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In 1999
my husband and I were living in a town home in Charlotte, NC. We
agreed to get a dog. My husband, Jerry, grew up on a farm and had
only outside dogs growing up. I had been without a dog for too many
years. A big dog was out of the question and the search for a breed
began. A friend of mine suggested we look at whippets. I checked
them out – fru fru dogs (I thought) second only to the poodle! Never
– I want my dogs to be DOGS, not Barbie dolls! That lasted all of 10
minutes after I met my first whippet! I was hooked! There were no whippets available in WRAP, I did not want a puppy, and few breeders were interested in people who did not have fenced yards. After some searching (and help from Chris Durance-Watkins), I found Cal Perry of Appraxin kennels. Cal was sorry, he said, he had no adult whippets available. The more we spoke (that would be me begging and wheedling) he allowed as he might have a girl for me. She was 2 years old. I told him I’d be right there – four or five hours later I was in Bristol Tennessee picking up my first whippet: Appraxin Sage Advice. Jillian was joined shortly thereafter by Smudge (a whippet-IG cross). I walked them diligently each day and each evening ran them on a golf course. Two years later we moved to a house with a fenced yard and I became a WRAP volunteer. Two years after that, I got my first show whippet (and foundation bitch) from Penny Spanola and DelCielo Whippets. Today, Besame Whippets has 3 champions: Ch DelCielo Accidental Habit (Emma) and her 2 sons, Besame’s May Be Habit Forming (Valentino) and Besame Hallmark Speak of the Devil (Bullitt). Their sister, Besame Besos DelCielo (Flight) is on her way to completing her bench championship. Both Valentino and Flight are Best of Breed winners and have won majors at hound specialty events. I have been fortunate to have some wonderful mentors over the past 8 years. First and foremost, Appraxin Sage Advice, CGC who taught me more about whippets than she will ever realize! Sharyn Hutchens (Timbreblue), Jill Couture (Hallmark), Cal Perry (Appraxin), and Mallory Ballard (Arborlea) have provided countless hours of mentoring for which I will always be grateful. My puppy buyers and their puppies have provided me with important feedback and friendship and have taught me to be a better breeder – I thank you all! Besame Whippets is founded on the principles of ethical & responsible breed stewardship
New to dogs or
whippets? Use this link for some good guidelines on how to identify
a good breeder. |
