I had a great professor in college who was from Uganda. His favorite quote was "readers are leaders." I tend to agree with him, but the problem with this theory is it doesn't define exactly what it is these folks are reading. In retrospect, I guess what ever you read is what you lead. Kind of like you are what you eat for your brain. I'm not sure what it says about me that I like great fiction. Not chick fiction. But really good, NYT best seller fiction. I had been putting off reading The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger, for a long time for one reason or another. I always like to read the book before seeing a movie if I can, so I powered through it under the covers a few weeks ago before watching Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana make it come to life on the big screen.
It was around 1:30a when I came across this greyhound reference on page 163 of the paperback edition of Ms. Niffenegger's modern masterpiece:
"I've noticed that Henry needs an incredible amount of physical activity all the time in order to be happy. It's like hanging out with a greyhound."
Now, all of us who own a greyhound know that this is totally incorrect. It was shocking to see such a thoroughly researched piece let such a detail get through the cracks and it has stuck with me for weeks. It may not make that big of deal in the grand scheme of things, but obviously greyhounds have this misconception of needing way more exercise than the average dog - which we all know is pretty much the opposite - and it makes our job as advocates and adoption agencies even harder. So I just need to get this off my chest:
Ms. Niffenegger, I wish you would have taken a few more minutes doing research to find out more about greyhounds before crafting this simile. You would have found out that this breed could be considered one of the laziest among all dog breeds and enjoys its down time more than anything else in the world. And while I understand why you were drawing this reference because of what they are known best for (grace, agility and speed) it is simply incorrect and creates a false notion about a breed that is already difficult to adopt into homes across the country.
Ok. Now I feel better. I can let it go. The book is fabulous. Read it and skip page 163.
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8 comments:
GREYT post! Thank you for the smile:)
And very well said, she certainly should have said "like hanging out with a Jack Russell Terrier".
I remember thinking the same thing when I listened to it a few years ago as an audiobook. No blog then to 'vent'. Good book otherwise. Didn't see the movie.
That would bug me too!!!
Jen
Thank you for this post! Just this weekend, when Andy and I were looking at another dog to adopt, someone told us we should definitely NOT consider a greyhound because of the amount of energy they have. Hmph. Should've known not to listen to someone who's a specialist in bully breeds.
another thing that drives me nuts are people who call themselves greyhounds on running blogs or forums: greyhound in seattle, greying greyhound, etc.
argh! unless you're a sprinter, you're no greyhound.
of course, there is a chance this is in reference to their chest-waist-booty ratio.
Grrr, I'm glad I didn't read it then, I probably would've dropped the book after that.
I just hope The Lost Symbol doesn't have any incorrect Greyhound references in it!
I read the book several years ago and loved it! But I do remember thinking that that line was completely wrong. Especially as I was snuggled up to my greyhound, Elly, as I was was reading and she was snoozing.
As an aside, where I live in Indiana, the local high school's mascot is the greyhound. I always get a chuckle when I see bumper stickers that say "greyhound football," "greyhound baseball," "greyhound cheerleading" and, my personal fave, "greyhound swimming." Don't know about your girls, but mine sinks like a rock and refuses to wade in water higher than her knees.
Hi, Heather,
I'm resurrecting this old blog to mention a book from 2011 that I'm just now getting around to reading - Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell. Her comments about the greyhound in this book show an amazing depth of knowledge about the breed. (Or, she has one of her own?) I highly recommend this book to all greyhound purists!
When I read page 163 of The Time Traveler's Wife, I had to immediately stop reading to discuss this amazing error with Bobby. I'm sure he's glad it wasn't in the wee hours of the morning! :)
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