Aussie Greyhound Trainer in Cruelty Case Once ‘Sexually Stimulated’ Dog

A recent animal cruelty investigation involving an Australian greyhound trainer revealed footage allegedly showing the individual “stimulating” one of his dogs before a race at his kennel.

On Friday morning, Tony Rasmussen and his wife, Lisa, were slapped with a twelve count charge relating to footage showing animal abuse at their kennel compound in South Australia. This comes after video emerged in 2016 on Sky Racing of Tony handling a dog named Crisis Bale “in the vicinity of its genital region,” according to the Racing South Australia (SA) inquiry. Some members of the public suggested his behaviour was intended to slow the animal down – and it worked, as Crisis Bale significantly underperformed in the race at Angle Park.

Slap on the Wrist

Rasmussen denied any wrongdoing in connection with the incident, but Racing SA stewards found him guilty of breaching Greyhound Racing Rule 86(o), which prohibits corrupt, fraudulent, or dishonest actions related to greyhound racing. Because of this, he was fined $1000 with $250 of the fine suspended for two years provided he does not commit any further violations. The police were not involved in the case as Racing SA were handling the matter internally. The incident came to light after footage was released, which was met with shock.

Shocking Footage

This week, Racenet.com described Rasmussen as “South Australia’s premier trainer.” However, the news has taken an upsetting turn as drone footage emerged, taken from above Rasmussen’s kennel compound near Adelaide. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the footage purported to be filmed by a whistleblower showed an unidentified man repeatedly kicking, punching, and dragging dogs, including puppies, over a 17-day period in June and early July this year. In light of this shocking news, new charges have been filed against Rasmussen. Even with these allegations, Victa Damian, Rasmussen’s star dog, has won 14 of its 24 appearances this year.

New Charges Filed

On Friday morning Racing SA announced that it had pressed charges against Tony Rasmussen and his wife, Lisa Rasmussen, for a dozen racing offenses stemming from the publicized footage. In response to this, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas declared this week that an independent investigation into the industry would take place. Grey2K USA Worldwide’s executive director, Carey Thiel, expressed his opinion to Casino.org Thursday, asking why Tony Rasmussen was still employed in this field after being found guilty of sexual abuse of a greyhound before a race in 2017, with a mere $1,000 fine to go with the offense. Thiel proclaimed, “If South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas really wants to get to the bottom of this case, he should begin by finding out why Greyhound Racing SA permitted a convicted greyhound abuser to continue working in the racing industry, even years after being apprehended.”