A dog lover from Bromsgrove has become the UK’s youngest professional female greyhound trainer after successfully taking over her mother’s license.
Emily Blunt was spending her evenings trackside before she could walk and became a part-time kennel hand to her mum Julie as a teenager after leaving school.
A year later, Emily switched to full-time employment and now – aged 25 – has taken over the family business and oversees a kennel of 58 racing greyhounds based at Perry Barr Stadium in Birmingham and employs a team of full and part-time staff.
Her shift in responsibility coincides with International Women’s Day. And to mark the celebration of women and their contributions to society, Emily is encouraging more females with a passion for animals to consider a role in racing.
“Greyhound racing is my life,” said Emily. “It’s constantly on my mind, and that enthusiasm was born out of a passion for the dogs.
“My mum had an accident a few years ago and broke her ankle which prompted me to work full-time at the kennel and I haven’t looked back since.
“Watching the dogs arrive at the kennel, thrive during their racing careers and then move onto their forever home in retirement is so satisfying and why I love the job.
“It’s hard work. The dogs can’t tell the difference between a Sunday and a Thursday, so for me it is seven days a week but being able to spend my days with the greyhounds makes it worthwhile.”
Emily is one of four professional female greyhound trainers based at Perry Barr Stadium.
It follows a national trend, with an increasing number of women working in greyhound racing either as a trainer, kennel hand or member of the backroom team at one of the UK’s 18 licensed stadia.
Last year, 10 of greyhound racing’s Category One competitions – the highest level of UK greyhound racing – were won by female trainers. Despite operating at the grassroots level of the sport, Emily still dreams of making it to the top.
“All our greyhounds are graders, meaning they typically won’t run in competitions,” said Emily. “But you never know, a superstar might arrive one day – everyone can dream.
“Everyone stereotypes greyhound racing as a sport for older men wearing flat caps, but that really isn’t the case today and it’s great to see so many women succeeding on and off the track.”
Greyhound racing continues at Perry Barr Stadium through spring with fixtures scheduled every Wednesday and Saturday evening.
