MPI won't chase greyhound trainer whose dog ingested meth and won race

Monday, 3 May 2021

Animal welfare in greyhound racing is under review in New Zealand. (Stock image)

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has decided not to investigate a greyhound trainer whose dog won a premier race on meth.

Last month, Foxton greyhound trainer Angela Turnwald was fined $3500 and disqualified for four months after her dog Zipping Sarah tested positive for methamphetamine after a race on November 12 in Christchurch. It was the third doping case in the greyhound racing industry in the last six months.

MPI said in a statement on Monday that it was not notified of the greyhound meth case, but became aware of the case on April 22 when media reported the Judicial Control Authority (JCA) decision about Turnward’s penalty.

MPI director of compliance Gary Orr said an investigation was then considered but since the JCA had dealt with the case, MPI decided it had been “concluded”.

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Greyhounds involved in racing have allegedly suffered high injury rates. (File photo)

All reported animal welfare offences were taken seriously and, as needed, referred to the agencies best placed to investigate, he said.

An email to the Greyhound Protection League that insufficient evidence was available to pursue Turnwald for breaches of the Animal Welfare Act was a mistake, she said, and MPI had apologised.

Will Appelbe, spokesman for animal rights group Safe, said he was surprised MPI had decided not to investigate as he regarded the case as “open and shut”.

Greyhound owners get together to show how lovely the breed can be off the track. (Video first published June 2019)

“Why is meth on the dog racing track not treated as seriously as meth on the streets?” he said.

In its decision on the case, the JCA said it could not establish who administered the drug or how it was administered, but it had to impose a sentence to ensure trainers were vigilant and took precautions to ensure their greyhounds did not consume prohibited substances before a race.

The authority heard Zipping Sarah was driven to Christchurch by Turnwald’s partner, a licensed kennel hand, who stopped for a few hours at a friend’s house in Kaiapoi where the dog got some exercise.

Turnwald initially claimed the meth could have come from syndicate members who patted the dog after the race but abandoned the defence after the Racing Integrity Unit brought scientific evidence to show Zipping Sarah must have ingested the meth before the race.

Appelbe called for an end to greyhound racing.

Last month, Racing Minister Grant Robertson launched a review into greyhound racing, warning he was not satisfied with the industry's work on animal welfare.