whippets

I have 3 whippet litter sisters here. They are all different heights. One is quite leggy at the moment. They are all entire. If that leggy one was desexed early I bet people would blame her legginess on being desexed early. How can you know that your dog is "taller" because it was desexed early when the other variable could be that is the genetic make up of that dog to be slightly longer in leg anyway. I'm one of those people that never takes things on face value and search for other possible causes before jumping on the bandwagon. Same goes for the "inbreeding" debate and lowered immunity. These scientists that are so desperate to get their names journaled don't offer other variables to lowered immunity such as: over vaccination, over worming, processed food and other environmental factors.

That is gold!!!!! :D ROFL lol I just read that one. :D Thanks for making my morning

OMG look at that miniature Greyhound!!! It's so skinny

poor bambi :D

I use Wyndham for desexing. They are very nice there and the vet is good. If you are willing to travel to the greyhound track in Lara, Michael Bell will do vaccinations on Sundays (between 7.30 - 10.30am). We use Michael for everything else dog wise but you'll have to put up with his sick jokes.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) Use to breed them, train them and race them. Been involved with greys for 19 years 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? Been answered already 3. How common is it in Australia? Racing dogs are very common. Show dog varietys not so common. You can show race/ex-racers 4. What is the average lifespan? 10+. We have 2 brothers that are ex-racers. They are both almost 11 years old. The oldest we had was "Cobbers Gold" who was a top city racer in the late 80's/early 90's. He passed away just short of his 17th birthday. Here he is 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Gentle, affectionate and not to demanding. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? As much as you want to give them. They do love to do zoomies like most sighthounds. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Yes as long as they realise that Greys are sighthounds therefore love to chase. They have no road sense so need to be in a secure yard. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I prefer dogs to have companions if owners are gone for long periods 9. How much grooming is required? Not alot. A grooming mitt will loosen up and remove the dead hair. Make sure they have a warm coat to wear when the weather gets below 20 degrees celcius. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Generally no but there are always exceptions to the rule. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? In race dogs thyroid problems are pretty common. Not sure about non-racing line show dogs 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be. Like any breed do your research to see if they are suitable for you lifestyle. They are generally a healthy breed. Ex-racers may get early arthritis due to racing injurys (eg/ hocks, which usually ends a career) but is treatable and so are thyroid problems. Why not buy a GAP dog?

The decline started when they changed "Open Parades" to "Open Shows". At Open Parades it was a fantastic opportunity to take your young dogs to show the trainee judges and have a great shot at getting a a group sash. Then they changed to "Open Show" where champions entered and competed in the regular classes. The people that entered their champions were usually just sash hunters. You rarely saw the top winning dogs there as it was a place to show case your young stock. It made no sense to pay the money to enter the younger dogs and compete against champions or even get a chance at points.

Probably the same person we use. He charges $18 now (use to be even cheaper than that). A prominent G-hound vet that I have personally known for 19 years.

People die of cancer, it's recorded. If they didn't get screened for cancer, ended up with mets and subsequently died from that cancer, well that death is recorded as cancer. The statistics are there and yes that was my point about how the world we live in has changed. It doesn't matter whether you are screened or not, the chances of getting cancer are higher than 50 yrs ago. That is a fact. Screening increases the chance of early detection and has nothing to do with rates. I'm just saying

It's not just that. Read all the ingredients on dog products you buy unless they say "secret formula" :rolleyes: , then god only knows what's in the product. I have been looking at an organic pet shampoo. It contained cocoa butter. I would never use cocoa butter on a dog. Same goes for citrus extracts for dogs that spend most of their time outdoors. I test the pH of dog shampoos I buy and some don't even have the correct pH for a dogs coat. I make my own skin products so I'm going to make it for my dogs now. I don't want SLS's, parabens, artificial colours, DEA's, TEA's, Mea's and petrolatums in my own products and I don't want it on my dogs. The industry for human cosmetics/toiletries isn't regulated enough so it would be common sense to suggest that dog products would be even less regulated. In humans : 50 yrs ago we had a 1 in 100 chance of getting some form of cancer. Now we have a 1 in 5 chance (source= National Cancer Institute). Asthma has increased 58% in ten years (source= National Institue of Health). The auto-immune diseases have increased substantially. I believe it's the onslaught of synthetics we use and consume (preservatives). A study found more than 350 synthetic chemicals inhuman breast milk (source= Women's Environmental Network). Why wouldn't this hold true for dogs? Auto-immune diseases have been linked to inbreeding (they use the old mathematical of COI to calculate). Instead of blaming line or inbreeding for the increased auto-immune disorders in the dogs. Did the researchers even think about all the synthetic chemicals in the environment rather than 100% blame breeding programs? Synthetics are in most dog foods, it's in dog grooming products, it's in any product that is imported from oversea's. Products get blasted with pesticides by AQIS before they can released. Dams can pass the synthetic chemicals onto their puppies (just like humans do). Oh wow I went way off tangent there. But it is an issue I have close to my heart and wish to share it. I hope it gets people thinking outside the box.