symondrake » Dogs

Whippets 101

Symon — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:13:00 +0000

As I look at sleeping beauty in her favourite (and prohibited) napping spot, I can’t help but forgive her for all the shenanigans she puts me through.

Yep. Whoever it was that coined the phrase “Dogs are a man’s best friend’ must have owned a Whippet.

Check out the clip below… it was one of the contributing factors in our decision to buy Narnia.

Narnia and Me

Symon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:37:00 +0000

Our Whippet puppy, Narnia, is 7 months old. Although I love her to bits, sometimes I really do wonder if it’s worth it. Let me give you a run down on the finer points of life with a Whippet…

1. Narnia was created by God to bring embarrassment to an otherwise happy life.

2. Narnia has almost an acre to herself but insists on visiting the neighbour’s properties and inviting herself into their houses.

3. Narnia get super-excited, jumpy and licky when she meets people who hate dogs.

4. Narnia can sit, lie down, speak, shake hands, and come on command… but only if she sees a treat in my hand, and then only when she feels like it.

5. Narnia is just now coming to terms with toilet training.

6. Narnia is in love with our cat Barney.

7. Narnia will jump on the sofa, stand an inch away from my ear, and bark until I play with her.

8. Narnia is a firm believer in the age-old addage, “If it can be chewed, it will be, or I will die trying.”

9. Narnia enjoys a bone in the sunshine, tied to the clothesline, until she gets bored and then she will bark continuously until she is brought inside.

10. Narnia’s shenanigans have prompted a visit from the SPCA, and a visit from a disgruntled neighbour.

I don’t think there is another human being alive who relates to ‘Marley and Me’ more than me.

‘Dangerous breed’ dog owners with children beware!

Symon — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:19:00 +0000

If you are an owner of a dog that belongs to a ‘dangerous breed’ category and you also have a small child please take this as a warning. Don’t leave your dog with the child unattended under any circumstances.

Only a little moment was enough for the following to happen.

Surviving the first month with my Whippet

Symon — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:53:00 +0000

Narnia our ADHD Whippet puppy has been a part of our family for almost a month.

Being the bookworm/research nut that I am, I made sure I was prepared for Narnia’s arrival by scouring as much material on puppies as I could.

What the ‘Your First Puppy’ books didn’t tell me…

Whippet puppies are unbelievably energetic. They seem to have two speeds: Go-Fast-and-Furious, and Sleep. They will chew anything that does not chew them back, and they love to dig. Many young Whippets are “high energy” dogs for the first two or three years. Around that age, their ‘on’ switch seems to get turned ‘off’ and they become more mellow (though still up for occasional bursts of zeal). American Whippet Club

If you aren’t a bundle of energy, beware the puppies. Whippet puppies are hell on wheels. Whippets can take two to four years to mature, and one that isn’t crated can tear apart your home. It’s not that they are hyperactive, they are just in a constant state of, “Now what can I do?” dogworld.com

“Mine is now 13months old and has finally got out of the “Let’s destroy everything I touch” stage.” Whippet forum comment

Sittercity posted a survey invloving 3000 dog owners… The Whippet was crowned as the fourth most destructive dog breed (behind Mastiffs, Chihuahuas, and Great Danes)…

“These sweet-looking pups apparently cause around $900 worth of damage in their lifetimes.”

So, in conclusion… Nothing (note the capital N) can prepare a virgin dog owner for a Whippet puppy. Note that the first quote said that Whippets eventually calm down after two or three years…

How encouraging. Pray for me.

Narnia the Whippet… so there.

Symon — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Narnia is:

1. The fantasy world created by C. S. Lewis as the location for his series of seven fantasy children’s novels.

2. Our 6-week-old purebred Whippet girl puppy!

It’s interesting the snide remarks certain people have made about the Whippet breed… and that I should have picked a real dog like a Pitbull. Meh. It seems like people use their dog breeds to re-assure themselves of their own masculinity.

Whippets rock. Get used to it

Big Wendy, Super Whippet

Symon — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:51:00 +0000

It’s no secret that I’ll soon be the proud owner of a whippet puppy, but if I had a dollar for every time someone has said: “Why don’t you get a real dog?” it would have paid for the puppy!

Let me introduce you to Wendy the Schwarzenegger of all dogs. It just so happens that she is a Whippet, a 27-kilogram-rippling-mass-of-muscle whippet (forget the six-pack stomach, Wendy has a 24-pack)!

Surprisingly, Wendy is steroid-free. The reason for her appearance is a rare gene mutation which has made her ‘myostatin deficient‘ and essentially ‘double-muscled’. Being super-buffed is not without its downside however as unfortunately, the mutation has condemned Wendy to a short life.

Name that Pup!

Symon — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:04:00 +0000

Not letting any cat out of the bag (whippets love chasing cats by the way) but what do you think the puppy in the pic would most suit? Bear in mind that fully grown she will be extremely skinny (see previous post pic.), far removed from the plump little ball of fur she is at the moment. Here are the top five…

MOLLY. This is my wife’s preference.

WILMA. Childhood crush from Buck Rogers… see here. Wife’s not too fond of this one (I can’t imagine why). Wilma’s also the name of one very neurotic cat I once had.

DAISY. Another childhood crush from the classic Dukes of Hazzard.

MURIEL. Kinda old-fashioned and retro, but not too sure if it would suit a dog.

LOLA. Lola’s the name of the puppy’s mother. Hmmm, this is actually growing on me… (‘Lola the 2nd‘).

Would love to see your comments.

The Whippet made me do it

Symon — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:58:00 +0000

I’ve always been a cat guy. For a few legitimate reasons too mind you, among them being…

Dogs smell
I never grew up with a dog… because they were, well, smelly.
I was bitten by a dog at primary school.
I had an unpleasant experience with a friend’s over-friendly dog.
I’ve stepped in more than my fair share of poop in my lifetime.
Dogs sniff you in the most awkward of areas, at the most embarrassing time (have you ever noticed that dog owners usually laugh when their dog is humiliating you?).
I was almost mauled by my friend’s guard-dog (slight exaggeration).
I was bitten by the in-laws dog (Staffordshire Bull Terrier) and had to have a week off work.
I’ve watched a few episodes of “It’s me or the dog”.
My son almost got mauled recently by a giant Alsatian (while fetching his basketball from the in-laws’ neighbours yard).
Did I mention dogs smell?

Despite the far-from-exhaustive list above, and although I’ve always come across as a hard-nosed feline-preferee, I have always secretly dreamed of owning a dog. Lately that dream has become a rather gnawing hankering for a puppy (Mum and Dad, if you are reading this… please don’t stop breathing).

If only dogs didn’t smell…

Dreams have a funny way of coming true. I have been researching breeds like mad over the last week, devouring a stack of dog books from the library, been taking various online ‘perfect dog for me’ tests and have discovered that there is actually a breed that blows away all my preconceived ideas, and arguments casued by past unfortunate dog events…

Introducing the Whippet. Get this (and I quote)…

“Whippets are virtually odour-free.”

The ironic thing is that both Paisley Jade and I have always liked the look of Whippets, and the more I read, the more I realise how incredible and how awesome these little hounds are… Almost too good to be true in fact.

I can feel myself turning to the darkside (and becoming a dog-lover). Mum, Dad… keep breathing.