NGA ASSISTING FLORIDA AUTHORITIES WITH GREYHOUND IDENTIFICATION
The National Greyhound Association (NGA), the official registry for racing greyhounds, is assisting the Washington County (FL) sheriff’s department and the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering in identifying more than 32 greyhounds found dead at Ebro Greyhound Park and near the home of kennel operator Ron Williams, who has been charged with 37 counts of felony animal cruelty in connection with the deaths.
NGA Executive Director Gary Guccione said that every registered greyhound receives a number tattoo on the ear to verify its identity. All racing greyhounds in the U.S. must be registered in order to compete at U.S. tracks.
“We are glad to have the opportunity to assist state and local authorities in prosecuting this case to the full extent of the law,” Guccione said. “I’ve never seen our members so shocked and upset. They feel very strongly that we need to be actively involved in putting the people responsible behind bars.”
He warned that identification may be difficult in some cases because advanced decomposition has made the ear tattoos impossible to read. The NGA recently began DNA testing of greyhounds, but the database is still relatively small and could lead to false identifications, since so many greyhounds share common DNA.