Meet the Whippet

We Whippets actually aren’t that old; our story starts no more than a couple hundred years ago. We were developed in Northern England in the late 1700s when they crossed Greyhounds with fast, long-legged Terriers, creating a new breed of sighthounds (this is why we’re sometimes called small Greyhounds or Italian Greyhounds). Poachers were the ones who used us; we’re crazy fast, so we are perfect for hunting rabbits and other small game.

But our pawesome hunting skills were used for more than just poaching. We were a breed beloved by the English working class men who used us for Whippet racing; they’d pit us against each other to test our speed or see which one of us could kill the most small animals. We’d also compete in rag racing, where we’d chase a rag on a long track that included roads and stretches of fields. We aren’t called the “Poor Man’s Racehorse” (and sometimes the “Lightning Rag Dog”) for nothing!

We came to America when working class members from Lancashire, England migrated to New England (now Massachusetts). Not to brag, but we were immediately pawpular. We were no longer just the Poor Man’s Racehorse; people from all walks of life loved watching us race. In 1888, the American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized us, and the first Whippet recognized was named Jack Dempsey after the famous boxer. And in 1899, the American Whippet club was formed!

Today, we’re still adored as fast sprinting, small dogs with a smooth coat and a cuddly side. We’re also known for our signature Whippet shivers; we don’t have much body fat, so we get cold easily and do not do well in cold weather. But above it all, we’re furbulous companions from when we’re Whippet puppies to Whippet adults. We love our family members even if we still love chasing small animals. C’mon - it’s in our blood!