Information and History on Northwind Whippets

Our relationship with whippets began in 1980 when my husband, Mark Shubert and I moved from an apartment and bought our first house. We couldn’t wait to get a dog. We searched for a while, looking for a compromise between the small mixed breed dogs my family had when I was a child and the dog of his childhood, a big, boisterous lab.

We heard about whippets and went to a dog show to see what they were all about. Outside the ring, we asked questions until an exhibitor thrust the lead of an exquisite little bitch into my hand and told me the dog’s name. The owner-handler then was busy in the ring for a half an hour and in that time we got lost in those huge, dark eyes and gentle demeanor. We’ve never had any other breed.

Under the Northwind prefix, Mark and I have bred twelve litters in the past 27 years with many youngsters reaching show, field and obedience titles in either or both the US & Canada. We’ve had the 2004 National Best in Futurity winner, Best of Breeds, Best In Fields, dogs ranked in the ASFA Top Twenty, the AWC Top TWenty, winners and placers in the AWC Triathlon and National Specialty and Regional Selects. We believe whole heartedly in the dual purpose whippet and select each breeding prospect with both conformational soundness and field abilities in mind. Those qualities, coupled with a stable, sweet temperament are what we strive to produce.

We started with whippets simply to have a pet. But it only took a few years until we were hooked on the breed, showing and lure coursing and decided to breed a litter. We talked with Kathy Weisser, my original mentor and arranged to breed our “Jessie”, Can CH Affinity’s Magic Deer to Kathy’s Ch Kiva’s Show Biz. From this litter we kept a beautiful parti color male – “Dash”. Can Ch Northwind’s Dash to Bryton, Am/Can FCH, Am/Can CD.

This photo from 1983 is the first litter we ever had – Jessie’s puppies. The male in my hands with the wide blaze is Dash.

Dash was our introduction to showing, lure coursing and obedience. We began to travel longer distances and went to our first specialty – the big shows in Ravenna, Ohio in the mid-80’s. There I kept noticing Bitterblue and Raybar dogs were catching my eye. Luckily for me, Barbara Parsons was there with pictures of 10 weeks old puppies combining those two lines. “Turbo” Am/Can Ch Aymes N Raybar’s Northwind, Am Fch, Can FCHX, came into our lives for the next sixteen years.

When Turbo finished in the show ring, I wanted to breed a litter, but didn’t have an appropriate female. Barbara Parsons generously allowed me to lease Ch Raybar’s A Star is Born, Fch. From this litter came our foundation bitch, "Tiffany", Ch Northwind’s Lucky Star, Am/Can Fch.

Tiffany was a lovely solid blue brindle bitch and her first litter gave us our best courser of all time, Can Ch Northwind’s Flirtin’ With Disaster, LCM V, Can Fch, CD, CGC. “Flirt” was a passionate runner, a master at turns and was in the ASFA top twenty twice, retiring in 2000 as a ten year old. Tiffany’s second litter gave us Multi Select Am/Can Ch Northwind’s Comic Strip Kid, CD, LCM, CAV, CGC. “Calvin” was a dream dog – great runner, great show dog, quality producing sire and a once in a lifetime companion.

Calvin’s kids include Select CH Northwind’s Poetry In Motion,CD, CAV, CGC, ROM., Fch "Poetry", who was BOW, BBE and #1 Select at the 1998 national and #1 Brood Bitch at the 2004 national. Her sister, Ch Northwind’s Stormin’ Norma, LCM, CD, CGC, CAV "Norma" finished easily, including a supported entry major. His second litter, bred by Mike and Kathy Slater of Rosewood, includes CH Rosewood’s Riva Ridge, LCM, who was WB at the 1999 national and CH Rosewood’s Gato de Sol, LCM CD CAV. His third litter includes Northwind’s Dancing Partner, CDX “Freddie” who won the AWC National Triathlon at the 2001 national and a second time in 2003. No dog has ever won the triathlon twice prior to Freddie.

Poetry was bred to Kathy Armato’s beautiful Ch Spring Fever de Sud in September of 2002 and after a wild three week adventure in South Carolina, returned home to have nine puppies on November 25, 2002. Click on Poetry’s story to find out more about her adventure. Click on puppies so see these litters grow up. Our current household includes eight adults.

We continue to enjoy whippets and the whippet world. We count as some of our closest friends people we have met through this wonderful breed.