Nikki’s Story

Why does a Collie enthusiast turn to a whippet?

Well, I am in good company, Miss Grey’s favourite pet was a whippet, and Tom Purvis, Danvis Collies, was enthusiastic about his whippets, too, and a successful breeder. I remember asking him what he would find in them and he said they were simply wonderful…

Back to 1997 when I went to Italy to visit Maria Teresa Garabelli of Cambiano fame.

It was an old dream of mine to see her dogs and being situated in the middle of Tuscany was no disadvantage. On the occasion of the CACIB-show in Florence where I was to take photos of here rarely seen dogs like the not yet recognised Cane Corso I went to Pisa. Maria Teresa found me a lovely room on a farm nearby with friends. Besides horses they owned champion Border Collies, a German Shepherd, white Bull Terrier but my host’s shadows were two whippets, mother and daughter.

From my love to sighthounds to the Collie

I have always had a soft spot for sighthounds and also that I was allowed to buy a collie had to do with sighthounds. My mother only wanted a Borzoi, my father a German Shepherd. So the collie seemed the ideal mix when I found out that there were puppies in the neighbourhood – my mother got her “nearly” Borzoi and my father his sheepdog, if only a Scottish one – but I had won the lottery – I got Lassie!

Our family doctor had returned from Persia from the court of Shah Reza Pahlewi and his good bye present was a Saluki bitch from the royal kennels. She died at very old age and Szu Szu had been sent to him to replace her. Szu Szu was the same age as my Ilka and I was allowed to take her to our dog training ground which was fully fenced so that she could have free running. And in their races my collie did not look bad at all!

Highlights were the Sundays when I was allowed to accompany her owners to race training. And there they were, all those wonderful sighthounds – dreams of my childhood. But one thing I knew even then – I never wanted a dog that I could not let off the leash.

For me those noble creatures were like valuable china or expensive jewellery – nice to look at but out of reach.

A long time without dogs

After the death of my last collie bitch, a wonderful companion in every aspect, for me a long time without dogs followed. My husband and I were convinced that a dog is more than an after-work-entertainment and thus for us working full time was no option.

Finally a dog again

As soon as my husband transferred his working place home and we had moved into our own house with large grounds I had nothing else in mind than owning a dog.

But a collie – meanwhile my memories were all pink and my expectations enormous – I would always compare and ask too much.

Also a long haired dog was out of the question since I had sworn to myself that my next dog should accompany me everywhere. Too vivid the memories of the difficulties I had with my collies because of the hairs and dirt. My dream was a smooth collie but I did not want a working dog which I could not satisfy. And I found the prospect of a new experience tempting, too.

The charming character of whippets

Back to Ljuba and her whippets. Both bitches were the only dogs running free on the farm, all others were in kennels or tied. They never put their eyes off their mummy and followed her steps, where Ljuba was, there were the whippets. We visitors were considered light air. Only at dinner time we gained their interest but a single look of Ljuba was enough for them to step back from the doorstep.

Finally they allowed me to touch them and I was surprised with the silky hair, the feel of a warm body which I did not know from the coated dogs. It was wonderful.

Ljuba’s large grounds reached into the woods. It was not fenced but the whippets followed us only to the border and could not be coaxed to come along any step further. It never occured to them to roam into the woods though it was full of game. When one of the bitches had a litter she brought home a very young wild piglet that Ljuba hand raised.

Her dogs always gave the impression of being not interested in anything, they never could be provoked, they were lying around enjoying the sun all day. They always moved around in an elegant trott but were never in the way.

But as soon as Ljuba started putting up the agility course or the hare-machine for their own sandy racetrack they sprang to life and showed their full temperament an energy. I was fascinated.

If whippets really were like this – this was my dog!

The following year Ljuba hat 9 blue and white puppies. She wanted to give me one but I had to convince my husband first who was not at all enthusiastic about having a dog, especially as I was full time working 30 miles away and he would have to take care of him all day. But I was determined and only had to search for a good one.

Since I knew how important the support of a good breeder is from my own experience as a buyer and breeder, I preferred to have a dog of a German breeder I could easily turn to in need.

I remembered years ago having read a very good series of articles in the dog press written by a whippet breeder and thought if she is still active, her experience must be great but she had apparantly vanished from the scene.

But somehow I did find her…

Strangely enough I never took an interest in the whippet as a breed. My enthusiasm for the collie never faded.

But Nikki is the love of my life, my shadow and my soul.