Whippet Snippets

Takin' a swing at the whippet

Girl doesn't think that Boy actually made contact with the dog, but Ribsy was pretty confused by his smooth-swinging style.

Superific Sunday

A sunny Sunday and Ribsy had a spring in his step.

At Hill Street Park, where he certainly had the ball, and not the blues.

On Locke Street, where he and Boy peeked through the windows of a former bank-turned-city-owned building that's up for sale. The price for this cool piece of property? Under $200k! Only in Hamilton.

Along the Chedoke Rail Trail, where it goes behind this pristine Art Deco house. Gorgeous.

From Crooks Hollow, to a path that meanders along bubbly Spencer Creek...

...through the Spencer Gorge Area, where they passed Webster's Falls and Tews Falls (pictured at left). Apparently Tews is only a few meters shorter than Niagara Falls.

And finally, the end is reached at Dundas Peak, offering a fine view of Dundas and the land below.

      

Ribsy Porn

Whippets aren't very smelly, and in fact, after weeks of non-bathing, acquire a nice, buttery scent. However, it had been three months and counting since Ribsy did the suds deed, and he was starting to get greasy. It was time.

(Warning: graphic photos of naked whippet follow.)

Relatively calm, with a shake or two of the head. At first. However, witness the incensed whippet drying action that ensues on the couch:

Sweet whippet bliss

22-minutes-by-himself-and-counting Ribsy blasted into Toronto today, right into a whippet whirlwind! He reunited with his Number One Fan, and met her gang of whippetsnappers - Scout, Emma, Hazel and Finnegan. Scout howled like a beagle, Finnegan kept a watchful eye for dominance, Emma guarded the couch, while Hazel - who bears a close resemblance to Ribsy - was enamored of our Magoo. They dashed and darted in the yard, surfed the counters and tables in the house for cinny buns (from the wonderful Sweet Bliss Baking Company) and homemade chocolate chip cookes, and romped through Sunnybrook Park. There, they encountered a most unusual specimen: a one-eyed squirrel dog! Emma and Hazel quickly took care of the quivering mess, and at the end of it all, the whippet quintet was spent from the frenzy of activity.

Rolling along

Question: would you bet on the Canucks winning game 2 tonight against the Ducks, or Ribsy lasting 22 minutes alone in the loft tomorrow?

Project SOK continues to roll along, with a generous, ever-changing assortment of treat-filled Kongs and balls to keep Ribsy occupied. So far it seems to work, as does the Springer. Boy took him for a bike ride / jog along the Dundas Rail Trail, and proclaimed it a success. Boy received quite a few looks, as no doubt it's not everyday one sees a skinny whippet sophisticatedly tethered to a cheap red bike. Ribsy was spent, his tongue hanging out, and he collapsed in a heap upon returning home.

Dogs 'doo' care

How many of you are familiar with this scene?

Ribsy knows this scene well. Very well.

Thanks Parmstro!

Training wheels

Springer attached to new bike and Boy and Ribsy were ready to go. Well, make that Boy only. Ribsy had some training to go through. The manual says that within a couple of minutes your dog will be accustomed to the rhythm of the device. Let's put the whippet to the test.

Remarkably he went from this all the way to this to this in a matter of minutes. Boy and Ribsy even enjoyed a quick trip around the block.

If the rain continues to hold off, Boy will attempt a speedier trot in the afternoon. Ribsy's initial reaction? A bit weird. It moves fast but it certainly doesn't look like a whippet.

Hamilton Hallmarks

The pack ventured out to East Hamilton and beyond early this morning to pick up their Springer bicycle jogger tool. (Extreme action video to come as soon as Boy stops cussing while assembling the tool.)

It was in this previously unchartered territory that Boy and Girl happened on two Hamilton icons - driving through the gates of steel giganticus Dofasco and rolling up to the first Tim Hortons, located on Ottawa Street North. Dofasco continues to be revered as a source of immense civic pride for Hamiltonians, despite uneasiness from new foreign ownership, and might Girl add, the occasional dusting of black snow.

And Tim Hortons! No matter how many they build here, the line-ups are long and the customers willing to wait. Refreshingly, the original Timmys didn't have a souvenir merchandise stand, music CDs, animal-shaped cookies, espresso machines, 3 dollar tins of mints, nor specially marked cups that proclaimed it was special. The only evidence of its status? A simple "Store #1" etched on the doors, "Tim Hortons Way" signed on the street corner, and a collection of Tim Hortons memorabilia and factoids encased in a display shelf.

And on the way home? They zipped by Ivor Wynne Stadium, home of the Ti-Cats. Boy and Girl will be in the stands on October 26 when they take on the BC Lions. Can't wait to see the cat fight.

What's in a whippet name?

Now that Girl's name has changed somewhat, it was time to churn it through the Whippet Name Generator again to see what spat out. Back then she was Flaming Galah.

Her new whippet name? Snoopy Streaker. Ribsy's still Willy Bob Bill. Want to know what your whippet name is? Visit whippet.co.uk, click on Willy's World at the top, and then Name Generator on the left.

Whippet - brilliant name for a company, by the way. Ingenious.

Caution: naughty sign ahead

Warning: Clicking on this photo will reveal a naughty message. Girl has a fascination with signs. This one, located on Main Street West, a four-lane thoroughfare in the heart of Hamilton, would not have lasted a day in Victoria without complaints and outrage. Here in the Hammer, it has remained like so for well over a week.

When it was first erected - no pun intended - the sign read, "Giant Tent Erection." Girl just knew that someone would mess with it. Hamilton humor - ya gotta love it.

Adventure Attic is an outdoor equipment store. What on earth does their Tent Day have to do with the message on their sign?

Signs are such an important communications vehicle. So why don't companies pay more attention to the type of attention that they really are attracting? From horrible restaurant menus to grammatically incorrect promotional banners (one for a new restaurant proudly proclaimed, "NOW OPENED") to flyers written in All Caps, bad signs are everywhere!

But here's a good sign: Day Four of Project SOK has passed, and Ribsy stayed by himself for 12 minutes!