DOG CATCHER, by Erick R. Sysak

DOG CATCHER, by Erick R. Sysak, is a "gritty Southern noir of Central Florida and greyhound racing."  And though the characters and the plot may be fictional, the premise is not. Greyhound racing is a secretive, sordid business, and the epicenter of the it all for the US is Florida (and Central Florida is indeed where most of the dog farms are).

I was reluctant to read DOG CATCHER because, unlike most Americans, I already know about the realities of the greyhound racing industry, and I wasn’t particularly excited to have to read yet more about it, even in a novel. But Sysak’s writing pulls you in, making you want to know more about exactly what Legget, an Animal Control officer, has gotten himself into and exactly who else is involved and why.

I read the book over the weekend, stopping only because I had to go to the theater and to dinner with guests (shocker–more guests). I had that feeling you get when you pass a car wreck on the highway–you don’t want to look, yet you look anyway. It’s an easy read, enticing you along with unanswered questions and your need to see justice meted out to, well, anyone involved in the horrors of greyhound farming and racing.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t know much about greyhound racing and farming, don’t read the rest of this post. Just buy the book and read it.

Here’s one of my favorite passages, from a scene between Legget and Cathy, a woman he gets close to and learns that she is far more involved in the seedy, deadly (to both dogs and people) business of greyhound farming than he first thought.

"Legget, will you tell me what you think about the greyhounds?"
          I hesitated. Cathy added, "I mean, you know what goes on. You know how they’re treated. Or do you? Tell me what you know and what you think about it. I really need to know."
          "OK, I know that most of them don’t become racers. The ones that do last two maybe three years and then they’re killed. Some trainers put a bullet through their heads, some dogs get electrocuted or starved, some are dumped in a place like this. I know some get their ears cut off so they can’t be traced. I don’t know which is worse. No, I know. The whole thing is sick. It makes me sick. But, I’ll tell you the truth, Cath. It happens all over the fucking country, and no one can stop it."

Legget discovers that people he trusted and respected are enmeshed in a far-reaching racket with greyhounds at its center, yet no one actually cares about them. Everyone wants something from them. Everyone has found a way to profit from them. The vet sells them to the university for medical research, the vet pumps them full of steroids to enhance their performance. Hell, the vet even owns the farm. The cops are involved, the trainers, of course, are involved, and it begins to looks like poor Legget, who by the way isn’t exactly above (ethical) reproach, is the only person willing to fight for the dogs.

If you’re a "greyhounder" (a supporter of the industry), I’m sure you’ll write reminding me that DOG CATCHER is fiction. Again, the story of Legget might be, but the story about what happens to the dogs isn’t. Visit Grey2k USA for more on the realities of greyhound racing in the US.