Hippu - A Hundred Stories

Hippu in Angelniemi in late August 2002. She was almost twelve years old.

We lost dear old Hippu on July 1, 2004. She would have been fourteen years old in October. She died of an apparent spleen failure and internal bleeding. She is buried in a secluded corner of our farm, between two pretty birches and a pine tree. With her we put her collar tag and two tennis balls, which Hippu was famous for retrieving and carrying around when young.

Hey, let us in! Hippu and Siru visiting Jaana's house in the summer of 2001.

Her name meant Chip, as of chocolate... or Nugget, as of gold. Hippu was a second-hand whippet whom we got at the age of five in 1996 from our friend Jaana whose children had become allergic to dogs. Jaana could not have given us a finer gift than Hippu and we are ever grateful that she chose to give her to us. We tried to visit Hippu's original family once a year. Driving up the road towards Jaana's place we'd always ask Hippu where we were... and Hippu always knew! And if Jaana's front door was open Hippu was in her kitchen before the rest of us had gotten out of the car.

Hippu as depicted by Jaana's son Juho, aged seven.

Eero writes: "I was in fact against getting a dog, especially a whippet. Three walks a day in the rain seemed impossible and also interfered with my sports regime. In addition I'm a big man, I looked completely ridiculous walking around with a small, feminine sighthound... of course as a lady Salla didn't have this problem. But Hippu got around that... she was so genuinely wonderful that after a couple of months with her I loved her so much I no longer cared if I looked ridiculous."

Hippu was our only dog for the first four years and this created an incredibly strong bond between us and her. There is no such bond with the silken windhounds who came after Hippu, they are members of a Pack and look first to the Pack and then to us.

In her later years when we got more dogs Hippu would always teach the newcomers the ways of the house. There is no peeing inside the house. One takes long naps while Salla and Eero are away and does not act improperly. One greets visitors and returning Pack members with some enthusiasm but does not overdo it. And especially, one does not annoy the cats. By observing how Hippu acted Siru, Ali and Riinu all got off to a good start in our home.

With Ali and Siru at the races, October 2002. Hippu is wearing
thermal overalls and green raincoat from her Winter 2002 and Fall 2003 collections.

Hippu aged gracefully, slowing down but remaining capable of short spurts of blinding speed when she wanted to join others in running. There was no sign of senility or other mental aging, Hippu's problems were entirely physical.

The one thing that did suprise us during Hippu's last years was her loss of hearing. It probably happened in the summer or fall of 2002 or thereabouts, when she was eleven, but she managed to fool us for many months... Hippu knew all the routines of the house and knew exactly what she was expected to do in all situations during walks, and she knew how to read our hand signs and body language so well that we simply did not notice that she could no longer hear us. It took a visit to a neighbor's house in December 2002 to discover this... While Hippu ate treats Eero sat down on the other side of the kitchen table and talked with the neighbor... When Hippu was through eating treats she looked around for her human in a slight panic though Eero had been talking all the time. She jogged away, into the living room, trying to locate Eero's scent... he called her name but she did not hear him. It was quite a surprise. In the spring of 2004 we bought Hippu a radio beacon so that if she were to become lost in the woods during our walks we could find her, but Hippu passed away before we had figured out how to best attach the beacon to her harness.

Hippu loved taking naps on couches. Here she is testing out
Salla's parents' new couch in July 2001.

You may have heard that there are two main types of whippets - the show-bred and the race-bred varieties. Well, Hippu was of the third variety, a couch bred whippet. Couch bred whippets are not unlike the show or race bred varieties, but have less impressive muscle tone. They can and do run after furry animals and will occasionally let themselves be stacked for a few seconds at a time, but mostly they seem to enjoy napping on any soft piece of living room furniture.

Hippu had advanced communication skills and could often tell us things other dogs cannot. When we couldn't make it on time to walk the dogs and had Eero's parents go to our house and take the Pack for a walk, Hippu would always tell us afterward about what had happened.

Also after every walk with one of us Hippu would jog through the house, searching for her other human... and when she found whom she was looking for she'd communicate "We went for a walk and now we're back - it is nice to see you!" She also knew how to shake pitifully or stand looking depressed when needed. She even knew how to show her lack of appreciation of something by staging a quiet protest.

On a walk with Siru, Riinu and a friend's whippet in the spring of 2004, Hippu
has unexpectedly come upon her good friend Tapani, Eero's father. She is dressed in
a green raincoat from her Fall 2003 collection

Eero writes: "Hippu was especially fond of us men and she quickly became 'my' dog, even though Salla was always the Pack leader, the primary caretaker and the cook. Hippu would insist on spending quality time with me whether or not I could actually fit it into my schedule. There were times I had no choice but to hold her on my lap for a quarter of an hour while postponing other important things, just because I had neglected her the previous day by being away."

Hippu had an abundance of love. She loved us and our parents very, very much. Whenever we came home she would perform a little welcome dance for us, happy to see us irrespective of whether we had been away for ten minutes or ten hours. Hippu was also the favorite of friends, relatives and neighborhood children. She loved people, attention, warmth and rest. She also had excellent manners and could get along with anyone, whether human or canine. And she ran like the wind when she was young.

Hippu waits patiently while Eero photographs Deerhounds from the tower of the Tampere sighthound racetrack. August 2001.

A Hundred Stories

There are of course a hundred stories about Hippu. Here are some of our favorites...

Hippu and the Little Bird

One Saturday morning Hippu and Eero were returning home from a walk. When they reached the common yard Eero let Hippu loose as he always did. He picked up the mail from the mailbox while Hippu jogged up the hill, towards home and her favorite daily event - breakfast. For some reason there were no kids in the yard that morning. They would often come up running, calling Hippu's name and wanting to pet her and Hippu would oblige them.

As he walked behind Hippu Eero suddenly noticed movement in the tall grass at the very top of the hill... some small animal was moving there, not quickly but with apparent urgency. Before he had time to react Hippu also spotted the movement and sped away, accelerating to her full 50+ km/h speed in a split second and a few long strides...

HIPPU, NO! Eero shouted at the top of his lungs. But Hippu did not listen, for sighthounds are notoriously hard of hearing when chasing prey. She took a shortcut over the sun-scorched lawn, her strong legs sending dirt flying in her wake as she sprinted towards the movement in the grass. HIPPU, NO! Hippu closed the distance between her and her prey... but just as she reached the point from where she could have pounced on the unfortunate small animal, she screetched to a halt...

Hippu sniffed at the tiny creature... it was a little bird. He had fallen - or perhaps flown on his maiden flight - out of his nest up in the trees somewhere. Eero could hear mama-bird nearby, feverishly instructing the little one to flee for his life. Hippu looked at the little bird, who wobbled on as he tried to hurry away from danger towards the safety of the trees. He posed absolutely no challenge to her running and chasing skills, and Hippu never wanted to hurt anyone anyway. A couple more sniffs and Hippu walked away, climbing up the stairs of our porch.

This was Hippu, the small and quick sighthound who loved to match her speed with anything that moved but who harbored no aggression towards any of the many creatures she chased.

A happy-looking Hippu rolls in grass, scratching her back. June 2004.

Hippu and the World's Fastest Dog

There were but a few sighthounds where we lived. We did meet a basenji, a greyhound, a saluki, an elderly whippet called Ringo and there was a man who owned two gorgeous borzoi but we never encountered any one of these off-leash so Hippu never got the chance to run with any of them.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings a varied crowd of dogs and people would meet on a field next to the railway tracks. There was a dachshund, some German shepherds, an Australian sheepdog by the name of Ressu and a gang of terriers of all kinds. There was Rasseli the Jack Russel, some wonderful fox terriers and one lady had five or six very active Dandie Dinmont terriers who were lots of fun. Hippu was always glad to run with any of these dogs and sometimes she could be seen careening around in a large circle with a gaggle of terriers following her on the inside track, in a smaller circle. Everyone had a great time. Although the terriers were tenacious and fairly fast, none of them could of course challenge Hippu. We used to joke that Hippu was obviously the World's Fastest Dog.

But then one day we met Pinja. Pinja was a whippet, slightly smaller than Hippu, but she was only two years old... and she went to race practice every week. We only met her a few times before her owner apparently moved away, but it was immediately obvious that Hippu no longer held the title of World's Fastest Dog. The next time we visited Jaana's place we told her kids that Hippu was the World's Second Fastest Dog. They smiled, but we don't think they believed us.

Riinu, Siru, Ali and Hippu take well-earned naps in May 2003.

Hippu and the Agony of Separation

We moved into our new house in February 2004 and spent the summer painting it. In the spring Eero would often be outside on the ladder or scaffolding, painting the walls. Meanwhile Hippu, who was inside and could see him through the windows, cried, whimpered and complained about him being all of five meters from her but on the wrong side of the wall. What a terrible ordeal for her... Eero might never return from his painting outing... she would have starved and died a miserable death, forgotten and all alone... (of course Salla, Hippu's primary caregiver, was often still at home while Hippu was thinking of all this).

One Sunday Salla simply had to let Hippu out onto the yard after about an hour of complaints. Hippu jogged up to the ladder and looked up at Eero, accusingly... Why are you up there painting instead of down here petting me? In the end Eero had to climb down and hug her while trying to not get any paint on her... then she walked around the yard, sniffing at plants and engaging in other typical Whippet activities (wandering about, watching birds, standing in sunshine looking raptuous, etc.) while he painted some more. When Hippu tired of the yard she walked back to the house and stood at the door, communicating that it was time to go in. Eero let her in and she, once again secure in the knowledge that he loved her, took a nap on the couch while he continued painting outside.

Many whippets behave in this way. We suppose the cries and complaints are probably one of those Pack things. Separated from her pack, a wolf would have trouble obtaining food and thus her very survival is at stake. So when Hippu saw her people close but separated from them, she was genuinely worried about her own survival and her every instict dictated that the separation be ended as soon as possible.

Salla, Hippu, Riinu and Siru out on a walk in December 2001.
Hippu is wearing a Marlboro Country jacket with a wide sash and artificial fur lining from her Winter 1997 collection.

Hippu and the Encounter in the Dark

Though Hippu was a small whippet and weighed only about 12 kilograms (26 lbs) she had the voice of a much bigger dog. She growled only rarely but when she did she sounded like a 40 kg Doberman.

One dark autumn evening in 1998 or thereabouts Eero and Hippu were doing their customary evening walk, just going around the block before it was time to go to bed. Turning back onto our home street, they walked in the dark because the street lights did not extend to that part of the street. Up ahead was a pool of light created by the first street light and into it stepped a large German Shepherd, followed by his owner who lived at that end of the street. Hippu was startled and let out a loud, vicious growl that any Rottweiler would have been proud of. The German Shepherd owner froze and then planted his feet firmly on the ground, grabbing the leash with both hands in anticipation of the ferocious hound he supposed would be coming up the street... He looked dismayed but also slightly relieved when it was only Eero and his little, feminine Whippet... "Good evening," Eero said, trying in vain to keep a straight face as they passed the wary pair as quickly as possible.

While Riinu stalks Siru, Hippu walks unconcernedly towards breakfast in November 2002. We lived in the leftmost half of the leftmost house.
Hippu is well dressed in her army-type sweater of natural wool with high collar from her Fall 1996 collection, and her Marlboro Country jacket with
a wide sash and artificial fur lining from her Winter 1997 collection.

Hippu the Bent Whippet

Eero took the dogs out for a walk on a winter day in 2000 or thereabouts. There was snow on the ground but it wasn't particularly cold for Finland but of course Hippu had her woolen sweater on like a ten-year-old Whippet lady should. Hippu was fine for the first one hundred meters but then Eero begun to notice that her body was quickly curving, she became bent, her hindquarters moving further and further to the right from centerline. Astounded, he stopped. His beloved little Hippu was bent at a 45 degree angle and she looked miserable and walked very very slowly like an elderly war veteran or something. He took her into his arms and carried her home as fast as he could.

We took our bent little dog to the vet for a full checkup. She found nothing really wrong, but said Hippu was suffering from a sore back. Hippu got pain killers which eased her walking considerably but when the medication wore off she was still walking bent, though not as badly as during the first walk.

It would then happen every winter. When it got cold Hippu would soon get a sore back and become a bent Whippet, she'd stand with her head to one side, sometimes with a front shoulder much higher than the other. When she walked she would be like a frail one hundred years old woman and she'd often bend her head forward so that she would be staring at the ground all the time. Her walking speed was about equivalent to a human toddler on all fours and there was no question of running.

The condition was related to cold and would completely disappear come May, only to reappear in late September or early October. We had Hippu wear much more clothing outside and eventually also let her sleep in our bed at night (which she enjoyed so very much) and it all helped a lot, delaying the onset of the condition.

A first we always went to the vet, who would always prescribe pain medication and suggest rest (suggesting rest to a whippet... they're always asleep anyways) but the problem would not go away and we simply could not keep a dog on pain medication for weeks. Then a friend who had a Welsh Corgi suggested going to a dog chiropractor she knew. They're hard to find and the one Hippu went to also does humans. Hippu hated what he did (basically it seems to us he massages the dog's back and then uses a special tool to minutely move bones in relation to each other) and always shed lots of hair there. But the results were very good. Two visits to him and then a few days rest... and Hippu was delighted to run again! Of course the condition would not completely disappear and her back would again become sore at some point, but it would be a couple of weeks to a several months and meanwhile Hippu would be her normal self and enjoy life.

So our advice is, if your sighthound should ever develope back or neck pains, always go to the vet first. But if the problem does not go away with rest and pain medication do think about seeing a chiropractor or a dog physiotherapist or such. It is not something to be done lightly as chiropractors do things which you definitely want to be done correctly and by someone who really knows what he is doing. But in our experience the visits to the chiropractor were the only way Hippu could make it through the winters of her last four or so years.

Enjoying the sun in Kajaani in August 2003.

Hippu and the Cat Called Nougat

We called him Nougat because of his color. He was a smallish but brave tomcat owned by a neighbor and he enjoyed lounging in the summer sun in a small clearing near our house. We would sometimes meet him while all three of our sighthounds were loose... immediately upon spotting him all three would charge towards him at full throttle... but Nougat would stand his ground and give a curious warning chirp or two as the dogs closed in at high speed (he never growled, just made a chirping sound unlike any we've heard other cats make). Recognizing Nougat, our dogs would slow down just prior to getting to him. They were always delighted to meet Nougat and Hippu would sniff at the cat before communicating to us that It's him again. Siru would wag her tail, happy to meet a friend, while Riinu would sulk nearby not daring to go near Nougat.

We met Nougat's owner exactly once and she told us that actually his name was Ville, and that he was rather old, twelve or fouteen years or thereabouts. We were surprised because he did not look old at all, it is indeed difficult to tell a cat's age. It has now been five years since we moved away from there. We hope that Nougat is still around - enjoying warm summer days and napping in the sun in the clearing.

Hello, my name is Hippu and I love you! June 2002.

Hippu and the Burly Deliveryman

Hippu had an abundance of love, she loved us and our parents and other close friends and enjoyed being close to us. For some reason she was especially fond of the male members of her extended family, of Eero and both our fathers.

But Hippu was a typical Whippet in that she was usually somewhat reserved with strangers. Visitors were usually sniffed at briefly after which Hippu would continue to be polite but show no special affection towards them while accepting any petting that was coming her way. But there was the occasional exception which confimed the rule, it was possible to meet someone with whom Hippu would instantly bond.

In the fall of 1997 we decided it was time to replace our bed. We went shopping and a couple of days later the delivery truck came bringing the new bed. Hippu was always interested in seeing who it was who came for a visit. All we had to do was to ask her who was coming and she'd immediately know that we had visitors.

The truck backed up onto our yard and two burly deliverymen jumped out. Hippu jogged out to meet them and as she did so her eyes met with those of the driver. It was love at first sight. Hippu ran to him, and then stood up on her hind legs, planting her front legs onto his belly. "Hello, my name is Hippu, I love you!" she communicated. "Well, hello there!" the big driver said, delighted, as he pet her, the delivery momentarily forgotten.

Visiting the arctic wastes of Nummela in December 2001, Hippu takes advantage of warmth from both the red blanket and Riinu.

Hippu and the Unexpectedly Tenacious Visitors

Hippu was our only dog from the summer of 1996 to March 2000. We did have lots of canine visitors however, every few weeks some friend would drop by and bring her dog with her. Hippu was always a gracious if somewhat distant host to these visitors and she had no problem sharing our living room with them.

But then one March evening in 2000 we took Hippu out to the street to meet the silken windhounds Siru and Ali, fresh off the airplane from Texas. It is always important to have strange dogs meet each other on neutral ground. The dogs met and sniffed at each other and decided that they obviously all belonged to the same club (sighthounds recognize each other as fellow sighthounds and tend to get along fine). So the five of us walked home and the silkens got some dinner and everything went great. The silkens gobbled down huge bowls of food in about twenty seconds, chomped through what was left of Hippu's lunch and then proceeded to lick our oven door clean (we hadn't realized it was in need of such a thorough cleaning). Having eaten everything that seemed even remotely edible, they then passed out, taking badly needed naps in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Hippu was playing the gracious host and taking a nap of her own. Our cat Wilbur came to check out the newcomers. Eventually the silkens awoke and were more active, peed on the floor for their first and only time in our house (they could not figure out which way they had come in because all the doors looked the same). And they spotted our cats Leevi and Wilbur... however a few firm NOs and Hippu's wholly unconcerned attitude towards the cats were enough to convince the newcomers that these interesting creatures were not for chasing.

It was soon evening and Hippu, who knew all the routines of our home, recognized that we were preparing to go to bed... however the visitors were still here. Puzzled, Hippu walked over to Eero and looked up at him, concern in her eyes. They're... they're surely not staying the night, are they?, she communicated in her wonderful way. Poor Hippu, her days as our only dog had come to an end. From now on she would have to lead a pack, but on the other hand she would have more company during the day and there would always be someone to run with when she felt like it.

Checking out the municipal dog enclosure with Siru, Riinu and Qualissa in April 2002.

Hippu and the Unperturbed Goose

Hippu loved to chase birds. Sneaking up close and then pouncing amidst them was great fun, as was then watching them scatter in all directions. One day she and Eero were on a leash walk in the suburban streets of our community. Sighthounds are instinctively always looking for things to chase as they go so Hippu was keeping a sharp lookout as they walked. Going past someone's gate Hippu suddenly froze, tensing every muscle, her head down and her stare fixated on something she saw in the yard...

Surprised, Eero followed her gaze and saw... a goose! Well, it was one of those decorative wooden geese, lifesize, well painted and complete with a hole in the back where one could put a flower pot. Hippu stood there, her powerful muscles straining, waiting to pounce the very second her prey made a move, any move! The goose however kept his cool, standing unmoving and unperturbed. The standoff continued... Eero of course thought all this was just hilarious!

Out in the fields with Siru in September 2002.

Hippu and the Wet Lake

Hippu liked water, but only as long as it remained in her cup. All water that was not in her cup was completely unnecessary, if not outright hostile to her. Whenever it rained it was always our fault, and she let us know it with a telling glance ... "It's raining and it's your fault!"

Hippu enjoyed car rides and we often took her to a little lake in a woods not all that far from our home. It was an unofficial beach so there was no problem taking a dog there. While we swam in the cool, dark waters Hippu would wait - off leash when there were no other people around - often standing on the short pier, looking at us and whimpering a bit, worried that we might not return at all. Of course we would call out to her, and suggest she join us in the water - but swimming was definitely not Hippu's idea of a good time.

Then one warm summer day Eero went to help out a friend who lived nearby and was building a house and of course he took Hippu along as well. While Eero and the friend piled roofing tiles Hippu tried to ignore Alma the Golden Retriever who was younger and eager to play with her. When the men were through with their work they decided to go for a swim in the small lake. Walking towards the lake Hippu suddenly realized that they were no longer in Alma's territory but on neutral ground... suddenly Hippu was ready to play and the dogs ran about having a good time.

Reaching the lake the men jumped into the water, followed by Alma. This took Hippu by surprise and she felt completely left out! She paced about the pier and the beach, looking more and more worried. The sight of Eero in the water with another dog became unbearable, she just had to act! She took a couple of steps back, then accelerated full speed toward the water... at the edge of the water she leaped high up into the air, arching her head towards the sky, legs streched downwards, preparing for the inevitable, terrible splash...

SPLASH! Hippu hit the water surprsingly gracefully, swanlike, and started to swim dog with fluid grace. Unfortunately the water was just as cool as she had feared... and what was worse it was wet! Terribly wet in fact! Suddenly it no longer seemed absolutely necessary to be with Eero. Maybe it was better to just wait on the shore and see if he would eventually come back. If not, maybe some friendly stranger with a couch and some dinner would eventually show up. With powerful strokes she performed a perfect half-circle, swimming back to the beach. She scrambled ashore and performed a few of her signature shakes, where the shaking started from her head and then proceeded towards her tail in a wave of wrenching vibration.

When Eero finally climbed out of the lake Hippu was there waiting. She let him know with a telling glance ... "I'm all wet and it's your fault!"

In Kajaani in June 2004.

Hippu and the Speeding Lure

Hippu was never one to chase a lure. A lure was just a jumble of rags or plastic bags and she knew exactly what real bunnies looked like, certainly they looked nothing like that. Real rabbits and hares of course got Hippu excited every time and she would chase them until they dashed into the bushes where they always fooled her. We do not think Hippu had any intention of actually hurting the bunnies she chased but she certainly enjoyed the chase very much.

One day a bunch of Deerhound enthusiasts and us went for a walk on a beach. We had just participated in the annual Specialty and all the Hounds were full of energy after the ordeal. There were about ten Deerhounds and our Hippu, plus a similar number of people. The Deerhounds played and romped in their gentle manner, they're simply great dogs. Hippu tried to ignore the youngest Deerhound who wanted to play with her and was very persistent about it.

When the walk was done someone fetched a hand-operated practice lure and an impromptu coursing practice was soon underway. Eero took pictures as all the Deerhounds ran really well and everyone had a good time. So everyone figured that of course Hippu too had to give it a try. Salla let Hippu loose after the lure. The lure operator moved the lure enticingly and, encouraged by Salla, Hippu started walking after it... approaching the lure Hippu figured out what it was - just a moving rag, nothing interesting there.

But, she noticed Eero, aiming his camera in her direction. She jogged over to him and looked him in the eye, communicating Why are you taking pictures instead of petting me?

Hippu loved our walks in the woods. Here she is ambling along in May 2004.

Hippu and the Cat with an Attitude

Eero writes:

In the good old days Hippu was our only dog and one day she and I met a cat with an Attitude in the small woods next to our house. He was a huge, black and white tomcat... his paws were the size of matchboxes. He had an evil snarl and a hunched back, and a tail which whipped angrily back and forth...

Hippu was used to chasing cats outside, though we had two (or was it four?) cats at home at that time. Chasing cats was a lot of fun and Hippu always enjoyed the experience, though she would not have hurt anyone - it was just so great to run after a furry fellow, drive him up a tree or something. But this time Hippu was trying to tackle something way out of her league...

Hippu was ahead of me and noticed the tomcat first. As she sped towards him he hunkered down firmly on his feet and let out an evil warning growl... the cat-language equivalent of "You try that and I'll break yer face!" ... Hippu screeched to a halt two meters from the cat, surprised and taken aback. The tomcat stood his ground, his tail whipping angrily. Hippu decided to try again and advanced on the cat but he growled again, a deep throaty "Grrrr..." which reverberated in the trees around us. At this point I was already there and Hippu turned to look at me, as if to say "Not fair, he's not playing by the rules!" ... I laughed. The tomcat was very nice to me and I petted him for a while, keeping Hippu away from him. He simply wasn't going to take any funny business from a dog.

But Hippu must have felt some anger about this cat's uncooperative attitude. Later when she was in our back yard with Salla the tomcat appeared and walked right across our back yard... how audacious, Hippu thought, that was it, she just had to act! She dashed after the cat into the bushes... crashing sounds, then a loud yelp! She quickly reappeared, sporting a deep cut in her shoulder. Poor Hippu, but she was lucky as the cat could have done far worse damage. The wound healed quickly but after that she never tried to chase a resisting cat. A lesson learned I think. We met the tomcat a few times after that, I liked him though personally I don't think I'd like to own a cat with an Attitude.

The young Vinski and Hippu on June 27, 2004. Hippu died just a few days later.

Four Years Later

As we write this in late December 2008 it has been four and a half years since Hippu's passing. It is all ancient history now and there really is no longer any reason to mourn her death. Hippu had a good, happy life and she remained active until the very end. We loved her and she seemed to be having a good time with us. We have the photos and all the wonderful memories.

But... the gaping crater left in our hearts by her death is still there. It is not quite as big as it used to be, but it is still very sizable and we guess it will be there for some time yet. Right now we cannot read any of this without needing to reach for a tissue. Maybe one day it will be possible.

We miss her sophisticated company, her delightful way of communicating with us humans, her soulful eyes, the slightly wet snout, the smooth fur... and those unruly, breed standard defying ears.

We hope that dear Hippu is now somewhere where it is warm and the food is good, where the petting is of the highest quality, the couches soft... and where there are lots of tennis balls!

Hippu runs with her and her tennis ball in the small clearing near our house in the summer of 1996,
just a few days after coming to us. This is how we will always remember her.

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