Jean G. Ueltschy and Wheeling Whippets is featured today and Jean shares this about herself and her life with whippets: I have been a Hound Group and BIS judge since 1986, and that my homeland is the United Kingdom... a Londoner by birth! I found my first Whippet in a pet shop while living in Scotland in 1964 and had NO idea what was in store for me for the rest of my life, as one thing led to another and before you know it I am collecting them and discovering dog shows! I learned the ropes in Scotland and enjoyed chatting with the breeders and exhibitors over there but after two years returned to the USA and had to learn another way of showing, more professional I'd say.

On the subject of learning about whippets, Jean says this about getting help when she first started with the breed: Well, to be honest there was nobody to assist! I prefer to rely upon my own ingenuity, too many cooks spoil the broth anyway! Mostly because of our circumstances, we were constantly on the move and have lived all over the United States never gathering dust, we would just get to know the Whippet people in the areas we dwelled in and after a couple of years would pull up stakes and move on, taking the dogs with us. It was not until we finally put roots down in Oklahoma that we did some serious breeding, and there was hardly another soul out in these parts that bred them. We line and inbred our own stock, which was founded on our English imports --Am.Ch.Cockrow Grouse and Barmaud Suncharm -- for 20 years from 1967 - 1987. I studied all the books on the breed and then some, also books on how to breed successfully. It was exciting and fun and also a lot of disappointments along the way.

On favorite memories: I loved them all, passionately but along the way Ch.Wheeling Red Velvet was very special, she was our first homebred bitch to finish..breeder/owner/handled..her delight was to play with a basketball by pushing it along the ground with her muzzle as fast at she could move it, she actually filed her canines down over the years! A real show girl was Ch.Wheeling Swiss Miss who finished at 13 months of age and the first champion offspring for the multi BIS Ch. Alpine Ski Bum who was owned by Lou Auslander, she was the easiest Whippet I ever had the privilege of dangling on the end of a leash, she won many Group placements. The Group winning Ch.Wheeling Jonathan Swift F.Ch. owned by Mr. & Mrs. R. Mason, we were extremely proud of his accomplishments in both venues, he was a son of the aforementioned Swiss Miss. I could go on but that's enough!

"I have to say my all time favorite was Ch.Wheeling Tuxedo Junction, the last dog I showed to his Championship and he finished with 4 majors! He was our house dog all of his life and I swear he understood English! One of my favorite things to say was "Where's my dog?" and no matter where he was is the house, even napping, he would come bounding to me like "Here I am Mom!" I would give him a big kiss on the lips and he would pop -- a -- wheelie and do "doughnuts" round the room! He was the only dog I had that would clack his teeth with excitement, he was a fierce protector of me too, a wonderful Whippet."

I honestly worry for the future of the breed, there is no doubt they can perform well in all venues open to our breed but in the show ring conformation is sadly lacking. What ever happened to the correct topline? That to me is the worst eyesore! Over angulated rear legs, especially form stifle to hock. Ever since I got into the breed fronts have always been a problem and they still are on the majority of Whippets, the lack of front fill and depth of chest(brisket) which in turn gives them a poor underline and shoulders are too far forward -- pasterns too upright, their movement has too much lift with a short mincing gate While we allow 3 inches for height I think there are a lot of Whippets that are too near the top of the mark, too leggy, thus lacking type. It behooves all serious Whippet breeders to go back and STUDY the Whippets of the past, get a fixed mental picture and ask yourselves "do my Whippets look that"? Although my line has died out now I do have a new Whippet in my life her call name is "Jewel" and she certainly is, priceless at this point.