Off The Track

By Betsy S. Lee

1St Prize Winner - Royal Palm Literary Award – It's been compared to Aesop Fables - mad-cap lives of three lovable greyhounds: Libby, a sensible, retired, champion racing greyhound. Her adopted sisters: Precious Princess nicknamed P.P., was a pampered beauty queen & diva, saves a mans life, wakes up in the pound & Fawn who is affectionately called Nut who is the cause of all kinds of mayhem.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Betsy S. Lee
• Release date: Jun 27, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452413518

Betsy S. Lee

Betsy S. Lee is an advocate for the adoption of ex-racing greyhounds. She is considered an expert on greyhounds, and has trained her greyhounds to help her as a therapeutic facilitator at Flagler Hospital, in St. Augustine, Florida. In that capacity, Betsy taped a PBS Animal Attractions episode for Pine Ridge Studios.She has appeared on Good Morning Jacksonville, a regional TV show, and a few WFOY Radio shows promoting her book, OFF THE TRACK.Because of her vigorous marketing plan, she has succeeded in selling more than 1,700 books in sixteen months.Betsy Lee was a featured author at the 2008 Amelia Island Book Festival, and was a guest author at the 2nd annual Florida Heritage Book Festival which took place in St. Augustine in September 2009.Betsy is a member of the National League of American Pen Women and the Florida Writers Association.Because of the quality of her works, her perseverance, and her marketing skills, your team effort with Betsy will be successful. Her experience with the public and her personality are a dynamic combination, and she makes the most of every marketing opportunity.Betsy S. Lee’s works include:OFF THE TRACKOFF THE TRACK COLORING & ACTIVITIES BOOKHISTORIC ST. AUGUSTINE COLORING & ACTIVITIES BOOK450th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EDITION – HISTORIC ST. AUGUSTINE, AMERICA’S OLDEST CITY, COLORING & ACTIVITIES BOOK (not yet released)I’M SMARTER THAN THATLET’S COLOR & DRAWFor more information, please visit www.betsyslee.com or call 904-824-4025.Betsy S. Lee4048 Las Brisas PlaceElkton, FL 32033

Book preview

Off The Track

Betsy S. Lee

Off The Track

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Copyright 2010 Betsy S. Lee Published at Smashwords

CONTENTS

Chapters

Bore In

The Life of a Racing Dog

I Went to A Warmer Climate

I’m Special

The Paw Park8

Time to Go

My Toe

To the Vet We Go

The Scary Room

It Didn’t Turn Out So Fine

My Life Changed

A Period of Adjustment

Stubborn

PP’s Background

Beyond the Gate

The Adventure

Twin Towers

The Humane Society

The Green Jacket

Accidents

I’m Only Twelve Years Old

PP’s First Time

Pass or Fail?

Discovered

Chapter 1

BORE IN

My paw was throbbing as we walked slowly on the grass. Miss Oatendoton looked tuckered out. Our handlers tugged on our leashes to make us walk faster.

Bore in! yelled Bob to George. No, not Miss Tiger. You must be making a mistake. Maybe Mr. Lump Lump bore in, but not our beloved Miss Tiger.

Bore in—that’s what Miss Tiger did, Bob. I saw it with my own eyes. Yep, that’s what the dog did.

My ears went up! Did I hear him right? He called me a dog! I could see Miss Oatendoton was getting upset. Her eyes widened … her ears stood straight up. That was no easy feat for her since she had what is known as butterfly ears (they bend in the middle and flop down). But somehow she got them to stand up.

Although I knew what Bob and George were saying was the truth, I still couldn’t believe my ears.

George was flapping at the mouth: She is six, you know.

Gazing at me for a moment, Bob replied, Hmm, that would make her ninety-six years old if she was a person.

Miss Oatendoton opened her mouth to say something. I stopped her, immediately anticipating what she was going to say.

Quietly I said, Bore in.

She again started to speak but I didn’t give her a chance. I said quickly, I did that, Miss Oatendoton, I bore in.

Stupid term, bore in, she replied. All you did, Miss Tiger, was turn your head for less than a second. With a tear in her eye she said, You know what is going to happen to you, my dear Miss Tiger? It’s off the track for you!

I know, I know. That miserable Mr. Lump Lump. As he flew past me, he hit my bad paw. I just reacted—took my eyes off that stupid fake rabbit. Bore in, that’s what they call it.

Miss Oatendoton, I added, as far as my age is concerned, I’ve heard people say we are a thousand years old! What really has gotten me mad is George calling me a dog. We are not dogs, we are greyhounds … greyhounds!

Chapter 2

THE LIFE OF A RACING DOG

I had a hard life when I was a race dog. They got us up early in the morning. The cages we slept in were so small that you could hardly move around.

Sometimes it was so cold I shivered. I really dislike being cold. I had told my friends that someday I’d live where it’s warm. Little did I know that these words would come true.

Four times a day we were let out in small groups. We played for about twenty minutes. In the corner of the play yard was a very, very large bowl of water.

Drinking water with a lot of other greyhounds is not fun. Especially with Mr. Lump Lump. He was much bigger than me. He was shiny black in color and had a long scar on his leg. He was a lump, a klutz (not graceful at all). His name fit him. He would bang his big body into me and try to push me away from the bowl.

I said to him, Mr. Lump Lump, please move over so I can have some water.

Oh be quiet, he always said in a deep voice.

I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Though he made me angry, I controlled myself.

He had no manners. I think he was jealous because I had won more races than he had.

Eventually I did get to drink. That was the routine four times a day. After eating, each of us was walked over to a truck.

Along the way, the kennel master would sometimes say things to me like, You ran a good race and You’re a good girl, and give me a pat on the head. Sometimes he would bend down and give me a hug. That was really special.

The truck had rows of small cages in it. The doors of the cages would be opened, and he would say, Kennel up, which meant we had to jump up into the small cages.

Jumping