Inside - Greyhound Friends Inc.

The Home Stretch
G r e y h o u n d
F r i e n d s
N e w s l e t t e r
Winter 2 0 1 3
From the Director
Inside
From the Director
1
Greyhound Friends Expands Mission
to Include Other Dogs
2
Marlborough Animal Lover Helps
Rescue Greyhounds
5
Greyhounds / Argentina
6
Greyhound Friends Fact Finding Trip
to Argentina
8
Greyhound Friends Visits Perkins School
for the Blind
10
Dog’s Best Friend
13
Shop For Greyhounds
13
Ways to Donate
14
Membership
15
Everyone is invited to
Greyhound Friends Open House
May 17, 2014 and May 18, 2014
12:00 – 4:00
The Home Stretch is a publication of
Greyhound Friends, Inc.
Address
167 Saddle Hill Road
Hopkinton, MA 01748
Phone508.435.5969
Fax508.435.0547
[email protected]
Web site
www.greyhound.org
DesignerGetSetMarketing.com
Happy Holidays!!
This has been a year of emphatic
ups and downs. Sometimes just
keeping going seems like a major
accomplishment. Greyhound
Friends has continued to bring
greyhounds into our program
- predominantly from Florida,
West Virginia and Kansas. The hound crosses, beagles, etc. arrive here
from Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. All incoming out of state rescues
are isolated for 48 hours, examined by a vet and spayed/neutered if
they haven’t already been, and then are ready for adoption.
Thankfully, many greyhounds and other dogs are being adopted at
a steady rate. Twice as many greyhounds as hounds are adopted
out. The Greyhound Friends staff works loyally and efficiently
to care for the dogs, help socialize them, and do all they can to
promote adoption. Jen Hutchinson, our Kennel Manager, is
diligent and hard working.........as are all the staff members.....and
our cadre of kennel volunteers make the work at the Hound Hilton
possible. Stoddard Melhado, Greyhound Friends’ Volunteer
Coordinator, spends many hours orienting the volunteers to kennel
life - and work. Thanks to Terri Shepard for the book keeping and
keeping us organized.
A major negative development is the spread of greyhounds - some
from this country - to places where they are thoroughly exploited
and often abused and abandoned.
Argentina is a prime example. John Mottern, a local photojournalist
who has worked with Greyhound Friends for a long time, and
Dalia Rabinovich, a Spanish speaking adopter, went on a short,
bare bones fact finding trip to Argentina recently. There are photos
and descriptions from their trip in this newsletter. The news is not
at all favorable for the greyhounds. In many ways their treatment
parallels what the dogs have suffered in Spain. Short, brutal lives
entirely dependent on their performance as racers or hunters.
There is a growing adoption effort in Argentina, but as in Spain it
is a totally uphill battle against a macho culture with a “what can
this dog do for us - or else” frame of mind.
Continued on Page 12
mission to include other dog
Greyhound FriendsBy James Sullivan
Expands
Mission to Include Other Dogs
www.greyhound.org
James Sullivan | Globe Correspondent
November 19, 2013
2
becomes a thing of the past in a growing number
of states; Massachusetts voted in 2008 to ban
greyhound racing, and New Hampshire banned the
sport two years ago.
| G L OBE COR R ESP ONDENT NOVEMBER 1 9, 20 1 3
Greyhound Friends in Hopkinton estimates it has found SUZANNE
homes for more than 9,000 dogs, like the dog above.
Greyhound Friends in Hopkinton estimates it has found homes for more than 9
HOPKINTON — Tiger, a 7year
old fawn
greyhound, has been a great pet,dog above.
but he gets a
And so it was that on a blustery autumn day
little lonely when his owners are at work. A few
earlier this month, many dogs being led around
weekends ago Robin and StevenHOPKINTON — Tiger, a 7­year­old fawn greyhound, has been a grea
Narcovich drove
the rambling grounds by volunteers for Hound
up from Rhode Island to Hopkinton to visit the
little lonely when his owners are at work. A few weekends ago Robin
Open House were of indeterminate mix, with
Greyhound Friends’ fall open house, looking for a
high haunches and long, tapered snouts that might
companion for Tiger.
Narcovich drove up from Rhode Island to Hopkinton to visit the Gre
indicate some greyhound blood. Others, like Cash,
fall open house, looking for a companion for Tiger.
a huge, stately, droopyfaced bloodhound, had few
With the guidance of kennel founder Louise
Coleman and her volunteers, the Narcoviches quickly traits that would suggest any greyhound blood at all.
found their dog a partner. Wanda,
a sweetnatured
With the guidance of kennel founder Louise Coleman and her volunt
Maggie, a medium size yellow lab mix who came
brindle, took to him immediately.
Narcoviches quickly found their dog a partner. Wanda, a sweet­natur
to the shelter all the way from Bosnia, might have
a little greyhound in her, Coleman teased: “She has
“She rested her head on him, so to him immediately.
I think that’s a
ears, eyes, and four legs.”
match,” said Narcovich as she filled out the adoption
papers. A longtime dog lover, she works part time in
a grooming shop on Saturdays. Greyhounds, she said, With the future of greyhounds uncertain — as
the need for racing dogs diminishes, who will
“are so unlike any other breed. They ask for nothing
breed them? — Coleman recently started taking
and appreciate everything.”
in abandoned crossbreeds from the South and
Midwest, where hunters have been breeding their
For 30 years, Greyhound Friends has built a network
dogs with purebred greyhounds to make faster
of owners and friends devoted to the breed. But for
hunting dogs. Hunting dogs, she said, are typically
the first time, the organization has begun to arrange
considered property more than pets; when they
adoptions of dogs that are only part greyhound, if
outlive their utility, they often wind up in shelters.
that. The breed is in flux as the dogracing industry
Like most of the dogs at the open house, Cash, the
bloodhound, wore a jacket with a clear plastic sleeve
for donations toward his upkeep at the kennel. “It’s
like being a stripper,” joked Coleman.
Costs have risen for the Greyhound Friends as they
pay for transportation for the dogs from out of
state and isolate them until they’ve received medical
clearance. More training has been required for the
hunting dogs, some of which have never been on a
leash before. Greyhound Friends recently installed a
fenced run for the new arrivals to get more exercise.
Because other parts of the country have much lower
rates of spaying and neutering compliance than
the Northeast, Coleman explained, for years dogs
in overpopulated areas have been shipped north to
improve their chances of adoption. “We’ve got the
demand, they’ve got the supply,” she said.
“I’m going to put a leash on her next time,” Beilman
joked. Her dogs aren’t the first she’s adopted from
Greyhound Friends. She had one named Roscoe and
another called Hank, a greyhound-great dane mix
— “the best dog ever,” she said — who had to be put
down for health problems.
“Louise is great at matching people with dogs,” she
said before scurrying off after her daughter.
“Louise is the Gandhi of greyhounds,” said Ky
Melhado, a Greyhound Friends volunteer and the
wife of board president Stoddard Melhado. The
couple own five greyhounds they’ve brought home
from the facility.
www.greyhound.org
Greyhound Friends, founded in Cambridge in 1983
and moved to this country road in Hopkinton four
years later, say they have found homes for more than
9,000 dogs.
There was a familial feel to the Hound Open
House, with volunteers greeting visitors considering
adoption and past adopters bringing their dogs
back for a sort of homecoming. Megan Beilman,
of Hudson, who wore a fleece jacket with the logo
of the Hudson Animal Hospital, where she works,
walked around the building with two of the dogs she
adopted from Greyhound Friends, a pointer-beagle
mix named Butterscotch and a possible Rottweilerhound mix named Uncle Buck. She also had her
young daughter, Ellie, along; the mother and her
dogs walked in a dizzying path, trying to keep up
with the toddler.
Overlooking the organization’s main office from a
corner of the room is an oversize bust of the real
Gandhi’s head. It was a gift from the Peace Abbey,
a defunct multifaith retreat in Sherborn, where
Coleman lives.
Greyhound Friends weathered a disturbance of the
peace earlier this year: a flurry of online criticism
over the nonprofit’s decision to euthanize two long
boarded dogs that had shown aggressive behavior
and been returned after adoption. Complaints grew
so heated that the group hired a police detail for its
annual meeting in April. No protesters showed up.
“It’s not something that was done lightly at all,”
Coleman said of the decision to put down the two
dogs. “It’s really hard in a public facility like ours to
have dogs that can hurt people. All it takes is one
incident, and we’re closed. And then we can’t help
anybody.”
On Nov. 26, Stoddard Melhado and several
volunteers will bring a group of greyhounds to
meet with kindergartners and firstgraders at the JP
Manning Elementary School in Jamaica Plain as
part of the Greyhound Friends educational
outreach program. “We teach the kids what it’s like
to bring a dog into a home and what it’s like to be
a racing dog,” said Melhado, who is a retired high
school counselor. “And to be kind to all animals.”
3
“They all lie down, and that brings the kids’
anxiety down so much. The only noise is that some
are whining — they want to see the kids. It’s a
wonderful program.”
Walking through the rear of the kennel, where
two dozen greyhounds sat in stalls tended by
volunteers, Coleman said she first became attached
to dogs when, as a child, she got a black and tan
coonhound she called Elvis. It was 1955.
“That seemed like the right name for a hound dog
at the time,” she said.
www.greyhound.org
She started Greyhound Friends after learning
about the breed when she adopted Boston Boy, a
former prize racer at the old Wonderland racetrack,
in the 1980s. Until then, she’d never thought about
the unique plight of racing greyhounds, which
many people couldn’t fathom as pets.
“People would come up to me and say, ‘Is that a
greyhound or a dog?’ ” she said.
She didn’t actively oppose racing, she said; the
kennel was never political, just “prodog.”
Challenging the livelihood of the dogs’ primary
bloc of owners would have been counter productive
for the breed, she said: They could have chosen
to put the dogs down after their racing days were
over, as was the custom, rather than work with her
to get them adopted.
Among the six dogs she now calls her own,
Coleman has a new one she brought back from
a recent trip to Ireland, where she was helping
to educate the public on the nature of the breed.
In Ireland, greyhounds are bred for “coursing,” in
which the dogs are trained to chase down and kill a
live rabbit. As a result, many children raised in
countries where coursing is a traditional sport
cross the street to avoid pets they assume will be
aggressive — the same kind of reaction pit bulls
often get in this country. Greyhound Friends and
other animal advocacy groups are concerned that
greyhounds are now being sent to racetracks in
other countries, including Spain and Argentina,
where abusive conditions have been reported.
4
The former coursing dog Coleman brought back
from Ireland came with a familiar name: He’s
another Elvis.
Many adopters, she said, become extremely loyal to
the breed. When the Melhados, who had previously
owned wheaten terriers together, first discussed
bringing home greyhounds, Ky was unconvinced.
“They’re too aloof,” she told her husband. “I want
a dog that wags its tail when I come home.” After
falling in love with their first two, they’ve cared for
eight more greyhounds so far over the years.
Greyhound racing continues to dwindle in the
United States. Only a few states, including Florida
and Arizona, still have active racetracks. (Several
states have not officially banned the sport, but have
no tracks currently in operation.)
That’s raised a new challenge for groups such as
Greyhound Friends, as they redouble their efforts to
raise awareness about the dogs that need homes.
“Since there’s no racing in New England anymore,
people think it’s not a problem — out of sight, out
of mind,” said Coleman.
Opening their doors to crossbreeds, she said, is
another way to spread the word about greyhounds.
Or, as the volunteers call them, “fast friends.”
© 2013 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
Rosie, The Adventure Hound
Photo by Jen Hutchinson
The docile greyhounds are ideal models for young
children who might be afraid of dogs, he said.
To The BEACH, To The BEACH, Rosie SAYS. The WAVES
are BIG, AND Many THINGS to See - People, Places
AND Ships At SEA! - Jonathan Hummel
Erika Steele, Contributing Writer
www.communityadvocate.com
Marlborough – Locals may already be familiar with
Greyhound Friends, Inc., a nonprofit organization
dedicated to saving racetrack greyhounds and
placing them in responsible, loving homes. Behind
the curtain are a group of volunteers who have
guided the organization to success over the past 30
years, each one as impassioned as the next to save
these innocent animals.
“After a month of volunteering, I became enchanted
with the breed,” said Rakovic. “I was not a dog
owner until I adopted my first greyhound, Missile, a
5-year-old confident and loving greyhound.”
Just recently, Rakovic was elected as a board
member, a formal appointment for someone who
never cared about recognition.
Though she works at a public health research and
consulting firm, JSI Research and Training Institute,
Rakovic does not mind spending her free time
volunteering at the nonprofit.
“Greyhound Friends is a wonderful cause and I’m
hooked on the Greyhound breed and committed
to rescuing all animals in need,” Rakovic said. “My
volunteerism, like that of so many others, is a small,
yet fulfilling, way to help the pups who through no
fault of their own have no home.”
Her role on the board includes sending out social
networking emails and coordinating meet-and-greet
events at pet stores throughout the state; however,
she does not stop there. Her 4-year-old greyhound,
Ozzie, recently passed his therapy dog test through
the Pets and People Foundation. The perfect height
Ann Marie Rakovic and her adopted greyhound Ozzie.
“I am really looking forward to sharing the love
that Ozzie gives me with seniors who don’t have the
opportunity to go for walks in the park anymore,”
shared Rakovic, who describes Ozzie’s approach to
life as being content about everything. “They don’t
have to reach far to touch him and feel the love,
to enjoy the sweet companionship that dogs and
especially greyhounds bring.”
www.greyhound.org
Marlborough resident Ann Marie Rakovic is one of
those caring individuals. She has been volunteering
at Greyhound Friends in Hopkinton since 2007, a
decision she made after losing her two cats to old
age. The grieving Rakovic walked and transported
dogs, did laundry, and washed dishes – anything
necessary to maintain a proper home for the
mistreated pups while getting a little animal therapy
herself.
to be pet by a person in a wheelchair or hospital bed,
Ozzie will volunteer with Rakovic and make visits
to seniors at a local nursing home in Marlborough.
Even with added tasks from the board, Rakovic
relishes every opportunity to create buzz about the
goodwill program that she credits for changing her life.
“I am definitely an animal lover and an advocate for
animal justice as much as I can be,” she said. “Dogs
have a way of making a person feel whole again.
They have so much to offer and give their love freely
for a warm bed, belly rubs, and some kibble.” n
Adopt Doris!
Doris is a young
Saluki/greyhound
cross who just came in
from Limerick Animal
Welfare in Ireland.
Doris is beautiful, lively,
and intelligent. As of
today Doris is at the
kennel looking for a
home but we don’t
think she will be here long.
Photo by Jen Hutchinson
Marlborough Animal Lover Helps
Rescue Greyhounds
5
Report by John Mottern
www.greyhound.org
Argentina, a land of beauty and romance, is also
home to scores of stray and abandoned dogs of
all shapes and sizes. These dogs are left to fend
for themselves, sharing the streets and highways
throughout the country with fast moving and
traditionally aggressive drivers. These loose canines
are constantly searching for food, sleeping in
doorways or under piles of refuse. They represent a
constant traffic hazard as they roam unrestrained in
a game of survival of the fittest. Many die and few
ever find temporary, or if lucky, permanent refuge
in a shelter. The coexistence of pedestrians and
abandoned street dogs is fully accepted culturally,
with both animals and humans adept at ignoring
the other.
It is not unusual to see a dead dog decaying
on the side of the road, left where it was hit or
dumped. A local pound or private dog shelter can
offer a temporary home for a small percentage of
these animals. Some basic veterinarian care may
be offered depending on the resources available.
Operations providing this type of service are usually
overwhelmed with too many dogs in need. Most
are understaffed and generally poorly funded. The
challenge of helping these dogs is made more
difficult with the absence of people willing to adopt
a dog as a pet. Most female shelter dogs will never
be spayed and virtually none of the males will ever
be neutered. This is especially true in the rural
areas of the country where dogs, once healthier or
recovered from an injury, are often just returned
to the same population, like sport hunters, who
facilitated the neglect initially.
One of the most dire situations in Argentina is
the suffering and abuse of hunting dogs, mostly
greyhounds and lurchers (which are greyhounds that
have been crossed with other breeds). The neglect of
these hounds is tied directly to the economics and
cultural perspective towards dogs as nothing more
than a tool of the sport. Once a dog is no longer
viable as a hunter or racer they become just another
mouth to feed which puts them in real danger of
abandonment or worse.
6
These sight hounds are trained in the vast
countryside to hunt wild boar and large hares. The
wide open Argentinian landscape is truly designed
for the speed of a greyhound but it’s also a terrain
fraught with dangers for these dogs. Barbed wire
fences, razor sharp brambles and the remnants of
crops cut short after harvests, corn stocks hardened
into short spears that cause debilitating punctures
to paws and legs. These combined dangers tear at
a greyhound’s flesh during the chase of their prey,
often leaving a dog useless to the hunter. When
greyhound skin is torn the laceration tends to
expand revealing the flesh below. Infection is easily
introduced with the absence of basic care.
These dogs are bred to push all of their physical
abilities to the outer limits. They are challenged to hunt
and race at maximum speeds for bragging rights and
small time wagers. As is true throughout the world,
when a greyhound used for sport is hurt or considered
past their competitive age, they are quickly destroyed
or are literally bred to death, a puppy mill producing as
many litters as possible in search of a champion dog.
The average age of a greyhound when it reaches the
end of its “usefulness” is between 3 and 4 years.
Photo by John Mottern
Greyhounds / Argentina
Recently Greyhound Friends sponsored a fact
finding trip to Argentina to review the wellbeing
of greyhounds, investigating numerous reports of
serious abuse of racing and hunting dogs. Journalist
John Mottern and greyhound welfare activist
Dalia Rabinovich, who has an adopted greyhound
and is from the Metro West area of Boston, spent
time visiting shelters while meeting with staff
and volunteers. The team also attended a small
racing facility in the countryside near San Pedro,
located several hours north of Buenos Aires, where
they found a moderately thriving gambling event
consisting of racing greyhounds largely imported
from the United States.
During a visit to one shelter the team met Bonita,
a hunting greyhound which had just arrived at
the facility the day before. The shelter, Refugio
Canino Venado Tuerto, is located in Venado Tuerto,
Argentina. This little greyhound was in very rough
shape. She had large and gaping lacerations on her
legs and side, one of which was an open wound the
size of a closed fist. She was seriously dehydrated
and suffering from malnutrition. The staff at this
shelter were dealing with over 300 dogs of all types
including 30 greyhounds.
Bonita was given antibiotics, fed and given a clean
place to sleep. The injuries were not sutured but left
to heal as open wounds on their own if possible. The
staff in this shelter were faced with too many dogs
and with little public support. There did not seem
to be an urgency to move a dog like Bonita to more
advanced care. In the end very few options exist for
where a dog like Bonita, if able to recover, would
end up. Maybe back with a hunter, or if really lucky
she might be taken home with one of the kennel’s
volunteers. One woman who volunteers at the
shelter already has taken 15 dogs which live with
her and her partner on a small beef cattle farm near
the kennel.
Claudina Di Martino, Director of Communication
for the Refugio Canino Venado Tuerto shelter, said
that they are working to improve public awareness
through “…educational outreach programs to local
school children. We hope that this might help
change the attitude towards animal welfare in the
next generation.” She said. “We have volunteers and
vets here that really care, but there are too many
dogs and really nowhere to place them once they are
healthy. Many just end up living here.” Di Martino
is working to develop the shelter’s social media
network to try and reach out for more support for
education and funds to expand the infrastructure of
the kennel facility.
Internationally there has been some success in
working with communities to change attitudes
towards the ethical treatment of greyhounds
used for sporting. In Spain, where spent dogs are
commonly hung by the neck from trees largely
for superstitious reasons, a concentrated effort
undertaken by local advocates to expose abuse issues
Today some of the scores of greyhounds and
Spanish Galgos, once destined for euthanasia, are
being placed in homes by adoption groups like SOS
GALGOS, located in Barcelona, and the SCOOBY
Refuge, a kennel facility outside of Madrid. These
adoptions still only represent the tip of the iceberg
for dogs needing homes. There is an ongoing and
serious problem of abuse with cases of extreme
neglect in the southern region of Spain, where
too many dogs in an economically strained region
commonly overwhelm local shelters at the end of
each hunting season.
Last year in western Ireland a group of greyhounds
were discovered having been shot and dumped in
an open pit precariously near a natural water source.
It took prodding by rescue groups but finally media
attention and police action were taken resulting
in arrests. “The attitudes towards the treatment of
greyhounds are changing slowing in many regions
around the world but there is a long way to go,” said
Louise Coleman. “We are very concerned about the
expanding of dog racing in South America and feel
it is important to bring attention to the dogs being
exported from the United States into that region,”
she said.
“We are encouraged by some Argentinian advocates
we have met working to bring attention to
greyhound issues in that country. We are looking
forward to supporting their efforts to improve
public awareness of these issues. There have been
several political actions taken to ban racing in
Argentina, in the towns of Cantor and Venado
Tuerto. Public attention was focused on the zoo
in Cantor which had terrible conditions for their
animals, who were basically starving. Horrific
photographs were circulated which helped insure
the shut down of the zoo,” said Coleman. “These
types of efforts are what make a real difference and
ultimately change the way people think about their
responsibility as a society toward their animals.”
Coleman also added that “There is a lot of work
to be done in countries like Argentina were the
culture of abuse towards animals is so accepted and
unchallenged by the society as a whole.” n
www.greyhound.org
There were also many puppies at this shelter. One
litter of greyhound puppies were suffering from
distemper, and half had already died. Another young
greyhound puppy, Milagros, was suffering from
parvovirus and has a 50% chance of survival based
on available medication and time for personal care.
This puppy epitomized the pain endured by so many
dogs in the region. Milagros’ vulnerable demeanor,
like any baby, was clearly illustrated as she buried
her head deep under the arm of the volunteer
holding her. Innocent and fragile, she evoked great
empathy but it is, most likely, empathy that comes
too late for her. She is being sponsored for the cost
of medical care by donations from Greyhound
Friends and there have already been many offering
for adoption for this puppy in the United States if
she survives.
in the media has started to make a difference. These
stories became popular with the media and helped
to end all racing in the country. The last track closed
in Barcelona several years ago.
7
Greyhound Friends Fact Finding Trip
to Argentina
Hercules and Zamira
Photo by John Mottern
Bonita
8
Hercules the horse and Zamira, a white greyhound,
greet each other in Venado Tuerto, Argentina.
They live on Betina Passon and her partner Pablo’s
beautiful country compound with 15 other rescued
greyhounds and mixed breed dogs. The Refugio
Canino Venado Tuerto dog rescue currently is home
to 30 other greyhounds and many mixed breed dogs
in the same region.
Milagros
Bonita, a greyhound used for hunting, arrived
recently at the Refugio Canino Venado Tuerto
located in central Argentina. She is in rough shape
and suffers from open lacerations, dehydration
and serious malnutrition. The staff at the rescue
has their hands full with 300 dogs including 30
greyhounds needing care. Greyhound Friends is
sponsoring the costs for medical care for Bonita.
Milagros, a 5 week old greyhound with a very serious
case of parvovirus, is being cared for by Claudina Di
Martino and the staff at the Refugio Canino Venado
Tuerto in Argentina. The shelter’s veterinarians give
the puppy a 50% chance of survival. Greyhound
Friends has offered to sponsor this puppy’s medical
costs which include medication, food and the costs
of foster home care during treatment. Claudina Di
Martino is the director of communications for
the shelter.
To help dogs like Bonita and Milagros,
please make a donation at
www.greyhound.org/donations.cfm and write
“Argentina” in the comments section.
Photo by John Mottern
Photo by John Mottern
Bonita arrives at the Refugio Canino Venado Tuerto
Photo by John Mottern
www.greyhound.org
Hercules and Zamira
Toni has passed away. She was born in Ireland
in 2000. She was sold on to the Meridiana track
in Barcelona and raced there 238 times. Toni
was assertive. She forged ahead - whether she
was staying alive by winning in Barcelona or
demanding treats in the kitchen of our adoption
kennel. When the track closed in Barcelona Toni
was one of the lucky 100 Irish dogs who were
transferred to the Scooby Refuge in Medina del
Campo. Most of the 600 other remaining Irish
dogs ended up with hunters or gypsies. I brought
Toni to our Hopkinton shelter in 2006. When I
was at Scooby trying to figure out who to bring
back Fermin Perez, the Scooby President helped
in my selection process. He reached around behind
himself, and escorted Toni front and center and
said, “Take this one.” Toni had a pleasant life as a
Greyhound Friends’ ‘kitchen’ dog. She didn’t want
to move on to a home somewhere else - so she
asserted herself and stayed.....happily ever after healthy until the end. We will greatly miss Toni.
At the Hound Open House on November 3rd, the
Minklei Family made a most generous donation
to Greyhound Friends. Their daughter, Abby,
had researched animal shelters online and she
convinced her parents that a donation should go
to Greyhound Friends. Thank you, Abby, and your
family for your generosity.
From the left: Hanna Kreiss, Joan Minklei, Abby
Minklei, Stoddard Melhado, and Wanda.
Photo by John Mottern
Abby with Wanda
www.greyhound.org
Toni
Photo by John Mottern
Patsy, David Gorman, Louise Coleman, Marion
Fitzgibbon and Fletcher in Dublin
Fletcher was a stray in the
Wicklow Dog Pound. I
saw his photo and story on
Face Book. I mentioned
him to Marion Fitzgibbon
of Limerick Animal
Welfare and asked if she
could bring Fletcher
from the pound so that
he could come to America. While I was at the
Walk for Greyhounds in Dublin in September
a kind dog taxi driver named Patsy brought
Fletcher from Wicklow to Dublin. Fletcher
was amazingly social for just coming from the
pound and he participated in the Walk. He has a
beautiful coat......and a lovely spirit. He is now at
Greyhound Friends. - Louise Coleman
Photo by Jen Hutchinson
Adopt Fletcher
9
Greyhound Friends Visits Perkins School
for the Blind
meet the others who were in wheelchairs. The visit
was amazing and inspirational on many levels. Below
are impressions from various team members about the
experience.
We were all looking forward to the visit, albeit with
slight trepidation. How would we be able to convey
the beauty, grace, and dignity of our greyhounds to
a visually impaired audience? On July 18, 2013, the
Greyhound Friends Educational Outreach Program
had the privilege of visiting with the children in the
Lower School of Perkins School for the Blind. The
visit was arranged by Peter Bloom, who with his
dogs Larry and Neal attends almost every outreach
program. Unfortunately, this was the one visit that
Peter could not attend.
“When I first found out I was invited to Perkins
school I was trying hard to figure out how I could
help these children understand the beauty and
gracefulness that these greyhounds possess. How
could I explain how gracefully these beautiful
animals move without their being able to see it
themselves was just one of the obstacles I felt that
I had to overcome to help describe the hounds to
the children. Boy was I surprised. I thought I was
going there to educate them; I left there having
them educate me! One girl would take her hand,
rub the fur of the dog, and smell her fingers. When
I asked her why she was doing that, she explained
that she noticed right away that although the room
was filled with dogs, she didn’t smell the typical
“doggie smell.” I explained that greyhounds do not
have the typical doggie smell that other breeds have.
We started to discuss the speed that the greyhounds
can run. When I explained that the greyhound
can reach up to 42mi/hour she said she had a dog
that ran fast and she knows when he is running
past her because he creates a breeze. She wondered
what the breeze would feel like from a greyhound
sprinting past her legs. After I left Perkins I was
so enlightened and truly wished our time together
didn’t have to end at all.” Kathy Lundgren
www.greyhound.org
Stoddard Melhado
The Lower School at Perkins “serves children
ages six to 14 who are blind or visually impaired
with or without other disabilities.” We knew that
this visit would be quite different from any other
presentation that we had made and that the great
challenge would be helping the students understand
the beauty of the dogs. Since the students would
only learn about them with their hands, we arrived
with ten greyhounds to make certain that each
student would have as long a time as possible to
go over the dogs.
“The first observation that really impressed me was
the number of adults who were there to take care of
the students. There seemed to be a one to one ratio of
student to supervisor. As a result, the program went
smoothly and we were able to educate many adults as
well as children about the retired racing greyhound.
The team at Perkins. From the left: Cindy Sorenson, Carolyn
Zuena, Kathy Lundgren, Stoddard Melhado, Diana Simonelli,
Kathy Mahoney, Joe Calabrese and Yumi Jones.
10
After a shorter than normal presentation about
the history of greyhounds and their lives as racing
dogs – the children were not overly excited to listen
to us and as their principal had told us, attention is
not their strong suit; they just wanted to meet the
dogs – those students who were ambulatory came
to the front while some of us took greyhounds to
The second item which strongly impressed me was
the outstanding behavior of the greyhounds.
Despite a multitude of distractions, they remained
calm and quiet. There were ten greyhounds there,
including my wonderful Nova, and they stood
at attention. When the children were invited to
interact, the greyhounds allowed themselves to
be hugged and petted profusely. I was so proud of
them.” Kathy Mahoney
“Perkins was Elf ’s first visit and I was very nervous
but one thing changed the mood and we ended up
having a great time. As we were approaching the
“The feeling I get when I see the kids touch the dogs
is very rewarding. They want to spend as much time
with the dogs as they can, maybe because they have
a dog or want one. Greyhounds make the experience
for them more enjoyable; most of the greyhounds
would stand all day and get petted. They cannot tell
if a child is blind or not.” Joe Calabrese
For me, two indelible impressions remain. A girl
with multiple handicaps was in a wheel chair.
During the presentation she was agitated, waving
her arm, and making considerable noise. When I
took Grady to her, I placed her hand on his head to
feel his face and ears – she smiled, giggled, and all
the agitation evaporated. And a boy asked whether
he could hug a dog. As being hugged is one of
Grady’s favorite activities, I said “Certainly.” The
boy hugged Grady, and then resting his head on
Bonnie
Steve Ulfelder and his greyhound, Bonnie
Steve Ulfelder is the author of a popular murder
mystery series. The Ulfelder Family adopted
Bonnie and she is a much loved greyhound. Steve
is working on a new mystery and plans to include
a greyhound in this installment. He plans to
talk to Dr. Rod Poling of the Holliston Animal
Hospital about greyhound medical problems and
treatments.........Dr. Poling enjoys talking about the
ins and outs of greyhound health so besides being a
good murder mystery Steve’s book will have some
interesting greyhound information. n
www.greyhound.org
“It struck me that my dog Cella and the children
seemed to have a mutual understanding of each
other -- a mutual respect. One older boy asked
many questions about Cella and was petting her.
He stopped for a moment and asked ‘Is it okay if
I hug Cella?’ I think he didn’t want to overwhelm
her and wanted to make sure she would be all right
with a hug. When he hugged her, he was very
gentle with her and she was not overwhelmed at
all. Later, a girl reached out to pet Cella, grabbed
her ear and squeezed it very hard. You could tell
that this hurt Cella, but rather than making a
sound, Cella moved her head to the side to assist
the teacher as the teacher tried to release her grip.
Cella seemed to know that the young girl needed
to explore things through touch and that the girl
meant no harm.” Carolyn Zuena
Perkins later released this statement about our
visit: “Our mission is to prepare students for life
after Perkins. Opportunities like the visit from
the Greyhounds gave our students a chance to
interact with dogs, some for the first time. While
some of the students were a bit cautious of this
new experience, the smiles on their faces and the
wagging tails clearly showed everyone enjoyed
themselves. – Perkins, Watertown, MA n
Photo by John Mottern
“I loved seeing the excitement of one of the boys
when he petted Ben all the way from his head to
the end of his tail. He was surprised at how big
Ben seemed; it was really cute.” Diana Simonelli
Grady’s back, he turned his head towards me and
said, “I wish this never would end,” as did all of us.
Photo by John Mottern
entrance of the lower school, we saw a girl sitting
outside with her teacher on the bench. I asked her
if she wanted to take Elf ’s leash (and I was holding
the other end) and her face immediately lit up. She
looked very proud leading Elf to the auditorium.
I was very proud of Elf because he did well being
with a lot of people (and other greys) despite all
those electric wheelchairs (he doesn’t like vacuum
cleaners, washing machines, anything motored).”
Yumi Jones
Mickayla and Cash
11
From the Director
www.greyhound.org
Continued from Page 1
In Italy there is a much more positive development.
Irish greyhounds are being sent to Italy from
groups like Limerick Animal Welfare. The
Italian adoption groups have worked to present
the greyhounds as elegant, well behaved, and
beautiful......valuable for who they are - not what
they can do. The Italians are one side of the coin the exploitive people in Spain, Argentina, Macao,
Australia on the opposite side. I am reminded
of James Herriot’s sentiment in “All Creatures
Great and Small” about there constantly being a
good army struggling against the bad army. In
the case of the greyhounds and lurchers this has
never been more true. It is agonizing to see these
dogs treated so badly in some places........they are
the same dogs who are loved and valued in others.
The dissemination of greyhounds to poor quality
racing venues is appalling..........and often out of
the way - not really publicized. Marion Fitzgibbon
of Limerick Animal Welfare mentioned to me
today that the greyhound track in Casablanca
has been sold. The former owner ran the track
as a small family business. The same dogs stayed
on and although it wasn’t a great life they were
fairly well treated. The new owner is looking to
buy 50 “cheap” greyhounds now. The migration
of greyhounds seems to be following a similar
path as cigarette smoking in this country. When
Americans slowed way down on smoking, the
tobacco industry moved their marketing efforts in
a big way to China, other countries in the Far East
and any other new markets they could come up
with. And there isn’t much if any enforced animal
welfare regulation in lower grade tracks.
Again on the plus side, greyhound advocates have
years of working together in an international
network as leverage. Years ago Denise Cox, an
American living in Ireland, helped link many of
the local Irish animal shelters. Previously they
had been isolated - each responsible for a small
part of the country. Denise helped create the web
site, www.IrishAnimals.com - and the animal
advocates could consolidate their efforts and share
information. This is the sort of effort that will
have to be built to help greyhounds and their
12
cousins. Social media - like Facebook and Twitter
- are making a huge difference. Greyhound
Friends is encouraging this outreach effort as much
as possible. Our main goals remain bringing in
and placing as many greyhounds in good homes as
possible. And now we are doing the same with the
hound crosses. The hounds in the Midwest are also
exploited. When their work is over, often so are
they. We work hard to educate the public about the
plight of these dogs.
Our aim is to be pro-dog. Greyhound Friends’
Educational Outreach Program goes to schools,
nursing homes, fraternal organizations, and other
groups who are interested in learning about
greyhounds. The prime tool in reaching people
and convincing them to consider greyhounds as
companions is the breed itself. They are their own
best representatives. People believe what they
see. In Ireland, Spain, and now Argentina we
are helping in whatever way we can to encourage
groups there to host as many public educational
events as possible. The Walk for Greyhounds in
Dublin this past September was important because
greyhounds in Ireland are still not fully accepted as
pets. The sponsoring organization is Greyhound
Rescue Association of Ireland..........a consortium of
adoption groups from Ireland, England, Wales, and
the U.S. United we stand..................
Marion Fitzgibbon is fond of quoting one of her
fellow animal advocates who said..........”Money
talks and everything else walks.” Greyhound
Friends is struggling financially...........we have
been the grateful recipient of wonderful bequests
and donations of varying amounts. All this good
will has made our kennel and work possible. All
the gifts combined are the green energy that the
work needs to be successful. It feels to me that
this is an intrinsically pivotal time for greyhounds.
Everything is in the balance.....greyhounds can go
on to be elegant companions in loving homes like
in Italy.....or they can go individually and as a breed
into the darkness that can await them. Please help
us help the dogs.
Sláinte - To Your Good Health....
Best Wishes..............Louise
Dog’s Best Friend
Cindy Cantrell, Boston Globe
Sherborn resident Louise
Coleman (inset) is known
locally as founder of
Greyhound Friends in
Hopkinton. But her work to
fight greyhound exploitation
also extends to Ireland, where
she recently participated in her
second Walk for Greyhounds
organized by the Greyhound Rescue Association
Ireland.
Coleman was one of nearly 100 dog lovers and rescue
organization repre-sentatives who walked through
Merrion Square in Dublin to demonstrate that
retired racing greyhounds make excellent family pets.
Among the participants were Irish film director Lenny
Abrahamson and singer-songwriter Cathy Davey.
Shop For Greyhounds
Cindy Cantrell, Boston Globe
A Natick thrift store, Second Chances, offers shoppers
a way to purchase distinctive and inexpensive holiday
gifts while helping homeless dogs get adopted.
Items for sale include antique glass wear, end tables,
lamps, baskets, jewelry, books, dishes, clothing, small
furniture, holiday decorations, and greyhound-related
products. The shop’s proceeds benefit Hopkintonbased Greyhound Friends, a nonprofit dedicated to
rescuing and placing retired racetrack greyhounds.
Second Chances (below) is at 6 West Central St.,
next to the common in Natick Center. Special thanks
to Debbie Murphy for all of her hard work! n
www.greyhound.org
Coleman said it is important for the Irish public to be
exposed to the gentle and affectionate nature of the
dogs. Although the popularity of greyhound racing is
declining in Ireland, she said, its negative reputation
endures because live hares used in races there meet
such a bloody end.
“It used to be that I’d walk down the street in Ireland
with a greyhound, and people would cross to the other
side,” said Coleman, who estimates she has traveled to
the Emerald Isle 30 times since the late 1970s. “People
are still a little skeptical, and need to see how good
they are with children and other breeds of dogs.”
Coleman has long worked to change the perception of
greyhounds as pets. For several years, she distributed
information about greyhound welfare and adoption
at the annual Dublin Horse Show. She campaigned
against the export of racing greyhounds to Spain until
those tracks closed, and is now raising awareness of the
renewed risk to the dogs’ welfare from Irish breeders
seeking to export them to China.
Each year, Coleman coordinates the adoption of a few
greyhounds rescued from Spain and Ireland through
Greyhound Friends, as well as Greyhound Rescue of
New England in Mendon. n
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
• Laundry Detergent & Bleach
• Office Supplies (copy paper, large & padded envelopes, etc.)
• Olive Oil & Rice
• Paper Towels
• Vet Supplies/Bandages/Vet Wrap
• Bird Seed/Feed
• Visitors
• $$$$$
13
Ways to Donate
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.
www.greyhound.org
Online Catalog
14
Did you know that all proceeds from our kennel
store and online catalog 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! You can access the online catalog at our
website: www.greyhound.org; click on the Catalog
link on the left-hand side. Or 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.
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!
kkk
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Greyhound Friends
167 Saddle Hill Road
Hopkinton, MA 01748
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15
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Save the Dates!
Greyhound Friends Open House
May 17, 2014 and May 18, 2014
12:00 – 4:00
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The Lady and the Unicorn- early 1500’s
Musee de Cluny, Paris.
Greyhound Friends Wish You Happy Holidays!