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OUR KENNELS

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View of kennel block. Inside of kennels Open day  Me with 2 inmates
Barley Kennels is registered charity dedicated to the welfare and rehoming of racing greyhounds that generally retire either through age or injury. We house up to 48 greyhounds at one time. A few of the greyhounds are permanent residents due to their age or other problem requiring special attention. These few would dearly love sponsors, either through a regular donation or regular visits. Any donation, whether it is a small single payment, or a larger regular payment is very welcome!! Please be aware that as dogs may only be in kennels for as little as two weeks, this website just shows the range of dogs normally available - although often the dogs shown are still here.

The Kennels is situated at Claverhambury near Waltham Abbey on the fringe of Epping Forest near North East London. The dogs are often walked in the forest. It is run by Joy Battley and now houses up to 48 retired greyhounds. 

The retired greyhounds used to be  mainly from Walthamstow Stadium as we were the Walthamstow Stadium  Owners Association Home Finding scheme, However since  Walthamstow Stadium closed we now have roughly half from the Retired Greyhound Trust - half from other trainers and owners  and sometimes we house stray non GBGB greyhounds. We also have a few dogs that are paid for and visited by their owners. In addition we have ‘holiday dogs'. These are short term stay greyhounds housed while their owners are on holiday or ill. Dog ages range from 20 months to 15 years, but most being between 2 and 5 years. The Kennels moved and is now called Barley Kennels.
The dogs are normally rehomed in two or three months - but we have some that have been here for years for various reasons. Young bitches normally go very fast - the fastest took less than 3 hours! The owner brought her in Sunday morning (our open day) - a home checked family fell in love on the spot and took her home! The trainer/owner had tears in her eyes as she waved good-bye.
We have 5 acres divided into various grassed and sand paddocks. The kennels are a part of a purpose built system originally built for Clapton Stadium in the 1960's. The system consisted of six similar setups next to one another. This was in the days when all NGRC stadiums ran their own dogs. Now, trainers have to have an approved licence and run their kennels separately from the track. Three parts are still exclusively for greyhounds, one is run by the RSPCA, one is a boarding kennels, and the sixth is a dog cemetery.
The dogs are mainly housed in a brick built building consisting of 27 kennels about five feet wide 8 feet high and six feet deep all facing onto a corridor with windows all along it, the doors have a grill so the dogs can take an interest in what is happening.
Below are four photos some general views of the inside - The last shows one of the dogs giving blood to help save the lives of sick or injured dogs being treated through www.vetblood.co.uk.  Greyhounds are ideal candidates - In return the dogs get a wellness check and a blood test plus a TREAT!! PLEASE consider allowing your greyhound to give blood - There is always a shortage and it can save many lives!

Viewing Dogs Looking Out We're Comfy! Giving BLOOD


Each kennel has a raised wooden bed that has paper strip bedding which is changed several times a week. Most kennels house two greyhounds, usually a dog and a bitch to avoid conflict! There are also two separate  brick built kennels, one for holiday dogs  And the other holds the few racers and show dogs that Joy owns.
Our dogs are turned out into the paddocks first thing in the morning, one paddock per kennel in relays. This normally means that some dogs will rush around the perimeter of the paddock wire fencing challenging others to race. Consequently all paddocks have a mud track around the edge! Beds are then usually freshened or changed, water bowls changed, with any dog's medical or cosmetic needs met at the same time.
Then comes the feeding. The food is prepared , in between dog paddocking, . It consists of two large sacks of dry kibble, a large amount of cooked meat, and some dry vegetable soup mix. This is all mixed with hot water and allowed to stand and swell. This is ready to feed, warm, after all dogs have been paddocked. Each dog has a 12" bowl full of food.
The dogs are then paddocked again and allowed to rest. Finally the dogs are paddocked for the final time and each has a dog coat/blanket fitted before being shut in for the night during the winter. The kennels does have heating if required, but the building is actually quite warm due to body heat for most of the year.
The dogs are generally incredibly well behaved. When feeding, the dogs are fed at their kennel. One comes out - the other stays in - voluntarily!! The one that comes out has a lead put on, which is tied to the kennel door to avoid squabbles with their next door neighbour! When being paddocked, most will put their heads through the slip collar straight away. There are a few who always want to play first though. This normally consists of the dog bouncing from one side of the bed to the other, with an enormous greyhound grin on it's face! When being kenneled they line up side by side ready for the collar to be slipped on. I was amazed when I first saw this and it explains why my lot at home do the same thing before ‘walkies'! A few of the dogs will happily walk on their own from the paddock to their kennel with no lead at all.
The entire operation is carried out normally by two people - but sometimes only one is available. I have done it myselfdid it all myself - I can tell you that it's a lot of work!
On Sundays the dogs become very excited because it's Open Day! They are taken for many walks by volunteers or people wanting to adopt a greyhound. They have lots of extra treats and their meal consists of pasta, chicken and sausages. They have a great time and fall asleep easily!

CAT TESTING

First, all dogs are taken to the local cattery to see if they become very agitated on their first exposure to cats. Those that do are classed as CAT UNSAFE. The rest (and there are a good number) are introduced to a cat wearing a muzzle and on a lead in a home where the cat is familiar with greyhounds There the cat  is allowed to walk around and the dog's reaction noted. Finally those dogs with little curiosity or show some fear of him are un-muzzled and exposure repeated. Those that contnue to ignore the cat are classed as CAT SAFE. This only means that generally the dog should be able to live with a cat with training provided close supervision with a gradual introduction is made. Remember, however, that some cats won't get on with any dog and some dogs and cats just don't like each other!!

LARGE and small DOG TESTING

Dogs do not neccessarily automatically get on with one another - so this is why we expect you to bring your dog to our kennels to check for compatibility. Below is set of photos showing how we try to test that your chosen greyhound is compatible with your existing dog. First the two dogs are introduced on neutral ground on leads with the greyhound muzzled. Their first reactions are carefully noted - if they sniff each other, tails wagging then they are left free to wander about in a paddock for a while. If all is quiet or playful the muzzle is removed. If all continues well the two (or more) dogs are taken for a walk. It applies to large and small dogs as some small dogs are surprisingly aggressive!
Our "neutral" ground is a paddock because as all the greyhounds will have used it - so the greyhound does not consider that it owns the paddock - whereas your garden will be considered by your own dog as it's own territory and this can cause initial problems if a new dog suddenly 'invades' it. Normally the whole process takes about half an hour.
This particular meeting did not end as a happy adoption - because there were two very infirm Springer Spaniels also at home and their owner decided that it would be unfair to them! BUT he's promised to return when the old dogs have passed on. At least now I do know that Chrissie the greyhound is fine with Bloodhounds!!
Who are YOU? This is more interesting Let's walk! I'm comfortable now!

I couldn't resist also showing Ben the greyhound getting to know a tiny Chinese Crested Terrier!!

 

Water is Best! Hello there!! Didn't we do well!!?? Can we go home?

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