Posts filed under 'Articles'
(click on headings to see Bushfire pictures)
We are very grateful to report that our property and dogs are all safe and the immediate threat of bushfires is over for now.
Many thanks to all our concerned friends both locally and from overseas that have called and emailed us wondering how our situation has been.
Our heartfelt thoughts are with those that have suffered loss during this disaster, now called the worst in Australia’s history. There are many dog friends affected and we send our prayers to them and their concened loved ones.
Several update sites are available by doing an internet search and you can send donations through many of the links below. Here are a few that may provide updated details –
Map of Bushfire locations (updated status)
DOGS Vic (Members Impacted)
DOGS Vic (ex VCA)
Dogz Online Register
Country Fire Authority (CFA)
State Emergency Services (SES)
Bushfire Proceedures
Department of Primary Industries
State Government of Victoria
Victoria Online
Bureau of Meteorology
ABC News Australia
The Age Newspaper
RED CROSS Australia
February 10th, 2009
Why own a whippet? There’s a danger you know
you can’t own just one, for the craving will grow
There’s no doubt they’re addictive, wherein lies the danger
While living with lots, you’ll grow poorer and stranger
One dog is no trouble and two are so funny
The third one is easy, the fourth one’s a honey
The fifth is delightful, the sixth one’s a breeze
You find you can live with a houseful, with ease
So how ’bout another? Would you really dare?
They’re really quite easy, but, Oh Lord, more hair!
With dogs on the sofa and dogs on the bed
and crates in the kitchen, it’s no bother, you’ve said
They’re really no trouble, their manners are great
What’s just one more dog and one more crate?
The sofa is hairy, the windows are crusty
The floor is all footprints, the furniture’s dusty
The housekeeping suffers, but what do you care?
Who minds a few nose prints and a little more hair?
So let’s get that puppy, you can always find room
And a little more time for the dust cloth and broom
There’s hardly a limit to the dogs you can add
The thought of a cutback sure makes you feel bad
Each whippet is so special, so sweet, so funny
The food bill grows larger, you owe the vet money
Your kids never visit, few friends come to stay
Except other dog folk who live the same way
Your lawn has now died, and your shrubs are dead too
But your weekends are busy, ’cause you’re off with your crew
There’s dog food and vitamins, training and shots
And entries and travel and motels which cost lots
Is it worth it you wonder? Are you caught in a trap?
Then that puppy comes up and climbs into your lap
Her look says you’re special and you know that you will
keep all the critters, in spite of the bill
Some just for show and some just to race
some just for loving, they all fill a need, they all have a place
But winter’s a hassle, the whippets hate it too
But they must have their walks, though they’re numb and you’re blue
Late evening is awful, you scream and you shout
at the dogs on the sofa, who refuse to go out
The dogs and the competition, the travel, the thrills
The work and the worry, the pressure and the bills
The whole thing seems worth it, the dogs are your life
They’re charming and funny and offset the strife
Your lifestyle has changed. Things just won’t be the same
Yes, those dogs are addictive and so’s the dog game
Author – ANON
December 6th, 2006
After three months we have moved VIVI’s story to the Weblog so you can keep up with this Special Stories
‘Vivi’ – Am Champion Bohem C’est La Vie
Photo: Westminster Kennel Club (AP Photo)
Vivi is formally known as Champion Bohem C’est La Vie, pictured above in happier days, winning an Award of Merit at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show under judge Dorothy Hutchinson on Feb 14th 2006.
Our thoughts are with poor Vivi and her owners & breeder. We send a heart felt wish for her safe return soon. Anyone who has lost a Whippet can relate to the trauma being felt, so we sincerely trust there is a positive resolution quickly.
Detailed Daily Updates by her breeder Bo Bengston can be found at the American Whippet Club site. There are several articles and pictures on the Newday site.
You can see one of the most recent stories on USA’s ABC TV Program and our initial post on Vivi is on our Weblog.
May 1st, 2006
Lee & Frank Pieterse of ‘Statuesque’ kennels in Sydney have created a wonderful comparative study of some of their Young Pups / Mature Adults, making it an interesting evaluation on Whippet development.
You can see this at – http://members.iinet.net.au/~pieterse/goodbabywhippets.htm
They have featured some of our pups by ‘Jason’ on their “new-look” website. You can see them at – http://members.iinet.net.au/~pieterse/ibiza.htm
Our thanks again to the Pieterses for allowing us the use of their wonderful stud ‘Jason’ – Multi Int BISS Ch Statuesque Extortion (iid).
As an example of the Pieterse’s study, here’s Jason as a young puppy,
before becoming an outstanding adult -
February 28th, 2006
Daily Updates can be found at – WhippetView.com & Newsday.com
UPDATE ON THE SEARCH FOR VIVI – from Bo Bengston
Following is an update on the search for Vivi, the Whippet who was lost at JFK Airport on Wednesday morning, Feb. 15.
As of Saturday evening there is still no confirmed sighting, but the search continues with assistance from the Port Authority, Animal Control and many concerned helpers.
Since much incorrect and contradictory information has circulated over the internet and in the media we want to establish the actual sequence of events. I am sorry this is so long but for my peace of mind want to get it all on record.
Vivi’s owner Jil Walton and her sister checked Vivi in at the Delta terminal at JFK approx. 9:45 AM on Wednesday morning. She was travelling in her usual crate in which she has flown many times before; it has a security bar across the gate (which I find difficult to open even under normal circumstances). As all who know her are aware, Vivi is totally unfazed by flying and loves her crate. As far as is known nothing extraordinary occurred during the check-in. Vivi was wearing a dark brown/black woollen coat and a broad collar with Jil’s phone number.
When Jil and her sister boarded the plane they saw the crate being loaded. They then noticed a baggage handler peering into the crate as if he were looking for something; a few minutes later the stewardess came up to Jil and told her the crate was empty. Jil and Jamie immediately disembarked and were told that Vivi had escaped from her crate at some point between check-in and departure. No one appeared to know exactly what had happened.
(We do not believe that any airline employee would deliberately open the crate door, and even if they did Vivi most likely would stay in her crate. I am personally convinced that the crate must have been dropped hard enough for the gate to open and for Vivi to be startled enough to get out. We will most likely never find out what happened. The crate has been returned and appears undamaged except for the broken spring lock.)
Vivi was spotted on the runway by Port Authority officials, who tried to catch her. She was obviously disoriented and took off at top speed, followed by several Port Authority vehicles. At one point they managed to corner her, and the officer who approached her (in the correct manner, kneeling down and talking to her) said she was obviously panicked and only responded by escaping him. She was last
seen getting through the barbed wire fence which separates the airport from the marsh and open water. This would have been any time after check-in but prior to Jil being informed that Vivi was lost.
When Paul and I arrived, after having received a phone call on our way to the airport approx. 3:00 PM, the airport authorities had already escorted Jil and Jamie on a search around the entire airport, with special emphasis on the area where she was last seen. They were joined on different locations by several other Port Authority vehicles and helicopters. The airport consists of 4900 acres of almost completely flat land with only two small areas of dense brush and trees. Our fear is that Vivi in her panic got too far out into the water to get back; a Port Authority official searched the marsh in a wetsuit without finding anything.
Searches of the areas immediately outside the airport during the afternoon and evening proved fruitless. We had good help from Animal Control officials, friends and the media, who broadcast the disappearance and Vivi’s photograph more widely than we could ever have hoped for. The following day Jil, Jamie, Paul and I – in different groups – were all given permission to search the airport, accompanied by Port Authority officials. We found no new tracks in the snow, which by then was already melting: the weather fortunately has been exceptionally mild for New York in February this week. Several other vehicles and helicopters were also searching.
A large number of dog lovers and friends, some in groups, helped by searching the areas around the airport and passing out flyers. By this time the media coverage had been so extensive that almost everyone we talked to was aware of the lost Whippet. We gave as many interviews as possible in the hope that someone might recognize Vivi if they saw her.
One brief hope on Friday morning was a report that Vivi had been sighted at 2:00 AM close to a construction site outside the airport. Since no later sightings have confirmed the first one we believe it must either be discounted (dozens of other “reported sightings” turned out to be the wrong dog; Animal Control gets around 700 calls per day), or that Vivi is hiding in the residential area nearby, perhaps in a garage or a shed. I spoke to the woman who reported the sighting and she gave a good description of Vivi, but by this time her photo had appeared in most of the NY newspapers and on TV.
Paul and Honi Reisman once again gained access to the airport, with special attention to the areas where Vivi might be hiding, all of which are highly restricted and normally off limits to anyone except police and specific airport employees. Traps have been set up in different areas, inside the airport by the Port Authority and outside by Animal Control. I accompanied a local journalist for several hours cruising the streets where Vivi may have been sighted and asked road crews, gas station attendants and people with dogs if they had seen her. Everyone knew about Vivi but none had seen her.
With Paul staying behind, I left late Friday and got back to California at 2:00 AM to take care of my dogs and try to deal with some work, as well as several hundred emails, faxes and phone messages from concerned dog lovers. Paul, together with Honi Reisman, who is providing invaluable support, have been given permission to search the cargo hangars which are the most likely areas Vivi might be hiding. Several psychics who have offered their assistance agree that she is hiding behind what seems to be cargo, that she is safe but very afraid. There are approx. 150 of these cargo hangars, many of them abandoned, but all of them heated, and most with openings which would make it easy for Vivi to get in and out. She can hide there for a long time. There is no shortage of water but we hope she will soon get hungry enough to let herself be spotted and eventually caught.
One very promising fact is that the airport radar spotted a solid body moving across the runways towards the cargo hangars during the night. A Port Authority vehice was investigating within minutes but did not find anything. This appears to support our hope that Vivi may be hiding in the cargo hangars, however.
We want everyone to know that the search in spite of reports to the contrary continues unabated, both via helicopter and patrolled cars. (The perimeter of the airport, included 21 miles of waterfront, is circumnavigated non-stop every few minutes 24 hours every day of the year.) The Port Authorities have been exceptionally helpful, granting unique access for us to search the airport: this is not easily given, and never to more than two persons at one time. Since 9/11 airport security has tightened a lot, and although we wish that admittance could be given for Search and Rescue teams, other whippets or even horses (since Vivi spends most days in a horse barn), we have to realize that this will not be granted for security reasons. The Search and Rescue dogs were also called off since the lack of tracks in the water which covers most of the airport would make their job impossible.
I am hoping to get back to New York early next week, depending on the developments. This is a hellish situation which I don’t want anyone to ever have to experience. My only comforts have been my dogs and the wonderful support we have been given by everyone, both friends and unknow dog lovers.
On behalf of Vivi’s owners, Jil and Paul, I want to thank all of you for your help and kindness in these trying days. Vivi is lucky to have so many people who care for her. I hope somehow that she can feel it, wheverever she is. We are still hoping that there will be a happy ending and will keep you informed as far as possible. I will try to get back to everyone who has written personally when I can, but that will take some time.
I hope the above makes sense. My mind is not functioning really well right now.
Again, thank you.
Bo Bengston
BOHEM Whippets
Ojay, California – USA
(Permission to forward to all lists where permitted)
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February 20th, 2006
After winning an Award of Merit in the Whippet category on Tuesday at Westminster’s 130th annual Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York, ‘Vivy’ – Ch Bohem C’est La Vie, went missing at the airport whilst returning home.
She disappeared around noon from the cargo area of Delta Air Lines as she was being loaded onto a flight to return to California with her owners. It was not known how Vivy slipped out of her cage.
“We are working with the local authorities to retrieve the animal,” said Susan West, a Delta spokeswoman, who mentioned Vivy disappeared around noon from the cargo area of Delta Air Lines as she was being loaded onto a flight to return to California with her owners.
“They are looking pretty extensively and are working with the dog’s owners,” said Tiffany Townsend, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority, which oversees the major airports in the New York City area.
She was born on April 21st 2002, the daughter of Ch Chelsea Long Kiss Goodnight SC and Ch Bohem All About Eve, and was bred by Bo Bengston of Ojai, California. Her owners are Jil Walton & Paul Lepiane.
You can see the entire article in the – New York Times.
Lets hope she’d found soon and returns back safe with her owners.
We will post any news here as it becomes available.
February 17th, 2006
I’ve been recently contacted by delightful fellow whippet lover, Nikki Liddell in Queensland. Nikki has lovingly cared for aging ex-showgirls in her final ‘golden’ years. She’s had several gals live with her over the years an has been very attentive to them in their final days.
Nikki was the owner of ‘Penny’ – Aust Ch Oakway Barn Dance and has sent a wonderful story about dear ‘Gwannie’, Penny’s sister.
It’s a very touching account, but be prepared and forewarned. Tissues are required.!
Here is the link to the webpage created in Gwannie’s Honour -
http://members.optusnet.com.au/dazedandconfused/gwannie/
We wish her all the best over the ‘Rainbow Bridge” and trust she is resting in peace.
February 11th, 2006
by Mr Frank Pieterse – Statuesque kennels in Sydney, NSW
Reproduced with permission
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Let’s face it; we are all trying to breed the perfect Whippet. Theoretically, this dog or bitch will win ‘Best In Show’ every time it is entered and take its lucky owner to fame and fortune in the dog world.
It’s probably best to approach the problem scientifically, because Judges aren’t perfect. In fact they are rather complicated creatures who come from all parts of the world with all sorts of strange ideas about what they are looking for. A lot of them don’t even know what they are looking for, and need help. We therefore need to design a Whippet that solves all these problems and makes everybody happy, regardless of whether they know what they are looking for or not.
The first requirement of the perfect Whippet is the handler. How many times have you come out of the ring cursing that the Judge didn’t like something about you. If you are an attractive young woman your chance of succeeding under an older woman are in inverse proportion to the extent of your voluptuousness and the lady Judges middle age.
Not so however, if you are a spunky young guy – tall, dark and handsome and cutting a dashing figure in a pair of tight jeans. The old darling will probably go out of her way to put you up, just for a whimsical smile and a bit of appreciative body language. Let’s face it; she won’t get it any other way. Conversely, the voluptuous young lady hasn’t got a chance – she is just going to remind the dear old thing of what would or might have been fourty years ago. By the way, the above proposition works in reverse if the Judge is gay and/or an older man.
Therefore the ideal handler is a good looking young sort with an hour-glass figure who has the benefit of a six foot two inch ‘Adonis’ as a boyfriend; just to make sure you will cover all situations. It wouldn’t do any harm if they are both closely related to the Club President and a senior member of the nearest canine control body (it’s optional however).
Now, let’s look at the actual dog. My many years of research, travel and study have failed to unearth anyone who can draw an outline for the perfect Whippet. The Standard just complicates the problem and, although everyone thinks they know, no such outline has ever been agreed on or indeed drawn. God help the poor fool that drew the outline for the new standard.. Would you take that poor, God forsaken thing home? No; it’s better left to illustrate the standard.
You’re tearing your hair out with frustration by now. “Pieterse” you say, “we can’t design the perfect Whippet because no one agrees!”. Nonsense! Pull yourself together and come to the drawing board. You’ll be amazed at what we can agree on.
Everyone, regardless of what the standard says, secretly wants dark eyes. So, let’s give it black eyes. The Yanks love them to use their ears, so our perfect Whippet must bait. Pommies hate brindle and prefer fawn, The Yanks prefer brindle parti-colour, but don’t mind fawn parti colour. The Scandinavians don’t care, the Europeans don’t know.
So let’s make it a fawn parti-colour with a saddle, well placed on the show side (just for the Yanks). Everybody except for the Europeans (who don’t know) and some of the old timers who have lost touch, hate ‘cut-away’ top lines. So let’s give it a nice, shapely, ‘non’ cut-away top line and a matching shapely underline.
“Wish we could do that” say the Yanks. “Only proper” say the Pomms. The Scandinavians don’t care as long as it’s imported from the U.K., the Australians don’t care, as long as it’s imported from anywhere, and the Europeans don’t know. I know you think I am giving the European Judge a hard time. Therefore our perfect Whippet will have lots of teeth so the European Judge can happily count them and show how clever he is. In this respect, the Europeans know, and nobody else cares.
It’s got to move nicely you say. Indeed.. Dead sound, coming and going, for the Yanks; nice side-on extension for the Aussies (and some Yanks). The Scandinavians don’t care, as long as it’s imported, and the Pomms and Europeans don’t know. Confidentially, the Pomms really do know, but they just want to sell it for the highest price to an American buyer.
Finally, the perfect Whippet must be well known; just in case the Judge doesn’t recognise him. So an essential component is global advertising, preferably every week, with the handler in the photo as insurance, just in case the judge is really, really dumb.
So you see, it’s not at all hard. When McDonald’s pretended they’re giving you the secret of how to make their French fries (first start with a potato from Tasmania) they don’t really mean it. Aside from leaving out the little bit of insignificant detail for space reasons, I hope I have been able to genuinely help every serious breeder with this little article.
Remember however, above all, the most important quality needed by the breeder of the perfect Whippet is this -
“Always take yourself seriously!”
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January 6th, 2006
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