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Whippet Dog Story: CoCo Crispy

by David Merrill
(Greenville, S.C.)

My wife says that nobody has more love for animals than I do.
Dogs and cats have been lifetime friends and all types of wild animals know where to find me.
I'm an animal magnet.
After 10 years w/Italian Greyhounds, I adopted an unwanted Whippet.
Oh, what a joy he is.
So smart and loving. He's never met a stranger. At 6 months old his owner thought he was too big and gave him up. STUPID HUMAN.
In one day I taught him to use a bath tub as a litter box. In 10 minutes he learned to sit for a cookie, one squirt of water in the face and he learned what NO means!
So much smarted than any of the 3 IGs we've had.
I had a Standard Poodle for 10 years and CoCo is as smart as she was.
He's 8 months now. 18 inches & 20 lbs. I just wish that I had been fortunate enough to have had a Whippet 50 years ago.
David, Greenville, S.C.

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starstarstarstarstar 		Doggie daycare
by: Valeria

Jenny,

I realize this maybe comes several months too late, but maybe you haven't got your dog yet.

One option for people who want to have a dog but need to be away for a long part of the day is to take your whippet to doggie daycare.

It can be anything from a professional operation to your stay-at-home next-door neighbor who is a dog-lover and is willing to take care of your dog at his home while you are away.

Over the years, I have also used an elderly lady across the street with dogs of her own, who was having financial problems and was glad to take care of my dog and be paid into the bargain.

The important thing to look for is that your dog not be kept in a kennel outside all day, and that it not be kept in the company of big quarrelsome dominant dogs -whippets have thin skin and are easily hurt.

Also, that the person in charge be willing to spend time with the dogs every day, and not just park them outside or in a room out of the way.

I drop my whippet off every day when I go to work and pick him up again when I return. If I am working very late he frequently stays overnight, and the same people board him for me when I need to travel.

I still get lots of quality time with him in the evenings and I take him everywhere with me on the weekends. There is no doubt in his mind as to who his "mother" is!

Just my two-cents worth!
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starstarstarstarstar 		Well-meant advice on getting a whippet
by: S. Waaijer

In reaction to Jenny Yee:

considering your working hours I personally do not recommend getting a whippet, or any dog, really. You cannot leave a dog unattended for 10 hours straight day after day. Would you leave a young child alone the entire day? Most likely not, so why would you do that to a dog? Children and dogs both are dependent on you.

Whippets especially want to be with their family and can develop serious behavioral issues (e.g. anxiety, destroying your furniture, crying and barking constantly) when left alone for hours and hours each day. This breed simply craves attention from its people and will waste away if they are left to fend for themselves most of the time.
Whippets are perfectly suitable for apartement-life, provided that they get properly exercised each day! That means walking your whippet several times and letting them off-leash in a safe and enclosed area to run each day. Remember that whippets are hounds and originally bred to hunt after prey at great speed; they need to be able run freely regularly to stay happy and healthy. Walking your dog isn't only about letting it relieve itself!

In my experience, the whippet is a very low-maintenance dog, on condition that very basic needs like regular exercise and attention from its owner are tended to.

A whippet will become unhappy and (mentally) unhealthy under the conditions you plan to keep it. It would be unfair to the whippet if it does not get the attention it needs, because they are wonderfully sweet, loyal and loving companions.

Please reconsider getting any dog at all until a later point in life when you have more time to spare for a dog. They deserve it.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Encouraging words of wisdom!
by: Jenny Yee

David - Your personal story about training CoCo has inspired me and my husband to seriously consider the whippet. We have been comparing the IG, Whippet and Greyhound to see which best suits our lifestyle and home environment. We were very intrigued by your ability to train CoCo to use the bathtub as a litter box. That has been one of our biggest concerns about getting a dog. We are gone for about 10 hours for work and our jobs are located too far away to come home to let the dog out. A doggie door is not an option. Could you please advise us on how to teach a dog to use the bathtub as a litter box?

Sincerely,
Jenny Yee
Charlotte, NC

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