New Book Details The Rise & Fall of American Greyhound Racing

Brooklyn Goes Home: The Rise and Fall of American Greyhound Racing and the Dog that Inspired a Movement by Christine A. Dorchak and Carey M. Theil is an extraordinarily powerful book outlining the injustices and cruelty of the “sport” of greyhound racing. The book weaves their first-hand accounts of their 20+ years of ground-breaking grassroots efforts to end greyhound racing woven through a detailed history of both the political and personal side of the movement. This book also, and deservedly, shines a light on the unrelenting perseverance of a dedicated group of individuals that worked tirelessly on behalf of these beautiful, graceful creatures and continue to do so every single day.

Dorchak and Theil co-founded GREY2K USA Worldwide in 2001. It’s the largest greyhound protection organization in the world. This non-profit’s mission is to pass stronger greyhound protection laws and end the cruelty of dog racing on a national and international level. It also promotes the rescue and adoption of greyhounds across the globe.

All the while Christine and Carey were fighting the good fight here in the U.S., half a world away, a white dog with brown patches and huge, soft eyes was born. This gentle creature known as “Brooklyn” would come to symbolize an international effort to close one of the worst racing tracks in the world. From the cold, harsh conditions of his small, dark, concrete cell in Macau, a small coastal nation in the south China Sea, Brooklyn was living out what would have been his last days at the infamous Canindrome that bore the deadly distinction as a “no exit” destination for some 400 greyhounds at that time.

After reading a news report about this tragic situation, Christine was determined to “shut this terrible place down”. What ensued was a global effort complete with twists and turns, power, money and position in a country not known for welcoming outsiders. Over time, the Macau fight became the centerpiece of a growing international strategy to help greyhounds.

Brooklyn’s story, thankfully, does not end in Macau. He was truly welcomed “home” by Christine and Carey and instantly became a part of their family. He was so beloved, Brooklyn seemed to be a part of everyone’s family, a symbol of what determination really was.

Dorchak and Theil write “The fight to end greyhound racing was always an act of defiance, a call for compassion, and a demand that nonhuman animals be given due consideration in the political process. The battle itself was our teacher, as was gentle Brooklyn. He showed us that the most important thing is to love. The exploitation of greyhounds was a poison that threatened the integrity of everyone it reached,  but resistance also drew out the better parts of who we are. Perhaps that is the real lesson – that only by facing darkness can we  discover the light that exists in us all. This is something we discovered through the gentle eyes and happy smile of a speckled greyhound”.

This book is a labor of love as is the past 20+ years  of working tirelessly on behalf of the greyhounds. The battle is far from over but each day brings opportunity to shine a light on this complicated industry. What you will take away after reading Brooklyn Goes Home is a sense of hope and light in the darkness and that each small act of love and kindness shown to greyhounds or any other animal that is not living its best life, makes us whole.

2023 Finalist in the American Book Fest Awards

Silver Award Winner in the NonFiction Book Awards