Lawmaker: ‘You can race pigs, ducks or turtles at the fair, but not these little dogs’
When Idaho banned dog racing in 1996 amid concerns over reported abuse of greyhounds raced at a North Idaho dog track, the law was firm and far-reaching: It made dog racing a felony. But now, various other types of non-gambling dog racing events, from a planned, but canceled, country radio station wiener-dog race last spring dubbed “Rick and Carly's Arena-Wiena Cross” to an exhibition dog race that several county fairs are interested in booking next summer, are raising questions about how whether the law went too far.
This morning, Rep. Clark Kauffman, R-Filer, introduced legislation to create an exception from the dog-racing ban specifically for the proposed event at several county fairs in southern Idaho. It would exempt “exhibition-style live dog races conducted at county fairs and upon which no pari-mutuel betting occurs.” The House State Affairs Committee agreed to introduce the bill, clearing the way for a full hearing; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com.
Kauffman, a third-term lawmaker, said his local county fair manager brought the issue to him, after visiting a Las Vegas trade show where a fair attraction called the “Fido 500 Mini Dog Races” was among the exhibitors, billed as a “delightfully educational program in an exciting and entertaining format!” After each race, in which every dog’s a medal-winner, spectators get to meet and pet the dogs at a “Puppy Party Playpen.” Kauffman’s bill wouldn’t cover the radio station event, just county fairs; he said he hadn’t heard about the weiner dog race kerfuffle until today.
The Fido 500 features dogs including Tommy Tamale, a long-haired yellow Chihuahua, and Kung Fu Monkey, a hairless Chinese crested, a breed known for winning ugly-dog contests. All get enthusiastic introductions, including some history about their breed and its country of origin.
“You can race pigs, ducks or turtles at the fair," Kauffman said, "but you can’t have these little dog races.”
Idaho specifically legalized dog racing in 1987 to allow the opening of the Coeur d’Alene Greyhound Park in Post Falls, now called the Greyhound Park Event Center. Live racing took place there from 1988 to 1995, when the park ended the live greyhound races after announcing it had lost $21 million on the operation.
In 1996, Idaho banned dog racing. Then-Gov. Phil Batt, a dog lover who held his own poodle-Schnauzer mix, Sniffer, on his lap as he signed the bill, said, “Dog racing depends upon selecting a few highly competitive dogs out of a large group. Those that can't compete are doomed to either be adopted or destroyed. It hardly seems worth it to me to go through that process of breeding and killing the ones that can't compete, just to have the sport. It's not a good thing to do.”
