Dog owner drunk at track loses license
Two-week suspension spurred by confrontation over euthanizing dog
By Dale Quinn
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
A Tucson Greyhound Park kennel owner, widely supported by dog-adoption groups, had his operations shut down and his license suspended for being drunk on the job, the track's Board of Stewards ruled Tuesday night.
The suspension stems from a Friday night incident when kennel owner David Blair tried to keep a veterinarian from euthanizing an injured greyhound, said Tom Taylor, the track's general manager.
The Arizona Department of Racing charged Blair with intoxication, disorderly conduct and disrupting the orderly operation of racing.
The department director, Geoffry Gonsher, said he could not speak directly to Blair's charges. However, he said "any time a licensee is under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, he poses a risk to other licensees and the animals."
The Board of Stewards, which consists of two state track officials and one local official, fined Blair $500, suspended his license for two weeks and referred the case to Gonsher.
Blair said he will appeal the decision.
Blair, who had been working as a trainer Friday night, was asked to go to the paddocks at the greyhound track at 2601 S. Third Ave. because he was intoxicated and acting belligerent toward customers, Taylor said.
"He was pretty drunk," he said.
Blair said he did not act confrontational with any customers and, if that was the case, he should have been kicked out.
Blair said that while caring for his dogs in the paddocks he noticed someone carrying a greyhound into a veterinarian's office and he went into the office to check out the dog's condition.
The dog didn't appear to have a serious injury, Blair said. He asked if the vet was going to wrap the injured leg and he learned the decision had been made to euthanize the animal.
Taylor said the dog suffered a fracture, and while it could have walked again, it would have been in pain the rest of its life.
Once the track vet and the owner decided to euthanize the dog, a state vet looked at the animal and approved the decision, Taylor said.
"Both vets felt it was the humane thing to do and the owner felt it was the humane thing to do," Taylor said.
Blair acknowledged he'd been drinking in the afternoon and he said refused to let track officials kill the dog. He said in his more than 20 years' experience with greyhounds, he's never euthanized a dog.
Taylor persuaded the dog's owner to try to sell it and Taylor offered it to Blair for $200. Blair said he didn't have that much money and he was afraid to leave the dog alone.
"They wanted to put it down because that's the easiest thing to do," Blair said.
The dog continued suffering as Blair stalled the vets, Taylor said, so he called the South Tucson Police Department and Blair was escorted off the property.
Once outside, Blair learned his license to operate his kennels in Phoenix and Tucson had been suspended by the Arizona Department of Racing. Blair said he owns about 140 greyhounds and the suspension, which went into effect on Friday, means none can race.
So far this year, Taylor said, five greyhounds have been euthanized after suffering injuries at Tucson Greyhound Park. Four had broken legs and one had a broken back.
"We have many dogs that have minor breaks and they are never euthanized," Taylor said.
But Joe Romack, who came to the hearing in support of Blair and is connected to many adoption agencies, said killing the dog was unnecessary.
"There have been some injuries where a dog needs to be put down," he said. "But in this case it's a dog that could easily have been saved."
● Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 629-9412 or dquinn@azstarnet.com.
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