THE WHIPPET. 



199 



owing to this habit, which is common to 

 all \\'hippets, that they were originally 

 kno%\-n as Snap-Dogs. 



The \\'hippet existed as a separate breed 

 long before dog shows were thought of, 

 and at a time when records of pedigrees 

 were not officially preserved ; but it is very 

 certain that the Greyhound had a share in 

 his genealogical history, for not only should 

 his appearance be precisely that of a Grey- 

 hound in miniature, but the purpose for 

 which he was bred is very similar to that 

 for which his larger prototype is still used, 

 the only difference being that rabbits were 

 coursed by Whippets, and hares by Grey- 

 hounds. 



This sport has been mainty confined to 

 the working classes, the colliers of Lanca- 

 shire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumber- 

 land being particular^ devoted to it. The 

 manner in which it was formerl}^ carried 

 out was not in keeping with modem ideas, as 

 the quarry was not hunted up anywhere 

 near its accustomed haunts, but was first 

 caught by the aid of nets, and when required 

 was turned down in an enclosed space in 

 front of a couple of dogs, who were in charge 

 of an official slipper. The march of civi- 

 lisation, however, put a stop to what was 

 nothing more nor less than cruelty, for the 

 rabbit had no possible means of escape, 

 to say nothing of its terrified state when 

 let loose, consequent on its previous im- 

 prisonment. The intervention of the au- 

 thorities brought about a change, which, 

 though a great improvement from a moral 

 point of view, has its drawbacks, for the 

 present manner of Whippet racing cannot 

 be called coursing, since it does not test the 

 turning capabilities of the dogs engaged ; 

 neither do the competitions take place over 

 grass land, but on cinder tracks, very similar 

 to those favoured by professional pedestrians, 

 but always perfectly straight. The official 

 slipper is dispensed with, instead of whom 

 the owner of each competitor engages the 

 services of an experienced person to start 

 the dog on its journey at a signal given by 

 the firing of a pistol. As a rule the contests 

 are handicaps, the starting point of each 

 competitor being regulated by its weight ; 



but the winners of previous important 

 events are penalised in addition, according 

 to their presumed merit, b}^ having a certain 

 number of yards deducted from the start 

 to which w-eight alone would otherwise 

 have entitled them. Amongst Whippet 

 racers the indi\'idual who can release a 

 Whippet in a satisfactory manner is con- 

 sidered to be quite a professor. 



In all events of importance the number 

 of competitors necessitates the decisions 

 being arrived at piecemeal, so to speak, 

 some four or five dogs running together in 

 heats. Each dog is taken to its stipulated 

 mark according to the handicap, and there 

 laid hold of by the nape of the neck and 

 hind quarters ; the real starter stands 

 behind the lot, and after warning all to be 

 ready, discharges a pistol, upon which each 

 attendant swings his dog as far fprward as 

 he can possibly throw him, but always 

 making sure that he alights on his feet. 

 The distance covered in the race is generally 

 200 yards, minus the starts allotted, and 

 some idea of the speed at which these very 

 active little animals can travel may be 

 gleaned from the fact that the full distance 

 has been covered in rather under 12 seconds. 



In order to induce each dog to do its 

 best, the owner, or more probably the trainer 

 — for the same pains are taken to prepare 

 these dogs for their engagements as are 

 bestowed upon Greyhounds — stands beyond 

 the winning post, which, by the way, is no 

 post at all, but a white mark across the track, 

 and frantically waves a towel or very stout 

 rag. Accompanied by a babel of noise, the 

 race is started, and in less time than it takes 

 to write it the competitors reach the goal, 

 one and all as they finish taking a flying 

 leap at their trainer's towel, to which they 

 hold on with such tenacity that they are 

 swung round in the air. The speed at which 

 they are travelling makes this movement 

 necessary in many cases to enable the dog to 

 avoid accident, particularly w^here the space 

 be3^ond the winning mark is limited. The 

 judge's position is, of course, at the end of 

 the line. For racing purposes there is a 

 wide margin of size allowed to the dogs, 

 anything from 8 lbs. to 23 lbs., or even more. 



