The Dogs of Avalon

June 19, 2017
Schenone (The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken) wasn’t much of an animal lover until she met Daisy, a rescue greyhound who introduced her to the seamy underworld of dog racing and the thousands of former racing dogs discarded or euthanized once their performances began to wane. Interest piqued (and greyhound adopted), Schenone set off to meet the pioneers of the greyhound rescue movement, whose victories and struggles are shared here. The author is clearly a champion of her cause, extolling the virtues of the breed and excoriating the dog-racing industry—now in decline due to greater awareness. Schenone’s dramatic account of the major and minor events in the evolution of the animal welfare movement in general and greyhound rescues in particular is truly moving. The book gets bogged down, though, as Schenone tries to weave in numerous subplots, such as the futile attempts to bring abusive dog racers and puppy mill breeders to justice and a Hatfields-and-McCoys battle between Irish Traveller clans that spans an entire chapter. Animal-welfare advocates and dog lovers are sure to appreciate Schenone’s reportage as well as the courage of the men and mostly women who led the greyhound rescue charge, but the book is circuitous and, as a result, slow.