Dog racing is an undeniably cruel method for gamblers to profit from the misery of innocent animals. Shocking lengths are taken to increase the odds of making a quick buck, including the use of controlled performance-enhancing drugs. Following a criminal investigation into drugging greyhounds, a well-known breeder in Iowa has been convicted in federal court for illegally selling controlled substances and other drugs across the U.S.

Jon Stidham, a 57-year-old greyhound breeder in Iowa, pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to deliver, distribute or dispense methyltestosterone over the internet without a valid prescription and without complying with federal and Iowa licensing requirements.”

Stidham owns an online store called Kennel Supply which sells products for animals. Prosecutors say he sold more than 300,000 doses of methyltestosterone from 2015 to 2018. Methyltestosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance used to treat the lack of testosterone in greyhounds and is sometimes used to prevent female greyhounds from going into heat. Federal court documents indicate that Stidham also illegally distributed over 50 types of prescription drugs to customers without a valid prescription or authorization, profiting more than $200,000. 

According to the plea agreement, the distributed drugs did not include dosage instructions, which are required by the prescribing veterinarian, and are therefore considered misbranded. Stidham obtained assistance from an unnamed family member and an additional individual in Kansas to ship the drugs, which were obtained from wholesalers using a Kansas veterinarian's license and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration number. The plea agreement also indicates that Stidham and unnamed individuals forged the veterinarian's signature to acquire the drugs. 

Stidham is free on bond pending sentencing. He faces up to 15 years in prison, a $750,000 fine, and up to life on supervised release after prison. Court documents indicate that Stidham will also forfeit $527,510 of illegal profits as part of the plea. Stidham’s attorney indicates that he will be sentenced after a pre-sentence investigation and he has agreed to serve 15 months in prison with supervision after his release. 

Stidham is a former board member of the Iowa Greyhound Racing Association and has previously been investigated in connection with conspiracy to illegally sell drugs to other kennel owners in the state.

Dogs who are tortured and forced to race are subjected to confinement, neglect, illness, and painful and life-threatening injuries. Being dosed with performance-enhancing drugs to increase their chances of winning races is not uncommon. When they are no longer profitable, they are abandoned or killed. End dog racing in the United States by urging your representative to support The Greyhound Protection Act! 

We will keep you updated on Stidham’s sentencing.