Can't Stop the Roo...........

Greyhounds Make Great Pets - Can't Stop the Roo.....

What could be better.............

1 - They make it sound so wonderful yet failed to mention one vital fact, the event is organized by an individual who is a convicted child molester with life time requirement to register as a sex offender. 

You would think the board of directors of this adoption group would at least want to disclose that information to those who might be interested in attending and bringing women and children. 

Since they asked “What could be better?!” perhaps that this greyhound adoption group fess up that they embrace/support/volunteer for/accept donations from a convicted child molester and the adoption group president fronted for him at a town’s commission meeting in an attempt to secure a venue for the convicted child molester's upcoming October greyhound event – an event that this adoption group receives a donation from.

Is this adoption group so desperate for funds that they can turn a blind eye and encourage their members to register & attend an event run and owned by a convicted child molester?

2 – Please note – this adoption group is not a chapter of Greyhound Pets of America (GPA) yet they use an acronym to trick the public to think they are part of the real GPA.

I Am Done Hiding – Part II

You may tire of reading how I feel that the individual running and participating in family friendly greyhound events who is a lifetime registered sex offender and convicted child molester must step away from the greyhound adoption community and those adoption groups and greyhound vendors who enable this individual should also be boycotted. Some of you do not agree with me but after reading both parts 1 & 2 of the story of a fellow member of our greyhound community written in their own words, a person many of you know and have had involvement with, if you still feel the need to support/condone/embrace a registered lifetime sex offender and convicted child molester as part of the family friendly greyhound community please comment on this blog using your real name and tell the world why such a person should be celebrated in the greyhound community now that you know what far too many in the adoption community have suffered at the hands of child molesters, sex offenders and sexual deviates.

I am now an adult.

I am expected to just get over this.

I am expected to forgive and forget.

Please tell me how. Please.

How do I forget ropes digging into my wrists and being beaten until my legs bled because it was a turn on?

How am I to forget hair being yanked out of my scalp for not doing something right?

How am I to forget shirts shoved in my mouth to shut me up or choked until I passed out, only to wake up to the preacher on top of me?

How am I to forget eight grown men doing what they did for hours on end all night long as I cried and begged them to stop and begging to die?

How do you forget?

Easy.

One whole bottle of Tramadol, one whole bottle of Vicodin, a bottle of Oxycontin, a bottle of Percocet and washing them with two bottles of Jose Cuervo.

But what do you do when God says NO, YOU'RE TO LIVE. Well, that I can answer. You live. And you sit here writing this between tears. You can't forget. 

You look at other people's children, and you cry “That will never be you”. You deal with men not wanting to date you or marry you because you can't give them children.

You give up on life.

You give up.

And you're picked up. Through Christ, I've found my way.

It's not easy but I'm here. I'm here to tell my story. To tell others that they can overcome this too

That doesn't mean forgetting.

So does someone who attacked a child deserve to be forgiven? True, Christ says to forgive. However in our day we have laws and those laws say to protect. Those laws are made to protect others against those who do something so horrible that they are designated a lifelong offender. I'm a victim of someone who should have been. I'm a victim of those of you who look the other way. I'm a victim of those of you who say a person is changed and good. You don't have to live with waking up in the middle of the night screaming because you're petrified someone just woke you up choking you. You don't live with having PTSD. You don't have to live with severe anxiety. No, you don't.

You look the other way and choose to see a monster as being a wonderful person. Good for you.

But I'm supposed to “get over it”? Ok. I will.

Will you take away my memories?

Will you heal my insides and allow me to have my own children?

Will you heal the other scars on my body?

No. You can't.

I'm almost 39 years old. I still wake up screaming to this day. I can't see anything on TV  even remotely like what I endured or I have flashbacks for days on end. I'm there again. I feel the belt. I feel the preacher ripping my insides out. I feel the beating. I feel the pain... the blood…the humiliation. I hear the yelling that it was my fault. I caused this. I provoked this.

Tell me how as a six year old girl, I forced a grown man, a Baptist preacher, to tie me up, beat me until I bled and rape every part of my body until I passed out and continue doing it until he felt he was done? Explain to me how I caused this? What did I ever do?

So tell why are you standing up for someone who harmed innocent children? Are you not interested because it does not involve you? What if it were your child? You wouldn't ignore them, would you?

I am part of your world. I've walked beside many of you, talked to you and had meals with you. I've been taught to be ashamed of my past. To hide it. Never speak of it. It's taken me over thirty years to discover there are those who fight for those of us who are innocent.

I'm done hiding in the shadows. I'm done hiding behind closed doors and closed minds. I'm done with abusers getting away with it or being allowed to lie about it or having others say “he’s okay because it was years ago”.   

It's been over thirty years for me, too and I have to live with this the rest of my life.

I am done hiding behind the curtain of shame. This is me. This is my story. This is my book of life. God helped me overcome this so I can help others, and I can't do that when I still hide.

So I'm standing up. No more shame.

I am Jennifer Boswell.

I am the director of the Alabama Greyhound Rescue And Adoption Center.

I am a survivor.

I'll be here to protect others like me who didn't know where to go, what to do, or how to heal.

I Am Done Hiding – Part I

I have been once again contacted by an individual in the greyhound community who shared their heartbreaking story of childhood sexual assault and has asked me to share it with my readers. This story pulls no punches. It is not easy to read. Both my wife and I cried after reading it. This story shows the trauma, the pain of an abused child and also exactly how a child molester can and does alter the life and rob the innocence of the children they molest.

I Am Done Hiding - Part I

My story and survival begins before I was born.

My biological mother was an alcoholic, RX drug addict, and had a life threatening auto immune disease. Due to a blood transfusion, she contacted Hepatitis B. I know my mother did not want me. I survived medications that were supposed to make her miscarry me. Then I survived a saline abortion. I was due November 28^th, but was born Aug 3^rd.

My mother was in the hospital until I was six years old due to her auto immune disease. Sometimes she was able to come home for a weekend, sometimes not. My grandmother raised me and took care of her mother as well. My great-grandmother was Cherokee and we spoke our language until she passed. Soon after her passing my grandmother met a preacher and they began a common law marriage. This preacher forbid us speaking anything but English, and it was quickly learned that being anything but Caucasian was severely shameful. My hair, once black as night and down to my ankles, was cut short and dyed red. The preacher loved the movie “Annie” and said I looked like her. I cried. I hated that movie. I still do.

My grandmother worked near her house and allowed me to go home to fix a sandwich or watch cartoons rather than stay the full day at her work with her. One particular day, the preacher was home.

I was six years old the first time I learned about sex. I had bruises all over from trying to get away. I still remember hurting so much. My mom was home that weekend. She came to pick me up that evening. When I told her what had happened... well... I would like to tell you that he was arrested. I can't. Instead, I'm here to speak the truth. I was slapped hard enough that I got a black eye. My mother dragged me to my grandmother and the preacher and I was forced to tell them the “lie” I had told her and made to apologize for lying. That was the beginning of eight years of repeated rape by the same preacher. My only friend at the time, a Doberman, once tried to protect me. I was eight and had enough that day of the preacher and yelled at him. He grabbed me by my throat and threw me through the kitchen window. My grandmother witnessed it, but she only focused on my Doberman attacking the preacher. I remember her coming out to the porch and fussing at me that it was my fault for starting it, all the while pulling glass out of me. I still bear those scars on my back and arms. My Doberman was killed the next day by the preacher, and everything got much worse. I would go to school petrified of not knowing if he would be the one picking me up from school. It was nothing uncommon for me to have severe stomach ulcers from stress. I did my best to stay with my grandmother, but he would find reasons that I needed to go back to the house, and I was forced to go.

I never bothered telling my mom about the neighborhood boys. What difference would it have made that three boys pushed me off my bike and dragged me into the woods.

When I was twelve, my biological mother had a friend and insisted that I become her daughter's friend. I was never interested in either of them, but my mother insisted. She insisted one day we go to some family gathering of her friends. That night I found out why I was forced to go. I wasn't worth what my mother sold me for. As she sat getting high and drunk, I was gang raped by eight men. Of course it was all my fault. My mother being a psychiatric nurse was good at mind games. For years, I believed it was my fault.

The first time I went to see a gynecologist he was startled to see the internal (in addition to external) damage I had. I was told I would never be able to conceive or give birth to children. Never. Yet again, this was all my fault. Yet again another reason for my mom to hit me.”

Part II will be posted 6/23/17

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?"

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?

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.

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?