The new owner trainer licence, commonly known as the ‘permit’ launches on Friday, not a day too soon for Pelaw Grange promoter Jeff McKenna.
The Durham venue lost another trainer to Sunderland this week and the kennel strength dipped to 150, some 40 short of the ideal. But that could all be resolved in the next month as the new licence holders send out their first runners.
McKenna said: “We have had 20 plus applications and I think GBGB have probably received around 15 already. It won’t be quite as simple as two dogs for every trainer giving us our exact number, but hopefully it won’t be far away.”
GBGB rules mean that none of the new licences become live until Friday and none of the greyhounds handled by the new owner trainers can be registered until they have been in the kennels of the new trainers for a minimum of seven days. But given they will only need to trial twice, or once if they are already qualified, the end of the tunnel is in sight.”
McKenna said: “It is more than just the dogs. The greyhounds become part of the family an the next generation of kids grow up and want a dog around the home. Given time, I can imagine more and more people taking to the idea. It is just what is needed.”
