County fair exhibition dog-racing exception clears House on 66-3 vote

Legislation to grant an exception from Idaho’s strict ban on dog racing for short-track exhibition dog races at county fairs that are betting-free cleared the House today on a 66-3 vote. It’s aimed specifically at a vendor who wants to bring a side-show attraction to fairs in Idaho called the “Fido 500 Mini Dog Races,” which the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Clark Kauffman, R-Filer, said his county fair in Twin Falls County wants to book. But that would run afoul of the 1996 law that makes dog racing – or training dogs for racing – a felony in Idaho. That was in response to concerns about abuse at a greyhound race track in North Idaho.

“It’s fun, educational and entertaining,” Kauffman told the House this morning, urging support for HB 104. “They have nine different breeds of dog … they run three at a time on a W-shaped track. Everybody wins, everybody gets a biscuit.”

The event includes educational pitches about each dog’s breed, and urging to adopt a rescue dog from a local shelter; after each race, spectators get to meet and pet the dogs at a “Puppy Party Playpen.”

So who would vote against that? Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, one of the three, said, “One of the worst votes I ever made was early in the days I was here, and the horse industry begged me to vote for racing in North Idaho,” including both dog and horse racing. “Then I found out how the dogs were treated. That’s long closed.”

She said, “If you really want this to be interesting and exciting, you might do things you don’t want done to a dog.” Bell added that she let Kauffman know she’d be casting a “no” vote. And she said their local county fair is a “wonderful” fair. “My conscience feels better,” Bell said. “I’ve never forgotten that vote.”

The other two representatives who voted “no” also let Kauffman know in advance. Rep. Kelley Packer, R-McCammon, cited similar concerns, saying she’s worried that with the exception, some racing operators might mistreat their dogs. “I’m not saying this company would necessarily be abusive to the dogs,” she said. But she said she’s heard stories of dogs being starved in order to make them run. “I just didn’t feel comfortable,” she said.

Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, said he was contacted by a constituent who’s active with Greyhound Rescue of Idaho and expressed concern that the move could pave the way to a return of greyhound racing in Idaho; Crane said he promised the constituent he’d vote against the bill.

HB 104 still needs Senate passage and the governor’s signature to become law.