Spokane Mastiff Rescue Sells Puppies with Health Problems
Last year a “dog rescue” called Spokane Mastiff Rescue and Pet Portraits sold 2 English Mastiff puppies with severe health problems to women who planned to use them as service dogs.

Spokane Mastiff Rescue is not registered with the Washington Department of Revenue.
A woman named Stacey Fincher runs the rescue which does not have business registration or tax reporting accounts with the Washington Department of Revenue.
This means Spokane Mastiff Rescue is not registered to do business in Washington and isn’t paying taxes it owes to the state.
It has no website and no listings on Petfinder or Adopt-a-Pet. All dog adoptions appear to be conducted on the Spokane Mastiff Rescue’s Facebook page, but the adoption process is unclear because the rescue doesn’t mention that it has the dogs either at their location or in foster homes.
The page also had no information saying the dogs Spokane Mastiff Rescue adopts out have been spayed/neutered or had all the appropriate vaccinations from a veterinarian.
Dog Breeders, Not Dog Rescuers
But this post isn’t about the number 0f dogs Ms. Fincher rescues or its adoption process because the rescue appears to be more of a breeding operation that sells mastiff puppies.
If you check the Spokane Mastiff Rescue’s Facebook page you’ll see multiple posts about puppies she has to sell. Prices start at $900 apiece.

Spokane Mastiff Rescue appears to be more of a dog breeding operation than a dog rescue. Image from Spokane Mastiff Rescue and Pet Portraits.
Before going further, I should note that I don’t think all dog breeders are evil or that people should never buy a puppy from a breeder. I have no problems with responsible breeders who only sell a limited number of litters.
Stacey Fincher is not a responsible breeder. Not even close. In the last year, her questionable claims about her puppies and shady business practices devastated the lives of two disabled Washington women who adopted puppies from her.
Here are their stories. I changed their names to protect their identities.

Julie and Hannah. Photo credit withheld.
Julie’s Story
Julie has extensive medical problems. She has Meniere’s disease, which causes severe vertigo attacks lasting 1 to 3 days as well as aural fullness (pressure in her ears), tinnitus (ringing in her ears), and hearing loss (deaf in right ear, hearing impaired in left ear).
During her vertigo attacks, she told me, she can’t walk, crawl, hear, or care for herself.
She also has posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (severe ankle/foot pain), ankle laxity (loose, unstable ankles), and to top it all off, epilepsy.
She Just Wanted to “Live a Normal Life”
Last year, Julie decided she wanted to get a dog from a rescue and train it to be a service dog to help her navigate through the numerous obstacles she faced just to make it through the day. Specifically, she wanted a dog that could do the following so she could more easily “live a normal life”:
- Wake and calm her when she had nightmares
- Warn her when she was about to have a seizure
- Help her to a safe area when she had a panic attack
- Help her maintain her balance while standing or walking
- Give her support going up and down stairs
- Bring her items when she couldn’t walk
Julie found Spokane Mastiff Rescue’s Facebook page last spring. She contacted Ms. Fincher to see if she had any Mastiffs to rehome. Stacy talked her into buying a puppy instead of trying to train an adult dog with an unknown history because she would know the dog’s background.
Ms. Fincher assured Julie that the puppies’ parents had passed their tests for knee and hip problems and were registered with the AKC; however, she never provided the official documents that would verify her claims.
Julie decided to buy a female Mastiff puppy from Spokane Mastiff Rescue. She paid Ms. Fincher $800 for her and named her Hannah.
Medical Problems Emerge
Julie’s first two months with her new puppy were fantastic. She and Hannah bonded immediately, and Hannah took to basic training well.
But in late September, the first of Hannah’s medical problems began to emerge.
Hannah’s trainer told Julie that he was concerned about the way Hannah walked and ran. She kept her legs close together when she stood and crossed one leg in front of the other when she walked; she also began to lose her balance.
Ms. Fincher dismissed his concern, saying it was “super normal” for a mastiff puppy to trip over its own feet. She also said Hannah might have an inner ear infection.
Unfortunately, the trainer’s concern was verified a week later when Hannah tried to get up after falling and “fell down screaming.”
Julie took her to the WSU Teaching Veterinary Hospital where a vet diagnosed her with bilateral Cranial

Hannah health problems began when she was only 5 months old. Photo credit withheld.
Cruciate Disease with joint crepitus in both knees, hip dysplasia, and arthritis.
These ailments usually impact adult dogs, but Hannah was only 5 months old.
Responsible breeders “test prospective parent dogs for defective genes — and avoid breeding them if there are defects.”
As I noted earlier, Ms. Fincher claimed all her dogs had been tested. Julie asked for the test results several times, but Ms. Fincher never provided them.
Big Vet Bills
The WSU veterinarian recommended surgery to fix Hannah’s knees and hip. She estimated that the total cost of pre-surgery radiographs and the surgery itself would be approximately $7000. That price didn’t include medications, post-surgery vet visits, or rehabilitation expenses.
This illegal breeder of lame Mastiffs needs to be in jail or fined by the county and state. How can this person even do this with out getting in trouble with the law . I guess evil people enjoy fooling good hearted citizens.
I don’t know if law enforcement knows about her but WA’s animal cruelty laws are so weak people often get away with this sort of thing.
NOT a rescue! Rescue DO NOT CHARGE $900.00 SHE HAS TO BE A BREEDER. SHE NEEDS TO REFUND THESE POOR LADIES, AND ANIMAL CONTROL NEEDS TO LOOK INTO HER!
I agree.
An excellent article. I am heart sick. That woman is awful. I know one of the women in your story. She is the best pet mama ever. Her dog will have the best life possible. I wonder if you can find more people and at least file a class action suit. Maybe, just maybe WSU will do the surgeries. Has this article been sent to them?
Hi everyone, my new name is Georgia, you can follow me on mom’s facebook, I am started a go fund me page as mom was told my knee is worn out and needs fixed. Check me out on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/debsfxdwg/posts/1533198413398753
Deb Owen who posted above as Georgia has turned Jorgi ? AKA Hannah over to Oregon Mastiff Rescue. She didn’t even bother to ask me if I wanted her back.