Dog Racing Reaches Finish Line Employees, Hounds Face Uncertain Future As Last Race Ends

Hilde came to rest Sunday night.

After nearly eight years of zooming around the Coeur d’Alene Greyhound Park track, the white “rabbit” - named after state Rep. Hilde Kellogg - lured dogs into 30-second gallops for the last time.

In 1987, Kellogg, a Post Falls Republican, led the effort to get the park approved by a reluctant Idaho Legislature.

Without fanfare, the dog track ended its live racing with a near-sellout crowd of more than 700 well-wishers and regulars. Saturday’s gate of more than 800 was among the year’s biggest.

Bruce and Laura Cornwall of Chattaroy were sad to see it close. The two made the 35-mile trek to the park at least once a week to follow their favorite dogs - and then their subsequent bloodlines through the kennels - and to wager a few dollars.

“I’ll miss the friendships we made with some of the people at the ticket booths,” said Laura Cornwall. “Lots of people make a living from gambling here.”

Bruce Cornwall, who once hit a $400 winner with a $2 ticket, said he will miss the excitement and the family-friendly atmosphere.

The rise of other gambling pursuits conspired to close the track. Indian bingo, a casino in Bonners Ferry built by the Kootenai Tribe, and a bevy of new lotteries all sapped the dog racing dollar.

Attendance sagged along with the track’s handle each year until Paul Bryant Jr. and his Alabama-based Green Group cut their losses at just over $21 million.

The clubhouse, which has held up nicely after eight years, could yet become a large bingo center. The simulcast betting - wagers on races at other tracks - will continue, and possibly be run by a Boise racing company.

Operations manager Al May managed to keep a wry smile on his face Sunday. “It’s been a tough one for all of us.”

Fans appreciated the hard work of the Greyhound Park staff.

“Where else could you spend a whole evening of entertainment for $20?” said Dana Stovern, who came to the park with her husband about seven times a year. Though the couple once had a $100 winner, their wagers often went to the house, she said with a smile. “We certainly did pay for our evenings.”

For some, greyhounds mean much more than entertainment. They’re more like a way of life for Penny Harvill, who joined three other members of Greyhound Pets of America to make the drive from Tacoma to Post Falls.

“These dogs mean more to me than any other thing in the world,” said Harvill, who has adopted three of the lean runners. “We just wanted to come over here and say goodbye to the track.”

Elaine Shadle of Tacoma came to the park to retrieve the racing records of her adopted greyhound, Flying Snowball. “I wanted to see just how she’d done as a racer before I got her.”

These are special pets. Ask any greyhound owner. Lynne Roberson, who worked at the track for two years, had tears in her eyes when talking about her greyhound, Holly.

“These dogs have been raised in kennels, so they don’t know what a TV is or what a sliding glass door is,” she said. “They acclimate so quickly, though. They’re just fantastic.”

There should be plenty of dog adopters - who must meet requirements such as having a fenced yard - to take in the homeless greyhounds, Roberson said. The track management will take care of the dogs until all are adopted out, she said.

The dogs may be luckier than the nearly 200 employees who worked their final night at the park. The Kootenai County job market remains bleak, and they’ll join more than 100 unemployed Louisiana-Pacific workers laid off from the Post Falls mill in October.

“I just hope I can find a waitressing job,” said Sabrina Snodderley, a senior at Post Falls High School who was working the valet parking at the track Sunday night, her last night of work. “It’s just been a sad, depressing day for folks who work here and the regulars.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ADOPTING A DOG For information on adopting greyhounds call: Greyhound Pets of America in Otis Orchards at (509) 927-8002 or 1-800-366-1472; Greyhound Pets Inc. in Coeur d’Alene at (208) 765-3115.