Whippet Snippets

Wordless Whippet No-Lobster-for-2010-so-the-2009-pic-will-have-to-do Wednesday

 

Pin and suffering

Ribsy is shocked. Girl hasn't bought a single thing in the past three days. And yesterday was Boxing Day, the biggest shopping day in Canada. Every December 26th, the local news shows are peppered with stories of people (sane people?) who line up overnight at choice stores that tantalize these bargain hunters with 10-per-store door crasher specials and the like, crazies who complain about the lack of parking, and sweaty shoppers who brag about their steals, not knowing that they could have bought the exact same item at the same price the week before.

For Boy and Girl, the previous year was the big purchase of a new television set to replace their 26-inch box with the scratch in the glass (there was a permanent fly on the screen). This year Ribsy and Mirabel realized that the things they really need in their life (eg. Boy), you can't bat your big bulbous eyes and beg for Girl to whip our her credit card to purchase. You can't buy the things that truly matter. However, if there was a 75% off sale on rawhide chews, well, they are sorely disappointed that Girl did not consider their needs.

Perhaps a tiny reason behind the non-activity has got to lay with one of Girl's Christmas presents, a most satisfying gift. She was delighted to unwrap a pin of a whippet, a whippet who is a dead ringer for Ribsy:

 
Thanks Linda! Girl will wear it with pride.

Winnie Tam, the Vancouver-based artist behind the pin, designs pins of other whippet colors, of other dog breeds, of even - gasp - cats.

Come on, doesn't Ribsy look like the muse for this pin or what?

But really, pins and television sets aside, nothing compares to the real thing - the love and connection between people, between people and their dogs, and between dog and dog. Mirabel will be the first to admit that she missed her brother dearly when they were separated a little while ago (although she was no doubt spoiled and coddled).

And during the past few days, Ribsy and Girl have both realized that it's painful to be apart from loved ones. As much as we are programmed to covet material things in our society, there's something priceless about a simple hug, a tender kiss, a warm snuggle.

Thank goodness whippets are grade A cuddlers. 

As one laugh-out-loud whippet blogger writes, "hug your hounds."

Elfish

Presenting individual glamour shots of the whippet elves Ribsy and Mirabel:

Thanks to RNOF for sending the hats as well as this lovely card. Ribsy wonders if this is his Hazel all gussied (goosied?) up.

 

Merry Christmas from Ribsy & Mirabel

...especially you, Boy. We miss you.

Wordless Whippet Flashback Wednesday

 

Top Dog Signs

While perusing the vault for his next Wordless Whippet Wednesday entry, Ribsy became distracted by this Flickr photo: 

From Flickr member thedamnmushroom

Ribsy can't believe it. Someone actually went through the trouble of crafting two signs (depicting each act of waste expulsion) for the express purpose of saving their precious lawn? In a way, aren't these graphic warnings just as unsightly as the offending feces themselves? Besides, can dogs (besides Ribsy, of course) even read? 

On the other hand, dogs are fluent in "the slash". This sign was spotted in Havelock, New Zealand:

When it comes to dog control, New Zealand is very active in slash language. For instance, in Dunedin they even go as far as to emblazon their downtown sidewalks with the following:

Over in beautiful Bonhinj, Slovenia, preservationists would prefer to just lump them into the rest of the offenders, like butterfly catchers, snail pickers, and car washers. To be fair, they do earn some cred from Ribsy for the whippet-like physique of the speeding pooch:

Really, do these signs have to be so negative all the time? Why not positive reinforcement? After all, dogs were designed that way. Consider this neat and tidy depository for dogs, stationed in Budapest, Hungary. No slash in sight!

An even more courteous gesture would be to provide signage in one's native tongue. The District of North Vancouver has got this down pat:

From Flickr member Joannabriggs

However, the top dog (sign) spotted on Boy's and Girl's travels goes to this friendly reminder posted in Okayama, Japan. Apparently dogs take their pooper scoopers with them wherever they go so they can neatly clean up after their own messes.

"Ha!" Girl exclaimed. "I wish."

So. Is Ribsy the only dog out there who is mildly fascinated by these dog signs? Is Girl the only girl out there that wastes megabytes taking photographs of these dog warnings? Please say it ain't so!

Double Take

Boy loves his critters, whether they be his own (hi Ribsy) or rescued from a New Zealand cattle stop (hi lamb). It's no wonder that Boy was fascinated with sheep throughout the whole trip. Would you agree that there's more than a passing similarity?

Wordless Whippet iPhone Wednesday

 

On the Lam in New Zealand

Guest blogger Girl writes:

For anyone that's interested, I've uploaded the photos from our trip to New Zealand.

Here are a few of my faves. They all have one thing in common: they all involve Boy and sheep.

Boy feeding a lamb its daily milk at a farm in Murchison. 

Boy feeling the belly of the woolly beast.

This is my absolute favorite photo from the trip. While bumping along a gravel road to a campsite on the shores of Lake Hawea, we saw half a lamb on the road ahead of us, not moving - its legs had plunged into a cattle stop. Boy jumped out of the camper and lifted the frightened lamb out of the stop and into his reassuring arms. At first, his legs were pronged and tense with fear, but after a few seconds he started to relax and curiously sniffed Boy. The lamb was certainly no whippet but he did kind of remind us of Ribsy for some reason.

See more photos from the trip. 

Now back to your regular whippet programming.

Home to the Hounds

They came back! They came back early!

"Just for us," Mirabel thought smugly.

Ribsy wasn't so sure about that. Sneaking his paws quickly through the Girl's hundreds of vacation photos he was slightly perturbed to find some foreign houndin' going on, including evidence of:

Many greyhounds:

"They're racing at Addington Raceway in Christchurch," explained Girl. "Can you believe NZ still races greyhounds?"

A fetching Pharaoh:

 
"The only one in New Zealand," said Girl. "She really is a beauty."

And - gasp - other whippets! Eight of them, in fact.

"All eight of them live together. Here's Sophie giving comforting licks to Mary."

 
And this is Luke...

 
Josh...

Alice...

Abby...

Billie...

...and last but not least, Chelsea.

But not to worry. There's room for only two very special whippets in the hearts of Boy and Girl.

Ribsy and Mirabel, you two are no doubt the best part about coming home!