and the mickey award dassault systemes visits greyhound friends

GREYHOUND FRIENDS NEWSLETTER • SUMMER 2015
AND THE MICKEY AWARD
GOES TO… BARBARA NUTTING,
VOLUNTEER!
DASSAULT SYSTEMES VISITS
GREYHOUND FRIENDS
SPREADING PEA STONE IN THE
YARDS & LOVE AT THE SHELTER
NEW WEBSITE
COMING SOON!
GET TO KNOW
A GREYHOUND
OR HOUND AT
GREYHOUND.ORG
Photo by: John Mottern
GHFs’ New Website
Coming Soon!
2
3
4
5
6
New GHF website is
underway
Company visits to
Greyhound Friends
Letter from
the Director
Ernie
And the Mickey Award
goes to Barbara Nutting, Volunteer!
7
John Mottern works
in Ireland on a
documentary about the
greyhound industry
8
9
Open House Archive
From the Archives—
The Greyhound from Greystones (1993)
10
Ben and Gerald...two lucky greyhounds
from Ireland
11
Ready for a Good
Home! Greyhounds ready for adoption
12
13
14
Boone aka Big Bad Boone
Bear & Pepper
Homeward Bound
Hound Boutique,
Estate Planning &
Ways to donate
15
16
Become a member
or renew membership
2
Save the Date!
The Home Stretch
The new website is underway. Our goal is to make the site much easier
to navigate while focusing on featuring the dogs up for adoption with
more videos, photos and in-depth descriptions. This will allow visitors
to greyhound.org a chance to get to know a greyhound or hound
better before visiting the kennel. We are also planning on making the
website a better entryway to a wider range of social media. Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and other platforms will have current content about
Greyhound Friends Inc uploaded on a regular basis with opportunity
for feedback and dialogue.
Second Chances Thrift Store
6 W. Central Street, Natick
Intersection of Rts. 135 and 27; Natick Center
Open Tuesday-Saturday 10 to 6
Second Chances sells clothes, glassware, china, jewelry,
lamps, books, odds and ends. We are always looking for
donations for the store and for customers.
We are also looking for volunteer help
Thank you to all the store’s supporters.
For more information call the kennel 508-435-5969
The Home Stretch
is a publication of Greyhound Friends, Inc.
Address:
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748
Phone:
508.435.5969
Fax:508.435.0547
Email:[email protected]
Website:www.greyhound.org
Designer:GetSetMarketing.com
Kennel Wish List
• Blankets & Comforters
• Carpet & Carpet Cutters (we
use for the dogs’ kennels)
• Dog Food (quality dry &
canned: Iams, Eukanuba, and
Pro Plan preferred)
• Cleaning Supplies
• Office Supplies (copy paper,
large & padded envelopes, etc.)
•
•
•
•
Laundry Detergent & Bleach
Olive Oil & Rice
Paper Towels
Vet Supplies/Bandages/Vet
Wrap
• Bird Seed/Feed
• Visitors
• $$$$$
SUMMER 2015
DASSAULT SYSTEMES
VISITS GREYHOUND
FRIENDS... MAY 19 , 2015
TH
Spreading pea stone in
the yards & love at the shelter
D
assault Systems came out to
Greyhound Friends on a rainy
& chilly day in May to spread a
few tons of pea stone in the yards
and to fill in the many holes that
the dogs dug in the field. After
they finished all of their work
they stopped into the shelter to
give some of the dogs some love.
Here they are petting Honey Bee.
JUNE 18TH, 2015
IRON MOUNTAIN
VISITS GREYHOUND
FRIENDS FOR A DAY OF
COMMUNITY SERVICE
I
ron Mountain chose Greyhound
Friends for their Day of
Community Service. They painted
the front office, sorted and
organized all of the dog crates,
weeded the gardens, filled in
holes in the field and cut carpet
into strips so they can be placed
in the dog kennels.
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748 | 508.435.5969 | www.greyhound.org 3
Letter from the Director
Summer 2015
Greyhound Friends is blasting right
along. We bring dogs in, get them
ready for adoption, and out they go
to good homes. I am hoping that
with our new website - which will
launch in August, that we will be
able to reach more people and as
a result place more dogs and raise
more money.
Another positive
is the continuity of support for
Greyhound Friends from our hard
working volunteers, staff, and board
members. The dogs greatly benefit
from everyone’s actions and concern.
The greyhounds and hounds have a
lobby of advocates working for their
adoption and welfare.
A long time and many dogs ago
when Greyhound Friends began
life was extraordinarily hectic but
predictable. We knew at least some
of the people at the local tracks
and the conduits for greyhounds
coming in were packed. People
believe what they see and as the
greyhounds were adopted and they
were seen in public people began
to think of them as beautiful dogs,
not as racing machines. Now that
racing is dwindling in this country
many extraneous greyhounds are
being sent to Argentina. John
Mottern, the local photojournalist we have worked with for a
long time, made a documentary
about what is happening to the
greyhounds there. It is titled, “A
Crime to be Born in Argentina”.
To watch, visit: http://youtu.
be/8NmzfwBTGRc (Spanish)
or https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=0OmPLbuggzA (English).
This documentary is difficult to
watch but does express hope as
well. Greyhound Friends has long
worked with greyhound adoption
groups in Ireland and Spain. Now
we are working with organizations
4
The Home Stretch
in Argentina, for example, Proyecto
Galgo Argentina.
The greyhounds we place now
come from Florida, W. Virginia,
and Kansas. A greyhound transport person brings them to New
England and holds them at his
greyhound farm in Connecticut
until we can bring them in to our
adoption kennel in Hopkinton. We
follow Massachusetts regulations
concerning isolation for 48 hours
and having them released by a
vet. This process is much different
from when trainers from the local
tracks would bring in truck loads
of greyhounds. We are extremely thankful that we have a flow
of greyhounds in. The hounds
are transported from Kentucky,
Indiana, and Ohio. We try to take
as many greyhound crosses as
possible. Greyhounds are increasingly bred with hunting dogs to
make faster hunting dogs. These
dogs often received little socialization and live their lives chained
to dog houses. They come around
and their real greyhound nature
comes out but this does take time.
Two brothers, Little Joe and Blake,
came in from Indiana. A network of
people helped get the brothers to
us. Larry Bowersox of Grapehounds,
Kristen Marble of Forever Greys,
John Jacobus of the Chemung
Country SPCA,
Pat Colitsas,
Greyhounds as Companions, Cyndy
Curley, Greyhound Friends. It took
a concentrated effort to bring
the dogs to Greyhound Friends’
adoption kennel.
Our efforts are made possible by
generous donations from foundations, individuals, and bequests.
Thank goodness for kind people
who include the dogs in their
wills. Volunteers seem to specialize in different endeavors. Joann
Tunnessen has organized a
number of successful dog food drives.
Thanks for everyone’s support. I
love seeing the dogs go home.
Especially the dogs who had to
overcome difficulties. Greyhound
Friends is a salvage operation.
We try to define the potential in
each dog and then find the best
home for each one.. On a larger
scale I continue to work on efforts
to combat climate change and
the dangers posed by nuclear
weapons.
Best Wishes,
Louise
ADOPT LITTLE JOE
& BLAKE!
By: JudyBarrettePhotography.com
Little Joe and Blake - are
brothers. They are about
two years old and were bred
to be hunting dogs in the
Midwest. Luckily, they were
brought to a shelter in New
York State, and then with
the help of Larry Bowersox,
Kristen Marble, and Pat
Colitisas, and Cyndy Curley
they arrived at Greyhound
Friends. We plan on placing
them together. Little Joe
and Blake have made
wonderful progress.
SUMMER 2015
Ernie
BY: STODDARD MELHADO
Ernie was an extraordinary dog.
Our big, beautiful red brindle, born
on April Fool’s Day in 2003, had two
careers and was highly successful
at both.
Racing under the name Movin
Backside, he ran 176 races at
Raynham Park, winning 42 races
and placing in the top 3 positions
over 60% of the time. On May 16,
2006 Ernie raced in The Night of
Stars at Raynham, an event held
at 17 tracks to benefit greyhound
adoption and featuring the best
the best racers at every track. In the
program Ernie was described as
“When he is on is as good as any.”
Ernie ran his final race in April of
2008, shortly after turning 5 years
old, and soon thereafter embarked
on his second career.
In April of 2008, my wife, Ky,
along with then Kennel Manager
Sandy Jepson picked Ernie and two
other dogs up at the track from their
trainer, Alvin Rink. Ernie was Alvin’s
favorite dog – he was somewhat
reluctant to let Ernie go – and later
told me that Ernie always went to
the races riding in the front seat of
his truck. About ten days after arriving at Greyhound Friends, Ernie,
who had adopted me as soon as he
arrived at the kennel, came to our
home, seamlessly fitting in with our
three male greyhounds.
Ernie was the most confident
and self-assured dog I have ever
known. Louise once described
him as a “get along dog” and he
was even more than that when
he came to our home. There was
not a mean bone in his body and
our other dogs immediately took
to him. We have an oversized red
chair -- now known as Ernie’s
chair – when he was in it, inevitably
another dog would climb in it to
be with him. Since he left us there
have never been two dogs together
in Ernie’s chair.
Ernie’s second career had
many facets. His major job was
as an educator, participating in
many, many education outreach
programs for five years and meeting
over 3,000 students. During the
programs Ernie was a magnet for
the children, sitting patiently while
they hung all over him, hugging,
petting, and kissing him and often
had thank you notes addressed to
him after the programs.
He was also a thespian, appearing in “The Comedy of Errors” during
Shakespeare on the Common.
As an actor he proudly pranced
across the stage five times during
every performance, calmed the
actors backstage, and on opening
night, pushed through all the
actors to meet Mayor Menino as he
addressed the cast backstage.
Ernie was also a wonderful
greyhound ambassador, appearing at the MSPCA annual awards
dinner, sitting near the front door
greeting guests as they arrived.
He visited nursing homes and
Alzheimer’s patients and cavorted
around the Liberty Hotel with leggy
models on a fashion night featuring
greyhounds. He was also a media
star, appearing on television, in the
newspapers, and even being on
the radio and was the “best dog” at
a wedding in our back yard.
But most of all Ernie was a
special, wonderful dog with whom
we were fortunate to share our
lives. He taught our other boys
to hunt chipmunks, set the tone
for canine behavior in our house
without being an alpha, and was
the best bed sleeper we have ever
had, starting at the end of our bed
every night and especially in the
winter, squirming up between us
to snuggle.
Ernie died on January 20, 2015,
another beautiful greyhound lost
to osteosarcoma, leaving a huge
hole in our hearts. He was a once in
a lifetime dog and the worst thing
we could do would be to try to find
a replacement. Instead we love the
diverse and quirky characters of the
five boys in our current pack.
At spring Open House we
placed and dedicated Ernie’s
Memorial Brick in the Boston Boy
Memorial Garden. It reads “Big
Ernie – Extraordinary Boy.”
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748 | 508.435.5969 | www.greyhound.org 5
And the Mickey Award goes to…
Barbara Nutting, Volunteer!
BY: ANNE MARIE RAKOVIC,
MEET & GREET COORDINATIOR
Barbara Nutting has been one
of our most active volunteers in
the Meet and Greet program for
the past 5 years. In fact that is how
she learned about Greyhound
Friends. In 2010 she attended
a meet and greet at a local pet
store called Maggie’s Food for
Pets in West Boylston. There she
met volunteer, Carla Kenney, and
learned all about greyhounds, our
kennel and the adoption process.
Barbara’s interest in greyhounds
was piqued and she soon found
herself at our Spring Open House
and inquiring about greyhounds
available for adoption. She walked
a number of dogs and after a
few weeks she fell in love with a
beautiful five and a half year old
black male greyhound named
Fast, now ten and a half years
young! Barbara quickly became a
volunteer and then went on to
become part of our evening staff
at the kennel for a little over a year.
She was and still is truly committed to helping support Greyhound
Friends in any way she can.
If you ask Barbara, she’d say that
she is “owned” by her greyhounds.
Fast came into her life just when
she needed him and he became
a true “fast” friend. She says, “He
is such an incredible animal that
I could not stop talking to my
friends, to people we would meet
on the street on walks, my co-workers or anyone else who would
listen to me about what fantastic pets greyhounds make. So I
decided I wanted to get the word
out to potential adopters and to
share my experience with folks by
letting them know that their life
could change for the better, just
like mine did.”
6
The Home Stretch
“He is such an incredible animal that I could not stop
talking to my friends, to people we would meet on the
street on walks, my co-workers or anyone else who would
listen to me about what fantastic pets greyhounds make.”
Barbara checked out the
Greyhound Friends’ website, saw
our meet and greet schedule and
was delighted to find that several
events where happening near to
where she lived. So she jumped
right in! The first meet and greet
that she volunteered for was at
the Pet Source store in Stow. She
then went on to volunteer at the
Greyhound Friends’ booth at the
Sturbridge Pet Rock Festival, one
of our largest meet and greet
events with hundreds of participants. In addition every year
from April to September you can
find Barbara and her boyfriend,
Mike Miskowski, volunteering at
several other major all-dog breed
festivals in Massachusetts: the
Ashburnham Children’s Festival
(April), the Sudbury Paws in
the Park (May), and the Bolton
Whisker Walk (June). Barbara’s
pack grew to include Mike’s
Australian Shepherd; Riley, and
their newest addition, Minion, a
sweet fawn female greyhound
also adopted from Greyhound
Friends. September is their busiest
month and they set up information tables and bring their dogs
to several other key events that
afford Greyhound Friends a high
level of visibility: the Sterling Fair,
the Wilmington New England Pet
Expo and the Leominster Johnny
Appleseed Festival.
With all that Barbara and Mike
do it’s hard to believe that they
also maintain a monthly meet
and greet at their local Petco in
Leominster. To show our appreciation, Barbara was one of last
year’s Mickey awardees. The honor
is bestowed on supporters who
have made on-going and valuable
contributions
to
Greyhound
Friends and who demonstrate
great dedication above and beyond
the call of duty. Of course Mike was
acknowledged as well, after-all
they are a dynamic duo helping to
continued on page 7
SUMMER 2015
And the Mickey Award goes to…Barbara Nutting, Volunteer! continued—
promote Greyhound Friends and
all of the hounds that are available
for adoption.
Feeling inspired by Barbara’s
story? If you would like to become
a meet and greet volunteer please
contact Ann Marie at greyfriends@
yahoo.com for more information
and to see if this volunteer option
is right for you. We are specifically looking for meet and greeters
in the Boston area who can help
spread the word about Greyhound
Friends and provide the public
with a “pawsitive” interaction with
their adopted hounds. Also check
our meet and greet schedule on
our website: www.greyhound.org
to find events near you.
Greyhound Friends
Board of Directors
President:
Stoddard Melhado
Vice Presidents:
Donna Nelson-Duey
Secretary:
Cyndy Curley
JOHN MOTTERN
WORKS IN
IRELAND ON A
DOCUMENTARY
ABOUT THE
GREYHOUND
INDUSTRY
Treasurer:
Diane Stevens
Members:
Louise Coleman
Adelia LeBlanc
Kathy Lundgren
Ky Melhado
Ann Marie Rakovic
BY: MARION FITZGIBBON,
PRESIDENT, LIMERICK ANIMAL
WELFARE
Adopt a Greyhound
Greyhound Friends
167 Saddle Hill Road
Hopkinton, MA 01748
508.435.5969
The much loved Mr. Peabody
John Mottern is working in
Ireland on a documentary
about the greyhound industry
and the changing attitudes
by the general public towards
greyhounds in that country.
Grassroots organizations have
started having more success
in placing dogs domestically
in Ireland but there is still a
long way to go. There are more
people in the greyhound
industry working with groups
to get dogs placed with
families both domestically
and
internationally.
The
documentary will be a
series of interviews with
industry people, breeders
and trainers, politicians and
adoption coordinators. It
is an interesting story of
change against the beautiful
landscape of the Emerald Isle.
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748 | 508.435.5969 | www.greyhound.org 7
FROM THE GREYHOUND
FRIENDS’ ARCHIVES...
The Old Kennel that Greyhound Friends
had May 1987–September 2003
Open House— sometime in the
distant, but memorable, past
8
The Home Stretch
SUMMER 2015
From the archives— Greyhound Friends Newsletter • November 1993
The Greyhound from Greystones
BY: LOUISE COLEMAN
When I was in Ireland in September I went to Bray, a
suburb of Dublin, to visit Siobhán O’Neill, a professional
Journalist who covers animal and environmental issues
for the Irish Press. The train to Bray stops at Sandy Cove
near the fortification where James Joyce lived and
wrote, and where his presence is felt most strongly. The
town is a collection of quaint pastel row houses and is
directly on the Irish sea where the “sun merries,” and
one can read about it in Ulysses. And so it was at Bray
that I had my fateful meeting with Fly.
Siobhán and I visited in her garden and she quickly
decided to do a story. We needed a greyhound for a
photograph to accompany the story, Ireland is overrun
with greyhounds, but to no avail; the photographer
had to stand by waiting patiently.
While I waited for the train back to Dublin, I remembered that Siobhán and her young daughter, Rebecca,
had talked about going to the beach the day before.
They said they had seen a small white fawn female
then—friendly and hungry. She had helped them eat a
good part of their picnic lunch. Seeing as we needed a
greyhound and also because my curiosity was piqued,
instead of taking the train to Dublin I took a bus to the
beach I thought they had mentioned: Greystones. The
bus dropped me off by the beach and I walked along
the railroad tracks that were set up high on the dune.
I could see for a long way from there. No greyhound.
I turned off the tracks down into what the Irish call a
“car park.” It was off to the side and sort of out of the
way. I noticed a group of dilapidated “caravans” (small
trailers). These are the mobile homes of the tinkers—the
Irish gypsies. There by a caravan and close to the road I
saw the greyhound I was looking for. She was oblivious
to the road and was sound asleep. Several unfortunate
children were playing nearby. I said “hello” to them and
several adults appeared. The person who owned the
dog introduced himself—his name was Johnny wall
and he said the name of the little dog was “Fly.” She
was adorable and loved being petted. I gave him a ten
pound note to hold her for me until we could negotiate a sale next day.
Siobhán was glad to hear we had a dog for the
photo. The next day she helped me convince Johnny
Wall that Fly would be better off if she could go with
me. He loved Fly but eventually agreed to give her up
because he was something of a visionary and saw a
“grand future” for Fly I gave him another twenty pounds.
In the custom of the tinkers, he spat on two coins and
then gave them to me—for good luck.
Fly and I had our photograph taken and our story
in the Sunday Irish Press
went all over Ireland. Fly
was immeasurably luckier
than many of the poor Irish
greyhounds being sold at
auction to the cruel Spanish
tracks. Fly seemed destined
to live with Siobhán O’Neill
and young Rebecca. They
had an enormous dachshund named Hoover. After
Fly & Johnny Wall
a few days Hoover adjusted
to having Fly in his home and all seemed well. Not for
long while walking Fly and Hoover in the park one
evening, three roughie toughies accosted Rebecca,
said Fly was their dog, and tried to wrest the leash from
Rebecca’s hands. Rebecca was brave, held on tightly,
and ran home with the dogs--followed by the ruffians.
Siobhán called the Garda (the police) and it turned
out that these rough young men had a receipt saying
that they had recently bought a greyhound; she had
been lost and they adamantly asserted that Fly was
theirs. They wanted her to chase rabbits. Since Fly
showed no interest in Siobhán’s cats, she did not seem
like a rabbit hunter, but the men insisted upon taking
Fly back and tying her up in their backyard—where
another greyhound was already moored.
What to do? I got a call from Siobhán describing
the situation and went to the Garda station—in the
rain—with the little dog. The ruffians were on one side,
Jim O’Sullivan—a large, fair-minded Irish police officer—
in the middle. Fly lying on the floor with me on the
opposite side. I had a photo I took of Fly with Johnny
Wall when I bought her from him and I was hoping
that this would be sufficient proof that the dog had
belonged to him. Regretfully, the photograph didn’t
clinch the decision. Jim O’Sullivan said I had a good
case and it would probably be affirmed in Court. Most
unfortunately, a court date could not be had until at
least two weeks hence. The only recourse was to buy
Fly again. As I looked at the petite, trusting, beautiful dog, wet from the rain outside, lying on the police
station floor, a line from Joyce ran through my head:
“What’s bred in the bone cannot fail me to fly.” I knew I
could not turn her over to the rough rabbit hunters. My
time in Ireland was up and my money short. I borrowed
the money from Marian Webb, the Chairperson of
the Irish SPCA, to re-buy Fly. Thankfully Marian was
extremely understanding. “It must be done,” she said.
She recounted how she had often bought poor little
continued on page 10
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748 | 508.435.5969 | www.greyhound.org 9
Ben and Gerald…two lucky
greyhounds from Ireland
“He went from a very uncertain future to living happily ever after in Hopkinton.”
Recently Greyhound Friends received two greyhounds from Limerick Animal Welfare in Ireland.
These greyhounds were scheduled to go to race in
England. When they got to the ferry - which was leaving from near Dublin - their paperwork was not in
order and they were turned away. A Limerick Animal
Welfare supporter was at the ferry as this was happening - he took Ben and Gerald to his farm so that they
would be safe until their fate could be put together.
Nanda Barker-Hook and her family live in
Hopkinton. Sadly, the greyhound they had adopted
died recently. This dog’s name was Fender and he
and Nanda could often be seen walking to and from
the high school were Nanda’s children attend school.
When the Irish greyhounds arrived at our adoption kennel I told Nanda about Ben - he seemed like
he would be a great family dog. So the Barker-Hook
family have adopted Ben. Since many Hopkinton residents see Ben every day I thought this would make
an interesting feature. He went from a very uncertain
future to living happily ever after in Hopkinton.
Ben the greyhound from Ireland.
Gerald being adopted. He and Ben are extremely
lucky Irish greyhounds.
10
The Home Stretch
Brendan walking Ben and Gerald.
The Greyhound From Greystones continued—
donkeys at country fairs rather than see them suffer.
“How can you have them stand there looking at you
and not do anything?” she said.
The next day I paid off the toughies. I also talked
them into bringing Fly to the airport for me; dogs aren’t
allowed on the subway and I hadn’t a car. Fly and I flew
to Boston on Thursday with another lucky greyhound
named Quincy. Quincy was a stray from Galway.
How glad I was to see my son Nolan and our friend
John Mottern at the airport. We paid off the airfreight
charge—no small feat—got through customs, and
headed for Hopkinton.
On Friday, a providential telephone call came to the
kennel. Dr. Neal O’Donoghoe from Virginia said that his
present greyhound, Mike, needed a companion. I knew
right away that Fly was the perfect second greyhound
for this family. The O’Donoghoes flew up from Virginia
in their plane on Sunday. They took to Fly immediately
and Mike seemed willing to share his wonderful home
and plane. The O’Donoghoes flew off with Fly, leaving for
Greyhound Friends the largest adoption donation we
have ever received. Of all of the occurrences in our work
at Greyhound Friends, this was certainly a sort of topper.
I am stopping now to get a few lines off to Johnny
Wall to tell him about Fly’s good news and the luck
that spun off the spit on the lucky coins.
Louise
Coleman
SUMMER 2015
Ready for a Good Home!
Photos by:
JudyBarrettePhotography.com
At any given time in the kennel there are at least 30 beautiful greyhounds and other dogs ready and waiting to
be adopted. We encourage you to visit the kennel any day of the week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
ADOPT TAMMY!
Tammy is a wonderful, quiet,
affectionate hound. She loves naps, food, and going
for walks. She would be a good only dog. Since she
is a mature girl a retired person would be a good
adopter for Tammy. She is a pleasant companion
and a good friend.
ADOPT MONIQUE!
Monique is a lovely, calm, young greyhound. She
likes other dogs. We aren’t sure about how Monique
would be with cats. She is used to being walked and
listens when people ask her to do something.
ADOPT CAM!
Cam is 4 years old - He is loving, good with other
greyhounds and patient. He had a minor racing injury
that has healed.
ADOPT BRUIN!
Bruin is a one year old redbone coonhound/hound
cross. He is energetic, intelligent, outgoing, and
beautiful. Bruin needs exercise. He would like to stay
home and nap sometimes, but he is definitely a working
dog...and would be happiest after walks, hikes, outdoor
activities, etc. Bruin loves other dogs and is a good dog
friend. A fenced yard would be helpful. We don’t know
about how he would be with cats.
ADOPT CHESTER!
Chester is a young hound cross. He is
lively, intelligent, playful, and basically good natured.
Chester came to GHFs from W. Virginia. He was
found as a stray there and a rescue there arranged
his vet care and then he was transported to GHFs.
ADOPT CAPSULE!
Capsule is less than 2 years old. She is a
little reserved when she initially meets
new people but becomes more outgoing quickly.
She would do well with a self confident dog and a
fenced yard. We aren’t sure about how she would
be with cats.
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748 | 508.435.5969 | www.greyhound.org 11
Boone aka Big Bad Boone
BY: KATHY MAHONEY
Some years ago, Tom Brokaw
featured a lurcher named Red on the
evening news. Red lived in England
and looked like a red fawn greyhound.
Investigation by a video monitor
revealed that Red was letting
himself out of his kennel each
night and selectively releasing his
friends. They would raid the food
storage room, and then return to
their cages. In the morning, the
cages would be locked. When
Red was finally adopted, it was
reported that he could open the
front door of his new home and let
himself out.
I adopted Boone early in 2014.
He was already ten and weighed
about 90 pounds. Like Red, Boone
is a lurcher. He is a dark brindle
greyhound mix with long floppy ears.
From the day he entered my home,
Boone has reminded me of Red.
I remember when Boone first
arrived at Greyhound Friends. I was
attracted to his beautiful face and
sad expression. I would have like
to adopt him, but I already had five
dogs at home. Boone remained
at the kennel for a long time. At
Louise’s suggestion, he was finally
adopted by a man living in Lowell,
MA. Boone lived in Lowell with
Cam Huff for about a year and
a half. Almost immediately, he
started to open the door and let
himself out. Cam would search
and always find him--sometimes
casually trotting into Lowell center.
12
The Home Stretch
It seemed to Cam that Boone set
goals each day--to open this or eat
that. He especially loved bread,
and one day ate an entire bag of
bagels, minus the wrapping. On
one winter day, Boone was found
shivering in a snowbank. A kind
lady drove him all the way back
to Greyhound Friends.
Louise
explained to Cam that she needed
to repossess Boone. Cam had been
planning to put a tracking device
on him, but he understood. Louise
asked me if I would take Boone.
I had been looking for another
dog. In 2013, I lost both Dana--the
greyhound that had been with
me the longest--and Alayna, also
a beautiful lurcher. In fact, Alayna
had been with me for only twenty
months and died four days after
my daughter’s wedding. And so, I
was ready to adopt Boone.
From the first day, Boone’s
intelligence was obvious but not
always in a pleasant way. I would
come home to find garbage all
over my family room carpet. I
was relieved that Boone had not
eaten anything harmful--a vet visit
would have added insult to injury.
In fact, Boone mainly went after
the bread. We immediately “child
proofed” all of our kitchen cabinets,
something we had never done
for our two daughters. However,
Boone continued to investigate
and I would come home again
and again to find garbage on the
floor. Also, my lazy susan would
be open and empty, and my
kitchen drawers would be half
open. Clearly Boone was meeting
his daily goals. I actually started to
take Boone many places with me.
He was well behaved in the car.
One day my daughter, Laura,
arrived home to do laundry. Of
course, Boone had gotten into
the trash.
She shouted many
expletives to me over the phone,
but she did clean up the mess.
Interestingly, Boone did not
remove the garbage pail from the
cabinet under the kitchen sink.
Instead, he pulled out the bag and
carried that. We now have a plastic
padlock on that cabinet and I no
longer use it. I have been trained!
Boone had earned the name
Big Bad Boone, always said
lovingly. He is sweet and has
never been destructive. His name
is sometimes abbreviated to Big
Bad. However, his best feats were
yet to come. One evening Bob and
I were going out. We put Boone
in his crate in our den. I had used
the crate before, but Boone had
usually escaped. This time, we put
four heavy metal clips on the door.
Boone met us at the back door,
and the crate was intact! I have
since given that crate away.
Another time, I came home
to find the contents of my trash
compactor all over my family
room. Fortunately, it was mostly
paper. My compactor can only be
opened by stepping on the pedal.
Clearly, Boone had been studying
me. He stares intensely at almost
everything I do. He’s been working
on the refrigerator, but has not yet
mastered that.
We have a large dog run in my
backyard. It abuts a fenced in area
with grass and flowers. Workmen
observed Boone opening the gate
and trotting out. We now have
double locks on these gates--one
in front and one behind. Also,
Boone occasionally carries cases
of dog food into the family room.
I’ll find cans of dog food rolling
around and torn wrapping. The
interesting thing is that my other
four dogs seem to have no idea
that this is their dog food!
Since 1996, I have brought 16 dogs
into my home. I am still amazed by
their transition from alien creatures
(some more alien than others), to
beloved family members. Boone
has definitely made that transition.
continued on page 13
SUMMER 2015
Boone aka Big Bad Boone continued—
It is helpful that my husband dearly
loves him. My daughter, Laura, is
another story, although she now
tolerates Boone. Perhaps this is
because Boone has become more
relaxed and investigates less. Bob
and I cannot imagine our lives
without him!
BEAR & PEPPER
THANKS TO THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE TO THE
EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA ABOUT THE TREATMENT
OF GREYHOUNDS THERE, HERE IS A SAMPLE LETTER
Bear and Pepper
“A happy ending...
one more time.”
Bear, the white and brown
hound, and Pepper, his friend the
black and tan hound are doing
really well.
Especially since they have
each other. Their adopters were
patient with the dogs and this
plus the bond between the
hounds helped them to settle
in to life in a family. They love to
play outside - exercise for young
hounds makes a big difference. A
happy ending...one more time.
FROM THE
ARCHIVES:
ANTIQUE
GREYHOUND
DRAWING
• 1935 •
13
WAYS TO DONATE
HOMEWARD BOUND
HOUND BOUTIQUE AT THE
ADOPTION KENNEL
Did you know that all proceeds from our kennel store
go to support the kennel at Greyhound Friends?
New products are arriving every month and we try
to keep in stock the items that the greyhounds really
need as well as those that you request. You won’t
find a better selection of greyhound-specific coats or
martingale collars anywhere! Come into the store in
Hopkinton any day from 9 to 5.
ESTATE PLANNING
If you are doing estate planning, please consider
naming Greyhound Friends as a beneficiary of your
will or trust. In recent years, a substantial part of
our funding has come from estates. We could not
have continued our work and built the new kennel
without this help.
Greyhound Friends saves dogs because you, our
friends, help us keep going year after year with your
generous support. Our primary source of funds is
and has always been donations from individuals,
ranging from just a few dollars to many thousands
of dollars. Donations in any amount are welcome,
needed and appreciated, and there are several
different ways to contribute.
We are happy to accept cash, checks, and credit
card gifts in person at the kennel or by mail. You
may wish to designate your gift as a Membership,
and receive a thank-you gift as a token of our
appreciation. Please use the membership form at
the back of this newsletter.
We have set up a PayPal button at our website,
www.greyhound.org, that lets friends contribute any
amount through their preferred method using their
PayPal account.
Some friends prefer to have a monthly gift
automatically sent via PayPal (linked to a checking
account or credit card). The “Make a Donation” page
on our website offers a choice of several weekly or
monthly gift options.
Please also visit the “How You Can Help” page
on our website for information on sponsoring dog
food deliveries to the kennel; supporting Greyhound
Friends while you shop with ebay and other retailers,
or organizing a drive through your school, club, or
community group. Thank you!
Meeting of the Racers
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN MOTTERN
This award winning 11x14 classic photograph
makes a beautiful addition to any greyhound
art collection or as a holiday gift. Proceeds go to
support the efforts of Greyhound Friends, Inc.
a non-profit organization dedicated to placing
retired racers with loving homes. This hand
printed black and white photograph is available
for $28.50 and can be ordered from www.
greyhound.org or by email [email protected].
Check, Credit Cards, Paypal are all accepted.
14
The Home Stretch
SUMMER 2015
BECOME A MEMBER OR RENEW YOUR
MEMBERSHIP TODAY!
CHOOSE A LEVEL
MAIL THIS FORM TO:
Greyhound Friends
167 Saddle Hill Road
Hopkinton, MA 01748
Attn: Memberships
OUR FAX:
508-435-0547
OUR PHONE:
508-435-5969
Our Website:
www.greyhound.org
Please consider becoming a member or renewing your expiring
membership today. Your membership dollars support ongoing rescue
and adoption efforts that enable Greyhound Friends to transport, spay,
neuter, inoculate, feed, and shelter close to 350 deserving dogs every year.
Part of the proceeds also pay for publicity to bring in a steady stream
of adopters. Memberships carry no corporate responsibilities and are
renewable each year.
“I want to become a member or renew my membership!”
Choose a membership level and thank-you gift below.
 $30..............Basic Membership (includes member card & decal,
.....................Home Stretch News, event invitations and other mailings)
 $75..............Basic Membership plus: lightweight Greyhound Friends backpack
 $150............Basic Membership plus: Greyhound Suncatcher
 $250...........Basic Membership plus: Jacques Laurent Agasse
.....................“Study of a Greyhound” unmatted print
 $500+........Basic Membership plus: “Meeting of the Racers” print
 Other.........Please specify amount: __________________________
 No gift......Thanks, but you don’t need to send me a gift
MY EMPLOYER MATCHES CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS
Employer:_______________________________
Name:____________________________________________________________
EMPLOYER
MATCH
Address:__________________________________________________________
City:__________________________ State:_____________ Zip:______________
Phone (please include!):_____________________________________________
Email Address:_____________________________________________________
BILLING
INFO
 Check (payable to Greyhound Friends, Inc.)  Mastercard  Visa
Card Number:_____________________________________________________
Name on Card:____________________________________________________
Exp. date:_____________________ Signature___________________________
PLEASE ADD MY
FRIEND TO YOUR
MAILING LIST
Name:____________________________________________________________
Address:__________________________________________________________
City:__________________________ State:_____________ Zip:______________
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748 | 508.435.5969 | www.greyhound.org
15
167 Saddle Hill Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748
Non Profit Org
US Postage
PAID
Permit 1035
Springfield, MA
Save the Date!
Greyhound Friends Open House
Sept. 19, 2015 and Sept. 20, 2015
12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
If there is a mistake in your name
or address of if you want to be
removed from our mailing list,
please let us know.
Email: [email protected]
PROPOSED PARTICIPANTS FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL UPDATE
October 8-12
Dewey Beach, Delaware
Anna Clements, Albert Sorde
SOSGalgos - Barcelona, Spain
Norma Fogarty,
Limerick Animal Welfare
Richard King, U.K., Press Officer
Greyhound Rescue Association of Ireland
John Mottern, Photojournalist, Videographer
Discussing Social Media and Press Outreach, U.S.
Silvia Barrozo, Proyecto Galgo Argentina
A presentation about lurchers and
hounds in the American Midwest will be made.
A SAD PASSING... EMMYLOU
Recently Greyhound
Friends took in an older
hound who had had
many litters of puppies.
She had managed to
find her way to a helpful
rescue group who sent
her on to us. This hound
was one of the sweetest,
most outgoing girl dogs
we have ever had in our adoption kennel. She was
truly a wonderful, personable hound.
Most unfortunately, she had been bred, and bred,
etc... a lot of internal wear and tear. She was taken to
the vet for emergency surgery when it was obvious
that she had an infection in her uterus. The surgery
did not go well. The vet found a hernia - part of the
uterus was adhered to the hernia. The majority of
the uterus was removed but the complication made
it impossible to take the whole thing. So despite
multiple vet visits, fluids, antibiotics, she went
down hill and did not have the strength for another
surgery. This good hearted hound wagged her tail
until the very end. Her friendly tail was the only part
of her that wasn’t worn out. Dogs and greed are a
sad, agonizing mixture.