Karyn’s Corner

In our early years, the annual board meeting and nominations were in July not January as we do now.

So I have to backtrack here as this segment is from July 2015 through June 2016.

I asked John Clark why that was and he said it had something to do with when we

received the 501(c)(3) status, which makes sense. At some point, the Bylaws changed and nominations are now held near year end.

Since the 2015 annual meeting 146 hounds were under the SA Greys umbrella — 124 from Tucson Greyhound Park (TGP), plus 11 brood mamas (including my Daisy who I adopted when she was 8, she had 17 offspring), six rebounds, two relinquished, two puppies and one whippet mix.

Of those, 44 were Jackie’s Fund hounds for a total of $111,600 in vet costs. Since 2012, 427 hounds were in our care and 98 were Jackie’s Fund dogs for a total of $287,378 in vet costs.

Live greyhound racing ended June 25, 2016. Several volunteers went to TGP on June 26 and picked up more dogs that were eager to get to the next stage of their lives. Of the 450 dogs at TGP, 252 went to various adoption groups and SA Greys took in 51 hounds; 18 of which were Jackie Funds’ dogs. Then volunteers went back on July 3, and picked up more hounds. No Hounds Left Behind.

With these vast numbers, what was required to move hounds forward? Let me count the steps:

Planning, coordinating, intake
Transport from Tucson Greyhound Park
Spa day at Lazy Grey Ranch
Transport to spay/neuter appointments
Transport for suture removal
Foster care
Transport to meet & greet events
Adoption application reviews and responses
Home visits
Doggie intros, adoption contract, adoption package, adoption follow up and mentoring
And if a hound was sick or injured, more steps were required: medical consultation, multiple visits, paw holding, obtaining records, transports here/there/everywhere. There were 26 broken legs, ankles, toes; five bone or muscle injuries; four distemper; two severe dental disease; and seven miscellaneous: cancer, food poisoning, stomach distortion, ruptured eardrum, seizures, wounds, dermatitis.

Arizona Gives Day

Arizona Gives Day in 2016 smashed all records before and since. The South Tucson dog track suffered much negative publicity and the greater Tucson community was aware and leaned in as well as adopters and supporters. Our goal of $20,000 was shattered, in fact, more than doubled with donations of $40,710 putting SA Greys in second place among small nonprofits. Then we received a $10,000 bonus prize. These funds helped replenish the now depleted Jackie’s Fund.

Fun Fact: The Beading Divas partnered with SA Greys during June and raised $6,783 in one month. The Divas hosted a fundraiser at the Shelter Cocktail Lounge on June 25 and sold 69 bracelets in two hours (a record!). The venue overflowed with adopters, the local animal community, plus a few hounds while media vans blocked the parking lot. Aside from bracelet sales, there was a raffle and $1 donated for every greyhound cocktail imbibed.

Another Fun Fact: Renee Bennett held a speed dating event at her home. She invited prospective adopters and available hounds to find their forever match. Clever idea.

There are so many people to thank for all they accomplished during this crucial past year, but I don’t know who you are (don’t be shy), some have moved on, some have died. If you have an anecdote or a remembrance, please email communications@sagreys.org.

Special thanks to Steve Machtley, Renee Bennett, Taryn Westergaard, Wanda Abeyta, and Dr. Nausley at Briarcrest Veterinary Care Center.

Fini (pictured above) broke his leg in the last race on the last night of racing. He was picked up on June 26 and taken immediately to Briarcrest. He was adopted into a loving home.

If your hound raced at TGP and is living the good life now, please send a photo to communications@sagreys.org so I can include it in the next newsletter. Thanks for reading.

Karyn Zoldan volunteers on the communications and marketing teams.