World of the Covenstead Whippets
Bo and the Covenstead crew
We first started thinking about getting a dog again in 1997, about a year after we moved to our current home. In the past, we had thought of ourselves as "cat people," having bred and shown Cornish Rex cats (under the Hobbiton Cattery name), but did have dogs in the past - a Bull Terrier from Acmalta while in Edmonton and a Bouvier from Quiche while living in Qualicum on Vancouver Island. This time we wanted a dog who could be active with us, as well as one who was trainable, had short hair and was quiet in the house. We found what we wanted in a Whippet.
Our first boy, Wylie, joined us on April 4, 1998 at 9 weeks of age and, as per the "potato chip" theory, Pyro joined us less than 1 1/2 years later (also at 9 weeks) but we waited until 2006 to get our then latest addition, Percy. Now we have number four son, Pender, who arrived on November 7, 2010.
Why all boys, you may ask? We love their even disposition and have absolutely no intention of raising a litter. There are enough established Whippet breeders producing beautiful healthy puppies, and we have been fortunate enough to find ones that will entrust us with the best of their best. We have already had the happiness (and sometimes heartbreak) of breeding our own show-winning Cornish Rex cats and Nubian goats and would rather spend time raising and training a Whippet from puppyhood than with all the worry and toil involved for the months leading up to the time when the puppies finally leave their littermates.