GIPSY WHIPPET - Grafton Dog Obedience Club

GIPSY WHIPPET – THE STORY OF THE LITTLE “IRON PRINCESS”
When she was 13 yo my daughter Christie decided she would like a dog to show and after
much research decided that a Whippet was her ideal dog. We then heard of a young
beautifully bred Whippet that was to be rehomed. After being a much loved pet for over 12
months, sleeping on her owner’s bed and being her constant companion the young girl who
owned the dog decided she was no longer interested in dogs and her dog was moved outdoors
into the family’s kennels. When the dog became extremely stressed and wouldn’t eat, she
was made to share her kennel with a young, large breed dog to encourage her to compete for
her food! I cannot believe that anyone would do that do such a gentle dog – in my opinion it
was mental cruelty. All the owners told us was that the dog didn’t eat well as she liked
human food not dog food – no mention of all the other problems this poor little dog had.
When Christie met Gipsy it was love at first sight. After bringing Gipsy home we realised the
enormity of her problems. Gipsy bonded with Christie immediately and wouldn’t let her out
of her sight. She barely ate and was extremely underweight; she couldn’t be kennelled (she
had already lost a toenail presumably trying to escape from her kennel with her previous
owner); couldn’t be crated and almost destroyed our bathroom when we tried to leave her at
home on her own. I was luckily in a position to be able to take her to work with me so Gipsy
came to work with me for the first 6 weeks as we figured out what to do with this traumatised
little dog.
I feed my dogs a natural, raw food diet and we discovered that Gipsy liked chicken so fed her
chicken necks initially, then added chicken mince, then vegetables, and eventually other
meats and bones. Gradually she acquired an appetite and started to eat.
In the meantime, even though still very underweight, Christie started to show Gipsy. Gipsy
was bred by Noreen Harris and is by Ch Nevedith Call Me Dash (Imp UK) out of Ch
Bonnymead Simply Summer. Her beautiful movement set her apart as she floated around the
ring and she did well even though she was still thin.
We decided that it was essential to teach Gipsy to be crated so that we could safely leave her
at home without harming herself. I am an experienced dog trainer, a naturopath and
Tellington TTouch practitioner and it took all my combined skills, one trashed crate and many
weeks of work for Gipsy to accept being crated so that we could leave her alone. TTouch
bodywraps, lavender oil and stress mix were a way of life. Gipsy had the most severe
separation anxiety of any dog I’ve had to deal with.
With her Australian Champion title under her belt, Christie started obedience training with
Gipsy. She took to clicker training like a duck to water. Gipsy was extremely athletic and we
discovered she just loved doing agility. She also loved our long daily walks through the
surrounding bush.
Gradually Gipsy’s confidence grew, she idolised Christie, she gained weight, she enjoyed all
her activities and at last was a happy dog, although still very easily stressed and not able to be
kennelled.
Next Christie decided to get Gipsy’s ET (Endurance Test) title. Gipsy did the 20 km easily,
finishing with a lower heart rate and temperature than when she started.
I track with my German Shepherds and Christie was keen to see if Gipsy would track. Gipsy
very quickly learned that the tracking game was all about putting your nose down and
following the smell on the ground and easily passed her Test Track.
Christie’s high school commitments then became a priority and Gipsy’s training went no
further – she simply enjoyed being a much loved pet.
When Gipsy was 7 yo one of my German Shepherd’s attacked her – narrowly missing her
jugular vein but she fortunately recovered completely. After that we made sure that Gipsy
had no contact with the dog that attacked her – a fine boned little Whippet stands no chance
against a powerful German Shepherd. Then one terrible night my elderly dog fell against
Christie’s closed bedroom door where Gipsy was sleeping and the door popped open, Gipsy
came out of Christie’s room to see what the commotion was and was attacked a second time
by the dog that had attacked her previously.
This time Gipsy didn’t fare so well – the dog had grabbed her by a front leg, smashing the
bone and almost severing her leg. However, Gipsy’s guardian angels were on duty that night
as by some absolute miracle the arteries and major nerves weren’t severed. The shattered leg
was plated externally as the soft tissue was so badly damaged the risk of infection was
enormous. The external wounds healed well and Gipsy was a model patient – never once
complaining and accepting everything that had to be done to help her. Gipsy was on a huge
array of supplements to support her healing, together with medicines from her vet. The vets
and vet nurses adored her beautiful nature and admired her courage. Clearly this little
princess had a core of steel – hence her nickname “the iron princess”. The next blow came
when the leg was x-rayed again. Although the soft tissue had healed amazingly well, the bone
hadn’t knitted. So Gipsy endured another round of surgery and this time with the soft tissue
healed her leg was plated internally. This time the bone healed well and our local vet had
done an amazing job with the bones almost perfectly aligned.
Gipsy has been left with an almost imperceptible limp (most people don’t even notice) – an
amazing tribute to her good conformation and movement. Enormous damage to the extensor
muscles on her leg means she needs to lift that leg a fraction higher as she lacks full control of
the foot.
Twelve months later Gipsy showed signs of discomfort and I had a hunch she was
experiencing discomfort from the plate and made the decision to have the plate removed
while she was still young enough to withstand another bout of major surgery. It turned out to
be a good decision and she has had no further discomfort.
With Christie now away at Uni, Gipsy then started obedience training again – this time with a
young girl whose own dog wasn’t suitable to bring to training. Gipsy has helped her young
friend learn the basics of obedience and agility so that she can teach her own dog at home.
Although still very stress prone, Gipsy is now even able to be kennelled when we are away
from home (sharing a kennel with Sandy, Christie’s now elderly Jack Russell Terrier).
In 2007 I took Gipsy along as a demonstration dog at a tracking workshop I was teaching – to
show how to encourage dogs that aren’t natural trackers to use their nose. The demo was a
dismal failure as Gipsy remembered her training from years ago and put her nose to the
ground and tracked like a professional! So a few more practise sessions and Gipsy entered
her first tracking trial (TD1 – 800 m long, 2 changes of direction, 2 articles to be found on the
track and a tracklayer known to the dog), missing out on a pass when she lost the track in
dense timber less than 50 metres before the end of the track. On her second attempt she was
clearly determined to get it right. In dry windy conditions, she put her nose to the ground, and
tracked brilliantly, double checking her corners to make sure she got it right and was ecstatic
when she found the tracklayer at the end. Judge Des Strong was blown away – he had never
seen a Whippet track before and couldn’t believe how well she tracked. She earned a “Very
Good” grading and Des said she only missed out on an “Excellent” grading because she failed
to clearly indicate one of the 2 articles on the track.
At our first tracking trial for 2008, Gipsy attempted her first TD2 track (800 m long, with 2
changes of direction, 2 articles to be found on the track and a tracklayer unknown to the dog).
After a hesitant start Gipsy did a wonderful job, stopping and looking back at me to let me
know she had found the articles, checking and rechecking her corners. On the final leg we
had to cross a boggy gully. Now, I can tell you (and other Whippet owners will no doubt
understand) that Gipsy Whippet simply doesn’t DO water! She stood at the edge of the gully
and I could see her trying to figure out some other way of getting across without getting her
feet wet or muddy. In the end she decided that she would simply have to get on with it and
shot across the gully, up the hill and found the tracklayer. She earned another “Very Good”
grading.
I was bursting with pride and her many fans clapped and cheered when she accepted her sash
and certificate which earned her TD (Tracking Dog) title.
On that triumphant note Gipsy Whippet has officially retired. She is now 10 years old, she
has had an eventful and sometimes traumatic life and she has proved she is capable of doing
whatever is asked of her. Gipsy’s beautiful nature and strength of character are admired by
everyone who knows her. Most of all she is a much loved pet and we hope she will stay
healthy and well for many years to come.
Congratulations Aust Ch Bonnymead Gipsy Slippers ET TD, you are a special being and I
value all I have learned from you.
Nose to the ground in concentration, tail up with excitement – Gipsy Whippet “on track”
Carole Bryant
P.S. Gipsy is the only Whippet in NSW to ever earn a TD title and only the third Whippet in
Australia with a TD title.
UPDATE
In September, 2011, when she was 13 ½ yo, we came home late one evening to find Gipsy
barely able to stand, let alone walk. Her head was tilted and her eyes were constantly moving.
An emergency late night visit to her vet confirmed our suspicions – Gipsy had suffered a
stroke. We also found she had severe heart valve disease and it is thought that due to her
heart problem, blood had pooled in her heart forming a clot while she slept and then breaking
away to cause the stroke.
Over the next few months, with the help of supplements and Tellington TTouch, Gipsy
amazingly made a complete recovery.
She remains well and still able to enjoy her daily walk.
She’s one tough little dog!
WE SAY GOODBYE TO GIPSY WHIPPET
8.7.2013. Gipsy turned 15 yo in April and she had started to deteriorate over the last few
months. Today we accepted that Gipsy had become so frail that she no longer had quality of
life and that it was time for us to say goodbye. The vet assigned to Gipsy just happened to be
the vet who treated her when she had her stroke. The vet was amazed to even see Gipsy as
she had assumed she hadn’t survived her stroke from almost 2 years ago as she had been in
“such a bad way” due to the combination of stroke, severe heart disease and her age. I
reminded the vet that Gipsy was one tough little dog.
Gipsy passed calmly, peacefully and with dignity.
Vale Gipsy Whippet – it was a great privilege to have you in our lives.
- Carole Bryant
Gipsy arrives1999 – Christie ever so proud of her beautiful dog
Christie & Gipsy compete for their ET (Endurance Test) title – Christie & Gipsy 3rd from left
Gipsy Whippet & friends 2012