Whippet Snippets

Hello Hamilton

It's 7:15pm and the pack has made it safe and soundly to Hamilton, home of the Ti-Cats, steel plants and now Boy, Girl and Ribsy. Thanks WestJet for a smooth ride from Victoria via Edmonton. It was a beautiful day by Hamilton standards, a cool 1 degree and semi-blue skies. If you look closely in the second picture on the left, you will see an infamous smoke stack rising high into the 'sphere.

Boy and Girl were extremely worried about Ribsy's first plane ride ever. But coming off the airplane in Hamilton he was a bit shaky but otherwise dandy as pie.  The airport was proudly advertising the upcoming Brier men's curling championship tournament starting this weekend...maybe this will be a first step to integrating in Hamilton?

Boy and Girl's Honda salesperson in Hamilton picked them up from the airport. They saw their new skookum Element but because of red tape (you need an Ontario driver's license before you can insure a car under your name apparently) they weren't able to drive off in their new baby. But Honda was kind enough to lend them a spacious, self opening Odyssey for the time being.

Ribsy's off to bed soon. It's been a long day. More to come from the Hammer.

Ribsy's no Dodo

  Ribsy's absolutely not a dodo. He's figured out that he's moving to a cold city far away. He's heard snippets of "I can't believe you're leaving" and "Hamilton! Oh poor you!", and couple that with all the warm blankets they're tossing into his new army-green travel kennel, and well, you'd have to be a flightless bird to not be able to figure out this canine caper.

But at least he's still got his Boy. No matter where they go, the pack will stick together.

Ten things Girl will miss most about Victoria

Inspired by Ribsy's Top Ten list, Girl would like to present the top ten things she will miss most about Victoria.

10. 7-minute commutes to work.
9. The endless array of secondhand shops, consignment stores, garage sales, bake sales, fundraisers, charity drives, free boxes, yard sales, moving sales - it's a bargain hunter's paradise.
8. Free parking on Sundays.
7. Tamami Sushi - located at the foot of Chinatown, this is far and away the best place to get sushi in Victoria. Fresh fish, zippy service, comfy atmosphere - all at reasonable prices.
6. The outdoors. The trails. The abundance of parks. The views. Green spaces everywhere.
5. The Superior restaurant.
4. The pesto eggs benny at Dakota's Restaurant at the Victoria International Airport (inside the Flying Club). It's worth the drive out for savory portions at great prices - plus Boy digs the air porn outside the window.
3. Fresh air.
2. Peanut butter squares from Cascadia Bakery on Government Street. Thank goodness Girl has the recipe, courtesy of the Rebar Cookbook.
1. The weather! The city gets half the amount of rain of Vancouver, and far less than anywhere else on the Island. Today, Girl and Ribsy were basking in the crisp February sunshine. People were out wearing t-shirts and shorts, working in their gardens. The cherry blossoms are perking up from the trees. The squirrels are dancing, tip-toeing across wires high above the ground. Birds are feasting from the feeders and the whole day just had a feeling of spring in the air. Victoria will be sorely missed by the entire pack.

Top 10 Doggy Reasons why Ribsy will miss Victoria

Ribsy is leaving for Hamilton in less than 24 hours. 24 hours! He doesn't know it yet, but he's running out of time to enjoy all the Victoria things that Island doggies have come to love. With that in mind, Ribsy would like to share with you the top ten things he will miss most about Victoria.

10. The free nail clippings that he gets at Shear Magic dog groomers. Unlike other places in town that charge $15 (!) for a one-minute nail trim, Shear Magic has always been free - including the big biscuit that Ribsy gets at the end of each visit.
 
9. The great doggy events in town. It's a dog-crazy city and there are a few events throughout the year that are for the love of the dog, including the SPCA walk, the Everybody and their Dog Walk, and Halloween costume parties.

8. The dog friendly patio at the Moka Coffee House in Cook Street Village.

7. The kind neighbours in his old neighbourhood who didn't mind him having to go to the bathroom on their front lawns. And didn't mind him barking like a manic whenever he spied a squirrel. 

6. Elk Lake & Beaver Lake. With bunnies and horses, and a wide 10 kilometre trail that loops around the lake, the park was a fun place for Ribsy and Girl during 10k training time.

5. The lush, romantic, and totally dog friendly patio at The Superior restaurant. Open in the summer, the restaurant offers great food for the humans and a Milk Bone for their doggies.

4. The good weather. 2,223 hours of sun annually means lots of playtime and sunning in the backyard. Today's forecast in Victoria: 7 degrees and partly cloudy with sunny breaks. The conditions in Hamilton right now? -2 degrees and light snow.

3. The UVic dog park. Disc golfers and droolers can get along. With lots of wide open spaces, trees, and dunes to run on, this big off-leash park is a Victoria dog lover's dream. It's also home to the weekly Whippet Whoop Up, Sunday mornings at 10am.

2. Adventure Dog walks with his favorite dog walker in the whole wide world Tamara, taking him to beaches, the woods, and all sorts of interesting & sniffy natural places on the Island.   

1. All his doggy pals - Bailey, Blitzen, Max, Derby, Nitro, Scott, James, Otto, Bobby, Elvis, Mani, Jude, Montana, Bailey, Cooper, Che, Trooper, Frankie, Zipper, Pita, EB, PJ, Vickie, Sayla, Sophie, Buster, Rosie, Buddy, Rosie, Gunner, Oban, Bailey, Lucy, Roxy, Fox, Shanty, Sprocket, Cricket, plus many others - he'll miss you all. 

No Wheels, No Whoop

The good news is that the Vandosa sold today, leaving only the still poor l'il unsold house. The bad news? Ribsy is sad to report that he won't be seeing all his whippet pals at Sunday's Whoop Up. With no wheels, it's impossible for them to get there. So if any whippet wants to meet up before February 28, which he has been told by Boy & Girl is an extremely significant day involving a jet plane and farewells, send a bark his way.

Westminster Whippets

So with the Westminster Kennel club show going on right now, the most talked-about dog happens to be - you guessed it - Vivi the missing showdog whippet. Here's the Associated Press story. The Vivi-session will be at its peak tomorrow when the whippets take the ring  at 8:30am. Go whippets! The last - and only - whippet to win Best in Show was way back in 1964.

This ol' unsold house

Ribsy loves his home but he's noticed how stressed out Boy and Girl have been lately. Mutterings of "no offers...why?" seem to accompany their most anxiety-filled moments inside the house. So maybe he shouldn't blog so frankly about this - as the human real estate market seems to work so mysteriously, so secretively, and sometimes so unscrupulously - but being the good little whippet he is, he wants to see if he can help. Actually, he wants to see if you can help.

Could you tell him what's wrong with their house? To him, it's been nothing but safe, warm, and full of good scents. So why are run-down houses with no curb appeal, and characterless boxes on busy streets selling faster than theirs? It can't be priced too high, with so much interest in it. So why do all of these folks come by and never come back? The house checks out fine; it's not as if it's falling apart. Far from it. Boy and Girl have put in a new plumbing line, put up new fencing and sealed the crawlspace. Things they have done to keep the house in ship-shape order.

And the location! South-facing means sun-soaked afternoons on the spacious deck in the grassy backyard. The street is quiet, the neighbours kind, the amenities aplenty and conveniently nearby - parks, schools, shopping. It has the coveted 3 bedrooms. Even an extra 1/2 bathroom. And Boy's landscaping. Plus wood floors, wood-burning fireplace, an attic for storage. The list goes on. Lovingly lived in by the pack. So why oh why doesn't anyone want it?

The pack didn't even want to sell it, but work in Hamilton called. Why can't others see the beautiful house that they see, that they love?

Isn't there even one single couple or family out there that wants to call this house home?

Hamilton Quiz

Ribsy's still apprehensive about his move to Hamilton. After all, he still hasn't heard of any from any Hamilton hounds. Who's he going to end up hanging around? He was relieved, though, to discover that he knew more than he thought about Steel Town. He scored 8 out of 10 on a Hamilton Fun Quiz. How well do YOU know Hamilton?

Stone's throw away

So in a few weeks' time the category "Homefront Hijinx" will have an entirely new frame of reference. Ribsy and his pack have just found an apartment in Hamilton. It wasn't easy as most places don't welcome pets. But luckily, Ribsy's new digs is centrally located, close to shopping, transportation, and most of all the nearest park is but a mere five-minute walk away.

The apartment is newly painted and renovated with slippery laminate floors, new appliances, and is perched on the top floor, in an 1880s stone building. The pack is glad they have found New Home Central. But to most of you, Whippet Snippets will continue to be the 'home' of Ribsy and his adventures. It's funny how we all have our lives in our separate cities, but we can all keep in touch through technology. Ribsy's glad he learned how to blog. No 'Change of Address' forms required! 

Ribsy can stay

Ribsy just booked his first night's stay in Hamilton for him and his pack, with the help of Pets Can Stay - a travel services company for pets and their people. Imagine, a one stop shop that helps take care of all your pet travel questions and needs. Scott was quickly able to find them a nice pet friendly hotel at a great rate. Plus, he takes care of the booking and sends you the confirmation and all the little details you need to know, right to your Inbox. The price for this service - free! Ribsy recommends this service to all you traveling packs out there.