If you think of greyhound racing, a certain picture is often conjured up, but this isn’t the case up in Sunderland, where modern day racing has a strong female influence.

Meet Jess, Emily, Abby, Shannon, Shannon, Kaitlyn and Macy, the group of young women who are taking the greyhound racing world by storm.

A dedicated group all under the age of 30, the girls are often seen promoting the breed, championing welfare and education as well as parading winners on the track, but for them it is all just part of a day in the life in the sport they love.

“The best thing about working in the sport is seeing our dogs do what they were born to do, and that’s race” said Abby, a kennelhand to Yvonne Bell. “There’s nothing more exciting than a race day for not only them but for us too. It’s a chance for our dogs to shine as the stars of the show and there’s nothing more special than the feeling of them winning, particularly when we know the work that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen. It can be so rewarding and makes all of the early mornings and late nights worthwhile.”

Her sentiments were echoed by Shannon, who’s dad Paul trains at the track. “The best thing about working with the dogs is walking into the kennels whether it be 7 in the morning or 12:30 at night they are so excited to see you and the love they give you is indescribable, to having them in your kennel finding out all their quirky characters and routines to going to the track doing what they love to, race, to then retiring and rehoming and keeping in touch with the new owners and seeing the next chapter of their lives it’s quite humbling.”

However, the girls were all keen to stress that participation in the sport was more than just days filled with dog cuddles. Many of them juggling busy lives, children and in the cases of Macy and Abby school work as well.

“It’s hard to juggle our lives, as it’s not a job that you can just switch off from,” said Abby. “We race almost every day, and it can sometimes feel non-stop. I’m still at school at the moment and sit my GCSEs in the summer, but still get to the track every meeting that I can do, and go most evenings and weekends”

“Outside of kennels and track I have many responsibilities as I work more than just the one job and have a lot of care responsibilities at home as well” said Emily who works for Paul Miller. “Working in the racing industry has definitely taught me time management and self-discipline. Some days are harder than others but I leave at the end of the day feeling happy that the dogs are happy, healthy and well looked after”

While admitting that working within the industry can be tough, Macy, the youngest of the group at 15, it is the dogs as well as the friendships made through the sport that makes the job worthwhile.

“If any young woman would like to take up the sport the advice I would give is. It’s not all playing with the dogs and cuddles. There is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes, so you need to be really dedicated” warns Macy. “It’s great been part of the younger female group at Sunderland sharing the same interest and they are a great bunch of girls. I have made good friends from the track and it makes working easier when we all get along so well. We help each other out when anyone may need it.”

One of those juggling parenting as well as a career in greyhound racing is Katilyn, who was named GBGB’s Kennelhand of the Year 2024 after wowing the judging panel with her dedication to the sport on and off the track.

“I’m pretty lucky within this one” admitted Kaitlyn. “As well as coming from a greyhound family, my husband (Sam) is involved in greyhound racing with his parents so it’s something that comes so natural to our lives, we have two boys Leo and Riley and they love to be outside helping and caring for our dogs, as soon as they come home from school the only thing on their minds is going to see the dogs. The kennels been on the land where we live definitely makes it easier to juggle work life and being a Mum.”

Despite the hard work and challenges they face; all the girls are keen to promote not only the sport of greyhound racing but encourage other young women to also get involved.

“I think we need more young woman in the industry,” said Emily. “The girls at both the track and our kennels have really helped me grow as an individual, within the sport and in my other jobs as well, I think it could do the same for others too, there’s always something new to learn. It would be great to see more not only woman but the younger generation getting involved and learning to care for these amazing dogs.

“I’m very passionate about changing perceptions of the sport” added Abby. “For too long I think those looking from the outside expect to see old men wearing flat caps, when this really couldn’t be any further from reality. Greyhound racing has diversified so much in recent times, and what many people might not think is that it is one of very few sports where men and women can compete against each other on an equal footing. After all, it’s hard work and dedication that gets our dogs over the winning line, not our gender.”

“My advice to a woman looking to take up a career in the sport would be to just go for it, as you won’t regret it”.