The Oregonian - Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Agency Revokes License To Operate Greyhound Farm

An Eagle Creek man who had his license to train greyhounds revoked two years ago has again run afoul of the Oregon Racing Commission.

The commission last month revoked Ronald M. Floyd's license to run a greyhound farm for one year after he refused to allow investigators to search his property. The search request came after investigators discovered a dead rabbit in the driveway of Floyd's property Feb. 12.

A veterinarian determined that the rabbit was a "canine" kill and that it might have died as it was being used as a live lure, a training practice prohibited by the commission.

Oregon's only greyhound racing track is in Wood Village, and numerous kennels and trainers operate in surrounding communities. According to commission records, Floyd houses 26 greyhounds on his Eagle Creek property.

The most recent problems for Floyd began when he applied to have his training license reinstated, said Steve Barham, executive director of the Oregon Racing Commission.

In December 1999, the commission revoked Floyd's training license for two years and fined him $3,000 after six dogs died from heat and lack of water in a rental truck and trailer as he drove from Oregon to Florida. But he did not lose his license to run a greyhound farm, a separate enterprise, Barham said.
Barham said Floyd reapplied for his racing license but didn't include money to process the application.
"We sent somebody out to pick up the check, and that's when they found the rabbit remains in his driveway," he said.

An investigator returned to Floyd's farm, hours after finding the rabbit Feb. 12. When the investigator arrived, he asked Floyd -- who was told two hours before that the investigator was coming -- to sign a form consenting to the search.

Floyd signed the form, but would not allow the investigator to search an office/storage area and a pole barn on the property, alleging they were being rented to someone else.
He told the investigator that the rabbit was probably killed by a fox.

Connie Theil, a spokesman for Oregon Defenders of Greyhounds, said the practice of live lure training includes using a rabbit to train the dogs to run fast.

Sometimes the rabbits are disabled and attached to a device that runs in a circle.
"There's a suspicion among some trainers, a feeling, that the dogs need to taste blood before they can really race and win," Theil said.

Theil said she's outraged that the commission is allowing Floyd to even have a chance to get his license reinstated.

"He should have been banned for the first incident two years ago," Theil said.

Barham said the commission does not have enough evidence to prove that Floyd was training greyhounds with live lures. However, it's the first time in his 17 years on the commission he can recall someone refusing to have his property searched.

"It's the kind of thing that's not tolerated," Barham said. "If you do it and get caught, don't even think about reapplying for a license."

On Friday, an administrative hearings judge will hear Floyd's appeal of the suspension of his greyhound farming license. In July, Barham said, the racing commission also will review his application to reinstate his training license. You can reach Stuart Tomlinson at 503-294-5940 or by e-mail at stuarttomlinson@news.oregonian.com. Source: The Oregonian, By Stuart Tomlinson, 5/21/02