Kari Young

Sad News from the AAGI Family (Arizona Adopt A Greyhound Inc.)

It is with great sadness we announce that our director and friend, Kari Young,

passed on from this life Christmas morning while surrounded by her husband, Bill

and her daughters, Shauna and Chris.

Kari served as the director of Arizona Adopt a Greyhound, Inc. for sixteen years.

She steered AAGI through the closing of the Phoenix Greyhound Park and

through the Tucson track closing. Through her long involvement in the greyhound

community at large and her reputation as an individual with “sterling integrity,” she

set up an arrangement with a California adoption group enabling us to continue

our work helping greyhounds in need of homes.

As many of you are aware, in March of 2013, Kari had a double lung transplant,

and came back stronger than ever. The second week of November of this year

Kari went back on oxygen. At the beginning of December, she was admitted to

the hospital to determine the cause of her increasing breathing difficulty. It was

diagnosed as full blown lung rejection, and she was admitted into Hospice care at

home. The past three weeks saw a rapid progression of the disease. She

originally wanted to be the one to tell volunteers and the AAGI community at large

what was happening but was unable to do so.

About a year ago, Kari set up a team responsible for a variety of functions

including events, fostering, adoptions, nails, administration, etc. None of that will

change, we can assure you. With the help and support of wonderful people like

you, AAGI will continue to do good work finding forever homes for retired

greyhounds for many years to come. AAGI will continue in service to the

hounds as Kari intended it should.

There will be a memorial service at Tempe’s Desert Palms United Church of

Christ in a couple of weeks. The date is not yet set, but another email of the time

and address will be sent, and we will post it on the website as well. Kari wanted

the greyhounds to be present but they are not allowed in the sanctuary, so we

may hold a secondary ‘ROO’ at another time or place. Keep checking the website

for details.

Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated and needed at this difficult time.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Rebecca Spellman

rebecca@arizonaadoptagreyhound.org

4807344461

Cards may be addressed to:

Bill Young

5060 W Chicago Circle S.

Chandler, AZ 85226

Or:

AAGI

P O Box 63033

Phoenix, AZ 85082

Don't mess with Texas.......Be like Texas!

Excellent job by the Texas Greyhound Association

Greyhound group says new plan pays if racing dog injured

RoryOlogy - The morning after................

We will never come together and work through our differences if we (to put it bluntly) keep getting our panties in a bundle. We will never see issues through another’s eyes if we keep closing our eyes as well as our minds to all who are different in any way from who we are. If we truly want to be one and work to make life good for all, take a moment and reflect on how you would want to be treated as the defeated. After all, at some point in time the party you vote for will lose. 

Treat all as you would want to be treated, remember those who are down when you are up. When in the minority, remember the majority won and if you are part of the majority, remember the minority may not always be the minority!

Now pull up them britches and stop bitching and celebrating – we have a job to do and it starts with the attitude of ALL regardless of party affiliations.

A good start might be instead of using Facebook as a place to let everyone know where you are afraid we are going, how about using Facebook not unlike that device known as blinkers as a way of letting fellow Americans know where you are planning to go. If you have chosen a smarter more effective path, perhaps you will lead the way to coming together as one.

A Public Statement...

The following post appeared on social media on October 13, 2016. I have been given permission by writer to post it to my blog. It is powerful, from the heart and very important to read.

A Public Statement.

I would like to take a moment of your time to extend a thank you to The Dewey Gathering Planning Committee, this was my first year in attendance and I had solid reservations and frankly some anxiety on attending this event. I know this year was a bit of a roller coaster of emotions and some fire’s to put out for some. I know many may be confused or do not understand the reason for any separation of events and making statements of “It is all about the dogs” and “He has paid his dues”.

Taking the child attendance out of the equation for just one moment, we need to realize that before these events can be about the dogs, there is a requirement of the human interaction to “make it happen”. Those humans whether they have children, had children or have Grandchildren, all started off as children. What many may be overlooking to place into this equation is, what about the adults who attend who were once children and may be a victim/survivor of abuse? Whether it was Sexual, Mental or Physical.

It has taken me more than thirty years to have a voice and make any statement in public about my past as a child. Much of my family is still not aware of what happened to me as a child. For what felt like eternity, was in actuality many years of sexual abuse by a family member. Each year, 60,000+ children are victims of sexual abuse in the USA alone. These crimes can have a serious impact on the life and development of a child, and can continue to impact the survivor later in life. Which has clearly been the case for me, at 41, I am now able to understand the impact this played on my life and will continue to play a role in for the rest of my life.

So please, before you voice your distain about why you may disagree or choose to ostracize The Dewey Gathering Planning Committee please remember this, there are adults on this forum who are survivors of sexual abuse, be it vocal or not, it is all a personal choice. The Dewey Gathering Planning Committee would like to make their event safe for any children who may be in attendance, may it be just 1 or 100 but also for those of us still trying to navigate through life as a survivor.

At the end of the day we all make choices and many may continue to choose the other side, which is your choice and yours alone but please try and not forget those of us who may be struggling on a day to day basis because an adult took advantage of us as a child, and now we walk through life trying to feel as human and as whole as we possibly can. If he has paid his dues, done his time and the slate should be wiped clean, ask yourself this; what about us, the survivors? How does that help fix us? How do we get to wipe the slate clean and move on with life as a normal human being, we don’t get that option!! So if you still think this event should be “All about the dogs” remember this, think of the owners of those dogs who may be in attendance as they continue to struggle through live trying to be a survivor!

So I will reiterate this again, to The Dewey Gathering Planning Committee, thank you for making me feel safe and making me feel like my life as a survivor is valuable, honored and respected.

It's not always all about the greyhounds...

Many of us for many years have been involved with the placing ex-racing greyhounds into loving homes. Every year people looking to adopt a pet choose ex-racing greyhounds and every year the ranks of adoption volunteers grows.  As a whole, greyhound adoption will be perceived not by how many greyhounds we place, but on whom we follow and who we allow to be present, admired or supported in our family friendly greyhound community. What we do, what we have done, what we allow lays the groundwork for what the next generation of greyhound lovers accept as gospel. An oft quoted phraseology "My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am" is tempered with another – “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful”.

Does an individual's involvement with greyhounds or greyhound adoption make the unacceptable acceptable? 

Let's say a sports figure who was involved in dog fighting became involved with greyhound adoption. Would the greyhound community put their blinders on and welcome this person with open arms? If some point in the future, say 25 or 30 years, a person who was convicted of animal abuse and or animal assault adopts a greyhound, will the greyhound community toss its collective hands in the air and with a shake of the head claim it is not an issue as the crime that a conviction resulted from happened so long ago? Or even worse, a nonchalant "hey it wasn't MY dog so I don't care"?

Yet there are members of the here & now greyhound community sending a distressing message to the world at large - don't abuse animals, but if you molest children it's no big deal.

What other explanation can there be for a convicted child molester who currently has lifetime sex offender registration to be admired and supported and embraced by those in the greyhound community?

This individual's presence leaves a bad impression on the greyhound community, especially as more and more families (and by that I mean with children ranging in age from newborn to 18) are welcoming greyhounds into their homes.  Registering, attending, vending at any event that is associated in any way with such an individual gives credence to the community that we as a whole could care less about children, women and victims of sexual assault and only care about the greyhounds. Continuing on in such a way in our community may well have a negative impact on the greyhounds.

Some may say this is political mudslinging. I call shenanigans on that. It is simply about good judgement and what is in the best interest not only for our greyhounds but for the humans that share their lives with greyhounds. 

I get contacted almost daily from victims in our community. If you think it is ok to continue to support a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender by registration, attending, vending or paying registration fees (whether you attend or not) at one of this individual's events, think about this - you have most likely offended a dear friend or adoption associate in the greyhound community by showing support for a child molester and opened up very traumatic wounds or triggered flashbacks with your declarations of an event that happened years ago is not important today. 

Tomorrow I will share an open letter from an individual who is a victim of sexual assault that was posted on social media a few weeks ago. I was granted permission to share it and feel it is too important, too powerful and extremely insightful not to stand on its own. The pain sexual assault victims go through each and every day should be more than enough to make us all say – No more! I will not register, attend functions nor vend at any event sponsored by or coordinated by an individual who has lifetime sex offender registration resulting from a conviction of first degree sexual molestation of innocent children.

The character of our adoption programs, our events, and our vendors reflects on the whole. If just one member continues to support a person who has a requirement to register for life as a sex offender due to the sexual assault of children it will negatively impact our community thus impacting the greyhounds.

Some profess the mantra “it's all about the greyhounds” but for some who hide behind that phrase, it is not about the greyhounds at all.

Choices…………….

Did you know verbal assault is defined as?
•    Yelling
•    Lying
•    Name-calling
•    Insulting, swearing
•    Withholding important information
•    unreasonably ordering around
•    Telling a person she or he is worthless or nothing but trouble

Sounds very unprofessional, huh? Certainly not something that an individual running greyhound event would do to a greyhound adopter, right?

Recently I was contacted by someone in the greyhound community who posted the following on social media: 

“The other day, after receiving an email from the other Greyhound event taking place next week, I sent an email back to them with a few general questions: Who were the speakers? What was the schedule for the speakers? Who were some of the vendors? What adoption groups were benefiting from the event? I also wanted to know if it was a family event where children could attend and if a person with a lifetime registration as a sexual offender would be present. I asked these questions previously on their Facebook page and in response I was kicked off their page. I did get a response this time, before being removed from the mailing list.
I felt I should share it with you:”

The person who asked is a greyhound adopter and volunteer as well as someone who donates funds and time to both greyhound and animal causes. This person is also female and did state her name and email address in the inquiry to the organization that runs the greyhound event in question.

Now take a moment to carefully read the response that was sent to the woman by the organization that runs this family friendly greyhound event and who's president and "public face" is an individual who is a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration: (please note -any and all spelling errors are left as they appeared in the original response)

"On Sep 29, 2016, at 6:05 PM, <admin@xxxx.org> <admin@xxxx.org> wrote:
Thank you for writing. It's rare to connect with such a hateful and ignorant person like you.
Not that you care, but we help greyhounds. We don't attack people or spread ignorance or hatred. Just not what we do.

We raise funds for greyhound adoption through holding greyhound events. We have run 18 successful events over the span of 11 years. We have raised over $100,000 for greyhound adoption. And we have done so with a perfect 100% safety record for all attendees. (Don't you hate facts like that? It's so hard to be ignorant!)
Now that said, because you are a selfish and ignorant troll, we know that none of these facts matters in the slightest to you.

So please, if you don't like our event or you don't like any of our volunteers or --what is more obvious -- you don't like yourself very much, please stay home. We won't miss you.
We have hundreds and hundreds of event goers who love greyhounds and support everything we're doing. So, please, crawl back under your bridge and spew your ignorance to those who will listen.

We don't care.
Good luck,
Admin"

Does anyone see a bit of irony that the "Admin" of an organization that runs family friendly greyhound events whose president is a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration makes the statement…

"We don't attack people or spread ignorance or hatred."

Yet proceeds to call a woman in the greyhound community "a hateful and ignorant person" and "a selfish and ignorant troll" in addition to telling the woman “you don't like yourself very much" and to "crawl back under your bridge and spew your ignorance".

So much for this organization taking the high road and not verbally attacking someone, huh?

There are still people in the greyhound community who attend and/or vend and/or support a group and/or individual who authorizes their "Admin" to send out such a missive. Well, that is their right and I can only guess they are proud to continue to have ties to such an organization and such an individual. Now perhaps these attendees and vendors and supporters might be able to inform the rest of us in the greyhound community exactly what amounts and exactly where this "over $100,000" is documented and can be accounted for? My math could be off but 100K over 18 event comes out to a bit over $5000 per event and this amount is supposedly divided up to the adoption groups that assist this organization which runs family friendly greyhound events, claims not to attack people or spread ignorance or hatred and is run by an individual who has lifetime sex offender registration as a result of a conviction of sexual assaults to children.

As this organization only files a 990N with the IRS and no information is available via the normally used, trusted verification sites for not-for-profit organizations, many are in the dark about the expenditures and if they might be a bit over the top. If an organizations bills or expenses far exceeds what is actually donated to individual greyhound adoption groups, perhaps those in the greyhound community would be wiser to send their donations and event registration fee amount directly to a greyhound adoption group they support rather than run donations thru a 3rd party event planner who offers no full financial accounting that anyone has ever put forward.

"Don't you hate facts like that?"

Excuse #1 - They have paid their debt to society.

Many in the greyhound community say that a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration has paid their debt to society and the individual's molestation of two innocent children was a long time ago. 

Actually the individual is still paying on that debt to society in the form of being required by law to register for life as a lifetime sex offender due to the sexual assault of two innocent children. And while not all child molesters are required to register for life, it is only those who commit the most serious assaults and who experts in the judicial system, law enforcement and child protective services believe to be a lifetime risk. If an individual is required to register for life as a sex offender, why are there some in the greyhound community who feel this is nothing to worry about?

Will board of directors of organizations, and in particular a board on which such an individual sits and who have personal responsibility for this individual, be warning all attendees and hosting establishments of such an individual's presence so that all attendees and hosting establishments at such events are given full disclosure, much the same as communities do when a registered sex offender moves into a city or town, in order to make attendees and local residents in the area aware of the liabilities and risks?

The excuse is moot. A debt to society is still owed and the community has a valid and existing reason to know about an individual that may be standing beside them and their families at family friendly greyhound events.

***If you liked this blog, you may want to also read this entry.***

http://rorygoree.blogspot.com/2016/04/before-you-hit-enter-key.html

Excuse #1 - They have paid their debt to society.

Many in the greyhound community say that a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration has paid their debt to society and the individual's molestation of two innocent children was a long time ago. 

Actually the individual is still paying on that debt to society in the form of being required by law to register for life as a lifetime sex offender due to the sexual assault of two innocent children. And while not all child molesters are required to register for life, it is only those who commit the most serious assaults and who experts in the judicial system, law enforcement and child protective services believe to be a lifetime risk. If an individual is required to register for life as a sex offender, why are there some in the greyhound community who feel this is nothing to worry about?

Will board of directors of organizations, and in particular a board on which such an individual sits and who have personal responsibility for this individual, be warning all attendees and hosting establishments of such an individual's presence so that all attendees and hosting establishments at such events are given full disclosure, much the same as communities do when a registered sex offender moves into a city or town, in order to make attendees and local residents in the area aware of the liabilities and risks?

The excuse is moot. A debt to society is still owed and the community has a valid and existing reason to know about an individual that may be standing beside them and their families at family friendly greyhound events.

***If you liked this blog, you may want to also read this entry.***

http://rorygoree.blogspot.com/2016/04/before-you-hit-enter-key.html

Second Chance or Ounce of Prevention……..

Why do we give our greyhounds heartworm medications? We do so to prevent them from getting heartworm and risking their health.

Why do we keep our greyhounds on leash? We do so to prevent our greyhounds from getting away and running into harm.

I recently heard an individual remark that a child molester who must register as a sex offender for life due to the conviction of molesting two innocent children should be given a "second chance". 

Which raised the question - shouldn’t potential future victims be given an "ounce of prevention"? 

The individual runs greyhound events that have minors present. (Please do not doubt this fact as there are photos that clearly show children at events this individual runs and also attends) A child molester who while out on bail molests a second child does not appear to be a trustworthy individual, and a child molester who when one reads the court and parole records is acting and conducting himself in same manners he did when he was caught is not someone to trust!

Would you trust and give a second chance to a significant other who molested your child?

Would you trust a neighbor who molested your child?

Would you trust a sport team coach who molested your child?

Would you trust a teacher who molested children?

Wouldn't you wonder how many children may have been molested but were too fearful to come forward?

Would you willingly allow your child or your wife or your girlfriend to be offered a ride by a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration? Perhaps you did not know of the sex crimes done by an individual however now that you do know, is a ride with such an individual really worth it? There have already been two recorded strikes. How many second chances are you willing to give?

Is your adoption program ready and willing to give a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration a second chance in exchange for a monetary donation that is given only if you work...excuse me, volunteer to work at an event run by such an individual? The care and placement of ex-racing greyhounds is of utmost importance to me as it should be to all in the greyhound adoption community however exactly what are you willing to turn a blind eye to in order to receive a donation?

You say give the individual a second chance but tell me what do you say to children who have been raped, who have been molested, who have endured a childhood of hell due to sexual assault? You say people change but if you knew nothing of the individual previously how can you honestly say such a person has changed when you know nothing about them? You say that was a long time ago, yet are you sure? You preach that anyone who adopts a greyhound must be a good person.  Do you also feel that someone who is aroused by children is a good person?

Just as we give our greyhounds an ounce of prevention, the children and women of our community deserve the same. Those whose lives have been forever altered by sexual assault never get a second chance at innocence. 

So whats it going to be?

Live By The Contract.

As a consultant I deal with contracts. Every job requires a detailed contract which is not just for the client’s protection but equally for my own protection. Contracts outline expectations for all involved and spell out reasons that a contract may be cancelled and they also detail the scenario should one of the parties need to exercise legal rights as agreed upon in in the contract, such as where it will be litigated and who will be responsible for expenses of winning party.

Remembering my first greyhound adoption contract, I read it not just on adoption day but referred back to it several times to ensure I was in compliance with what I signed. I cared deeply for my greyhound Anna Marie and never wanted to bring harm to her by acting stupidly and violating the contract I signed and agreed to abide by. It is something that I still do to this day each time I sign a greyhound adoption contract.

Events and situations of the last year have left me wondering if we suddenly have a culture of greyhound adopters who think they are entitled to willfully violate the terms of a contract they signed. Are they merely paying lip service to rules and guidance set by experienced greyhound adoption groups to ensure the safety and well-being of the greyhound they place? As the saying goes, stupid is as stupid does and willfully violating the adoption contract is not only stupid, it reveals an extreme lack of respect and understanding of the greyhound they have contractually agreed to be responsible for.

Some may say I’m biased in this view because I was once part of the Greyhound Pets of America (GPA) family.

No, not bias at all...unless there are those that would feel that being respectful and grateful to those who do a job that is often times lacking in respect and gratitude is a bad thing. The nationwide volunteers of GPA not only do wonderful things for ex-racing greyhounds with no financial compensation or receiving a salary, they also from time-to-time have to do what is morally right for the greyhounds they have placed, even if the social media mavens chastise them.

If you don’t like it when a volunteer has to stand up to ensure the protection and well-being of an adopted greyhound by enforcing the terms of a signed contract, perhaps it is time to get off Facebook and get into the day-to-day adoption trenches so that you can learn that the enforcement of a signed adoption contract is not an opening to harass adoption volunteers simply because you and friends think you are above any contract that you sign nor is it an action that an adoption group takes willy-nilly and without legal counsel.

Mirror Mirror.........

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to discuss greyhound adoption efforts with adoption officers from another country.  It was a privilege to convey to them my experience of running local adoption programs and also a National organization for 17 years then top it off with my current views/experience as a regulator.
Watching the first storm of the monsoon season roll through the Valley of the Sun I thought about my discussion with them regarding home visits and how that came about. We hear the term often in greyhound adoption but many may not realize how it came to be.

Years ago a person adopted a couple of greyhounds.  This was back in the day when we tried to move as many as we could; we knew we couldn’t get them all. The group that adopted these greyhounds out happened to be in the neighborhood of the adopter and thought, hey let’s stop in and see how the greyhounds are adapting.  As it turns out the address was bogus and with a little further investigation it was found out that the adopter just acquired the greyhounds so they could sell them for research.

The term “home visit” was from that point on a term that would live forever within the greyhound community. It started out as a way to protect the greyhounds and grew into a tool to help determine the suitability of a home and match the right greyhound for the home.

Over the years the community has grown and done many things to protect the greyhounds, but one item is severely lacking – the checks on ourselves.

We’ve concentrated so much on the greyhounds that we forgot to look in the mirror. We automatically accept an individual with an adopted greyhound as a good person without knowing anything about them. We "know" them from reading about them on the internet or they are our "friends" because they are in some way a part of the greyhound community. Yet they are also convicted rapists or convicted child molesters or have life time sex offender registration. If we had paid just as much attention to ourselves as we do potential adopters these disgusting individuals would have not been able to weasel themselves into our community and use the good will of our community to prop themselves up and solicit praise. Committing serious and heinous crimes against women and children is not the norm and should never be brushed under the carpet in exchange for having adopted a greyhound.

Something to consider - if during a home check it was found out that the adopter was a convicted child molester or someone with lifetime sex offender registration, would you place a greyhound with such an individual, knowing the percentage and likelihood that such types assault animals? If you said no, would you also continue to welcome and condone such individual’s participation in our family friendly community being next to children, women and yes even be near our dogs? Over the years many have found fault with the greyhound racing industry and with some of the individuals involved with it, but do you even think for once a convicted child molester would easily get a license to train greyhounds or operate a kennel having to go thru state background checks and licensing procedures?

It is time the community takes a look in the mirror and gets serious about ourselves the same we do about potential adopters.

Live and in person………

Hope to see some of my fans live and in person today at the Heart of America Greyhound Gathering.

Today’s live blog is titled “Oh No…….Mr. Bill” Must be present to learn about why I have no fear of our future.

Memorial Day 2016

Many gave their lives so that we could live ours. We designate a day to reflect on those brave men and women but let us not reflect one day, let it be every day. Let’s remember what they died for and live our lives each and every day fighting for those who our fallen heros died for. Let us also not forget the families of those who died and fight each and every day to ensure the families of our fallen are protected and taken care of, let us fight each day to ensure the health of our service members are a priority.

Let us respect each and every one of those who the brave died for and work to protect all.

Over the years I’ve spent a great deal of time in the greyhound community, as that time comes to an end in the near future, I’m dedicating myself to helping families who have children that have been molested and will be using all political connections to strengthen laws locally and nationally. A national registry of sex offenders must be exact.

Children are the most precious wealth of our nation. They are the nation’s future and they are who we all need to protect in honor of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our nation as they protected us.

Thank you to all who served our great nation, In the decade I served in the U.S. Navy, I served along side many that I came to consider friends and cannot thank them enough for the commitment they gave our nation.  We can never personally thank those who died for our nation but we can live our lives respecting and protecting that which they died for.

We have the power to live our lives daily showing respect for those who gave all for our country not just by designating a holiday for this purpose but by celebrating and respecting life daily by giving back to our communities, working to protect the less fortunate and ensuring that those who are in need of protection or help are given what they need.

This Memorial Day I pray for not just a day of rememberance but a year that we as a country show our graitude by honoring and remembering the brave by helping and protecting our children and those in need and showing respect for each other. I hope we live not to embarass the memory of our fallen but that we live each and every day honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

TBT - Shipmate

Shipmate

Yesterday was Mother’s Day

Today is just another day.

Every day a mother’s child is a victim of sexual assault. Communities notify their residents when a sexual predator is in the area. National databases do their best to contain information about individuals who are registered sex offenders. Yet there could be a child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration within 50 feet of your child ~ at a family-friendly event, at a church, at a national park. People around you may already know and do not bat an eye as they feel if the pedophile has done their time there is no concern and feel no need to share the information because they feel your children are not at risk. Yet what mother is will knowingly allow their child to stand next to a pedophile, a convicted child molester, a lifetime registered sex offender? What mother would not be mortified to learn that the past of a convicted child molester was kept hush-hush by friends just so the party could go on?

Imagine how wonderful Mother’s Day would be if every mother knew that every child would never be the victim of sexual assault?

"Duh" moment #2 (of many) from the "humane advocate protectors"

Greyhounds Whippets are love……….

Today is the second of what is sure to be a continuing series that shows “humane advocate protectors”, self-proclaimed experts on greyhounds, are in fact not that savvy when it comes to greyhounds.

While stating to be “the largest greyhound protection organization” one would hope anyone making such a declaration would be able to tell the difference between greyhounds and whippets.

Apparently this is not the case. Recently seen on a “humane advocate protectors” social media offering:

It is becoming obvious that the “humane advocate protector” principals of this organization who supposedly have years of experience with greyhounds just aren’t understanding the breed they claim expertise on.

For those interested in seeing how 2 female greyhound weighing 50 pounds and 54 pounds fit on a 35” x 40” dog bed, I offer the following photo:

If “humane advocate protectors” who continue to herald themselves as experts on greyhounds do not even know the difference between a whippet and a greyhound 

(or even a male and female greyhound for that matter), one has to wonder what other “facts” trumpeted by these “humane advocate protectors” are nothing more than fiction.

Another "duh" moment from the ones who claim to know all about greyhounds.......

For years I’ve been preaching that the “humane advocate protectors” can’t be trusted. Well now I offer you proof that while they claim to be "all knowing" about greyhounds, to date, they can’t tell the difference between a male and female greyhound!

Hey “humane advocate protectors” I would be more than happy to offer you some instruction on how to tell the difference between a male greyhound and female greyhound so you don’t look so foolish saying a he is a she in the future!

Guessing the new board members just not bringing the "greyhound" experience they thought they would bring!

Before You Hit The "Enter" Key.....

It seems that when a concerned person in the greyhound community posted a valid review of a greyhound event on social media, a supporter of a convicted child molester with lifetime registration came forward with guns blazing. It appears this child molester supporter does not care that the individual may still have issues or exhibit the nuances of child molesters:

Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-Child-Molesters 

Below is the review that inflamed a supporter of a convicted child molester with lifetime registration, which is quite accurate, especially for those who had children at and near the event:

It is astounding that this apparent supporter of a convicted child molester with lifetime registration, who is also a vendor at many of the family friendly greyhound community event feels the need to so vocally come to the aid of a convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration. What the vendor/supporter fails to address is that if it had not been for concerned people alerting the church (which was the host site of this particular greyhound event) that it was being run by a convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration, no police officers would have been onsite. The convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration would have been able to stroll freely around the church and grounds which not only is designated as a safe sanctuary but has a daycare center on-site not to mention the children who attended the event with family members, adults. I would imagine the town where the family friendly greyhound event was held may also be home to at least one or two children under the age of ten years of age, but I could be mistaken.

The vendor/supporter of the convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration amps up….

Does this vendor/supporter have proof that no other children have ever been molested by a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration? Can it be said beyond a shadow of doubt that the two children, ages 5 and 7, were the only ones? All that can be said is that they are the only ones that the convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration was prosecuted and served time for and now has lifetime sex offender registration because of.

Then the vendor/supporter makes his lowest comment…

The vendor/supporter accuses a person who made a valid review of a family friendly greyhound event of having a relation who is “an offender” yet offers no proof or issues no retraction of a false statement. (Wonder if the vendor/supporter remembers his own comment about defamation) 

Some people don’t realize how foolish they make themselves look on social media when giving support for a convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration to individuals they do not know. Sadly far too many people know exactly how innocent lives can be destroyed by the hands of a child molester. This vendor/supporter is apparently oblivious to the possibility that innocent lives forever changed by child molesters may be part of the greyhound community.

It is becoming clear that rather than step away, a convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration continues to get support on the internet, with the aid of mouthpieces if necessary, not only to maintain a position but also to damage to the reputation of a long standing family friendly event and such actions continue to cast aspersions on the greyhound adoption community. 

Allowing a convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration to intimidate those who do not support him is as unacceptable as the sexual molestation and intimidation that was used on two innocent children. Before supporters jump on the bandwagon of a convicted child molester who has lifetime sex offender registration and attempt to intimidate strangers, perhaps the supporters should stop and think if the strangers they are insulting have firsthand knowledge of the damage a child molester can do. 

April is Greyhound Adoption Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Those of us in the greyhound community know that April is Greyhound Adoption Month, but many may not realize April is also Child Abuse Prevention Month (in addition to Sexual Assault Awareness Month).

Wouldn’t it be nice if along with showcasing our greyhounds we also stood up and rid our greyhound community of a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration that lurks amongst us?

This individual who is looked upon by some as a person of importance and influence was arrested for molesting children ages 5 and 7, making them eat candy off his penis and doing things that caused vaginal bleeding.

The individual who did this to innocent children now calls the crimes rumor and innuendo in an effort to continue to run family friendly greyhound events. Many know the truth and have vowed never to attend any event he runs/charges registration fees for. It astounds me that the individual has supporters who parrot the lies. Is it for the donations and perks the individual offers the supporters? Do the supporters see nothing wrong with a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration in close proximity to children?

I feel the time has come for all events to state if they are associated with or have zero association with the individual and if the the individual will or will not be at the event festivities. Why does a faction of the greyhound community turn a blind eye? Sadly, often time’s society fails to support the survivors and instead defend the abusers and minimize their actions.

I would hope that during this month the greyhound community stands up and demand that the actions of this individual are no longer trivialized or justified and insist the individual step away from greyhound related activities. We need to show those in our community, potential adopters and the towns that welcome greyhound events and attendees that we do not condone such actions against children and will do what is needed to provide safe, friendly events for our greyhound community.

The following excerpt is from “Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, & Other Sex Offenders” by Anna Salter Ph.D. from interviews with convicted molesters & rapists on how predators groom a family:

“When a person like myself wants to obtain access to a child, you don’t just go up and get the child and sexually molest the child. There’s a process of obtaining the child’s friendship and, in my case also obtaining the family’s friendship and their trust. When you get their trust, that’s when the child becomes vulnerable and you can molest the child…”

Think about this - a person claims to be donating money & time to greyhound adoption, galgo adoption, dog hauls and running family friendly greyhound events could be someone that many would easily fall prey to because many falsely equate working with greyhounds as a saintly calling and could view an individual as important, as trustworthy, as a good person then...bam...the unthinkable could happen.

As we take the month of April to showcase the joy of greyhound adoption let us also show solidarity against child abuse. Let’s say goodbye to the one who is trying so desperately to build up trust with our families but is not facing the truth.

TBT – as greyhound event season gets ready to kick into high gear let us not forget we have a “stain” that still needs to be washed away!

http://rorygoree.blogspot.com/2015/11/an-open-letter-to-greyhound-suckers.html

Adoption Contracts - Time for a legal review.........

A bit of background info for today’s blog:

A chapter of Greyhound Pets of America who is currently being harassed and being subjected to social media character assassination by an adopter who has no compunction about ignoring one of the basic rules of greyhound adoption - keep on lead in an unenclosed area - but also common sense of pet ownership - keeping a collar with identification on your dog and having your dog micro chipped. The most difficult thing to understand is why this individual failed to contact the adoption group any of the times his dog got loose and went missing. Yet because the adoption group felt the need to take possession of the dog after its last escape, this adopter is mounting an all-out assault on the GPA-Chapter and its membership, other GPA chapters as well as GPA National all because this adopter failed to follows the rules in the adoption agreement that he willingly signed. And while the greyhound has been returned to this adopter, the hateful attacks have not stopped by the adopter and his supporters who also do not seem to understand the correct care of an ex-racing greyhound so much so that one supporter feels that all the greyhounds shown on Facebook's Greyhound Amber Alert may well be greyhounds that have been stolen from adopters by the greyhound adoption groups.

Time for a legal review……

Several years ago an adopter got arrested and spent some quality time in jail. Upon entering jail this adopter turned over her greyhound to a local shelter. The greyhound adoption program that originally adopted the greyhound to her was able to retrieve the greyhound from the shelter. Upon exiting jail the adopter wanted her greyhound back and sued. I was named in the lawsuit, as at the time I was Greyhound Pets of America’s National President. I had no problem getting myself removed from the lawsuit, thanks to some excellent counsel, but it still required me spending time to show up for court appearances and also legal fees.

The eventual outcome of the case was not what I expected. After all, the group had a signed adoption agreement with the adopter. The court ended up ruling in the jailbirds favor.

We all love our greyhounds, and greyhound adoption volunteers want to do what’s best for the greyhounds. Often times that love can lead to rash decisions that later cause legal headaches.

Now would be a good time for every adoption program to have counsel review documents, and then discussions on how to enforce said documents. Trust me, it is a lot cheaper to discuss with counsel now, than to have counsel try and right the wrongs at the end. It is also safer for the greyhounds if you are using approved legal documents with knowledge of how to enforce those documents.

If I was still on the front lines of greyhound adoption, the lessons I’ve learned in year’s past would have me letting counsel do all the communicating with a problem adopter that is violating the adoption agreement. Of course that would only be after I had counsel review all contracts and advice group on how it can or can’t be enforced.

Every day we have lessons to learn and if we do not take the time to learn from them, we are not doing what we envisioned to do for the greyhounds.

Many moons ago in simpler time’s greyhound adoption were fairly easy for both group and adopter. Yet even back then the best of intentions was not enough as one group learned a very hard lesson. An adoption rep decided to stop by and visit with an adopter and to their horror discovered the address on the adoption application was bogus. A few greyhounds had disappeared and their whereabouts unknown. It has been speculated that the person was getting greyhounds to sell to research facilities.

The group established safeguards to prevent such incidents in the future and out of those changes came the home visit. Today we have many other tools available that at that time were not available to check on an adopter’s claim of address. Be not mad at failure. Be mad if you fail to learn from the failure and make a difference going forward.

We owe it to the greyhounds to do it right so I encourage all groups to have that discussion with counsel before it’s too late for a greyhound or you end up racking up some serious unwanted legal bills that would crush the financial stability of your adoption program.

I think probably the most important forum that should be held at every adoption event should be guidelines for doing it right for our greyhounds here at home. As each year many, many ex-racing greyhounds are in need of being placed in forever homes this is, in my opinion, far more important that hearing about the fate of the galgos in other countries which seems to be dominating focus of greyhound events. Yes, the galgos plight is not a happy one but right now in the United States not only is their greyhound waiting for homes but also thousands of pets in animal shelters and puppy mills who need our attention and assistance.

The greyhound community has some great legal minds as well as many who have lead their adoption groups through successful legal encounters and I'm sure they would be more than willing to participate in forums to help the greyhound community do it right. We owe it not only to our past, present and future greyhound but to the unpaid and unsung volunteers across the country who do the right thing each and every day so that you can adopt an ex-racing greyhound.

Less Drama - More Cold Hard Facts…….

We all know the “humane advocate protectors” like to make claims about injuries, cite accounted for greyhounds as missing, and even stories of removing greyhounds from track with their own hands yet they never ever follow up with any hard facts.

Many like to call them out as liars, yet when anyone connected to the racing industry could clearly expose the lies of the “humane advocate protectors” lying, there is silence. If we truly want the industry to survive, there should be no silence, no vague answers, no clamming up. If you have the cold hard facts, if you know the truth about something, if what you know will help a dog from being used as an anti-racing propaganda tool by the “humane advocate protectors” or ensure the safety of a greyhound or greyhounds and you can debunk the lies and end their charade, you need to step up and do the right thing.

When faced with the cold hard facts that cannot be disputed, the ongoing lies of the “humane advocate protectors” will crumble.

So when a “humane advocate protector” makes a claim about personally pulling a greyhound (or three) off a track, not only ask for further data but be ready to show that the “humane advocate protector” is not telling the truth with cold hard facts.