Whippet

The Whippet is a natural-born athlete. A picture of agile speed with the inverted S-curve of the sighthound, they look much like smaller versions of their close relatives, the Greyhound. They are a medium-sized dog with large, expressive eyes and a smoothly arched back.

Whippets come in almost all color types and don’t have a specific color assigned to their breed. Their base color spans fawn, red, orange, tan, cream, black, and blue-gray. Markings that can also be present include brindle with black stripes, brindle with bluish stripes, black mask, blue mask, watermarking, sabling, and varying amounts of white from entirely white to just the tips of toes and tail.

You can even find Whippets with black or blue saddle blanket over a base of fawn or brindle (with or without white), although this is rare.

Carrying the typical inverted “S” of sighthounds, these dogs have a sleek and powerful look. They have a small, pointed head atop their long graceful neck. This leads to a deep chest tapering down to a slim body, supported by thin but strong legs.

In the 18th century, coal miners in northern England needed a dog that they could use for both hunting and entertainment. They couldn’t afford to feed or house large Greyhounds, so the miners bred a smaller version of this racing dog. Although it’s not known which specific breeds were used to create the Whippet, the resulting dog was the fastest of its size, able to reach speeds of 35 miles per hour.

The name Whippet comes from the term “whappet,” which means “small dog that yelps.” By the turn of the 20th century, textile workers from Lancashire began moving to New England, bringing with them their dogs, the Whippet. Popularity for the breed took off in America, where racing the breed became an instant hit. The first Whippet was registered with the AKC in 1888.