Video special - Rose Draper kennel visit

Video special - Rose Draper kennel visit

Go behind the scenes at a GBGB racing kennel with Gone To The Dog - Live! this Thursday.

In a video to be released at 7pm on Thursday 21 August, Dani Jackson and Leonna Mayor visited the home of the Draper dynasty in Rotherham to spend a day with the current head honcho, Rose. 

Rose took over from her father, Barrie, back in January and the duo wanted to see what’s happened in the months since the change.

Jackson said it was a fantastic insight into how a racing kennel operates and to see how much love and care goes into each and every one of the canine stars.

“Our first job was to run a couple of greyhounds in a paddock with their toy sloth!” said Jackson.

“After approximately 10 minutes, one of them took himself off to the kennel at the top of the field to signal he was done for the day and could we please take him back to bed.

“The myth that greyhounds need hours and hours of exercise was quickly dispelled by the dogs – one of whom didn’t even lift his head when we visited his kennel and remained that way an hour later, almost like he was trying to stay as still as possible so we didn’t take him out again!”

As a former jockey, Mayer knows all about the horse racing industry but was keen to find out more about all aspects of greyhound racing and how the two sports compare.

Jackson continued: “Leonna grilled Rose on all sorts of topics, from starting syndicates and the types of owners Rose has in the kennel, to the differences between horse racing and greyhound racing. 

“I thought I knew a lot about racing but unless you have worked and lived in a kennel, there’s so much left to learn.

“Rose spends a lot of time weighing each of her racers to make sure they are recovering from their work at home, or races at Sheffield, and adjusts their calorie intake according to how much they have lost or gained each day. 

“I helped, with one whole dish, which took far too long and it would have been tea-time by the time I finished dishing out all the ingredients, so Rose and the team took over so that the dogs weren’t clawing the bars down at dinner time!”

“Leonna got hands-on with the grooming side of the job – all of Rose’s greyhounds are groomed on a daily basis and are used to a variety of different people, which is good for preparing them for life after racing.”

Rose is heavily involved in the rehoming side of things and plays an active role in ensuring all her retired greyhound find a suitable home, as well as being involved in numerous fundraising ventures.

“Rose has always been passionate about rehoming and we met a few who are waiting to find their forever sofa (please enquire if interested). I got plenty of licks as Leonna and Rose discussed the current rehoming situation in the sport and how it impacts a racing kennel if dogs are unable to move to their forever sofas.

“An enjoyable day was had by everyone, with Leonna and I talking on the way home about setting up our own syndicate…so watch this space!”

Watch this special and in-depth video at 7pm on Thursday on the Gone The Dogs – Live! YouTube channel here.