By J.D. Wallace, KOLD News 13 Reporter
Greyhound racing is a way of life for Margaret Custead.
"To be in the business, you have to love animals," she said.
Dogs like hers need proper care. The Arizona Department of Racing requires the people in charge of them to be drug free.
"Our main concern is the welfare of the animals, so you want to make sure whoever's taking care of the dogs is not impaired in any way," said chief steward Eddie Rosano.
But three trainers tested positive last week. One kennel operator refused the test. His dogs couldn't race, and Tucson Greyhound Park cancelled racing a week ago Wednesday night, not enough dogs could take the track.
"I'd just like to apologize for what happened," Reynaldo Lopez said at a hearing for the Department of Racing on Wednesday night.
Department officials said that Reynaldo Lopez tested positive for cocaine, and that Joel Hubka tested positive for marijuana. Each faces a two month suspension, and has opinions on the testing.
"It just had to be done, it just, it does have an effect," Lopez said after the hearing.
Hubka admitted that he made a mistake, but said that he still cares about the dogs.
"Normally they don't interfere but I think, like, things were going on here, people turning out very late in the afternoon for the first time of the day, so I can understand why they're doing what they're doing, I just happened to walk into it," Hubka said.
Greyhounds should be turned out four times a day. Hubka said that he thinks some trainers waited too long.
"That's sick, that's not taking care of your animals," Hubka said.
"I've heard rumors, but people talk about other people all the time," Custead said.
"We are monitoring their turnouts, I mean, this is a business you've gotta stay on top of," Rosano said.
The state's not the only one watching.
"I think it's just time that they shut their doors," said Susan Netboy, president of the Greyhound Protection League, over the phone from Penn Valley, California.
Netboy said that she has been watching the park for 20 years, and that she wants the park's license revoked.
"I think it's time they shut it down because they just don't seem to be able to do anything right," Netboy said.
"I believe this track has been under a microscope, been earmarked," said Tucson Greyhound Park CEO Tom Taylor.
"We can't tell people what to do in their personal lives, but when it comes to the kennels and the track, we basically can," Custead said.
The park lost two kennel operators on the night of the testing, but neither operator submitted to a drug test. One refused the test and was suspended as a result; the other was suspended for reasons outside drug testing.
The park has more than one hundred dogs up for adoption.
Full Version: Positive Drug Tests Stir Up Debate About Dog Park
| QUOTE (allforgreys @ Jun 15 2007, 08:56 PM) |
| By J.D. Wallace, KOLD News 13 Reporter Greyhound racing is a way of life for Margaret Custead. "To be in the business, you have to love animals," she said. Dogs like hers need proper care. The Arizona Department of Racing requires the people in charge of them to be drug free. "Our main concern is the welfare of the animals, so you want to make sure whoever's taking care of the dogs is not impaired in any way," said chief steward Eddie Rosano. But three trainers tested positive last week. One kennel operator refused the test. His dogs couldn't race, and Tucson Greyhound Park cancelled racing a week ago Wednesday night, not enough dogs could take the track. "I'd just like to apologize for what happened," Reynaldo Lopez said at a hearing for the Department of Racing on Wednesday night. Department officials said that Reynaldo Lopez tested positive for cocaine, and that Joel Hubka tested positive for marijuana. Each faces a two month suspension, and has opinions on the testing. "It just had to be done, it just, it does have an effect," Lopez said after the hearing. Hubka admitted that he made a mistake, but said that he still cares about the dogs. "Normally they don't interfere but I think, like, things were going on here, people turning out very late in the afternoon for the first time of the day, so I can understand why they're doing what they're doing, I just happened to walk into it," Hubka said. Greyhounds should be turned out four times a day. Hubka said that he thinks some trainers waited too long. "That's sick, that's not taking care of your animals," Hubka said. "I've heard rumors, but people talk about other people all the time," Custead said. "We are monitoring their turnouts, I mean, this is a business you've gotta stay on top of," Rosano said. The state's not the only one watching. "I think it's just time that they shut their doors," said Susan Netboy, president of the Greyhound Protection League, over the phone from Penn Valley, California. Netboy said that she has been watching the park for 20 years, and that she wants the park's license revoked. "I think it's time they shut it down because they just don't seem to be able to do anything right," Netboy said. "I believe this track has been under a microscope, been earmarked," said Tucson Greyhound Park CEO Tom Taylor. "We can't tell people what to do in their personal lives, but when it comes to the kennels and the track, we basically can," Custead said. The park lost two kennel operators on the night of the testing, but neither operator submitted to a drug test. One refused the test and was suspended as a result; the other was suspended for reasons outside drug testing. The park has more than one hundred dogs up for adoption. |
It just seems to get worse down there every time you open the paper. Or is it just that they are getting watched more carefully now so we are learning how business is done there? The sure know how to give racing a big, fat black I it really didn't need.