Customer Reviews

The Born to Run: Racing Greyhound, from Competitor to Companion

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a comprehensive anthology of greyhounds as racers to retirees. The author does a great job to capture a greyhound's excitement of racing and then contentment as couch-potatoes. The pictures are truly amazing. People's perception of racing and the handling of racing greyhounds will be realigned when they read this book. Both the greyhound racing fraternity and the adoption community come together on the pages of this book; sharing a commonality ... their love of greyhounds! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and bought a second copy for a local greyhound adoption group.

I'm a retired racing greyhound owner who doesn't think the track system is intrinsically evil, unlike a lot of other greyhound rescue folks I know. I do think it has problems, even big problems, and that many dogs are not treated well. I feel that greyhound owners can learn a lot about the breed from the racing industry, and about their dogs by learning how they lived before they found a home. This book fails to deliver on those points. It's a good, comprehensive look at racetracks and racers, and certainly fills a need for many readers who are only interested in greyhound racing. It would have been better if it delivered more insight into the life of the dogs while in the track system, and if it acknowledged some flaws - it didn't point out any of significance, if any at all. If you read this and nothing else, you'd think the greyhound racetrack system is perfect in its treatment of the dogs. As it is, it strikes me as something of a fan book. This is a disappointment as I hoped this book might be something that would start to bridge the divide between those who like the racetracks, and those who vilify them.

In print and pictures, this wonderful book documents one adopter's journey through the world of greyhound racing and its relationship with adoption. This book contains wonderful photos, but more importantly, a frank and first-person tour through the racing life that has shaped the greyhounds we all love. A must-read for those of us who love greyhounds and want to learn more about how our dogs were raised and raced before they came into our lives.

This book turned out even better than I had hoped it would. Ryan put so much time and effort into this book, and it provides a wonderful glimpse into many of the track across the country. Sadly, much of it is history already. Thanks, Ryan, for saving this bit of racing history and life for all of us. Wonderful photographs, great information. Ryan did a great (greyt) job!

If you're looking for a good sleep aid - try reading this book. You won't get far before you fall asleep. Some major accuracy flaws as well. This guy spoke to some misinformed folks when he researched for this book. Don't waste your money.

I am a greyhound lover. My husband and I have had 2. We foster. We belong to an adoption group. We show up at Meet and Greets. Yadda, yadda.

I am a huge reader, and I have no desire to finish this book. The first few pages are interesting, but it gets to be repetitive. A big yawn.

I would echo almost everything that dva1264 said in his/her review. I have two retired racers and I also don't feel that the racing industry is inherently evil. The socialization of the animals by itself is an amazing thing. That said, we've all heard the horror stories. I've also heard people say that the tracks aren't as bad as they used to be. The fact that they seem to be working so well with the adoption groups makes me think that's true. What I hoped from this book was that it would give us an updated story: how have things improved, in what areas, where do they still need improvement and if there is anything the general population can do to help other than excoriating the racing industry. When I do meet and greets, it would be great if I could hold up a book or other evidence proving that things are getting better. Because right now I feel that my answer of "It's not as bad as it used to be" isn't welcomed by those who come by to tell me how "those people" are so horrible and need to be put out of business. There's too much evidence of the horrors, but not much documented evidence that things have changed. This book could have been that much-needed evidence, but it fails. It's too much of a fan-boy book, sadly.