[important title=Abigail Christman, CVT, VTS(ECC)]
Abby Christman is a veterinary nurse board certified in emergency and critical care. She works at an Internal Medicine practice in Northern Colorado, and spent a number of years at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in the Critical Care Unit. She has been involved with greyhound rescue for 13 years, first becoming involved when she was a veterinary technician student working at CSU in the kennels where they kept the greyhounds used for terminal surgery. She rescued a number of those pups and helped with the movement to abolish the practice. Her first greyhound, and the true love of her life, Freddy, was one of those rescued CSU dogs.
Since then, she has done quite a bit of greyhound and non-greyhound rescue, many of the animals being cats and dogs that crossed her path at the 2 hospitals at which she's worked (pets whose owners were going to euthanize due to financial issues).
She learned about Scooby and the plight of the Spanish galgo many years ago and decided she had to do something to help. She collected medical supplies and wrote letters for a while, and was afforded her first opportunity to go to Scooby in October 2005 with the help of Operation Scooby (which is no longer in existence). The trip was life-changing, and it has been full steam ahead ever since. She was a member of the Board of Directors for Operation Scooby while it was functioning, and is the Founder and Director of G.R.I.N..
Abby shares her home with 6 dogs and 3 cats - 2 Greyhounds, 2 Galgos, 1 Chow, and a German Shepherd, all of whom are rescues (as are the 3 kitties). When not hanging out with her kids on her ranch in Northern Colorado or working on galgo stuff, she's usually concentrating on her second great passion, veterinary medicine.[/important]
[important title=Telma Shaw]
In 1991 Telma rescued two abandoned dogs while living in Cabo San Lucas. This experience led her to start a friendship with the local vet and her passion for animal rescue began. In 1994 she moved from Cabo to Park City Utah and met a lady who changed her life. This friend owned a boarding kennel and also was a Greyhound enthusiast. Working with her, Telma learned to run a kennel and groom dogs. She adopted one of her Greyhound puppies and thus began her love for the breed. In 1995 Telma returned to San Diego with two dogs in tow and connected with Operation Greyhound and began volunteering with them. She has also worked with Greyhound Connection and her favorite thing to do is to foster greyhounds, at last count about 30 greys have started their new life at her home. Telma has volunteered as a foster home coordinator, new dog coordinator and home representative as well. Telma and Mike, her husband, enjoy GURing hounds whenever they have the opportunity to help. They both share a passion to help the hounds.
Around 2004, while surfing the net, she came across the Scooby site. Horrified and feeling helpless at what she read about the suffering of the Spanish Galgos she contacted Eva Andrews, North America Adoption Coordinator for Scooby, and began following all the stories and began supporting Scooby.
Feeling she should do more, she taught herself how to sew and began a coat making mission so that the galgos in Spain would at least be warm in the shelter until homed. So far with the help of friends and GRIN supporters all across the U.S. it is estimated that about 800 coats have been sent to Spanish shelters since 2005. The coat making is what put her in touch with Abby Christman, founder of GRIN, who graciously volunteered to take these coats she was making directly to Spain on one of her trips. The connection was made and Telma has been working with GRIN as Board Member since 2006. Telma has been involved in coordinating adoptions for GRIN and stays in communication with a dozen smaller shelters in Spain, building relationships with them, and helping with communications for transports of supplies and adoptions as she is able to use her Spanish language ability for the cause. Telma has found that writing stories for the website has been an amazing experience as it brings people from both sides of the Atlantic together with a shared passion that builds support between rescue people.
Telma is the proud mom of five hounds. Three ex racing Greyhounds, Avi, Mirah and Sofia and in 2006 added two amazing Galgos to her pack, Amistad and Aluna. Telma says �I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to help raise awareness of the plight of the Galgos and also have been able to make a contribution to Greyhound Rescue over the years. My passion in life is helping those who have no voice. Proverbs 12:10 says, �The righteous man regards the life of his beast� and this is where I stand.�
In everyday life Telma works as a Marketing Coordinator in a retirement community helping the elderly. Telma loves nature hikes with her hounds, RVing, biking and sitting at the computer helping and rescuing dogs![/important]
[important title=Wally Lacey]
In 1994 I became aware of the plight of the ex-racing greyhounds, and at that same time my husband Dennis and I lost one of our dogs due to old age and thought now was the time to add a greyhound to our lives. Well as anyone knows �greyhounds are like potato chips, it's hard to have just one�. We proceeded to adopt another, then another and sad to say we have lost a number of them to cancer over the years, and have always opened our home to yet another greyhound to love! We currently have 3 wonderful x-racers (we have been owned by a total of eight greyhounds plus several different breeds over the years). I have been active as a placement representative and have been responsible for the letter writing for sponsorship letters in the past. About 2 years ago, I was 'surfing the net� and learned of the plight of the Spanish galgo, and could not sit silently by and watch what was happening. Thankfully my working atmosphere, I am office administrator for an ophthalmology practice in Oceanside, CA., allows me to witness to patients and anyone else who will listen about the galgos situation. My dream is to take a working vacation to Spain and help in one or more of the shelters (and to bring a galgo/galga home?).
Hopefully as a GRIN board member, my computer skills can be used to help the Galgos![/important]
[important title=Stacey Kesling Plaskett]
I am an artist (GreytfulAries, the artist for Greytful Art), animal lover, and environmentalist. Cloud, Giselle, Phoenix, Meg and Noa are my beautiful Sighthound Children and we live with one cat, Hachi. I got involved with GRIN after happening upon the Spanish Greyhound online one day and changed me forever. Their plight broke my heart, and I wanted to help change their lives.
First we adopted Giselle and Phoenix and then Meg. Noa was adopted through after joining the Board. Cloud is an AKC Greyhound and has helped all of our little Spaniards learn how to find their true selves. Giselle and Noa are both black Galgas. Black Galgos are the hardest dogs to adopt out because of superstitions; this is unfortunate because they are so incredible. Beautiful, sleek, enchanting ladies that are both princesses and jesters. Phoenix and Meg are Andalusian Pondencos and litter mates. Life is a little bit sweeter with Andalusians in it. Their little bodies are so small that it seems impossible that so much love can fit inside them. Love play and cuddle. They are absolutely hysterical!
My life has been enriched by these exceptional beings and I hope to live to see the day that animals take back their rights in Spain and all over the world.[/important]
[important title=Christopher Plaskett]
Chris Plaskett is an interactive producer in Greenville, SC. He met his first Greyhound on a video shoot several years ago was immediately captivated by the breed, a captivation that's continued as Greys have found their way into his home. After learning about the plight of the Spanish Galgo, he wanted to do whatever he could to adopt one of his own � ultimately ending up with more than one! � and that's how his relationship with GRIN began. Chris is something of a technical liaison for GRIN, and assists in person when travel-weary volunteers and arguably wearier hounds come through the Southeast on their way to their forever homes.
[/important]
[important title=Christie Jacobs]
I became acquainted with G.R.I.N. in late 2006 when looking for a second greyhound as a companion to our retired racer, Moxie. We had recently moved to Colorado and a web search led us to G.R.I.N. The more we learned about the plight of the galgos in Spain, the more we wanted to help. In April 2007, we adopted our first galgo, a very shy little girl we named �Isleta�. A call went out later in 2007 asking for people to adopt male galgos because Scooby had hit capacity and was having trouble finding homes for the males in Eurpoe. We chose to add �Gus� to the family but just before he arrived that September, we were asked to also take a very young wire-haired girl that had come to the shelter. We saw her photo and said yes immediately! Olive arrived one day after Gus, doubling the size of our pack overnight!
I began volunteering for G.R.I.N. to help give other galgos a chance at a good life. In late 2007, I was invited to join the board. My duties on the board are generally focused on fund-raising. I am half of the team that puts together the online auctions and I often make items for craftshow events. I also collect donations of used coats and collars at the annual Greyhounds Reach the Beach event in Dewey, DE, and have also participated in both International Update Conferences hosted at Greyhound Friends. I am certified as an E.A.R.S. Volunteer by United Animal Nation.[/important]
[important title=Kim Malone]
I became acquainted with G.R.I.N. in late 2006 when looking for a second greyhound as a companion to our retired racer, Moxie. We had recently moved to Colorado and a web search led us to G.R.I.N. The more we learned about the plight of the galgos in Spain, the more we wanted to help. In April 2007, we adopted our first galgo, a very shy little girl we named �Isleta�. A call went out later in 2007 asking for people to adopt male galgos because Scooby had hit capacity and was having trouble finding homes for the males in Eurpoe. We chose to add �Gus� to the family but just before he arrived that September, we were asked to also take a very young wire-haired girl that had come to the shelter. We saw her photo and said yes immediately! Olive arrived one day after Gus, doubling the size of our pack overnight!
I began volunteering for G.R.I.N. to help give other galgos a chance at a good life. In late 2007, I was invited to join the board. My duties on the board are generally focused on fund-raising by putting together the online auctions. I have represented GRIN at the International Sessions and assist with collecting donations of used coats and collars at the annual Greyhounds Reach the Beach event in Dewey, DE. I have also participated in the International Update Conferences hosted at Greyhound Friends. Certified as E.A.R.S. Volunteer by United Animal Nation.[/important]