Going to the Dogs

Going to the dogs is the first national study of greyhound racing in Britain. It charts the sport from its rapid rise in the late 1920s, to its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s, and on to its prolonged decline in British culture since the 1960s. The book explores how this new pastime became a significant leisure opportunity for the working classes - a way to emulate the glitz and glamour of an 'American night out' and to enjoy the legal opportunity to have 'a bit of a flutter'.

The book looks at different elements of greyhound racing, from what attracted people to the sport to how the greyhound tracks were financed and managed, as well as the dogs themselves, including celebrity dogs like Mick the Miller. Above all, it examines the deep hostility that surrounded greyhound racing from the outset, and the way in which it was systematically attacked by institutional middle-class opposition, particularly from the National Anti-Gambling League, religious groups, local councils and MPs.

Laybourn deftly navigates his topic, highlighting the way a harmless national recreation was recast as a dangerous menace that caused poverty and immorality. This book will be of interest to sports historians and social historians, as well as a general readership interested in this fascinating area of British working-class culture.