You have a choice……….

October is fast approaching which means it is that time of year again when 2 greyhound events are held during the same weekend in Delaware. 

One is called The Dewey Gathering.

The other is run and owned by an individual who has the requirement to register as a sex offender for their entire life.  

The reason for a prison term and lifetime sex offender regstration?  Molesting two innocent young girls.

You have a choice. 

You can help support greyhound adoption efforts directly.

Or you can support a convicted child molester and allow him to choose how much and to whom your donations and registration fees benefit...after all of the individual's expenses are covered. Are you 100% positive the individual can be trusted with children, money or animals? Do you feel that just because a convicted child molester with lifetime sex offender registration is involved with greyhounds that it makes everything "aok" in your eyes?

when is sexual predator kid friendly?

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

The Lasting Scars of Child Molestation

I recently received communication from a member of the greyhound community who chose to share their story of childhood sexual assault and granted me permission to share their words. I am once again humbled and honored to be trusted in such a way.

Greyhounds have been a part of my life for 24 years and the knowledge that an individual who is a lifetime registered sex offender and convicted child molester is embraced/supported/admired in the greyhound community continues to sicken me especially after reading accounts as I am about to share with you, knowing that women, men & children with histories much the same are also part of the greyhound community and attend greyhound or sighthound related events, often having to come face to face with an individual known to them to be a child molester who must register for life as a sex offender due to the severity of the crimes.

If after you finish reading my blog, you are able to utter phrases like - "I don't care, it wasn't me or my child" or "the individual served his time" or "as long as the individual helps greyhounds, it does not matter that they sexually abused children" - I pity you and fail to understand how you show such little regard for children yet profess to be willing to do "anything to protect greyhounds".

These are the words of someone in the greyhound community that is most likely known to many of you. Someone who truly helps the dogs.

"I wanted to comment about your informative posts regarding the sex abuser. When I was a child, I was molested repeatedly by 2 older brothers.

The molestation started when they were teenagers, and continued after they reached the age of 18. With today's openness and awareness of sexual abuse, these 2 molesters, had this molestation happened today, would have likely severed prison time and had to register as sex offenders. But this happened in the 1970's.

My molesters are free to live their lives, while I carry deep, deep scars that will forever be painful. I appreciate you making people aware of this abuser’s history so hopefully parents can take steps to protect their children from him.

The molestation I suffered was painful. But far more painful to me are the decades since, where I see (on Facebook) pictures of my molesters among other family members...all smiling together. It feels like a huge slap in my face that people who know what these two did to me not only accept my molesters, but share photos of them together smiling, and it shows up on my Facebook page. I fear I will always be their victim. So... thank you for sticking up for the victims whose lives are forever scarred by this man.

I recognize that this man has "done his time", but parents need to be aware of him so they can protect their children. I also want to point out that parents need always be on guard, because not all molesters have been caught and identified publicly. My molesters go to church most Sundays and may seem like decent people. They are not. Please watch your children and trust no one. Family members and adults who should be able to he trusted with your children (teachers, priests, other clergy, scout leaders, etc.) are often the perpetrators. If you care to share my message, you have my permission. Please keep my name private however.... Again, thank you for taking a stand to protect children."