Chapter 1

                                               

                                                BORE IN

     My paw was throbbing as we walked slowly on the grass. Miss Afternoon 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’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’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!”

                                                                    EXCERPTS

    Racing was hard work, and would happen day after day. But because I bore in, they were taking me off the track.

    My friends were worried because once you are off the track, you usually are never heard from again. Some of us lucky ones would be adopted. I was one of the lucky ones.

...

    Mommy and Daddy let the Nut and me play and run in the backyard. It really isn’t much fun. It’s hard to run in a backyard full of trees, flowers, and the Nut. Yesterday, in a very pleasant voice I told the Nut, “Nut, I know it’s not your fault for being so small. But why must you run in between my legs when we play?”

     The Nut barked at me and said in her high-pitched voice, “It’s fun! I make believe your legs are moving trees.”

...

"Oh my goodness..."

These glowing neon, oval-shaped, fear-evoking, flashing orange eyes were staring straight at me. A bloodcurdling, awful hissing sound came from the dark...

... Since the Nut is small, Gran Ma had to lift her out of the SUV. Not only is she a "pea-Nut,"she is a "shrimp." We could make a real good meal out of her! Ha-ha! ...

Table of Contents

Chapters

1. Bore In  
2. The Life of a Racing Dog 
3. I Went to A Warmer Climate
4. I’m Special 
5. The Paw Park  
6. Time to Go
7. My Toe
8. To the Vet We Go
9. The Scary Room 
10. It Didn’t Turn Out So Fine
11. My Life Changed 
12. A Period of Adjustment 
13. Stubborn  
14. PP’s Background  
15. Beyond the Gate
16. The Adventure 
17. Twin Towers  
18. The Humane Society 
19. The Green Jacket  
20. Accidents  
21. I’m Only Twelve Years Old  
22. PP’s First Time  
23. Pass or Fail?  
24. Discovered  

                          

 

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