Greyhound Friends, Inc. is a non-profit organization located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, dedicated to saving racetrack greyhounds and placing them in responsible, loving homes.  We invite you to learn more about us by reading our website and visiting our kennel.  We're open 7 days a week, 9:00AM - 5:00PM. For directions click here. To speak with Louise Coleman, the director of Greyhound Friends, call 508-435-5969 during our business hours.

Volunteers from Greyhound Friends recently attended a great event and party - Fashion with Compassion, held at the Liberty Hotel in Boston. This event was hosted by New England Cable News and co-hosted by Vicky Croke, the host of The Secret Life of Animals and offered a great opportunity to showcase the wonderful disposition and adoptability of greyhounds. Pictures from this event are below.

Bob Mahoney with greyhound mix Ailie

Stoddard & Ky Melhado, Kathy Mahoney, and greyhounds

Ernie, the greyhound, and friends!

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For your planning purposes, our annual Spring Open House is scheduled for Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 16th.  Please mark your calendar! More details will follow. 

Treasure - Needs Your Help

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Hold the Dates!:

We've set our Open House dates for 2010. Mark your calendars and plan on joining us!

May 15 & 16, 2010 - Annual Spring Open House

September 25 & 26, 2010 - Annual Fall Open House

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Greetings From the Director:

Greyhound Friends has continued over the past year to adjust to life during hard times.  Every day is a struggle to raise the money to keep the dogs comfortable, taken care of, fed, altered, and healed when necessary and then adopted.

A progressively wide network of concerned people interacting to bring in necessary supplies, dog food, monetary donations, and adopters has been essential to the survival of Greyhound Friends.  This flock of supporters moves in an intricate, internally choreographed sort of way...............like a flock of birds on the wing...........independent beings moving in the same direction to keep the flow of life going.  All of the people providing contributions for the greyhounds in our care are to be commended.

Greyhound racing is almost over in New England.  Greyhound Friends continues to take in dogs from Wonderland and Raynham but for all practical purposes Florida and the Mid-West will be where greyhound pets will originate. The Dairyland track in Wisconsin is closing at the end of 2009.  Phoenix Greyhound Park is closing, as are other tracks. I am extremely concerned that there will be a domino effect..............multiple tracks closing in a tight timeframe.  The result would be a greyhound tsunami............hundreds of greyhounds needing homes all at once.

The adoption network is already over stressed and completely underfunded.  Greyhound Friends included.

Nevertheless, we proceed; one dog at a time.  Looking for help on many fronts.  And, as ever, at least partial solutions materialize.   The New England Assistance Dog program has been including some of our tall, calm, self-confident male dogs as candidates to work as balance dogs.  Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are learning to walk with prosthetic limbs need assistance keeping their balance. Greyhounds love to walk and working with the vets gives the greyhounds a new career.  Each greyhound is eventually adopted by a veteran.   Becker College has retired track greyhounds as part of their vet tech training program.  The dogs are adopted out after the school year.  This is another high visibility, productive channel for greyhounds to follow in finding new homes.

A future concern - when greyhound racing as it has existed ends - is who will breed greyhounds?  How will the wonderful temperament and beauty of the track greyhounds be perpetuated? They are the working version of the breed and it will be our responsibility..........as greyhound lovers - to be stewards of the breed. How do we prevent disreputable people from getting greyhounds from the tracks going out of business and then breeding them with little regard for health and temperament?  Currently there is no plan in place for caring for the dogs and there is a much larger number of greyhounds than have ever been needing homes all at once.
               
So as we continue down the long and winding road - one step; one greyhound at a time........we recognize and hold fast to the people and institutions who have allied with Greyhound Friends in the past - and look to the brave new world that is next.

Louise Coleman

Executive Director 

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How You Can Help Greyhound Friends

To learn about ways you can help Greyhound Friends, please visit our "How You Can Help" page by clicking on that topic in the left menu bar.  Items included on this page are  details on Greyhound Friends as a registered charity on eBay, announcement of our new Facebook page and how to join, donating dog food through PETCO's Bottomless Bowl Program, how to have Greyhound Friends give an educational program at your school, club, or organization, and information on Second Chances Thrift Shop - opened in Natick by Greyhound Friends as a source of funds for the kennel.  Check it out!