Why does Boy come and go? Did I do something to upset him? He does seem happy to see me, so why would he go away all the time? Aren't packs supposed to stick together? I don't get it.
It's been a long summer wait for Ribsy. And it has only just begun.
You have me, reminded Mirabel. She grinned a toothy grin.
Joy, thought Ribsy.
Now, as a whippet lover (presumably you are a whippet lover; otherwise why would you be reading a blog that's insanely, completely devoted to whippets?), you likely know that there's a Wallace & Gromit book that features our favorite sighthounds.
In Wallace & Gromit: The Whippet Vanishes, the duo become pet detectives as they search for missing whippet showdog. Unfortunately, said whippet doesn't really look like a whippet.
Well, that faux pas is definitely made up in Muzzled, the third installment of their computer game series, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures. The pair rescue a trio of homeless whippet puppies from the clutches of Monty Muzzle, whose offer to hold a fundraiser to rebuild the dog shelter isn't what it seems.
Aren't they CUTE? Those snouts are just to snog for.
Didn't you know? Whippets can drive.
The most lovable pup is Twitch. He's the shaky, nervous whippet who gets frightened by everything and needs to carry a stuffed bunny to feel safe.
(Oh hey, as an aside, there's even a real life pair of whippets named Wallace & Gromit.)
Ribsy and Mirabel want to thank Simba over at Pop Dog Press for immortalizing their BodyShirtin' likenesses as samples of their new custom hand-cut Murano silhouette pet portraits.
(Ribsy would also like to take a moment to point out that although he is the smaller-looking dog on the left in the silhouette, the photo was shot at an angle which only makes him seem scrawnier than beefy Mirabel.)
You can order your own custom silhouette for only $15, and you get to choose from an array of delicious sounding colors, from mandarin to raspberry to toffee. And heck, the subjects don't even have to be dogs - cats, birds, turtles...Simba's mom can do them all.
Ribsy and Mirabel convinced Girl to go on a five-hour roadie trek to North Bay this weekend. During a snack stop at the pet store in town, they inquired about local whippets. The clerk only knew of one small female whippet. Poor thing. She probably thinks she's the only one of her kind out there in the world.
North Bay's in a pretty setting by the lake, but make no mistake, you are in a city. Here they are running by the 'decorated' facilities at the beach on Trout Lake:
And it's shadfly season. Attracted to street lights, these insects swarm in such abundance that they can form a slippery film between cars and the road, thus increasing the risk for accidents. Over the next two to three weeks, shadfly carcesses pile up everywhere. At least they don't bite.
Ribsy and Mirabel also hiked out to the picturesque Duchesnay Falls, scrambling on rocks and dodging pesky insects along the way...
...and took in a leisurely stroll along North Bay's waterfront boardwalk, watching as swimmers, boaters and fishers alike enjoyed the benefits of Lake Nipissing.
And then, as quickly as it happened, another Ontario Roadie was done.
When Mirabel first arrived last April, Boy, Girl and Ribsy lived in an old brick schoolhouse-turned-condominium building. There were wide original school stairs leading up to their digs on the second floor, and initially, Mirabel absolutely hated going up and down the stairs. It took a lot of coaxing and patience, but after a week, she realized that zipping downstairs meant freedom, and that zooming back upstairs meant warmth (there was still snow on the ground - don't get Girl started about Ontario winters).
She was petrified, though. Much like this poor whippet puppy here:
Meet Max.
Max is a sweet, handsome, older whippet who lives with his sporty people in the neighborhood. He's lost his teeth and he's walking a bit slower these days, but he always greets Ribsy and Mirabel with the most dignified nose manners and a graceful wag of his tail.
Ribsy and Mirabel just want to say how much Max rocks.
How is it possible that these two whippets can be so loving, sweet, and comfortable with each other at certain times, yet emit behaviors such as the following at others?
- Ribsy snaps at Mirabel if she touches him on the bed
- Mirabel scares Ribsy off the frisbee with a husky, manly "woof"
- Ribsy growls menacingly at Mirabel for daring to steal his new meerkat toy
- Mirabel attacks the slow-eating Ribsy for his dinner
Ribsy and Mirabel are no Romeo and Juliet. But perhaps they are the strongest love/hate relationship in all of whippetdom.
Off to Mapleton's for their irresistible organic ice cream...
...straight from the source.
Ribsy and Mirabel, meanwhile, busied themselves visiting the critters on the farm.
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