MAKING IT HAPPEN - THE SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE BECOMES THE POSSIBLE

Let me share with you a tail. It is an interesting story filled with intrigue, adversity, disappointment and triumph.

It begins a few months ago in the two greyhound rescue group town of Tucson, Arizona. Well, actually, one rescue group has slowed its adoption work to a trickle. So, let me rephrase that:

It begins a few months ago in the one and a quarter greyhound rescue group town of Tucson, Arizona.

I had noticed things starting to change with the primary greyhound adoption group, AGR, (Arizona Greyhound Rescue) late last year. In truth, it went back further than that, but it became quite noticeable around that time. That was when AGR stopped taking in dogs. The first time in its 17 year history. What? you ask. How can a greyhound rescue group go about fulfilling its mission statement and purpose of existence when it stops taking in dogs?

On December 24th an AGR newsletter was released indicating the president and treasurer had stepped down from the executive board (an appointed board – this is an important plot point later). 7 of the 11 board positions were vacant. The newsletter also indicated that AGR was going to be taking on a different focus in the greyhound rescue arena – training greyhounds to be service and therapy dogs. Though this is a noble idea, in reality, it’s not a very good one. We all know greyhounds are incredibly loving animals and very intelligent, but not many make good service dogs. (for reasons than I am going to go into now, that's another post.) I know, I know, there are some exceptions to the rule. I am friends with a woman in Tucson who has the most amazing greyhound service dog. And some make great therapy dogs; Bunny, for example. But the percentages of the population to do so are fairly low.

Anyway, I digress, as a result of this new focus, the AGR board determined they needed to restructure and “paused the intake of new dogs until the January board meeting”. Unfortunately, that date has been extended and I don’t believe dogs are currently being taken in still. Then a number other things happened that just didn’t seem like AGR was going in the right direction. It was going in the opposite direction; down. This was obvious to even me, a person on the fringe of the volunteers.

A separate group of individuals had been meeting in regards to their concern over the state of AGR and to discuss viable options to get back on track. A town hall meeting was called for January 14th and around 70 interested people attended, including myself. The one thing I noticed during the meeting was that the majority, if not everyone, attending were as frustrated as I was with the current state of AGR, the manner in which it was being run, the complete unwillingness of the board to be flexible, and what was not being done to help greyhounds. It was also apparent to me that the organizers of this meeting had really thought out possible scenarios and had developed strategies to get back to the business of helping greyhounds.

A plan of action was presented with the first option requesting the current board to resign, and have new members take over and return AGR to its past path. The current board has to voluntarily resign, as they are appointed positions, not elected. A letter requesting the resignation of the current AGR board signed by, what I believe, the majority of the individuals present would be sent to AGR. There was a backup plan if the current board declined to resign; a mass letter of resignation, signed by (again, I think) a majority of the attendees, was to be sent to AGR. I didn’t believe the letter of resignation would be necessary. Who in their right mind would ignore a letter signed by the majority of volunteers of your organization requesting a change?

Unfortunately and unfathomably to me, the resignation letter had to be sent.

The current AGR board replied to the request to step down: “We decline your request to have (names removed) step down from the Board of Directors of Arizona Greyhound Rescue. While we appreciate that you have indicated you will withdraw your support, please be aware that this decision was made after careful consideration and was unanimous. As the Board of Directors our duty is twofold: we must act in the best interest of the organization we represent and we must safeguard the greyhounds in our care. We firmly believe (names removed) are vital contributors to these duties.”

I won’t even go into what I think about that statement…

With the first option shot down, the second was put into play, which also did not pan out.

So on to plan C: start a new greyhound adoption organization from scratch. A second meeting was set for February 4th. During this meeting, I learned to my shock and pleased amazement, new by-laws had been drafted, a name had been chosen (Southern Arizona Greyhound Rescue), and an organizational structure had been developed. It was asked that suggestions and comments be made in regards to all the above items and people sign up to help. Pledges for financial support were requested (pledges because the organization wasn’t official yet and it was felt accepting money would be inappropriate). I realized that this organization was being developed with the foremost goal to help greyhounds, but in such a way that everyone who wanted to help could and the organization would do everything with integrity and open honesty. A refreshing change and much appreciated. I eagerly signed up to help and made my small monetary pledge.

I learned a few days later that the impossible and unthinkable was thinkable and possible. The initial pledges totaled $21,000 and 45 people signed up to volunteer for SA Greys. I am unabashedly proud to be part of this new group.

Since the meeting on the 4th, I’ve watched with awe as the legal paperwork has been filed, paperwork details required to start an organization filled out, the by-laws finished, the logo created, social media sites set up (facebook, twitter, flickr and a blog, with a website on the way), the first two events scheduled and entered and most importantly – the first greyhound for adoption taken in to the organization!

This goes to show you what is possible when there is a dedicated group of volunteers willing to fight for a cause near and dear to their hearts.

So I ask you to please follow this incredible group on facebook, twitter (@sa_greys), google +, flickr and of course a blog (where I got to lend a hand, you will notice a number of familiar greyhound images littering the pages) :) and please share the word. I think any support and/or help getting this organization up to full speed will be much appreciated. Thanks so much.

AGR FALL FESTIVAL

Tomorrow we will be participating in the Arizona Greyhound Rescue (AGR) fall festival. Woot Woot! Greyhounds everywhere! It doesn’t get much better than that. I was asked to be the event photographer and will also have a booth set up with my fine art and greyhound prints for sale. If you are in the Tucson area, please stop by. Brandi Fenton park from 10 – 2.

THE STARTING POINT

So I’ve mentioned my girl Breeze and alluded to her many issues without really going into details. I thought to rectify that a little this evening. Simply put - she was abused. The general consensus is severely abused. It is the only thing that adequately explains her behaviors. Not wanting to be near people, (in particular men) flinching when you raise your hand, running if you are carrying something, peeing in fear if she is trapped in a room (remind me to tell you that story some time), cringing when someone talks to loudly. I’ve read websites and talked to people who say some dogs are just ‘spooks’ or ‘shy’ or ‘skittish’ or have ‘fear’ issues. I say yes there are and she is all that and more. It is more than being a spook or skittish. Someone did a number on this dog. Period. So here’s her story, well part of it for now, it is too long to be in one post.

In late October 2008 my friend Sheryl, a softie for the greyhounds that need extra help, went to the AGR kennel clean up. Volunteers were doing a big spring cleaning (granted it was in the fall, but you follow me). Dogs were moved, walked, or taken home while the kennel was scrubbed from top to bottom. Little did I know that was the day that would change my life - I wasn’t even there.

One of the residents of the kennel was Breeze. She was a pitiful, huddling, terrified ball of trembling hound they couldn’t get out of her cage. She would flee out the doggie door and peer in through the flap while her cage was cleaned every day. If they needed to actually remove her from the cage, someone would have to enter the exterior run from the back, forcing her into the cage, so the person in the front of the cage could catch her. If they did turn her out to the main run they would then need to corner her at the end in order to catch her again. She was terrified of everything; humans, noises, the other dogs. Friends who worked at the kennel when she was there said she was by far the most terrified and fearful dog they had seen come through the kennel.

Breeze's AGR kennel adoption photo

Sheryl took one look at Breeze and packed her up to take her home to foster, not one minute more would Breeze be in that environment. After getting her in the car, (a challenge in and of itself) Breeze was so scared she did number 1 and 2 and threw up during the drive home. I got the call later that day, “Guess what I just did?” “Boy or girl?” was my response. Sheryl has the same kennel affliction that I do – canine accumulation syndrome. Sheryl was part of our play dates at the time (she has since moved out of state) and though we would see her with her other greyhound at the park, we didn’t get to meet Breeze for about 3 weeks. Sheryl was concerned that if she let Breeze run she would not be able to catch her again. So instead we heard the stories of the mystery dog. How Sheryl had to put the crate, draped in blankets to provide a sense of security, directly next to the doggy door so Breeze could run outside without having to go through the house and therefore be near people. How Breeze spent all her time cowering in the crate, until Sheryl’s husband or step-son came home where then she would retreat to the back yard. How she would stand in the furthest corner of the yard, one leg bent, eyes always searching, ready to run at any sound. How Breeze would only eat and drink outside. How she ran if you looked at her, spoke sharply, moved quickly. There were stories of some progress as well. She was slowly starting to trust Sheryl enough to come up to her when there was no one else around.

So around week 3 Sheryl decided to bring Breeze to the play date with the promise we would help if there were any problems. My first sight of Breeze was a petrified dog straining at the end of a leash trying to get as far from any person as possible. As soon as Sheryl let her off the leash and harness she was a brindle dot at the furthest end of the field. She just stood there in The Pose: leg up (usually the left which we learned had a broken toe), tail tucked, ready to run. She didn’t engage with the other greys and she wouldn’t come within 30 feet of any people. Sheryl would have to be completely separated from everyone else for Breeze to even come close to her. When we were ready to leave we stood near the gate and watched, hopeful, as Sheryl walked to the opposite end of the field and waited patiently as Breeze made up her mind to go to her. There was a huge sigh of relief when she eventually did and Sheryl was able to get the leash on her. So it went for the next 3 weeks or so. After about a week Breeze would occasionally run with the dogs, as long as the pack didn’t get too close to any of the humans. We realized she was far more fearful of men than women, you couldn't approach her, that even looking at her was considered a threat. We all wondered what had happened to her in the past. Who did what to her? Imaginations were active and all the conclusions were ugly. We applauded the patient work Sheryl did trying to make this dogs' life even a little better while wondering what she had gotten herself into.

The Pose - Breeze November 2008

How Breeze swapped households coming up next.

Play Date

We (the girls and I) have been meeting with two different greyhound play date groups a couple of time a week. (Though both Willow and Dru have cuts on their front paws so to their dismay they have been grounded from the past few play dates.) During a recent visit, I was busy with the camera; well actually I’m always busy with the camera when there are dogs around. My friends haven’t finished a conversation with me since we’ve started meeting. “Oh, photo op, be right back”, tends to be the abrupt end to many a story. I do send out photos in an attempt to make up for that rudeness.

We have a few new dogs that have joined our weekend group as of late. My 3 girls had a grand time meeting the 4 new ‘it’ dogs for the first time. The subsequent running, playing and all around silliness enabled me to fill up almost one and a half 2 gig scan disks with photos. Heh.

Enjoy.

Her First Photo Credit

Well, as promised…photos by my niece, Alexandra. The first is my favorite.

Soap, Suds and Wet Dog Smell

I spent a good portion of Sunday June 14th at the Arizona Greyhound Rescue (AGR) bi-annual fundraising dog wash – raising cash for the poochies, word has it almost $3,000 was raised. That’s a lot of dog washing. It was my job to capture the event on film (or disk as it were). My niece, who had spent the evening at my house for one of our movie nights, accompanied me. She was given her own camera and set loose on the dogs and owners. Though she brushed a cactus and ended spending most of the day picking cactus spines out of her shirt and skin (the tiny ones so that really sucked), was hot and bored after a few hours, still managed to captured a number of great images. Some of which I will post next time.

Since I was working I did not bring my 3 girls down to the event, though after the mud puddle rolling they did the day before, they could have used a wash. So anyway…I got to spend 4 hours hanging out with more dogs than I could count, it was heaven. There were mostly greyhounds, but a large number of other dogs were in the mix as well. It is weird to see so many dogs together and not hear any (or much) barking. So this post is here so I can put up a number of photos from the wash. That’s it. Not much else to say.