Christine A. Dorchak and Carey M. Theil

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Brooklyn Goes Home

We once met a dog that changed the world. His name was Brooklyn. It's hard to imagine that a spotted dog would become the inspiration for a worldwide fight; that the campaign would be successful, and that after a decade of suffering, he would come home to us. And yet it happened. In fact, the thirteen short years that Brooklyn spent on this earth would turn out to be one of the most consequential periods in history for greyhounds, and for the broader debate on non-human animal rights. The life of this one dog signalled not only the end of greyhound racing in the United States, but also the emergence of the first successful movement to outlaw an animal abuse industry that was powerful, culturally resonant, and economically significant. This history is based on the memories and reflections of Christine Dorchak and Carey Theil and describes twenty years of working together to help greyhounds. The two grew up more than a decade apart, on alternate coasts, one raised very traditionally and the other quite liberally, one an animal loving “Jersey Girl” turned lawyer, the other a poet and chess master turned political strategist. This Yin and Yang turned out to be a curious balance of opposites that is perhaps the reason that the organization survived and then succeeded against very great odds. BROOKLYN GOES HOME is the story of the rise and fall of commercial greyhound racing in the United States and an account of how one small non-profit emerged to make an impact. It is also a remembrance of three glorious years spent with a magical dog. Readers will find inspiration in this chronicle, and perhaps discover new paths to making positive change in the world.