How to Get a "Bad Test" in the Greyhound Business

When I say "bad test" I mean exactly that. A test for a dog testing positive for drugs is referred to as a "bad test. They test the winner of every race immediately following the race and one other dog at random. Of course to test the dog, it has to pee. That means that while you are walking your dog after the race then there is a "pee catcher" walking behind your dog with a cup stuck on the end of a long stick. When the dog squats to do it's business they slip the cup in and take a sample.

They test for performance enhancing drugs. They also test for antibiotics or any other drug that would indicate a dog is sick and should not be running. The official position is that if a dog is sick enough to require medication then it is too sick to run. To bad the same position isn't taken with children in minor league sports or even in high school and college!

Anyway, here's the story. I heard from the start that the quickest way to get a bad test was to piss off the judges. It only took me about a year and a half to find out that the trainers were right! I was having a disagreement with track officials because they wouldn't let my husband and I work in separate kennels. They called it a conflict of interest. However, it wasn't a conflict for boyfriend/girlfriend (even if they were living together), father/son, brothers or any other close personal relationships to work in separate kennels. They were not banned, only husband and wife.

One day I decided to call up one of the members of the West Virginia Racing Commission. He was a lawyer named Gaudio in Wheeling. I called his office and asked to speak to him and the secretary put me straight through. I didn't get a whole sentence out before the man uncerimoniously hung up on me. Boy, was I surprised. I had never experienced such treatment in my life! Most people would at least find out why you were calling before they expressed their displeasure and told you not to bother them. Not in this case. He didn't say a word, he just hung up. period. end of conversation.

That evening at weigh in. I took my dogs in and taggged them. As soon as I was finished, Judge Thaw called me into the veterinarian's office with the veterinarian. He absolutely reamed me a new asshole. He was more pissed that I had the audacity to call a member of the racing commission than he was that I was challenging the rule about husbands and wives working in separate kennels. He informed me that I didn't have a snowballs chance in hell of making any changes in the rule. I was in tears by the time he was finished with his tirade.

That wasn't the end of it.

The next day at weigh in Judge Thaw was not there. That was the first time in a year and a half that I had not seen him, personally, at weigh in. (State law requires 2 judges be present at weigh in - there are 3 of them) I have forgotten the judges name who called me into the vet's office that day. He was a nice man. Here is what he told me.

He told me I had a bad test for trimethoprim. He was also nice enough to explain to me what it was because I had never heard of the stuff. Trimethoprim is a common kidney medicine that farmer's give to cows if they are sick and they are trying to get them across the scale alive instead of dead because the meat is worth more that way. If the cow has trimethoprim in it's system, then it comes through in the meat. (including meat for human consumption)

He also told me that all I was going to have to do was to pay a fine of $100.00. The fine would go on my permanent record. If I chose to fight the fine then they would take my license and I would never be allowed to race again.

That is how you get a bad test in the greyhound business.