The Des Moines Register - Monday, May 20, 2002

Penalty Raked In Alleged Abuse Of Greyhound

A national greyhound-protection group contends that Iowa regulators were too easy on a trainer who was accused of cruelty to a racing dog at the Bluffs Run greyhound track in Council Bluffs.

Investigative reports released by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission show that Victor "Jay" Rangel, 33, of Council Bluffs was accused by witnesses of using a whip on the greyhound, Primco Glasco, and striking the dog with his hand.

One witness said Rangel grabbed the dog by the collar, pulling it 4 feet into the air, and then threw the dog into its cage and struck it twice with a closed fist.

"The dog was screaming," said assistant trainer Douglas Hammond, who testified that Rangel fired him after he witnessed the incident. "I didn't want to look anymore. It sounded like he hit the dog two or three more times, he closed the dog's door and walked away."

Patrick Barnett, another Bluffs Run trainer, said he saw Rangel repeatedly whip the greyhound, which was"standing still, taking the beating and scared." Barnett said the incident "clearly crossed the line into animal cruelty."

The racing commission fined Rangel $500 for the March 8 incident, and he was permitted to return to his job at Bluffs Run. He has since had his state racing license revoked in a separate proceeding. He allegedly submitted a false license application four years ago.

Carey Theil, president of Grey2K USA, an advocacy organization based in Boston, Mass., said he was appalled by Iowa regulators' handling of the case.

"The commission's investigation reads like a laundry list of excuses why the eyewitnesses aren't credible and those kinds of things," Theil said last week. "It appears to us that the racing commission went out of its way to protect this individual."

Commission Administrator Jack Ketterer said he considered the $500 fine to be a substantial penalty. He said that track stewards had investigated the allegations extensively and had determined that witnesses made inconsistent and conflicting statements.

A state veterinarian examined Primco Glasco after the incident and found the dog to be in excellent condition with a friendly demeanor, Ketterer said. However, the 2-year-old greyhound has since suffered a career-ending leg injury and has been retired, track stewards said. The dog is owned by Jason Haynes, who operates Haynes Kennel at Bluffs Run.

State records show that Rangel told racetrack stewards during a hearing that he had slapped the dog on the head to discipline it. But Rangel swore he would never abuse a greyhound. He called the allegations against him ludicrous. He said Primco Glasco had just been purchased for $25,000.
The Bluffs Run Board of Stewards - which includes two state employees and one track employee - said in a March 18 ruling that it found Rangel's conduct at fault, but that the severity of his offense was questionable based upon mitigating circumstances.

"At a minimum, by Rangel's own admission, after breaking up a dog fight in the turnout pen, Rangel slapped the dog on its head in its crate after he had control of the animal and kennel personnel and other animals were no longer at risk," the board said.

"This conduct was unnecessary, unacceptable, and abusive in manner," the board said. "However, due to the fact that the commission's veterinarian found no signs of abuse after examining the animal, the board did not find it necessary to remove Rangel from participating in racing, and the board found that a substantial fine was an appropriate penalty."

Richard Woodsmall, a racing steward for the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in Council Bluffs, said Rangel is the second trainer fined by state officials for abusing a greyhound at Bluffs Run since the track opened in 1986. He said the only other case of substantiated abuse at the track happened about eight years ago.

Rangel returned to his job as a greyhound trainer at Bluffs Run after the incident. His Iowa license was revoked by the commission on May 6 after state officials determined he had falsified his license application in 1998 and subsequent license applications by failing to disclose a felony theft conviction in Colorado, Ketterer said. Commission rules prohibit someone from obtaining a license for five years after a felony conviction.

Rangel has appealed the revocation, but Ketterer has prohibited him from working in Iowa's dog-racing industry while the appeal is considered.

Neither Rangel nor Haynes Kennel officials could be reached for comment last week.
Pete Weien, general manager of Bluffs Run, said the track cooperated with the racing commission while it investigated the allegations against Rangel. But the rulings against Rangel were solely commission matters, he said.

"These people are licensed by the state. Once they have their license, they are able to train, and we have to make our facilities available to people who are licensed," Weien said.
The Iowa Greyhound Association, which represents the state's dog-racing industry, supports the decisions of the state regulators, said Steve Hellyer, the association's executive director. "At the same time, we want to remind everyone that there are 800 persons in this state who work in the greyhound industry and that this is an isolated case," he said.
Source: The Des Moines Register, By WILLIAM PETROSKI, Register Staff Writer, 05/20/2002