Diamond was born July 24, 2002. Her mother, Ivy, Ch Appraxin Sensation at Timbre, is our "foundation bitch," the one all our whippets trace back to. Di's father was English import, Nevedith Justa Joker.who belonged to Carol Wright of Windsong Whippets and Debbie Butt of Sporting Field.
Ivy's third and final litter was delivered by c-section in our vet's office. Dr. K's husband assisted with the surgery and Walt and I were in charge of taking the puppies as they were removed and getting them breathing and moving. When they handed me Diamond, I said, "I sure hope this one turns out well because she is staying with us!"
After two litters of all brindle and whites, I finally had my watermarked fawn and white, which (along with solid blue) is my favorite whippet color. Of course choosing a puppy on color alone is pretty dumb, but I was lucky: Diamond turned out to be a beautiful puppy and would have been my choice whatever her color.
She was also that rarity, an almost trouble-free whippet puppy. Whippets are notoriously mischievous until they're a year or two (or three) old, and Diamond is the only one we've had that has left no scars on the house or our possessions. It could be just that she was one of only two girls, and the three boys got in enough trouble for all of them. Come to think of it, Jesse, the other girl, was also an easy puppy! Hmmm...
Di grew into an extremely affectionate, devoted dog, who wants more than anything to please (not all that common in whippets!) She loves to be with her people as much as possible and she really-really-really wants to be with me all the time. She loves to ride in the car and is very well-behaved in public. If I had to fault her temperament, I'd say she is too clingy. I like to see whippets with a little more independence. But she's not neurotic and shows no signs of separation anxiety (or any other kind) so we didn't worry that breeding her would produce puppies with problems.
And sure enough, her puppies have all been outgoing and friendly and nearly all are very confident dogs who have that common whippet trait we call "Excessive Greeting Disorder" -- they are liable to knock you down saying hello, even if they have no idea who you are!
But Diamond is not especially interested in strangers and prefers to climb up on my lap when we have visitors. She loves Walt, but is very much a "one-man dog," or in this case a one-woman dog. Di is my constant shadow and is a perfect example of the old saying, "Owning a whippet means you never have to go to the bathroom alone!" She loves for me to pick her up, but unfortunately, the Lady Di is a, well....sturdy girl and holding her for very long is not an option! I think she really wanted to be an Italian greyhound so she could ride around in my purse all day.
Di was shown sparingly in AKC events as a puppy and achieved her UKC championship easily. But she never really enjoyed shows much and I promised her if she got that one title, that would be enough. She's a homebody and much prefers just hanging out with me instead of going to shows.
But she really found her calling in the whelping box. As Walt says, if Diamond were human, she'd have quit her job to stay home with the kids. She would be president of the PTA and the local La Leche League chapter, coach the girls' soccer team as well as the cheerleading squad, and bake cookies for homeroom every week. Although all our whippets have been good mothers, Diamond simply revels in it. To see her in the box with all her babies gathered around her is to see a contented whippet. When our other girls have litters, Diamond is more than happy to help out with babysitting and she puts up with older puppies better than their own mothers do!
