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The story of my life is about dog racing and a good deal more.
It is about cruelty, the human capacity for cruelty towards human
animals and animals of other species. Dog racing, commonly known
as Greyhound racing, is not a sport because no legitimate sport uses
enslaved/involuntary participants and murders many of them once
they start losing and no longer are competitive and profitable. Dog
racing is, in fact, a deadly form of entertainment, as are horse
racing, dog fighting, cock fighting, hunting and circuses that use
enslaved other-specied animals.
Incidentally, I remember Greta talking about a form of entertainment
that was popular in Ancient Rome and which took place in
public arenas. There enslaved humans known as gladiators were
forced to engage in deadly combat against each other to the delight
of cheering crowds. Often the losing gladiator was killed outright,
and sometimes he lived depending upon the mood of the spectators.
Unlike some spectator sports whose fans identify with and form
emotional attachments to the athletes, dog racing fans care little or
nothing about the Greyhounds. This detachment can be attributed
to the racers' short racing careers; some race for just one season or
part of a season at a specific track, and then are shipped elsewhere.
But let's return to my story. Please know that I am real, as are
other characters. On the other hand, some characters are not real.
They are fictional. And although some of the events discussed in
Part One are based on real happenings, some are not, and Part One
is a work of fiction. In conclusion, I hope with all my heart that this
book touches the hearts and minds of its readers.
- Shayna
Lanesboro, MA (1998)
