Meet The Champion Greyhound Named Rob Gronkowski

Photos provided by the Palm Beach Kennel Club

Rob Gronkowski has attracted lots of attention over the past few weeks, appearing on Busted Coverage and Boston.com. No, not that Rob Gronkowski. I’m talking about Rob Gronkowski, the dog. The canine version, a champion greyhound, is on a hot streak. He’s won a handful of races at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida—a facility actually owned by the Rooney family, which also owns the Pittsburgh Steelers—and is being moved up to the “A” class, the top level of competition.

The pup’s owner, Steve Sarras, grew up in Brockton. He’s over the moon. “I’m a huge Rob Gronkowski fan,” he told me on Thursday. “I named [the dog] after him hoping he’d be real good. He’s a special dog.” Sarras has been in the greyhound racing business for years, but since it’s banned in Massachusetts, his dogs have been competing in different places around the country.

Gronkowski (the dog) was born in Abiline, Kansas. His entire litter, Sarras said, has Patriots-inspired names. There’s Danny Woodhead, Terry Glenn, and Myra Kraft. (Sarras once ran into Bob Kraft during a family trip to Disney World and wanted to pay tribute the Patriots owner’s late wife.) Sarras has also owned dogs named Sam Gash and Bledsoe-to-Glenn.

“Everybody’s having a blast with it,” Sarras said of the success of the four-legged Gronk, who sadly, unlike his namesake, cannot wear No. 87.