Today's experience at Greyhound Friends was great. Why? Transparency and priorities. The staff's priority is on finding a good fit for both the dog and the person so that both are happy. I was honest about my lifestyle and wishes. From today's experience I can say that the staff will be honest about how well you and the available dogs match. They were very kind and supportive, understanding immediately the type/temperament that would be ideal. If you don't find your match right away, that's ok. Good things are worth waiting for! read more

Wonderful rescue. Staff are well educated and dedicated. Dogs are happy, healthy and sometimes a little spoiled while they wait for their forever homes. They deserve it. Greyhound Friends has been saving lives and finding excellent homes for these sweet dogs for 40 years. Keep it up!! Here's to 40 more!! read more

Yesterday we took the drive to Hopkinton just to see the greyhounds and get a better feel for them/if they'd be a good match for us. We've been talking about a dog for a while now and my heart had been set on a greyhound for years. After recently moving into a house, we decided it was now or never (well, maybe not never). I was told Louise (the Director of Greyhound Friends) wasn't the most warm person in the world, and that was true, however she wasn't harsh at all. She listened to our needs and took that into consideration to help match us with the best dog. There was no rush and she let us walk/run and interact with them all. While we loved all of them, I knew instantly dog #4 was the one for us. Paperwork done, adoption fee paid, leash picked out and we were ready to go (with lots of reading and some food to take with us). Tabitha was calm and relaxed instantly in her new home. Louise helped us find the perfect match for us and I would recommend Greyhound Friends to anyone interested in adopting a greyhound. read more

Greyhound Friends - My dog Tabitha! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Hopkinton, Massachusetts

I adopted my beautiful greyhound here last week. What a wonderful experience. Their facilities are clean and healthy and the people there really love these animals. They were thorough and found me the perfect dog to match up to my lifestyle. The adoption fee is $200.00 and they set you up with all shots, spay/neuter, frontline and they give you some food and lead and collar. If you are looking for dog, please consider a greyhound. They are amazing pets...and please give Greyhound Friends a visit! read more

Greyhound Friends - My dog! Adopted from Greyhound Friends, Inc. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Hopkinton, Massachusetts

My fiance and I were interested in getting a greyhound, so we decided to check out Greyhound Friends. Louise was incredible helpful and answered all the questions we had. We came back about a month later and rescued our handsome boy. Louise gave us all the information & basic supplies we needed to get started, and charged a modest adoption fee (I don't even know if it was enough to cover his fixing, meds & food while there). Wouldn't go anywhere else for a grey! read more

Greyhound Friends - Here's our handsome boy - Animal Shelters Near Me - Hopkinton, Massachusetts

I adopted my greyhound recently and I couldn't be happier with the dog. When I initially called I spoke to the owner, Louise, and it seemed almost as though she was trying to talk me out of getting one. I decided to stop by and see one of the dogs I saw on the site; Jerry. The volunteer was incredibly helpful and couldn't have been nicer. I filled out a bit of paperwork and went back later to see about picking him up. Louise was there and actually said "Why would you want Jerry? He's too hyper". Again, very negative and trying to turn me off from adopting. Didn't matter though, I knew he was the guy for me. When we went through paperwork she told me to feed him 2 cups of dry food, 1 cup of rice, a can of wet dog food, and a can full of water. I was to do this twice a day. This went against the research I had done, but since Louise told me that's what she had been feeding him, I figured I shouldn't change his diet. Boy was I wrong. He didn't finish his food, got sick multiple times a day, and I ended up calling and getting no call back. I went to the vet, and they told me that there was no way he should be eating that much, and they recommended a better food brand for sensitive stomachs. He is now happy as an be His stomach issues are gone, and he is very friendly and a relaxed guy (not the hyper dog that he was made out to be). I recently received a call from a volunteer that was very friendly and also very apologetic for the poor information we received from Louise. She confirmed that Jerry was never fed that much, and she figured that Louise was just trying to get some weight on the dog. Kind of an interesting approach; gain weight by giving him so much food that he has diarrhea all day. All in all I am so happy with my dog, and the volunteers down there are incredibly nice. I would recommend a greyhound to anyone looking for a dog. I would also recommend that they do their own research, and completely disregard anything that Louise tells you. read more

A friend of mine recently adopted a greyhound from Friends. He had a great experience so I decided to share the information with the Yelp Community. Adopting or fostereing a greyhound is the greatest experience. If you are thinking about getting a dog consider adopting a greyhound! It's amazing to see their growth! The wagging of their tail, the kisses they eventually start to give..... I can't express the emotions that come with these moments. If you're interested, which I hope you are, get in touch with Louise Coleman the Director of Greyhound Friends. read more

We adopted Sidney (f.k.a. Dippy) in March and she quickly became a member of our family. Louise knew just the dog for us and helped with everything we needed to bring Sidney home that day, plus materials to ease the transition. If you think a greyhound might be for you, Greyhound Friends is the place. read more

Greyhound Friends - Sidney, f.k.a. Dippy - Animal Shelters Near Me - Hopkinton, Massachusetts

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Can't say enough about this group and its efforts. We adopted Jasper (fka Meggie) from here at the start of the year and he's been a basically perfect addition to our little family. Louise sized me up and matched us perfectly on my first visit there. I came back with my husband the next day and we sealed the deal. Yes, you'll definitely want to get your adoptee on a better diet, but considering the budget and incredibly limited resources that the rescue is working with, they're doing a really outstanding job. Would definitely recommend this rescue (and greyhounds in general!) to anyone on the market for the new pupper. read more

Greyhound Friends - Our buddy (lots of rescued greyhounds are missing teeth like him). - Animal Shelters Near Me - Hopkinton, Massachusetts

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If your looking to adopt a grey hound. This place is excellent. Very nice staff and reasonable adoption fees.If you visit and find a dog you like I would recommend getting them that day as the dogs don't last very long. Grey hounds are awesome dudes. Way better then other dogs. So go get one. read more

I have called to adopt a dog.Called twice now. Left a message.Emailed also. I don't know how these rescues adopt dog out if they don't get back to you.All of these places. They want all your info before you even meet the dogs. The owner makes tons of money off the backs of the volunteers working ,caring for the animals.One of them wanted a copy of our mortgage and said they were going to do a background check. I have always been warned about protecting my personal info. I even went in person to one of these places. They wouldn't let me even see the dogs,they said I had to fill out an app even before seeing them. Then I could only pick out a dog from a photo album. Then after I filled out the app she still wouldn't let me see the dogs. NEWS FLASH! These groups are making money left and right.I've seen some outrageous prices, for pound puppies.Someone should be looking into the non profit status of these places.. read more

I found the best dog in the world at Greyhound Friends. I went there just to see what greyhounds were like and I ended up with Jeannie. Louise set me up with all that I needed. I will always be a Greyhound lover! read more

Greyhound Friends - Jeannie - Animal Shelters Near Me - Hopkinton, Massachusetts

We have adopted 5 greyhounds over the course of 20 years from GF. Top notch. They do hard work with care and great diligence for these dogs. Louise is very tuned-in to every dog, seeks to make good people/dog matches & helps potential owners fully understand what's involved in adopting a grey. Once you provide a home for a GF dog, hard to imagine any other way. GF makes the world a better place! Thank you GF & Louise for our Joe, Lily, Les, LJ & Ross our current sweetheart of a big black greyhound who thinks he is a lap dog. read more

I adopted a wonderful greyhound from Greyhound Friends. The director Louise was very thoughtful and helpful in finding a good match for our family. We gave "Betty" a forever home and have enjoyed her so much each and every day. A few medical issues arose with my dog and I immediately called Louise for advice. She guided me through and one time advised I seek a second vet's opinion. I've been to nearly every Open House GHF holds 2x/year. It's a wonderful organization that I've stayed closely connected to for years. Very knowledgeable people, very caring of it's hounds. Louise is especially helpful. read more

I love my greyhound, Pete. I snagged him from Greyhound Friends before he even made it to the shelter because I met him on his way there and we fell in love right away. I called Louise and she told me to take him to try him out. Well two days later, I signed the papers to adopt him. Louise is really a great woman and a wealth of knowledge about greyhounds. She is rough around the edges and works herself too hard (maybe accounting for the moodiness others complain about), but I believe her intentions are good. She just wants what is best for the dogs and wants to make sure that you really want the dog that you are adopting. I think she looks at it from a negative side to see if you stick around when you see the sometimes tough side of adopting a greyhound. When I brought Pete home - he had never been in a car (to this day he hates car rides, but still jumps right in because he wants to go where I go), had never been up stairs (even one step was a big deal for him), and had no idea what a house was. He didn't eat for the first 3 days because I adopted him essentially right off of the track and he was so confused. But he is the most loyal friend I have ever had - despite his tall stature (he was 90 pounds right off the track!) I can never find him because he is right behind me!! Once he realized how awesome life in a home was, Pete developed separation anxiety and broke a few teeth ripping the metal bars off of his cage. It was tough for a while trying to help him acclimate to a home and assure him that he was never going to leave my side again! He also experiences a lot of the common health problems of greyhounds - hypothyroidism, skin that tears all to easily (snow after the top layer has melted and turned to ice is his nemesis!), clumsiness that has resulted in multiple broken toes, and severe arthritis now that he is getting older. Anyway, I think Louise can be tough to deal with, but I have to wonder about how she saw these situations others complain about. I think she likely just wants what's best for the dogs. I do have to say - customer service has turned me away from many other shelters, so I can understand people being upset about being drilled and talked down to... It is sad to hear about people taking out their bad days on their clients - because in the end the greyhounds suffer when people won't return to adopt from her. But I give them 5 stars because I did have a great experience with them (yes, even with Louise) and I would be lost without my best friend, Pete. read more

We have adopted 3 dogs from Greyhound Friends. They are a great organization and Louise is perfect at matching dogs to families. If she doesn't immediately "get a feel" for you and your household she may try to talk you out of a dog who might be too much dog for you, but don't be offended- she'll find one who is a better match. After adopting our first, a big male, we came back to adopt another dog and fell in love with another big male. Louise told us it wasn't a good idea and set us up with a petite female who is now our pretty little princess. Later on, once our big male adapted to not being the only dog anymore we were able to add another male to our family. Trust Louise- she knows what she's doing! read more

My father has always wanted a greyhound and after my childhood dog passed away, he was excited to get to this place. Even after adopting our dog, I'm not a huge fan of greyhounds, but these guys are great. They helped us navigate our dog's health problems. So long as you are serious about taking great care of a rescue dog, Louise is an excellent resource. We had a couple problems, but Greyhound Friends did a good job of letting us know what to expect from our dog. Greyhounds DO NOT like cats. The cat test (stuffed animal on a string pulled in front of the dog) that other reviewers have complained about is the simplest and safest way to test a dog's compatibility with small animals. If the dog tenses up like he's going to chase it, BAD sign. Our dog was not cat tested and ended up mauling my cat (the cat now lives upstairs) when the cat ran away from him. When our dog came home, he was a little too excited. He had a crate (Greyhound Friends lends a crate, leash and collar when they adopt dogs out) that he slept in for the first week. His first night home, he wagged his tail so hard that he started spraying blood everywhere - blood sprayed on the walls, the furniture, even the TV. Our new dog made a horror movie in the living room. We contacted GF, and they said this "happy tail" was actually kind of common. They told us to contact a vet and be prepared for surgical intervention. The dog had to have a few inches amputated, but now he wags all he wants without bleeding. Despite being scared of Louise, disappointed that they were right about greyhounds and cats and being horrified at how smelly and stupid these dogs are, Greyhound Friends really gave us great service and a sweet, lovable dog. read more

I adopted my Galgo from Greyhound Friends. My fiance and I had been discussing adopting a greyhound for months. We heard about Greyhound Friend's Spring Open House on the news, and decided to go. The facilities were beautiful. There were tons of helpful and positive volunteers. The shelter manager, Jen, was really helpful. We instantly connected with one dog and were told he was a Galgo. A what? Turns out Greyhound Friends partners with an agency in Spain, which has a huge Galgo (Spanish Greyhound) abandonment problem. We fell in love with our dog, and were pleasantly surprised when we were told we could take him home that day. Since we got him home, he has had a few anxiety issues. He's never been alone, away from other greyhounds, so when we leave him home alone, he barks a lot. I called Greyhound Friends to get advice and spoke to Louise, the Director. She was a little scary - I was looking for some positive suggestions but was told "it may not work out." I was horrified - we already love this dog! In the end, she did offer a few suggestions. I did feel the need to call my vet, make an appointment, and also join an online group and ask for some advice, though. I did call back and ask for Jen, but my call was not returned. The facilities are beautiful, the volunteers are great, and the dogs are the best part! Just maybe take Louise with a grain of salt! The other reviews on Yelp were extremely helpful - I was glad to learn I was not alone in my experience with Louise. read more

This is a wonderful shelter. The dogs are well taken care of. It's a really great place to volunteer!

I am sick about the way I saw them treating the dogs. I saw this firsthand. Overcrowding, stressed dogs, sick dogs. I guess I was not wrong because reports came out afterwards that they neglected sick dogs. You can read them yourself. www.truthaboutgreyhoundfriends.com. They have been closed since 2017 because of unsafe conditions in the kennel. read more

My wife and I adopted our beautiful boy Smarty a little over a year ago from Greyhound Friends. Records for our dog were perfect, we had all of the information we needed to know that we had adopted a dog who had been well cared for during his stay at Greyhound Friends. Our vet even told us when we brought him in for his first exam that he was surprised at the detail that had been provided as most rescues he's seen come into the office with untreated health issues, not our Smarty! The staff are very attentive and caring with all of the dogs when we went to visit, the evaluation process for us as potential adopters was very stringent and showed how much the staff care about the dogs. The kennel has been in excellent condition every time we have visited over the past year. There are beautiful fenced in spaces for the dogs to run and play, we bring Smarty back every few months to play with the other dogs and enjoy the large open play space to run around. You won't find a better place to adopt a greyhound than Greyhound Friends! read more

we adopted our darling Betty from these kind folks and we couldn't be happier. The whole process was straightforward and easy. If you're looking for a great pet please consider adopting a greyhound. They're amazing animals that deserve a second chance in life. And if you're looking for a greyhound please check out this great place. read more

My husband and I have been greyhound lovers for quite some time. We have gotten all our greyhounds(3 to date) from Greyhound Friends and have been very pleased with our decision. All our our dogs are cat friendly and there are 4 cats in our household. We've never had any problems with everyone getting along. The volunteers are incredibly helpful and were always willing to answer any questions we had. I would recommend owning a greyhound to anyone who is serious about owning a dog. Traveling with them is very easy and they get along with other animals and children wonderfully. read more

the application process was thorough, and when we arrived, trina was brought out to meet us. we were told that this is the 'best girl we have', and this proved to be prophetic. trina has been with us since march 2015, she is now a certified pet therapy dog. we've been to open houses before, and always have been impressed by the facility's cleanliness and organization. the many folks who brought their pups all echoed the same sentiment in noting what a marvelous place greyhound friends is, and how much it is valued and respected. we devotees hope this rescue agency reopens it's doors again, as i do not know of another like it that has saved countless lives from here and around the globe,going on four decades, with selfless devotion and dedication. read more

I've been getting Greys from Louise for 20+ years. We've taken 6 of them over the years. Louise has a great ability to match the dog to it's new owner. I truly cannot say enough about her. Our new grey, Roxy, has been just phenomenal. She gets along with the cat, though every once in a while the cat lets her know who's who. I met Louise through Dr. Rod Poling, and if you need a vet, Rod is the guy. The two of them have done so much for the breed. Make a fast friend, adopt a Greyhound! read more

I went to greyhound friends and adopted a greyhound. My family and I were treated horribly from the women Louise. The other staff were wonderful. Louise was rude to us everytime we visited to see the greyhounds.I had a greyhound in the past for 8 years until she passed away. We wanted to give another dog a great life and she was against us from the begining. I was'nt giving up. We were going to bring home a dog no matter what. The dog we picked out had surgery the day before but we were willing to nurse him back to health. As we stood by our car, the dog seemed to be having a difficult time getting in with his sore belly, so I asked my daughter if she would kindly ask Louise if there was an easy way to help the dog in without hurting him. Louise slammed the door in my childs face and then stormed out of her work place came up to me took back my adoption papers out of my hands and unhooked the dogs collar and took the dog back to the shelter. I WAS HORRIFIED! I have NEVER been treated so badly from anyone like this before. All I wanted to do is ask for some help and my dog was taken away! If she truly loves these dogs then she would want them in a good home, NOT A SHELTER! This woman is so mean I will never deal with her again, but I'm also going foward to report her asap. She has no right to treat ANYONE like this! I think it's time she steps down from her job! read more

We chose to adopt our dog specifically from Greyhound Friends because my husband's family has fostered and adopted dogs for over 40 years - so he knows what to look for in a good shelter. We consider Greyhound Friends to be a superior shelter where the dogs are happy and very well loved. Louise Coleman and her staff do whatever it takes to give sanctuary to these gentle creatures. They take time to know the dogs individually and match them to owners. Our Mateo (R. J's Mathew) had come to Louise from a shelter on the Cape where he had been returned in less than a month. So she was particularly concerned about finding owners who would be fully committed to providing him with a "forever home." We were interviewed extensively, where we were tasked to prove that we would not only love Mateo, but in particular - keep him safe. Whenever someone asks, and that is at least weekly, about where to rescue a greyhound our response is always Greyhound Friends in Hopkinton - Louise has a great pup waiting for you! read more