Running with a Racing Whippet

Retirement shouldn’t be about ending, it’s actually new beginnings.  When I retired over a year ago I wasn’t exactly sure what “new beginnings” lay ahead.  I could never have guessed what was to come.

A pet seemed like a good idea for a new beginning, specifically a dog…maybe a whippet.  What was not in the plan was for this couch potato to turn my life upside down.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

We decided to get a whippet, ideally a whippet in need of some sort of rescue.  While visiting family near San Bernardino, California, about 500 miles from home, a trip to “just look” not surprisingly ended with the adoption of the sweetest, most loving 42 pound boy you have ever met.  Tristan is his name.

While we were told he “really loves to race,” this was not evident since he slept most of the eight-hour drive home and pretty much took over the couch, one overstuffed chair and the entire middle half or our bed.  All indications were toward sloth, not speed burner.  Boy were we wrong about this whippet.

Sometimes called “35 mile-per-hour couch potatoes,” whippets know only two speeds: full out and dead stop.  Having seen the couch potato part, we discovered Tristan’s love of speed when we attended a race practice.  Upon seeing the lure, this quiet, docile dog became a maniac, seeming ready to rip my arm from the shoulder.  The first time we saw him dart from the boxes and chase that lure for real, we were hooked.  This is a very fun sport, for dog and for owner.  And yes, whippets are the second fastest dog being able to achieve 35 miles per hour within a few steps.

Since that first heart-pounding experience we have joined the local race club, traveled to Seattle for the National race meet and learned how much a vet charges for a whole list of ailments.  Keeping this race champion in shape has been a plus for me as I am now getting a 3 mile daily walk most sunny days.

We are very proud of our little whippet.  At the North America Whippet Racing Association (NAWRA) national meet he place 17^th out of over 75 entries.  He tied for 12^th place in the 2009 NAWRA race point standings.  These sorts of bragging rights don’t come often to retired guys who thought he was getting a pet.

At four and a half years old, Tristan still has a couple of more good racing years.  Then he and I will just have to find other interests to keep us active, young and healthy.