Ex-leader of greyhound rescue group acquitted of cruelty

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – The former director of a Massachusetts organization that finds homes for retired racing greyhounds that might otherwise be euthanized has been found not guilty of an animal cruelty charge.

The MetroWest Daily News reports that 73-year-old Louise Coleman was acquitted Friday by a Framingham District Court judge following a four-day trial.

Coleman is the former head of Greyhound Friends Inc., which she founded more than 30 years ago in Hopkinton.

She was charged in March after investigators found she allowed dogs to live in unsanitary conditions. Inspectors said sick dogs were not diagnosed or treated for diseases.

Judge David Cunis said sanitary conditions could have been improved, but the shelter was generally a safe and healthy place for dogs.

Coleman’s supporters cheered in a courtroom hallway after the verdict.

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Information from: MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, Mass.), http://www.metrowestdailynews.com