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Message from the President – June 2024

Can you believe it’s already July? Since we are halfway through the year, I want to update you on our progress and endeavors.

Since assuming the role of SA Greys President this past December, we made two trips to LAX to pick up 12 hounds from Australia and five hounds from the Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana where we traveled to Riverside, Calif., to network with GreySave Greyhound Adoption who made the transfer to us.

Then we had three rebounds, like our current almost 5 1/2-year-old Enzo, who after a few years returned to SA Greys and is looking for his forever home — to be your cherished one and only and in a home without children.

We continue to strive to provide the best adoption experience and follow-up. Before bringing in new hounds, we ensure there are enough foster homes and plenty of qualified adoption applications. When an adopter completes an application, they are interviewed, and if still interested, receive a home visit. Successful integration into forever homes is our primary goal. Our organization is focused solely on a hound’s journey after leaving the racing Industry. Through living in foster homes, SA Greys’ hounds experience caring groundwork as they transition to pet life.

In April, we were the Tucson Roadrunners charity hockey partner. We sold 113 discounted tickets for the game and the University of Arizona chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity helped sell 50/50 raffle tickets during the game netting $740. Kudos to them for reaching out to us and we look forward to future partnerships.

Also in April, we exceeded our goal of $15,000 during Arizona Gives Day and received a monetary bonus during the 3 p.m. Power Hour. Thank you for your generosity.

SA Greys had well-attended meet and greets at two different PetSmart locations in Tucson and one in Scottsdale. (Meet & Greets are on hiatus for the summer and will return in the fall.)

We are aiming for more engagement with pop-up events. In March, a good time was had at MotoSonora Brewing Co. and in June at Harbottle Brewing Co. If you know of an indoor venue where we can bring the hounds during the summer months, please advise. On Friday we’ll be at Cones for Bones, a doggie ice cream parlor. (See events below.) Getting our well-behaved hounds out in public spreads awareness about what we do. Let’s get social.

Our annual BooRooUnion will be held at Brandi Fenton Park on Sunday, Oct. 20. We’re in the early planning stages and could use your help. Bring us some new ideas and helping hands.

One thing that I am most proud of is the Board of Directors and you — our volunteers. We have a new volunteer coordinator, Alice Goddard, who you will begin hearing from shortly. To find your volunteer niche, contact volunteer@sagreys.org. The top notch operations team under the guidance of Nancy Lynberg includes foster coordinator Anne Lopez and medical coordinator Marcia Isbell, as well as home visit volunteers, cat testers and transporters. Without them, we would not be able to do what we do. I also want to give credit to our communications team that does so many things behind the scenes from Facebook posts, this newsletter, Instagram posts, website updates and a newly formed marketing committee. I am grateful to be surrounded by such dedicated volunteers and my thanks and gratitude for them is immense.

I am honored to serve as the President of this greyt organization and can’t wait to see what the next six months will bring.

Jeanne Gacke is President of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption and can be reached at president@sagreys.org.