The Dogs of Avalon: The Race to Save Animals in Peril

by Laura Schenone

Overview

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Bark magazine

After adopting an Irish sight hound, Laura Schenone discovers a remarkable and little-known fight to gain justice for dogs and for all animals.

Greyhounds, bred to be the fastest racing dogs on earth, are streaks of lightning. Beautiful, astonishing creatures, countless numbers of them disappear each year once they can no longer compete and win.

The Dogs of Avalon introduces us to the strong-willed Marion Fitzgibbon, born in rural Ireland, where animals are valued only for their utility. But Fitzgibbon believes that suffering is felt by all creatures, and she champions the cause of strays, baffling those around her—including her family—as she and a group of local women rescue any animal in need and taking on increasingly risky missions.

When Fitzgibbon becomes head of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and focuses on the cause of the greyhound, she faces an entrenched racing industry protected by money and power. She joins forces with an American greyhound activist, a foxhunter’s wife, a British lady, and an influential German animal rescuer to create an international network to find these animals homes, confront the racing industry, and provide safe havens where animals can live in peace.

The Dogs of Avalon brings forward the people on the other side of the tracks—Irish Travellers (a people whose Celtic history goes back centuries), dogmen who hope to win big—together with a host of animals on two continents—circus tigers in Ireland, wild monkeys in the Yucatan, dolphins in a marine animal park in Florida, and one very special Irish sight hound in New Jersey named Lily.

In this potent David and Goliath story, Schenone’s journey helps us understand our deep connection to animals and gives us inspiration in the form of the unforgettable Fitzgibbon, who grapples with compassion and activism and shows the difference we are all capable of making in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393073584
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Laura Schenone is the author of the James Beard Award–winning A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove and The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken. She lives in New Jersey with her family and dog Lily.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

Part I

Prologue 3

1 Wild, 1993 5

2 Gypsy Dog, 2007 27

3 Domestic, 1945-65 37

4 The Dogs of Limerick, 3965-80 45

5 Lily in the Suburbs, 2007 65

6 Dignity, 2007 81

7 Celtic Hounds 85

Part II

8 Beverly, 1983-2001 105

9 A Burning Donkey, 1987 123

10 A Grand Scheme, 1994 145

11 Rising Tide, 1994-96 157

12 Undercover, 1997-2001 183

Part III

13 Dominion 199

14 And the Sheep Came Too, 2008 209

15 Last Race at Wonderland, 2009-10 219

16 Avalon 231

17 Winners and Losers 245

Part IV

18 Changes 261

19 Miracle Worker, 2013 279

20 Paradise Is Forever, 2015 289

21 Sanctuary, 2016 299

Epilogue, Where they are today 309

Acknowledgments 315

Select Bibliography 319

Editorial Reviews

06/19/2017
Schenone (The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken) wasn’t much of an animal lover until she met Daisy, a rescue greyhound who introduced her to the seamy underworld of dog racing and the thousands of former racing dogs discarded or euthanized once their performances began to wane. Interest piqued (and greyhound adopted), Schenone set off to meet the pioneers of the greyhound rescue movement, whose victories and struggles are shared here. The author is clearly a champion of her cause, extolling the virtues of the breed and excoriating the dog-racing industry—now in decline due to greater awareness. Schenone’s dramatic account of the major and minor events in the evolution of the animal welfare movement in general and greyhound rescues in particular is truly moving. The book gets bogged down, though, as Schenone tries to weave in numerous subplots, such as the futile attempts to bring abusive dog racers and puppy mill breeders to justice and a Hatfields-and-McCoys battle between Irish Traveller clans that spans an entire chapter. Animal-welfare advocates and dog lovers are sure to appreciate Schenone’s reportage as well as the courage of the men and mostly women who led the greyhound rescue charge, but the book is circuitous and, as a result, slow. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Like a greyhound streaking after her prey, Laura Schenone beautifully and inexorably pursues the story of the singular Marion Fitzgibbon and her crusade to rescue Ireland’s greyhounds from corporate cruelty.… The Dogs of Avalon is about dogs, yes, but it is also an exquisite exploration of empathy, love, and the meaning of life."

Dale Russakoff

"A gem. Dogs of Avalon is a life enriching game-changer that deserves a broad global audience. It is that good."

Marc Bekoff

"A self-confessed non-animal lover when her journey begins, Schenone writes with sensitivity and genuine curiosity about the world of greyhounds—inspired by her own beloved gray-eyed rescue dog, Lily. An extraordinary story, told with compassion and grace."

Christina Baker Kline

"It may even convince you that we become greater human beings when we show compassion to all the earth’s creatures. An incredible journey chronicled with journalistic integrity that will resonate with anyone who has ever loved an animal."

Allen and Linda Anderson

"Animal lovers will find [The Dogs of Avalon] an eye-opening must-read."

Booklist

06/15/2017
What motivated James Beard Award-winning food historian Schenone (A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove; The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken) to write a book about animal welfare? It began with her selling an old stove and her ensuing encounter with animal rescuer Elizabeth. From the start, Schenone shows that the heart of the animal welfare community lies in people, mostly women, who possess an innate drive to help animals and who connect with others in order to accomplish this. Through Elizabeth, Schenone adopts Lily, a lurcher (a mix of sighthound and other breeds), and meets Irishwoman Marion Fitzgibbon, whom she chronicles for much of the book. Along the way, readers learn about Irish history, including the subculture of Travellers (Irish nomads), whom Fitzgibbon also aids. The author perfectly captures the ethos of veteran animal advocates and the obstacles in their work. Schenone's lovely prose captivates, and her mostly pragmatic perspective complements the subject matter. In Fitzgibbon, readers have a true animal champion. VERDICT While other important aspects of the global animal welfare and rescue movements are addressed, this book is most engaging in its focus on Fitzgibbon's crusade to bring animal welfare issues to mainstream Irish culture.—Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach

Library Journal

2017-06-05
The story of the author's adoption of a greyhound as a companion for her son and how she became involved with a fascinating group of animal rescuers.It began in New Jersey when the author sold a vintage stove to a woman named Elizabeth, who had recently returned from a visit to Ireland. She suggested that the author's son might like an Irish greyhound dog that she had recently rescued. He did, and she became a cherished member of the household, and a friendship between Schenone (The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family, 2007, etc.) and Elizabeth was born. Through Elizabeth, the author met Marion Fitzgibbon, the leader of a remarkable animal rescue group in Ireland, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The members of the ISPCA first came together because of a shared concern to find homes for stray street dogs. Over time, their goal became more ambitious: to create an animal sanctuary. An anonymous donation of 20,000 pounds enabled Fitzgibbon to purchase land for the establishment of a Limerick Animal Welfare Circle. For a time, greyhound racing had been a popular sport in Australia, England, Ireland, and the U.S. Throughout the narrative, Schenone smoothly interweaves her personal story with a history of the breed. As she notes, "images of greyhound-like dogs—with their deep-chested, slim-waisted, long-legged forms—appear in Western art going back thousands of years. They race and hunt and pose on Egyptian pottery and tombs, and in ancient Greek and Roman sculptures." Cruel treatment of the dogs when they could no longer race or hunt provided the original basis for concern by animal activists who sought adoptive homes for them. Fitzgibbon was also an advocate for itinerant Travelers. As a result of bigotry toward them, she received threats that her dogs would be killed, but fortunately, they were never acted upon. An engrossing account of greyhounds, their owners, and their champions.

Kirkus Reviews