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Safiya Jefferson Bullough-Stone
Athlete-Mystery Writer
1990-2005
Saffy, as she was known to friends and fans alike, rose from humble beginnings to become the world's foremost canine athlete. During her many years playing for and then coaching Dogchester United, Saffy turned a group of scruffy dog park ruffians into an elite soccer-winning machine.
Young Saffy was poor. She and her five littermates were scattered among many families in the small coal-mining town of Winchester, Virginia. Life was hard, but Saffy thought that it must have more to offer than hunting rabbits and guarding a garden.
One day a human friend took Saffy to the local school yard to "kick a soccer ball around." This seemingly insignificant gesture enabled her eventual escape from Winchester and its poverty.
Saffy's talent was recognized immediately and she was groomed for competition. Winning game after game with local teams brought her to the attention of a scout for Dogchester United. Once on the team, Saffy rose to athletic fame with meteoric swiftness.
Saffy worked hard at winning, believing that sports could lift her kind from the humiliation they'd suffered in the South for generations. She gave unselfishly of herself, nurturing some of the most talented competition dogs of this generation.
But her generosity didn't end once her protιgιs achieved athletic proficiency. She also worked hard to assure them a secure future. Under Saffy's guidance, Dogchester United became the first canine athletic team to provide its members full veterinary benefits and 401-K9s.
Few in the sports world knew that Saffy was also a talented writer. During her lifetime, she published under the pseudonym of "Detective Dawgleash." The Detective Dawgleash stories, particularly "Leave No Bone Unturned" made the Economist Literary Favorites list year after year and have become classics in the mystery genre. It was only after her death that the true author of these books was revealed and they are now being reprinted in Saffy's memory.