The Story of My Life - By Shayna

The story of my life is about dog racing and a good deal more.It is about cruelty, the human capacity for cruelty towards humananimals and animals of other species. Dog racing, commonly knownas Greyhound racing, is not a sport because no legitimate sport usesenslaved/involuntary participants and murders many of them oncethey start losing and no longer are competitive and profitable. Dogracing is, in fact, a deadly form of entertainment, as are horseracing, dog fighting, cock fighting, hunting and circuses that useenslaved other-specied animals.Incidentally, I remember Greta talking about a form of entertainmentthat was popular in Ancient Rome and which took place inpublic arenas. There enslaved humans known as gladiators wereforced to engage in deadly combat against each other to the delightof 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 formemotional attachments to the athletes, dog racing fans care little ornothing about the Greyhounds. This detachment can be attributedto the racers' short racing careers; some race for just one season orpart 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 areother characters. On the other hand, some characters are not real.They are fictional. And although some of the events discussed inPart One are based on real happenings, some are not, and Part Oneis a work of fiction. In conclusion, I hope with all my heart that thisbook touches the hearts and minds of its readers.- ShaynaLanesboro, MA (1998)