Ebro Manager: We Need To Revise Our Policies

Mark Hess, Assistant General Manager of Ebro Greyhound Park, has issued the following statement about the recent discovery of 32 dead greyhounds in the No Limit Kennel, owned and operated by trainer Ron Williams. Williams was arrested by Washington County FL authorities on October 29 on 37 counts of felony animal cruelty.

“All of us at Ebro Greyhound Park are stunned and devastated at this terrible turn of events. We are deeply saddened that many greyhounds died under Ron Williams’ watch, and we vow today such a thing will never happen again on our property.”

“We have urged law enforcement authorities to prosecute Ron Williams to the fullest extend of the law. Ebro is considering filing criminal charges against Mr. Williams for breaching his contract with the tracks, which requires that he provide proper care and ensure the health and safety of his greyhounds at all times.”

Hess described a complex chain of events leading to the arrest of Williams.

In mid-September, Ebro officials notified Ron Williams that his racing contract would not be renewed when the track re-opens for the 2011 season. Williams was told that he would have thirty days after the September 25 track closing to move his dogs to another track, return them to their owners, or turn them over to GPAEC or the track’s adoption coordinator for placement.

On October 25, Williams turned eight dogs over to Ebro’s adoption coordinator, Stacie Strickland, who works closely with Greyhound Pets of America Emerald Coast Chapter (GPAEC) volunteer Ann Bollens. Strickland and Bollens noticed that the greyhounds appeared underweight and unhealthy. Williams told the adoption officials that he had two more dogs in his kennel awaiting placement in adoptive homes. Ebro’s adoption kennel has been giving Williams food to feed his dogs.

After a more thorough examination of the greyhounds’ condition, Strickland and Bollens contacted the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering and urged regulators to investigate Williams’ kennel.

At about the same time, people in the area began noticing a distasteful odor coming from the kennel building. When asked about the odor, Williams told track officials that a freezer owned by him outside his kennel building had broken down and caused some meat stored there to rot.

On October 29, state regulators arrived at the Williams kennel to check on what they though were the only two dogs left in the kennel pending adoption. Accompanied by Strickland and Bollens, they found 32 dead greyhounds, on barely alive, and four surviving but severely malnourished. The most seriously ill greyhound was rushed to a veterinary clinic, while the other four were moved to another location at the track for veterinary care and rehabilitation.

Investigators found duct tape wound around the necks of three of the surviving greyhounds. The tape had to be cut away in order to allow the dogs to breathe. They also found that Williams had turned off the kennel’s ventilation system and stuffed towels under the doors to diminish the smell of decaying animals.

Hess said that Ebro and state regulators make random kennel checks during the racing season to verify the healthy condition of the greyhounds. In addition, a full-time veterinarian is on staff throughout the season.

However, once the track’s season ends, there is no policy requiring random kennel checks or the presence of the state vet. Most kennels move to other tracks to continue racing or turn their greyhounds over for adoption.

Hess said that Ebro officials maintained communication with kennel operators after racing ended to check on the status of their greyhounds but did not conduct visual kennel inspections.

“We’ve never had a policy in place for off-season kennel checks,” Hess said. “However, it is obvious that we need to revise our policies to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”