Brooklyn Goes Home: The Rise and Fall of American Greyhound Racing and the Dog That Inspired a Movement

This book is about the work of two extraordinary animal advocates to end greyhound racing.In 2000, after working night and day for months, they lost a ballot initiative in Massachussetts by a razor thin margin. Many of the other greyhound advocates were too heartbroken to continue. Not them. They decided their original goal -just to end greyhound racing in Massachusetts- was too modest. Although they had spent almost all of their group's resources on the Massachusetts ballot initiative, they decided they should work to end greyhound racing throughout the United States and started doing that from an unheated, rent-free one-room office in a Boston suburb.This book tells how, against all odds and the machinations of powerful track operators, they succeeded in ending greyhound racing in several states - including a successful 2008 ballot initiative in Massachusetts - and decided that their vision was still too small; they should work to end greyhound racing everywhere in the world.Besides some wonderful stories about the rescue of Brooklyn's and hundreds of other dogs from a track in Macau, this book has some important lessons for animal advocates especially the need to keep on keeping on. even when the prospect of success seems beyond reach.

Excellent book

Brooklyn Goes Home is a beautifully written book that chronicles the 20+ year journey and incredible efforts by the authors to stop greyhound racing in the US. Their story, and that of the book’s namesake, Brooklyn, is truly riveting, heartbreaking and heartwarming. Christine and Carey’s unwavering dedication to saving and protecting these beautiful animals from the cruelty and inhumane treatment of the dog racing industry, knows no bounds. It also provides the reader an inside look at the politics of animal welfare in our country where backroom deals are made and unmade, support can be given or withheld in the unlikeliest of places, and losses can become wins. Most of all this book proves what many of us already know, that animals do have rights, millions of Americans support those rights, and never underestimate those with the conviction to fight for them. A final note, I thought this book so educational and important I bought extras for my local library.

My husband and I adopted our first greyhound in 1994 when we learned about their plight. From that point on and to this day, greyhounds have always been a part of our lives. So much so, that we volunteered for greyhound rescue groups and eventually established and directed our own. For eleven years, we took in over 700 greyhounds from the racetracks, vetted them, fostered them, and found them homes. We learned firsthand about the cruelty of greyhound racing when we visited the farms and kennels that claimed to care about their dogs. We supported Grey2K USA over the years as they provided the perfect example to us of what never giving up could accomplish. This well-written book is a wonderful history of the successful movement to end greyhound racing and a tribute to the extraordinary people who worked so hard to make it all happen. Every person who loves greyhounds and shares a home with one (or more) should read this book. Five stars from my greyhound Sara Jane!

Brooklyn Goes Home is a powerful and extraordinary account of the more than 20 years of challenging work by GREY2K USA to end the cruel exploitative “sport” known as greyhound racing. The reader learns of the tenacity and unrelenting focus of Christine Dorchak and Carey Theil as they chronicle the ups and downs and twists and turns of their uncharted journey. The mission expands beyond the U.S. when GREY2K USA Worldwide brings to light the existence of the world’s worst greyhound track, the Yat Yuen Canidrome in Macau, where a greyhound named Brooklyn and nearly 600 other innocent greyhounds are captive. As an advocate for and adopter of more than a few of these gentle hounds, I’m grateful and proud that GREY2K USA Worldwide has changed and continues to change the world for greyhounds.