Match

At the match held in conjunction with the 2001 NAWRA/NOTRA National meets, we had the largest entry of whippets in all of Canada (more than a NWCC national specialty!).

We hope this year's match will be just as fun as that one was.

The Nationals Match will be at 1 p.m. Friday August 26th by the race field in Squamish. Our judge will be Dunja Baensch, from Cologne, Germany, with Jen Jensen as her ring steward.

The entry fee is $5 per class, with classes as follows, all divided by sex:
Puppy 6-12 months, Junior 12-18 months, Open, Race Champion, Bred by Exhibitor, Veteran 7-10 years, Veteran over 10 years.

There will be awards for Best & Best Opposite Sex Puppy/Junior, Best & Best Opposite Sex in Match, Best and Best Opposite Sex Veteran as well as the usual ribbons and rosettes and sausages for the veterans.

In addition there are Special Classes:
* Brood Bitch and up to 3 get, Stud Dog and up to 3 get, to be judged on the merit of the progeny. The Brood Bitch or Stud Dog need not be exhibited with the progeny. Entry fee $5 per group.
* Brace class, for 2 Whippets with identical ownership.Entry fee $5 per brace.
* Broken Dog class - combined sexes. For Whippets who have suffered injuries which ended their racing careers. Limping, scars, dropped muscles and weird movement acceptable.

A word from our judge:

I have been in sighthounds for 17 years, first with greyhounds and, for the past 13 years, with whippets. I've also been the secretary of the German Whippet Club since 1999.

In my opinion, all the different whippet standards describe the same dog; they differ only in cosmetic details. With that in mind, I imported a dog from North America three years ago, knowing that he would be taller than most European dogs.

Also in keeping with that thought, I will not be using a specific standard to judge the match. Instead, I will be looking for the dog that all the standards describe: a functional whippet that is moderate, exhibits good breed type, and breeding potential.

I really liked the whippets I saw in Texas at the 2004 WRA/NOTRA Nationals and I'm very much looking forward to seeing more representatives of the North American whippet in Squamish.