Devo, Our First Whippet

Devo was our first whippet. Additionally, he was our first full breed dog. What made me decide to switch from mixed breeds to a whippet? It all started one evening when we went to a party at one of my husband’s co-worker’s house. I looked over and saw the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. It was on the couch looking so sweet and elegant.

I’m pretty sure I spent most of the time at the party petting that dog. Or sitting beside it. Or keeping it within my sight. I know I asked what kind of dog it was. Whippets are not common in my area and, obviously, I had never seen one before.

Our dog Crystal was getting older. We knew her time left with us was short. We wanted to make sure Pancho had a companion after we had to say goodbye to Crystal. When discussing getting another dog, I said I wanted a whippet. My husband agreed as long as it would be named Devo. It was a done deal.

The search began the only way I knew: the newspaper classified ads. Back then there wasn’t Google searches like there is now. I found an ad for whippet puppies and called right away. The next day I went to get our first whippet. There were two puppies left. I picked the one with a tiny white spot on its head. It was a tribute to Crystal with the heart-shaped spot on her head.

Devo was such an animated puppy. He was silly, lively, and loved to play. There was one problem that developed early. He would pass out when he ran. As it turned out, he had a heart condition. Poor Devo was a whippet that would never be able to run. It was so sad.

Thank goodness for chewies. Chewing helped expend his energy, especially as a puppy. All the jumping, chasing, hard playing puppy games were not an option for him.

Playtime for him had to be inside and at a minimum. One of the games I played with him was the “I’ll get your toes” as he sat next to me on the couch. I would reach for his toes and he’d growl and bark with his tail wagging the whole time. He seemed to enjoy it a lot. Afterward, he’d snuggle next to me with his head on my lap.

He loved people. It made his day when family and friends visited. Of course, he would go to everyone to be petted and work his way on the couch next to anyone he could.

Devo only lived for 4 years. His heart condition caused fluid to build up in his lungs. One morning he took his last breath and collapsed. I cried for days. It was too soon to lose our first whippet.

Shortly thereafter we found our next one, Tiger.