‘The defeat of favourites is fun.’ In this short sentence is caught the spirit of ‘Pay As You Learn’: dog racing is about enjoyment. While examining the nature, degree and causes of the mass morosity which seems to afflict dog-goers, Alan Rhys-Thompson manages to convey his belief that the deadly serious subject of winning and losing a small fortune is not so deadly nor so serious. In fact it is rather by the way. In a satire on the foibles of the sport, he takes the reader through a typical night's racing 'at the dogs', finding a way through the complexities and introducing the many characters. The aim? Simply to be 'there', to see human nature laid bare as the crock of gold is sought, to know the hidden charms of a very popular but largely unsung spectator sport.