Whippet Snippets

Saying goodbye

Only a few more days until Boy bids farewell. Girl wonders how you can tell your whippet that the male figure in his life is not gone forever but just gone for now. Girl also wonders if whippets know when other whippets bid farewell for good. Yesterday Girl received the super sad news that Grandpop Bo passed away. Did Ribsy have a moment where he felt it, even a tiny bit? Or was life the same, life the usual? Will he feel the temporary loss of Boy more? Most likely, but how can a whippet know when a goodbye is just for now and not for good?

Whippet whirlwind

Now heading on Day 8, the search for Vivi has spun off another crazed search. The search to own a whippet! Ribsy is bemused by all the newfound interest surrounding his breed.

Apparently the hits on the American Whippet Club website have soared from 3,850 a week just before Vivi's disappearance to 10,735 last week. And whippet breeders have been inundated with requests. Ribsy's guess is that the recent and upcoming litters in Victoria are long spoken for already. Sadly, there will be no brother or sister for now anyway because of Boy and Girl's sudden change in plans this year.

Check out the Newsday story on the whippet craze.

Lucky Linda cruisin' to retirement

Now usually only holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries get classified as a "Special Day" on Ribsy's blog. But today we can make an exception. When Boy, Girl and Linda got home tonight - an unusual weekday night excursion - they were loud and all excited. And not just to see Ribsy, as he initially thought.

No, they were excited because they soon started saying things like "We have just got to look over our cruise brochures!" and "I can't wait until September!" and "Lucky we have Boy to look after the houses while we're gone to Alaska!" Apparently, Linda won a pretty skookum cruise to Alaska, courtesy of Donna Curtis & Associates. Simply for referring kind folks to Donna's sublime realty team, Linda scored a chance to win - and win she did! She also took home a 90 piece ladies' tool set plus a couple of bath robes for her and her guest - did Girl mention that Linda is taking her by the way, how very exciting indeed - so Linda had a pretty nice package of goodies to curl up with during the last hour of American Idol tonight.

What a way to start an upcoming retirement!

Tuning into the whippet channel

Vivi the missing whippet is apparently alive, warm and in a building - according to a dozen psychics tasked with tapping into the mind of the missing prized pooch. Ribsy's wondering why on earth she would have bolted in the first place. He would have been scared out of his wits in someplace weird and new, squirrel colony or not. Did Vivi even mean to escape? Or was she just lured by something tantalizing? Ribsy's hoping that these psychics will have the answer.

The Fabio Cabrio

Introducing l'il Dot!

VW Vanagon up for adoption!

It's official - the Vandosa's for sale!

1989 VW Vanagon Transporter. Automatic. Plenty of room, storage and fun for camping. Squeaky clean and ready to go on a rebuilt engine.

Asking $8000 - email if you're interested.

Reason for selling? Boy is leaving so there's no more camping on the horizon. Ribsy's a bit disappointed, but apparently there is something else way cooler, way sportier on its way home today?

The Whippet Vanishes

Ribsy hopes Vivi the whippet showdog will emerge soon. Even a helicopter was unable to find her. Since bolting from the Kennedy Airport on Wednesday after showing at the Westminster dog show where she had won an Award of Merit, she ignited a frantic chase which, ending in a marsh, she escaped from her pursuers.

Sadly, this is a real-life case of a prized whippet vanishing.

Westminster's Top Whippet

The Whippet breed results are in at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

Pictured at left is the best of breed winner, Ch Eclipse Envy O Sportingfield.

Not a bad looking girl, mused Ribsy.

I Heart Hounds

Of course, unless you've got your head burrowed in a tunnel like a daschund, you will know that the pre-eminent grand gala of them all, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, is taking place right now. Unfortunately, for Ribsy he doesn't receive the USA Network, so he is unable to drool at all the fine dog models live on display. He will be checking the website for results though.

Speaking of website, you can also send other Westminster dog show fans a special Valentine's Day greeting! Imaging the delight as the hound lover in your life receives one of these e-cards. Of course, you may elect to choose the doberman or the border collie, but why would you? wonders Ribsy.

Plus find out what dog you are with this really easy to do quiz! Girl is a Siberian Husky. Her mind is prone to wandering but she's still a fine specimen.

Bo-lympic battles

Despite the age difference, despite the overwhelming urge to duke it out man against man - Bo and Ribsy were surprisingly well mannered with each other. Ribsy obviously respected his elder, allowing him first dibs on the bed and allowing him to go out and in first.

When it came to food and general territorial marking, however, it was every whippet to his own. Chew versus chew, squirt after squirt - ultimate male whippet supremacy was hotly contested...until the sun came out. The two agreed to a truce, as their obsessive need to worship the sunshine was too strong to overcome. They finally relented and lapped up the rays together during the golden Sunday afternoon. 

Come back anytime, Grandpop Bo! Having another whippet around made it a lot more interesting, yawned Ribsy. Tuckered out after keeping his guard up all weekend, he's heading off to the fireplace to warm himself to a well-deserved sleep.