Why I’ll Miss Dog Tracks In The United States
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While I’m certainly open to the criticisms surrounding the practices put in place by American dog tracks, I won’t really focus on them in this article as this is really a trip down memory lane for me. So I ask that you most certainly share your opinions, know that this was something I grew up around. So let me tell you a short story that involves me, some greyhounds and a robot named Bucky.
Little Me
I grew up in Delavan, WI a small rural community that didn’t actually have a Wal-Mart until probably 2005 and only recently did we get good cell service, but I digress. One of the things that the community did have when I was just a little guy, was indeed a dog track. Referred to as Geneva Lakes Greyhound Park. This was probably incredibly out of place at the time but since my dad was a security guard there it quickly became this odd home away from home. I’m not kidding when I say I spent large portions of my early childhood around smoking, drinking retired adults that gambled away large portions of money every single weekend (Sometimes weekdays too). Looking back on it, it’s kind of weird to think that I grew up around that but I enjoyed it none the less. I remember the Friday night buffets that took place in the “fancy” upstairs section. Then the huge food court on the first floor full of every little boys deepest desires (Pizza, fries and soda). Let’s not forget the arcades that oddly kept me and brother occupied for literal hours. Whether we were shooting our way through Lucky and Wilde or trying to figure out what exactly our weapons were in an arcade version of Dig-Dug, we had a blast (at my father’s expense). Enough about food and arcades, let’s talk about the actual show everyone came for!
The Race
I distinctly remember entering in and purchasing a greyhound race program booklet that features all the dog’s names, stats and every once and awhile you would get one with pictures of the dogs too! There were hundreds of people that analyzed these programs for hours, calculating out which dogs had the best chances and how to maximize their earnings. We never did that. Instead we either picked the ones with the coolest names or if we really want a sure fire way to win, I would pick #1 and #2, obviously. As the digital board outside counted down to post time we…
