments Amy was making about her decision to show this dog, but of course she never did.] But the showing stopped abruptly when  the dog chewed off her tail plume down to the nubs and Polly promptly returned her to Amy. Ivy went to Terry Corkran and couldn't ever be shown--even though she was a very beautiful, conformationally correct dog.

Are you sensing a pattern here?

Yet I'M the reason Carmel isn't top dog all breeds!! That the temperament issues and lack of a top special are due to MY personal failings to property train Carmel! Hmm, Amy couldn't do it, Polly couldn't do it, Terry couldn't do it, Coty couldn't do it--none of these people are being blamed for their dog's temperament--except me!

What was the handler disagreement about [disagreement #3]?

I wanted to fire Pam Laperruque and Amy wanted me to continue overlooking her lies and deceit [plus Pam's constant whining and life-sucking nature was more than even the most mild-mannered person could bear]. Since I was the one paying Pam's salary, then it was my choice to fire her--not Amy's. And most importantly, I was the one being lied to and cheated, by both Pam and her husband Paul--not Amy.

But since I was the financial backer and chose to fire Pam, Amy and her covertly steal my dogs back?! That somehow there was a "hidden loophole" that said they were only my dogs if Pam was the handler?!

Up until the Bubbie fiasco, the only plan was to have Pam show one dog for me once Bubblena was retired--that's it--one dog. But things all changed in September 99. In the middle of it, Amy and I BOTH wanted to detach ourselves from Pam [or so I thought]--but then Amy started to feel sorry for her [or acted so], then begged me to officially hire her. That things would blow over. What a joke that was. But I did it all on Amy's insistence, and was willing to overlook for the sake of my friendship with her.

Did you know I invested nearly $20,000 in 1999 alone in dog showing [entries, handling fees, board, travel expenses, minimal advertising] and Pam didn't even really begin showing my dogs until October 99 [other than the trip to the World Dog Show in June, Brush Prairie in July, and Tri-Cities in September]. That during the month of October I spent $8,000 on this "hobby"!! $6,000 of which was spent sending Pam to shows for the sole purpose of letting everyone see that Janice hadn't crushed her with the Bubblena scandal...another $2,000 covering Janice's SUPPOSEDLY unpaid handling bill! [Knowing now the degree in which Pam's husband Paul "mismanaged" the accounts, it's no wonder any bills ever appeared as paid!]

And for that level of support, Pam's always treated me like something she scraped off her shoe. Where she got such a skewed sense of superiority I'll never know. Never telling me where my dogs were going, how they did when they got there...nothing. Although she was always on the phone almost immediately telling Amy all the particulars. Yes, I realize I'm not the breeder, but I WAS the one paying her salary [therefore hiring her], yet she felt no obligation to update me--only Amy. Do you know she wouldn't even tell me when she used my visa card to make entries. I gave her my card information in order to make it easier for entries and such. . .on the sole condition that she inform me when and for how much she was using it--but she never ever did!

Amy and Pam Laperruque, the "handler ", conspired together to steal them from me. For some reason, Amy and Pam felt I should "relinquish" the dogs to Pam [for Pam to personally keep].

My specials were Ch. Razzmatazz Shockwave "Electra" and Ch. Razzmatazz Light My Fire "Flame". I also own their sire, Ch. Razzmatazz Spitfire "Pongo", as well as Ch. Razzmatazz Ultra Pink "Morgan". Although with regards to the latter dog, Amy pulled a fast one with his AKC registration papers so all anyone sees now is her name as Owner!

What's really interesting, is that Amy seemed appalled that another former friend and backer took back a dog from this same handler, Pam, as she suspected Amy and Pam were conspiring to take the dog from her. A dog she had spent years campaigning and was promised to have litters from. So at that time, Amy sents off hordes of letters to AKC claiming how unethical this behavior was. Yet less than 6 months later, she and Pam are doing the very same thing this person was worried they'd do--but this time to me--and to TWO of my dogs, not one!!

This seems a might bit hypocritical don't you think? All the people [including me] that Amy convinced that the other backer was paranoid to think her and Pam were conspiring to take Bubbs from her were WRONG. Amy's proven so by her actions against me. And keeping a retired show dog versus puppies at the beginning of their careers isn't remotely the same thing. God only knows where my dogs are today. Probably in some small stinking filthy cage, starving to death while the "better" dogs are being fed.

Of course I did. From what Amy stated after the fact, she claimed I "did not pay for [the dogs], did not honor [my] agreement to campaign...] Apparently this entitles her  to covertly steal them back whenever she saw fit. I contend however, that I did "pay" for them. My mistake was not making the notation of "buying puppies" on any of the  checks making up the more than $20,000 investment. Although what sane person would think they'd need to. [Keep in mind,, Amy certainly never stopped claiming ownership to everything I personally pay for!! And this is absolutely NO exaggeration. She even claimed ownership for developing this website!]

Both Electra and Flame were specifically to be used in my breeding program--Flame sooner than Electra of course. But since I wanted to fire Pam and have Electra shown by an ethical handler in my area, crazy Amy took this to mean I wasn't "honoring" the agreement to campaign her. Hmmm, if I'm hiring the handler, I have a right to fire her and hire someone else. Neither one ever explained why they stole Flame--just a package deal I guess.