Mick The Miller - Early Life

Early Life

Mick, a male brindle Greyhound, was born in Killeigh, Co. Offaly, before the introduction of Greyhound track racing in Ireland, and before the sport became popular in Britain. The smallest of a litter of ten puppies, his father was a direct descendant of Master McGrath, a famous Irish Greyhound who won the Waterloo Cup on three occasions. Originally expected to be used for hare coursing, a deal was discussed with dog owner Moses Rebenschied to take Mick to America to compete in the Greyhound racing circuit, however before the deal could go through a tornado struck St. Louis, Missouri, killing 27 of Rebenschied's Greyhounds when the roof was blown off their kennel, and a further four dogs died when a van driven by his son was overturned by the storm. In a letter from Rebenschied calling off the deal he stated his reason, "I repeat, the hand of God is warning me against greyhounds."

A Catholic priest, Father Martin Brophy, brought Mick to race in England, although nearby sold the dog as a puppy to another priest, Father Maurice Browne. Although the Catholic Church in Ireland had no issues with Greyhound racing, the Catholic Church in Great Britain at the time was against it, having published a pamphlet entitled "Dog Racing" which called it a "threat to Sunday dinners", and described gambling that "the distribution of losses and dividends had an anti-social character because the poorest, the most unhappy, the physically and emotionally handicapped, are made to pay for the professionals and semi-professionals who get hold of intimate knowledge."