Greyhound friends - a plea for donations??

Please Stand up for Dogs like Emma

I saw that Greyhound Friends sent out a plea for donations, urging people to support them in a grand reopening.

I am not sure whether they were told they may be able to reopen or if they are assuming that they can wiggle their way out of their problems like they have in the past.

It seems absurd to me that anyone would consider allowing that business to have dogs in their care again. Earlier this year:

• The Animal Rescue League of Boston filed a criminal complaint against the Greyhound Friends executive director for animal neglect and cruelty, based on extensive reports documenting lack of proper veterinary care and unsanitary conditions.

• Two Greyhound Friends board members resigned and spoke out about the kennel confining dogs in small cages for years and about concerns over the charity’s financial dealings.

• Nationally-known animal behaviorist Kelley Bollen wrote a scathing report about Greyhound Friends after visiting the kennel.

• Six animal rescue organizations who previously took dogs from Greyhound Friends wrote to authorities about serious animal care concerns with the kennel, such as filthy conditions and inadequate veterinary care—including one dog who Greyhound Friends reportedly left untreated for a huge bladder stone and bloody urination and another who was left untreated for heartworm disease.

Kennel violations going back decades

That was not the first time the kennel got itself into trouble. Greyhound Friends has been caught violating animal welfare regulations for YEARS. More than a dozen times. How many more warnings, fines, and cease and desist orders have to be issued to Greyhound Friends before we say enough is enough?

It seems clear from the documented reports from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the state inspectors, and local law enforcement that some dogs there suffered greatly. Dogs suffer when a kennel is perpetually overcrowded. Dogs suffer when they are riddled with parasites. And dogs suffer a great deal – sometimes permanent heart damage – when they go untreated for heartworm disease, as Emma did. She is the dog that I helped rescue from Greyhound Friends after she was left there untreated for this disease.

All dogs in rescue should be treated humanely and receive the right care and medical treatment. Sadly, there is an abundance of proof that many dogs did not even receive the basics there. What is perhaps even worse, the state found that Greyhound Friends took dogs with contagious diseases into Massachusetts.

Troubling financial decisions

I don’t understand how dogs were denied the right veterinary care and even basic medication to protect their health when it is documented that Greyhound Friends took in millions of dollars in recent years. Between 2011-2015, they spent in excess of $135,000 in travel expenses (including “fact finding” missions overseas) and nearly $40K on a high ticket SUV for the director to drive. They loaned money to the executive director and one of her relatives, and spent what seems like an exorbitant amount of money promoting their image—including $67,000 in a single year on public relations and advertising.

Notably, the charity watchdog group Charity Navigator issued a donor advisory about the organization. According to the charity watchdog group’s website, they issue these alerts due to the “allegations of illegal activity, improper conduct, or organizational mismanagement.”

Why would a purported "rescue" spend excessive amounts of money on overseas travel, cars, and public relations, instead of making the dogs’ health and safety their first priority? Where was their board of directors when these decisions were being made?

Greyhound adoption rescue receives third cease & desist order

In early 2017, the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources and local law enforcement gave Greyhound Friends multiple warnings to repair dangerous and unsanitary conditions in the kennel. After ignoring these warnings, Greyhound Friends was slapped with a cease and desist order from the state. They then hired a contractor to make repairs and according to news reports, did not pay him $34,149 they owe him.

During their investigation, the state agency also discovered that Greyhound Friends apparently had no veterinary protocols in place. This is a kennel that has been around for 30 years and they had no veterinary protocols? That is very unusual and frankly alarming.

Dogs’ safety and well being is at stake.

In an effort to reopen, Greyhound Friends claims to have renovated their kennels, yet they appear to be just as tiny as before. They have been told time and again by animal welfare experts that the space was too small and that dogs need adequate time outside of their kennels. And the kennel size is only a small piece of the problem. If the leadership there does not prioritize the health and welfare of the dogs, that is a serious disconnect that cannot be fixed with paint and kennel repairs.

The kennel claims they will do better if they are allowed to reopen, but anyone can make promises and say they will do things right the next time. Should we really trust individuals who have already put dogs’ health and welfare in such a precarious state?

I have not seen one person affiliated with Greyhound Friends who has accepted ownership of what transpired there over the years. Their entire board of directors appears to be supporting the director, despite the felony animal cruelty and neglect charges and horrible care that was documented in the inspection reports. And yet they want the kennel license back.

I am attaching pictures of some of the kennel conditions at Greyhound Friends. Many of these pictures can be found in the state’s reports

Hopkinton is better than this, and I hope this community will not allow this to continue.

Please join me in speaking up for dogs like Emma. Take a moment to write to the Board of Selectmen (selectmen@hopkintonma.gov) and urge them not to reinstate the Greyhound Friends kennel license.

Respectfully,

Steve Bassignani

Franklin MA