A professional who verifies credentials and starting position of dogs in races and guards dogs against injury and illegal acts. Respnsibilities include:

• Verifies credentials of each dog entered in race, comparing color, name, and sex of dog and name of owner with information on racing form.
• Ensures that dogs are admitted to assigned stalls, notifying other workers to round up designated dogs in advance of each race.
• Guards dogs to prevent persons from injuring them or attempting illegally to influence dog's performance.
• Notifies owner or veterinary personnel in cases of injury or suspected illness.
• Notifies track officials of irregularities as required by racing regulations.
• May clean racing stalls after each race, using disinfectant solution.