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Cover Stories Fall/Winter 2004 State Revokes Iowa Greyhound Breeder's License for Animal Cruelty Independence: The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission Oct. 27 summarily revoked the occupational license of Kenneth Sherrets Jr. for neglecting 33 racing greyhounds on his Buchanan County breeding farm. The North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators Association issued a ruling the same day, which stated in part that Sherrets had subjected the dogs "to cruel and inhumane treatment by failing to supply them with adequate food, water, medical treatment, exercise, bedding, sanitation and shelter." The dogs were reportedly in very poor condition. The malnourished, parasite-ridden greyhounds were discovered during a routine kennel inspection by investigators with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in mid-September. The dogs had been without food or water for an unspecified amount of time. The agriculture department notified the racing commission about conditions on the farm and Sherrets license was immediately suspended. Agriculture began a month-long investigation and conducted numerous follow-up inspections, but Sherrets failed to take any corrective action. The Land Stewardship Division removed the dogs from Sherrets farm to an undisclosed location on Oct. 29. Local station KWWL TV-7 aired several reports on the incident. KWWL reporters contacted the National Greyhound Association in Abilene, but a spokesperson at the official greyhound registry refused to divulge the whereabouts of the dogs. Sherrets has a racing kennel at Dubuque Greyhound Park and Casino; those dogs were reportedly in good condition but were not allowed to race because of the license suspension. Dubuque's general manager, Bruce Wentworth, called the neglect case an "isolated incident." Sherrets also holds a Wisconsin license to race his dogs at Dairyland in Kenosha and Geneva Lakes in Delavan. The Wisconsin Gaming Division suspended Sherrets' racing privileges after news of the neglected dogs on his Iowa farm became public. "Deterioration of this type doesn't occur overnight," said Susan Netboy, director of the Greyhound Protection League, a national advocacy organization based in California. "Sherrets has passed the industry's inspection criteria year after year and has retained his member-in-good-standing status with the breeder's association." Netboy said, "The industry's primary interest is to keep the bad apples behind closed doors where the outside world can't get a view," which she believes is the primary reason the dogs were moved off the farm to an undisclosed location. "There are adoption groups who are willing to care for the dogs until they recover and can be placed into loving homes, but the industry will only work with adoption organizations who honor the 'code of silence' and apparently none of those groups has space available." The Greyhound Protection League sent a formal request to the Iowa Department of Agriculture for a full accounting of the final disposition of Sherrets racing greyhounds.
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