Whippet Snippets

Puppy Power

Well that Ribsy! Chalk it up to him, two days in a row without going potty in the house. Except for the moment when Boy came home at lunchtime, he let out an excited little piddle on the newspaper.

He continues to amaze Girl with how good he is with people, from the elderly to overexcited kids to big grown-up men. Yesterday Girl took him to Hillside Vet Clinic for his first appointment with his new doctor. He didn't flinch or cry when she gave him the last of his puppy shots. Girl did come out of it armed with medications - deworming serum, doggy toothpaste, flea tablets - which made her wonder if she even take such good care of herself.

He was also very good with Michael, Boy's brother, who came to stay the night. Except for the moment when Ribsy snuck into Mike's room and proceeded to do the Maniac dance on poor Mike's head.

He met a few more dogs in the 'hood too, including an lovable 150 pound rottweiler named Titan. People often remark that they have never seen a whippet puppy before.

Where are all the other whippet puppies?

Our Clever Boy

Whip (no pun intended) out a trophy! Ribsy went a whole day without pottying in the house! Yes it's true, our little pup's on his way. He's a clever one!

He patiently waited until Girl returned home at lunch and after work to let him out and potty in the backyard. She think he's got it figured out that the more he goes potty outside the more Snausage treats he gets. He even goes far into the corner of the yard and fakes it by going in the squat position - thinking his folks won't notice if there's pee coming out or not! He's a clever one!

About his sting, Girl thinks it actually helped him calm down! He wasn't able to whiz around as much as he would have liked. By the end of the day his swelling went down considerably. It didn't stop him from acting all wounded going up and down the stairs, and doing the occasional raised left paw of whimpering 'pain' to score sympathy points. He's a clever one!

For dinner Boy & Girl grabbed takeout from the Beacon Hill Drive-in and ate at the park. Afterwards they trounced down to the Dallas Road Dog Park, where Ribsy got all nervous with all the off-leash dogs (y'know Nellie & Mat, those hind leg shakes of his). Maybe it's because they all weigh 100 pounds more than him. Anyway, Boy give him lots of coddling (too much coddling in Girl's opinion), which Ribsy totally lapped up. He's a clever one!

Today Girl finds out if she gets him into Wonderdogs - which is supposed to be better than the Petcetera class she has him enrolled in right now. Girl feels like one of those parents camping out overnight to secure their kid in some fancy school with French immersion. What are they turning into? Don't answer. She thinks they know.

Let's Paws

So begins the tails of Ribsy, a whippet puppy who came to live with me and Graham on July 22.

Our breeder, Carmen at Eyespy Whippets, thinks he's a potential show dog and is planning to show him this October. His daddy, Lord Henry is one of the top whippets in North America.

We just think he's a great dog. He can roll around in the grass and get his paws mucked up all he wants.

I began toying with the idea of a blog after inundating friends with daily 'Whippet Snippets.' Special thanks to Mat and Lynda for the suggestions.

The 'Whippet Snippets' came to me when I realized that my dog's adventures were so much more interesting than my own!

But more importantly, we've realized that once you have a dog enter your life, it changes forever. And everyday is a lesson in common sense, patience, and unconditional love. Because if you give the first two out, you get the third given back to you a million times over.

Ribsy Twister

A Ribsy tornado blew through the house yesterday, his first full day alone.

Neither Graham or I could see him at lunch, so what's a curious, nervous little whippet pup to do with so much free time?

Why, knock stuff off the kitchen counter.

Why, jump over the baby gate.

Why, poop on the living room rug.

Why, hop onto the couch and knock all the cushions and the throw off.

Why, piddle just inside the front door.

Why, poop by the fireplace.

Why, walk in the piddle and make pee prints up and down the hallway.

Why, piddle some more in the kitchen.

Why, whine so loud that even Elwood our neighbour could hear!

So I guess Rescue Remedy, that all-natural relaxant (NOT drugs), doesn't work too well on Ribsy!

But on a positive note, he did meet a few more neighbours and Kira, that big white-yellow dog on the corner. Plus, he rode in the crate in the car quite fine when I took him down to pick up Graham at work.

As for our new plan: We bought a 2nd baby gate to put on top of the first, and bought a Kong and smeared peanut butter inside of it to keep him occupied during the day.

Plus more Rescue Remedy of course.

But on our walk this morning, poor Ribsy got stung by a wasp! Graham removed the stinger but his poor left paw swelled up. He sulked into his crate and licked at his wound. I'm planning to go home at lunch today to see how he's doing.

More terror tales to report tomorrow I'm sure!!

Needless to say all the alky's long gone. Graham really really really liked your Caesar drink Nellie!