Stick of Butter

"Maggie, there's water coming up through the floor in the ladies' bathroom!" That's how it started - the day from hell at the greyhound track that reminded me of this past week.

We had just started weigh-in for the greyhounds, and as paddock judge, I had to field any problems, and this was a problem. I called maintenance, the state racing officials, security and a list of others, including the director of racing and the general manager. To protect the dogs, we sent them back to their respective kennels while the maintenance crew tried to find the source of the seeping grey water. About an hour later, there was still no definite cause, but the water had stopped seeping in, the mess had been cleaned up, and the state veterinarian and director of racing gave their okay to bring the greyhounds back for weigh-in.

The paddock consisted of my office, a laundry room, a holding room for the 96 dogs that would race in that matinee, a "pee room" where the dogs would be identified, specimens collected, and racing blankets put on. There were rest rooms for the male and female leadouts, and a huge room to hold all 96 dogs, their trainers and helpers that we used for weigh-in.

We had no more than weighed in all the dogs and secured them in the holding room when we saw grey water seeping out the bathroom door and onto the paddock floor. More phone calls, and this time the water just kept coming faster than before. It was also starting to seep into the holding room and the pee room - and no one knew why or where.

The race card was cancelled and I was told to have the paddock cleaned for inspection by the state officials by the next morning or face a hefty fine, and the general manager added that my job would also be on the line if it didn't meet muster. The track superintendent, the clerk of scales, the kennel master, and three of my most dependable leadouts helped me clean methodically and thoroughly for the next 9 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, maintenance had called in a super duper sewer rooter. We also requested that the kitchen help and laundry stop washing dishes or doing laundry to give us a chance to find the problem, as the grey water from the grandstand building went through the building we were in before going out the main sewer system.

The problem was a 12 foot long, 18 inch in diameter chunk of grease caused by improper disposal of grease in the kitchen. Thanks to my help, we passed inspection, did not get fined, did not lose my job, and was more conscious of what greasy food could do to my coronary arteries than ever before!