Hippu
Hippu in Kajaani in June 2001. She was ten and half years old.
Hippu, Woodbrook's All You Need, is our old whippet. Born in 1990, she came to us in 1996 from the Tuominen family. Longtime sighthound enthusiasts, the Tuominens owned a deerhound and two whippets but had to give them away because of allergy. We were so lucky to get Hippu.
Hippu is a rather typical whippet. Her primary needs are warmth, people and food, in that order. She enjoys being around people, cars and warm places. Walks are a great way of spending an hour or two, but longer forays outdoors instil in her a longing for our living room couch. Sleeping is a way of life for her.
Hippu rests on our couch, August 2001.
Whippets are great communicators. If something is not up to their stringent standards they are sure to draw your attention to the matter so that you can correct it. Standing beside you, Hippu will bombard you with expectant looks and impatient body language. If nothing seems to be happening to address her concerns she will lift her front feet onto your lap and look at you anxiously with her large, expressive eyes. It is impossible to ignore a distressed whippet.
Warmth is an overriding concern for whippets. Here Hippu has persuaded Salla to tuck her in during a visit to Salla's parents in December 2001. A content whippet will typically smack her lips appreciatively as she closes her eyes, something that Silkens also do. On a cold day such as this some extra warmth is sure to soothe her old bones.
Whippets are actually quite complex creatures. Did you know that in the picture above Hippu's feet act like the cooling rods of a nuclear reactor, regulating the temperature of the whippet core ??
We bet Nöpö the Cat is acutely aware of this as she basks in the heat radiation and good vibrations emanating from the dog.
Salla brought Hippu this igloo from her latest trip to Texas. It is an excellent place to take a nap on a cold day, though it is often occupied by cats who prevent Hippu from using it. We've received a number of queries from envious whippet owners as to who makes these igloos but unfortunately we do not know... the manufacturer's name was on a tag, still visible in this picture, which Riinu ate on her arrival... Oh well.
People are very important to whippets. While Hippu considers cats and other dogs members of her pack she is really only fond of humans. She expects people to like her and to pay attention to her, and on the rare occasion we meet someone who does not like dogs she is completely perplexed. Hippu is happy to go anywhere with us and whippets like silkens are compact enough to be easily taken along.
Hippu and her tennis ball in the fall of 2000
Hippu and her tennis ball are the love story of the century. Hippu simply loves to chase after the ball. She even brings it back to the thrower, though reclutantly unless a reward for such an action seems likely. Otherwise she will just carry her precious ball around.
A totally unnecessary accident with a door in January 2001 cost Hippu twelve centimeters (five inches) of her tail. She recovered well but now she often licks her rear leg, perhaps in order to soothe some imagined, lingering pain. This photo is from June 2001. Hippu wears a harness because we discovered that in some rare situations when the dogs are on-leash the larger silkens can in fact topple the smaller whippet off her feet and drag her behind them. In these situations it is better that Hippu is dragged by her body rather than by her neck. Another reason for the harness are Hippu's back problems.
Hippu runs with the magnificent Scottish deerhounds of Lady's Kiss Kennel in September 1997. To a casual observer the situation may seem life-threatening for the little whippet, but in fact she is immensely enjoying being chased... Sighthounds tend to have an instinctive liking for each other and deerhounds are exceptionally good-natured and do not play rough.
"Catch me if you can ! Oh-oh, you can !" Hippu finds that Milla (FIN & EST CH Kilbrandon Camilla) is indeed a very quick deerhound. In theory deerhounds cannot match the whippet's higher power-to-weight ratio and and lower center of balance, and therefore the smaller dog is able to accelerate and turn quicker. In practice once the deerhound gets her 40 kg (90 lbs) of weight going, her long stride carries her over obstacles the whippet has to go around...
Hippu on a cold day in March 2002. She is wearing thermal overalls and a matching designer scarf from her Winter 2002 collection. The reflective strips draw the attention of drivers which is important in our town where street lighting is sometimes not well thought-out.
Hippu will be twelve years old this fall. She is in reasonable shape we think, her problem areas being her teeth, her slight overweight and her back. We did not take good care of Hippu's teeth until they became a problem in 1998. Whippets and silkens have long, tapering noses and food debris can accumulate between the dog's teeth and lips, causing plaque buildup on their teeth. Plaque in turn leads to serious dental problems. If you own a sighthound who does not spend her days chewing at bones, please consider brushing her teeth. We learned a lot the hard way and now Hippu, Siru and Riinu all brush their teeth every night.
Siru and Hippu listen to far-away noises in February 2001. Hippu is wearing an Australian
racehorse blanket of genuine leather and sheepskin from her Winter 1998 collection.
Hippu's back began acting up last year. At times her vertebrae become jammed or something and then she will stand bent to one side and look miserable. Walking is difficult and running is out of the question. A few times she has lost control of her rear and simply lain down, panting. She sees a chiropractor every few months and after a treatment she is always again delighted to run.
We're hoping to be able to enjoy Hippu's company for a long time yet.
Fast asleep on our friend Sanna's couch, February 2002.
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