The vintage picture below this story holds a special fascination for me.
Of course the darling pup in the picture may not be a greyhound, but that's definitely an old dog truck behind the children. Back in the day, I'm told that greyhound tracks were all so seasonal that the lifestyle was much different for those greyhound families than of the greyhound families of today. Meets at racetracks were short and seasonal, and when they ended, you moved on to the next. Some families decided to separate, the Trainer moving on and the family staying where the family home was until he returned.
If the decision was made to move the whole family, then the dogs, equipment, family, and possessions were all loaded in the dog truck, and off you went. If you were lucky, you owned your own car, so that the wife, children, and possessions could be loaded in the car. If not,
everything, and
everyone, went into the dog truck! Money was tight, roads were poor, distances great, and gas stations far and few between. Underlying the whole trip was the need to make it in haste, because of the Greyhounds you were hauling, timeliness was vital.
This nomadic lifestyle could not have been easy.
It had to have been the passion within, for the Greyhounds they worked with, that drove the life.
On that regard, not much has changed after all, has it?
Oh, by the way ..... the little guy in the middle "training" that puppy .... is my husband, 3rd generation Trainer in a Greyhound family.
I guess this post makes him
officially "Vintage" ~ lol
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| The Nurse, The Greyhound Trainer & The Political Attache' |
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