Joe The Ex Greyhound Trainer Poem by Francis Duggan

He used to train greyhounds for a living though that was a long time ago
The dogs he trained were grade race dogs only for the top races they were too slow
He never trained a big race winner top class dogs to say the least few
And the trainer only as good as his dog is so happens to be very true.

Joe works in the Sports Bar as a barman on shift work three days and two evenings each week
The wages not good just award rates and jobs are few though many work seek
But he won't go back to training greyhounds as he says I gave that my best try
For his hard work he was not rewarded and like they say once bitten twice shy.

Still he takes a keen interest in greyhounds and he is an expert on greyhound form
And when you talk of dog racing to him to the subject he always does warm
An authority on breeding and training and not much about greyhounds that he does not know
Yet to make money out of breeding and training you would need to be lucky says Joe.

Joe is an ex greyhound trainer he now works as a barman in the Sports Bar
Where the pay is not good he will tell you he drives an old late eighties car
Still he claims bar tending is better than training greyhounds you cannot make a slow dog run fast
And he will not be going back to training as he has learned from his mistakes of the past.