Nice Sighthound Music Video Clip! (in German)

This video is easily cool and pro enough to post and share!

Turbostaat – Tut es doch weh

Lure-School Play — 7th Week

Here are some shots from today at 7 weeks…  playing with a lure-toy on a string.  They all love it of course.

..

They all love it, but the MOST interested are probably Comet, Mario, Luna, and Orbit… in that order.

Also, please take a look at all the new photos in our picassa album:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117669563984081798152/Litter1RetroArcadeLitter#

Introducing Luna…

Luna at 33 Days Old

• Gender: female
• Birth Order: 8 of 8
• Call Name: Luna
• Coat Color: blue-fawn (silver) and white
• Masking:  black mask (not encroaching onto white muzzle)
• Blaze: medium length
• Weight Rank at 3 Weeks:  average-large size
• .
• How to recognize Luna from the litter:
• the only girl
• one of the two silver/blue fawns
• perfectly symmetrical markings
• .
• Character & Description
• not because she is the only girl,  instead because it is true:  she is a real sweetheart.
• able to hold her own with all 7 brothers
• sometimes reserved, but very self assured and confident
• part of the first team of 3 or 4 to come when called

Luna at 33 Days Old

Luna at 26 Days Old

Luna at 17 Days Old

Luna at 1 Day Old

 

 

Short Vid with 2 Pups at 24 Days

Here are Mario and Pacman from the Retro-Arcade Litter from Summer 2012:

Puppy-Pics from Day 7 — photos by Julia Szopa

Here are the 8 puppies at 1 week old.  Thanks to Julia Szopa from Palo Alto, CA , we have much better pics than the snapshots I took that are on the last blog posting.  Enjoy!  We can’t wait for their eyes to open!

The Mach-Speed Lajka Litter Prediction Contest

Well, Lajka’s all pregnant n’ stuff…

               so it’s time to have some fun!

Yep, European Imports Lajka and Rocket have expressed their love for one-another in the form of a pregnancy here in California.  Let’s have a contest to see who can guess the number of pups!  (Hint: My dear Vet did a little check early on when she stopped by to see the Whippies (without USGs or Xrays) and she seems to have felt about 5 of what I like to call “puppy-bumps”).  So guessing below 4 would be quite a gamble indeed, but I suppose it’s not an impossible result.

Surely more than one contestant will get that right, so the 1st tie-breaker question will be the gender breakdown.  Most likely, a few people will get this right too, so the 3rd question will be a second tie-breaker — the date of birth/whelping.  Background info:  average length of pregnancy is around 61-63 days and the matings were from the 22nd to the 26th of April.

The 4th question is the final tie-breaker.  Here you can write anything you want to predict about the litter  —  coat colors especially… maybe also time of day.

Now you probably want to know about the prizes!  Well, here you go.

Firstly, the first place winner gets to pick TWO prizes from the following choices:

1. A blog or website :  set up for them by me on WordPress plus a half a year of assistance with maintenance.  The initial size of this site is to be within reason (let’s say. not larger than my average blog)
2. 1-2 songs recorded in my studio :  produced of co-produced by me.  If this is with live instruments, this would be of good demo quality.  If this is with line and sampled instruments, it should be of studio quality.  You would need to provide your own transport to Atherton, CA.
3. I record my vocal to the instrumental version of the song “Whip it Good” by Devo.  Where you can change the words to fit your wants, needs, and whims.  I can help you change the lyrics as much as you need.  You might be able to convince me to do another track if I like the track enough.  NO!  NO LADY GAGA!!  😉  If you don’t have Whippets, it could be a Snoop Dog song, or “Who Let the Dog’s Out” or something like that.  Remember, we would change the words to fit your reality. 😉
4. Four hours of frisbee/sighthound disc sport training for you and/or your sighthound (or other breed for that matter) plus additional help over the net.  You would need to transport yourself to me, or catch me here or there when I travel (which isn’t too often.) 
5. A semi-pro video edit of your short films ; or slide-show of your photos.
6. For pre-screened potential owners, a “significant discount” in the fees that are required to become “owned” by a Mach-Speed Whippet.

The winner can pass along any of these prizes to a direct family member or close friend or dog-breeding/dog-world partner.  I reserve the right to ask for proof of the relationship.  Sorry, “facebook friends for 2 years” doesn’t count!…. especially for prize choice nr.6.  Many of these pries could take a while to come to fruition, given that we all have busy lives,  the distances between us, etc.  Nevertheless, you can count on me to follow through with the 2 prizes that the winner chooses.  I will also make a blog entry with the results of the top contestants — maybe a top 10?  If the 1st place contestant doesn’t want any prizes or “dissapears”, then the 2nd place contestant will pick their two prizes.  Be sure to include your email at the bottom of the survey if you want to win.

You might cleverly mix your 2 prizes.  For example, the song “Whip it Good” with lyrics about your kennel or your dogs, and then a music video to that song with pics or films of your dogs.  😉

To take part in the contest, press the button at the bottom of this blog entry.  

Consider getting background info about the parents and the pedigree from this blog and from www.machspeedwhippets.com .  Send the link to this blog to your friends so that they can take part too!

Questions about the litter and pup availability: glennskii@gmail.com

Take Our Survey!

Sighthounds of Note

Sighthounds have always attracted notable owners. Here we take a look at some of the great Sighthound owners and their dogs.

Royalty

Sighthounds of various breeds have long been favourites of Royalty, not least because of their superb hunting skills. In 1210 the future King John of England sent an Irish hound to Llewellyn, Prince of Wales as a gift. King John of Poland was an avid collector, by all accounts. In fact, so popular did Irish wolfhounds become as a status symbol during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that their export from Ireland was banned by Declaration in 1652 for fear of their extinction from their country of origin. Llewellyn the Great, Prince of Wales, Henry VII King of England, Queen Elizabeth I of England and Elisabeth, Empress of Austria all owned Wolfhounds. Wolfhounds were not the only Royal breed however.

Richard II and the Royal Greyhound

Richard II had a well-known and beloved greyhound called Mathe, who is pictured below.

Henry IV’s Saluki

Henry IV had what is thought to be a Saluki in this famous portrait, painted in 1514 by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Salukis, thought to be the oldest breed in existence, returned with the Crusaders from the Middle East as proof of their expeditions. The scallop shell was the badge of the pilgrim, and can be seen on the dog’s collar. There are records of Salukis in carvings from the Sumerian Empire dating back as far as 7000-6000 BC. It was also a royal dog during the Egyptian civilisation, when Pharaohs would have their favourite dogs mummified.

Military & Politics

John F Kennedy and Wolf

John F Kennedy had a huge menagerie of pets, from a rabbit called Zsa Zsa to a pony called Macaroni. But his favourite pets were certainly his dogs. The Kennedys owned a large number of dogs, as can be seen in this family portrait. He would certainly have needed cheap dog insurance to cover the vet bills. John F was slightly allergic to fur, but was not remotely deterred from dog ownership. His Sighthound of choice was the Irish Wolfhound – imaginatively named ‘Wolf’. John F Kennedy was the first President to insist that his dogs come to greet him from the presidential helicopter when he returned to the White House from trips.

General George Custer

General Custer was a great lover of Sighthounds. He owned an English Greyhound, called Byron, but the majority of his dogs were Scottish Staghounds, with which he hunted frequently. Unfortunately he managed to shoot his favourite dog, Lee, on one hunting expedition, when he was riding at full tilt after a buffalo and attempting to shoot it at the same time. Custis Lee, his horse, held steady but the General describes the terrible following moments:

“I drew my pistol, intending to use both hands in controlling the horse, when, just as my hand was raised to the reins, my finger accidentally and in the excitement of the moment, pressed the trigger and discharged the weapon, the ball entering Lee’s neck near the top of his head and penetrating his brain. Both horse and buffalo had been at full speed. The shot produced instant death.”

You can read more about Custer’s extraordinary adventures with his dogs here.

Image : Custer with Wolfhounds

Celebrity

Rudolph Valentino and Centaur Pendragon

Somewhat grandly named Centaur Pendragon was the adored companion of Rudolph Valentino, and he appeared in many photos, and even on stage. Here is an early photo of the devoted pair. Centaur used to guard Valentino’s dozens of suitcases when he travelled.

Picasso, Kasbec and Kabul and Sauterelle

Many people only know of Picasso’s beloved Dachshund, Lump. But he also owned three Afghan hounds during his lifetime. His first was Kasbec, the second was Kabul and his last one was Sauterelle. Strangely, none of them appeared in his paintings.

Picasso with Kasbec, photographed by Man Ray in 1935

Picasso with Kabul, photographed by David Douglas Duncan, 1959

Lucien Freud

The great artist Lucien Freud, who died recently, was a whippet owner. He had several dogs, which he adored and often included in his portraits.

Choice of whippet paintings

Freud, Double Portrait

Weaver’s IG

Sigourney Weaver is a great Italian Greyhound fan, but took her love of her own, Petals, to extremes in 2003 when she held a wedding ceremony for her and their neighbour’s dog Jimmy, from whom they intended to breed. Her daughter, clearly a traditionalist, suggested that the two dogs should marry before having babies, and Sigourney got behind the idea. The bride wore a faux Vera Wang gown, complete with veil and pearl accessories. The union was successful and Petals produced three puppies. Rumours circulated that Jimmy and Petals now no longer talk, prompting speculation about a divorce, but so far they are just gossip. Only in Hollywood…

For more examples of famous people with sighthounds, read below those that were added in the comments by our readers:

Whippet Ingenuity (film)

Astro gets stuff done.

0:04 astro jumps in the pool
0:08 retrieves blue disc
0:17 starts bulldozing yellow disc with blue disc
0:20 yellow disc gets away
0:27 snags yellow disc without losing blue disc
0:33 gives discs to rocket and lajka at the steps
0:37 rocket takes the yellow disc
0:40 astro returns for unclaimed blue disc

Whippets in California (Links)

I am not a California-Whippet expert — nor even a California expert for that matter…  but I do live here now, I am a geographer by training,  and I do have whippets.  So I will make this blog entry. I made it for three reasons:

• 1) To show my friends and colleagues from in and out of the Whippet world where I am now.
• 2) To learn for myself about the California Whippet scene through the writing of this entry… as well as the info my friends, including YOU,  will hopefully send me to add to the entry.  😉
• 3) To add this information to the net for others to use.

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My early observation is that the scene (events, associations, and so on) are kind of split up into northern and southern California — probably more by the geographical distance we find between the clusters of action that more-a-less are based on the gravity of the Los Angeles metro area in the south and the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area in the north.

Here are some links.  Please send me links that you think should be added to this list ( glennskii@gmail.com ) . Southern California is listed in Red and Northern is listed in Blue.  

Furthermore, if you see errors,  thanks in advance for telling me what to correct!!

Organizations:

• Northern California Whippet Fanciers – http://www.ncwfa.com/
• Greater San Diego Whippet Association – http://www.sandiegowhippets.com/
• California Whippet Rescue (general) – http://www.whippet-rescue.com/roster.html
• California Whippet Rescue  (North)-  http://ncwfa.com/rescue/
• Southern California Whippet Association – http://www.socalwhippet.com/

.

Breeders  (some may not be active):

• Alouette  Romoland, CA
• Amir   Romoland, CA
• Ari        www.ariwhippets.com/        San Fransisco Area, CA
• Avita        http://avitawhippets.weebly.com        San Fransisco Area, CA
• Bohem        www.geocities.com/~bohemwhippets/        Ojai, CA
• Cash Creek        http://www.cashcreekwhippets.com        Oakland, CA
• Chelsea        www.chelseawhippets.com        Bakersfield, CA
• Coursair       www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1808532224       Pleasant Hill, CA
• Cozette     www.cozettewhippets.wordpress.com  moved from California to Springfield, Missouri
• Crestfield        Napa, California
• Dover    North Highlands, CA
• Elidas    www.elidaswhippets.com  Hemet, CA
• Endeavor        www.endeavorwhippets.com/        Atascadero, CA
• Epic        www.epicwhippets.com        Modesto, CA
• Flying        www.flyingwhippets.com/        Ojai, CA
• Folquin        Lakeside, California
• Fontas / Peavine        www.peavine.com/whippets/index.html        Fair Oaks, CA
• Grand Prix        www.grandprixwhippets.com/        recently moved from Solvang, CA to Virginia
• Hounds of Majeod              Bay Area, CA
• Kamio        http://www.breedersusa.com/dog/member/kamio/        Fallbrook, CA
• Kentfield       www.kentfieldwhippets.com        Sonoma, California
• Keynote     Tulare, CA
• Kezo    Mission Viejo, CA
• Kimera / The Hounds of Kotan        www.kimerawhippets.com/        Santa Clara, CA
• Lakota         Oakland, CA
• Leyenda        www.leyendawhippets.com/        Hesperia, CA
• Lileo      Palo Alto, CA
• Limerick        www.limerickiw.com        Biggs, CA
• Mach-Speed        www.machspeedwhippets.com        Atherton, CA
• Maverick        http://www.maverickranch.net/       Alpine, CA
• Mayamo               San Jose, CA
• Milescross      www.milescrosswhippets.com        San Francisco, CA
• Miyabi        www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/7575/index.html        Costa Mesa, CA
• Morlais       Fort Bragg, CA
• Mosaic        www.hosanna1.com/MosaicWhippets/        Aromas, CA
• Nysa Hill        www.nysahill.net/        Granada Hills, CA
• Onyxx        www.onyxxwhippets.com/        Newbury Park, CA
• Oxford        http://www.oxfordwhippets.com/        Chula Vista, CA
• Paws n’ Oaks     Thousand Oaks, CA
• Photoplay               El Cajon, CA
• Red Cloud        www.angelfire.com/ny2/redcloudwhippets/        Arroyo Grande, CA
• Ringmaster    Fresno, CA
• Runners    Covina, CA
• Sonsteby               Quail Valley, CA
• Starline        www.starlinewhippets.com/        Rancho Santa Fe, CA
• Summet        http://summitwhippets.com/        Hesperia, CA
• Taliesin        www.taliesinwhippets.com/        Browns Valley, CA
• Tangens        www.tangenshounds.com/        San Ynez Valley / Rancho Santa Fe, CA
• Wheatland        http://homepage.mac.com/kimotero/Menu9.html        Orange, CA
• Whipmark        www.angelfire.com/stars4/whippets/        Chino, CA
• WhippetShire           Bay Area, CA
• Wyndsor       Fairfield, CA
  

Blogs:

• www.machspeedwhippets.wordpress.com

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Other:

• Hound Togs (Sighthound Coats) Santa Clara, CA – http://www.houndtogs.com/
• Dog Shows in California – http://www.infodog.com/panels/ca.htm

California Whippetfolk on the Net (Facebook shall be the default listing here)

(Please tell me if I can include you on this list)

• glennSKii Meyer:  FB: Sighthound Disc Sport, glennSKii Meyer;  Google+:glennSKii Meyer
• Jennie Dal Busco: www.facebook.com/dalbusco
• .??
• .??  under construction…
• .??

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For national and international listings of whippet-links, please go to the “Whippet Link Megalist” tab in this blog!

Any reports of dead links, missing data, out-of-date data, and/or mistakes are appreciated!

Futuristic Greyhound Race – A Cool Absolut Ad in a Music Vid

I ran into this today.  Great vid.  I find it quite a coincidence that just last night i was speaking about four-legged robotic with a robotics guy.  I said how the sighthound rear hip mechanics are most like robotics… compared to other dogs.  I continued by brainstorming that a sighthound-based robot would be able to  “run” incredibly fast.

Also, I often daydreamed what hi-tech armour would look like on a whippet or other sighthound.  In my head,  it looked a bit like the costumes in this video.

Enjoy!