With racing temporarily suspended, kennel staff around the country are working hard to give their greyhounds the best care whilst they cannot visit the track. Likewise, many have kept up their rehoming efforts wherever it has been possible to do so safely and in line with social distancing measures.

Among those celebrating recent success stories are two of the sport’s Greyhound Ambassadors, Kelli Windebank and Rose Draper. In Rose’s case, she is pleased to report that one of the Draper kennels’ retirees, Trev (Kowloon Connelly), went off to his new forever home last week and is already settling well into life with the family.

After losing their retired greyhound a few years ago, Belle Vue bookmaker Henry and his family decided that now would be a perfect opportunity to welcome a new greyhound into their home and take the time to get him settled in and used the routines of home life. Henry said that he was ‘like a kid at Christmas’ looking forward to bringing Trev home.

Commenting on Trev’s experience, Rose Draper said:

“It was fantastic to drop Trev off at his forever home. It’s such a difficult time for everyone at the moment but knowing that he’s going to be loved and cared for in a fantastic new home really helped lift my spirits. It’s always so rewarding to see a greyhound that you’ve cared for day-in, day-out at the kennels find somewhere where they’re going to be spoiled rotten.

 “I’m always so delighted when new owners want to find out more about their dogs’ racing past and Henry obviously has a natural interest. Throughout the lockdown I’ve also been posting trophies to people with retired dogs that have won at Sheffield over the years, because they had got in touch via the ‘Your Greyhound’s History’ Facebook page. Thanks to this page so many people have been able to find out more about their greyhound’s pedigree, siblings and careers which is great to see. Hopefully the information and memorabilia will cheer up their days in a small way too.”

Meanwhile, at Jason Bloomfield’s kennels in Henlow, assistant trainer Kelli Windebank has also found a new foster home for their greyhound Susie (Willowdale Jet).

Explaining the process, Kelli said:

“One of our girls, Susie, recently picked up an injury to her Achilles and wasn’t thriving in the kennels. She was struggling to join in our regular routines so I thought it would be best for her to go into a foster home to see how she got on in a different environment and to get her acclimatised to retired life.

 “We were delighted when a lady we knew, Denise, said she would like to take in a greyhound to foster. She’s always wanted a dog and now, being at home with more time on her hands is the perfect opportunity to welcome one into her life. The upside of this awful time is that with many people finding themselves at home, those that have been thinking about getting a greyhound have more time to take this forward and are seeing for themselves what amazing pets they make.

“Having said that, we all know that a dog is not just for Christmas and similarly a dog is not just for coronavirus either! They need long-term commitment so we need to be aware that anyone considering fostering or rehoming a greyhound has the time and environment to look after one, even when their schedules go back to normal. Denise has already started making arrangements so that when she does go back to work, her schedule fits nicely around Susie.

“There are certainly some added challenges of rehoming during coronavirus, including obviously keeping our distance from others. On Friday, I went to pick Susie up from her new home to take her to the vets to check up on her leg – thankfully it’s a small injury which she’ll recover from soon but it does mean an end to her racing career. I’d collected her from her doorstep and we waited outside at the vets before doing the return journey. It all went smoothly and I’m just so glad that she’s making a strong recovery and enjoying her new foster home.

“In challenging times like these, greyhounds really are the best companions you could wish for, so for any individual or family with time and love to give, fostering or rehoming a retired greyhound is definitely something they should consider.”