Whippet Snippets

Everybody and their dog walk

If you and your master are looking for something fun to do this weekend in Victoria, come check out the Everybody and Their Dog Walk, organized by Citizen Canine. Now in its third year, the walk will once again take place at Beaver Lake Park, with an (optional) leash-off trek, prizes, hot dogs, and demonstrations by canine athletes and groups.

Ribsy hopes he can make it out just like he did last year with a group of his whippet pals. Unfortunately he will be cheering Girl on at the Times Colonist 10K Run - but why doesn't he get to run alongside him?

"Are you kidding?" Girl exclaimed. "You'd get flattened into a pup-cake."

Squishy wishy puppies

Congratulations to Diva, the proud new momma of four squishy whippets - three boys and one girl. Actually looking at one picture there appears to be five pups? Anyhow, Ribsy can't believe that he was once that small and helpless. Now he's a fully grown, strappin male who can't wait to run with the best of 'em and snatch his first squirrel.

Shady whippet

Peering out the window, Ribsy put on his Doggles and harness in anticipation of the warm sunshine-filled day ahead. Destination: Whippet Whoop Up. Roll Call: Blitzen, Max, Millie, Vicky, Sayla, James, Otto, Nitro and Derby. The good ol' gang. The houndy ten.

 

Plus here's a short movie clip - honestly, not too interesting, but for those of you thousands of miles away from whippet action, it might serve as a quick 7-second fix.

 

After an hour and a half of whippet hooliganism, it was back to the dogvertible. Who's the dork with the cool dog in the shades?

     

And what does a whippet do for the rest of a sunny Sunday. Why, sunning bien sur.

Upcoming: productive weekend

Upcoming weekend plans for Ribsy, besides run training at Elk Lake, lunging at cats, and chasing squirrels up tress, include checking out the Fairfield Artists Studio Tour 2006 - Girl is most excited to scoop up the picture at left by a very talented, semi-newly transplanted Islander. And if this ain't your style, you can certainly leave it all for Girl to drool over, and perhaps one of the other exhibitors - there's more than 50 in all - will tickle your artistic fancy. And it's all free (well to tour the artists' homes, not the artwork themselves)!

Talk birdy to me

A nice four day long weekend comes to a close, beginning with windy winter-like temperatures and closing with a spot-on bang of sunshine.

Ribsy took it upon himself to herald the change in weather with a roll in UAC, otherwise known as unidentified animal carcass, at the Mystic Vale dog park this morning, thus rewarding himself with a much deserved bath.

Otherwise Ribsy has been spotted walking with Weasel at Willows Beach , hanging out on Dallas Road, running around Elk/Beaver lake twice, visiting EB and Pita at the Riviera Barber Shop, and snacking on Blitzen's neck at Oaklands Park.

Plus, he turned a deaf, unknowing ear to the phone despite Boy's overseas greetings. Do any dogs out there understand telephone? Now Girl thought every dog did, because in Ribsy (the actual book by Beverly Cleary), Henry spoke to Ribsy on the phone and he understood, he knew it was his boy's voice.

Meanwhile, Girl scored a vintage art deco brass birdcage and stand from Deja Vu on Fort Street. Otherwise known as summer restoration project, the birdcage is the pinnacle, the prize of a long-standing obsession that Girl has had with birdcages. Although she is afraid of birds, the thought of this nifty piece displayed in the house has Girl delerious with delight. She has also had the same inspired decoratin' feeling with mannequins, wooden play horses and specialty Lego toy sets in the past, but those have come to fade, as evidenced by their availability at yard sales that she has held. 

And news on the homefront...could Boy possibly be coming back early?

Whippetsnappers

Ribsy checked his Dogster email today and received this message from Diva the mommy-to-be whippet, who lives in Ontario at Dragonsong's Kennel

"Well on the 22nd of April I will be a proud mommy and I can hardly wait to get these babbies out of my tummy, If you all would like to see more pictures of me and my brother Duke, check out my web site www.kirbyswippets.piczo.com and dont forget to sign the guest book, and yes dont worry when my babies arrive I will post them on this site as well as my web site. Talk to you all soon!"

How exciting!

The birthday weekend

After a birthday excursion to Elk Lake for a dash around the loop, Ribsy woke up today a little lazy, a little in weekend mode. So what did Girl do? Why, take him out to Mystic Vale for a few laps, where he had more interaction eating tall grass than with other pooches.

So Girl decided to switch gears while continuing his special birthday treatment, but head downtown. There Ribsy was welcome inside at Lululemon (but why don't they have doggie clothes, aka doga gear?) and at a very cool consignment store called the Blue Star Boutique on the 500 block of Pandora Street. Of course, the ultimate destination was Woofles Doggy Diner where he made off with a big Woofle treat, peanut butter bites, and a bouncy soccer ball. Girl contemplated getting him a camouflage printed collar and leash set, but wouldn't you know, the harness portion wouldn't enclose around Ribsy's voluminous chest.

Tonight, Girl let Ribsy dictate the walk, and he immediately made a stubborn beeline to Rosemary and Rollie's house, where he was treated to biscuits, lots of coddling, and full access to the comfy couch. And Girl had a very nice chat and visit. Hmm, perhaps Ribsy should lead the charge more often...

See? It's not always about trying to find cat poo, thought Ribsy.

Vivi recovery specialist

Ribsy found this interview with Karin Goin, a private investigator-turned-'pet recovery specialist' who has been hot on the trail of Vivi the missing showdog whippet. With the help of her dogs Cade and Boone, she has been at the scene of various sightings in the NY area.

"Sight hounds are typically found five miles away, where most other dogs are found within a mile, Goin said."

Vivi has been missing since February 15.

Read the full article here.

Whose whippet is it anyway?

Ribsy noticed that Girl was pointing that gray metal box that shoots out sudden bursts of light at him, but this time, nothing happened. He heard, "Damn, the batteries are gone!" and that was it. He was spared of the candid punishment.

So instead of a fresh Ribsy-on-the-cusp-of-being-a-2-year-old-whippet picture (it's his birthday tomorrow), Girl dug in the archives for his 1-year old birthday picture. Closest she could find was an April 10 picture (they obviously must have been having way too much fun to remember to take photos from his first birthday). Anyway, this photo on the left must have been taken on a Sunday at a Whippet Whoop Up gathering. (How are all you doing, by the way? Ribsy wonders. My girls' been taking me on training runs around a lake every Sunday this past while.)

And a box of Three Dog Bakery biscuits awaits the first person who can identify all nine canines in the photo, including the German short-haired pointer. Three Dog Bakery, incidentally, happens to be the official food supplier of Ribsy's big belated birthday bash.

Will the real Ribsy please come?

So Ribsy's a rather quiet dog. He doesn't bark at other dogs who happen to walk by while he's sitting at home looking out the window, even if they choose to mark his tree. He doesn't bark when he sees another leashed pooch across the street, when he's on a neighbourly stroll himself.

He doesn't bark unless he's truly in his element, which happens to be when he's running fast and free in a field or park, chasing a ball or chasing a dog that is chasing a ball or lunging at Blitzen's scrawny puppy neck.

The American Whippet Club agrees:
Whippets are  generally quiet and gentle dogs in the house, content to spend much of the day sleeping on the couch. They are not generally aggressive with other animals, and although especially attached to their owners, they are friendly to visitors. They are not prone to snapping, so they are good with young children. They may or may not bark when strangers arrive, and are not suited to be guard dogs due to their trusting and unsuspicious nature. Outside, however, particularly when they are racing or lure coursing, they demonstrate their superb athletic skills and will pursue their "quarry" (even when it is an artificial lure) with the heart of a lion. To see these dogs in full stride is breathtaking!

Unfortunately, those who don't know him well, only know that one side. Unless you really get to spend some quality time with a dog, you really don't know the dog at all. So before you label a dog as aggressive, territorial, or even uninteresting, try to get to know its true, full personality. It's there. You just have to make the effort and pay some attention.