Views On Racing

[Smiffy@VeronnaV]

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Uhhmmnn, (well, ignoring the fact that a personal comment was made about me earlier on in this thread good job I have a boat so I missed it and I thought that attacking another person by name is not allowed), here goes ....

I'm very pleased to read that you enjoyed your day, but I go back to my original post, if you want to keep your dog 'racing fit' you will not, in opinion, and more to the point, experience, be able to to watch your dog run over the hills, they do not go hand in hand. You may have one thing or another, you may have a pet which club races on a Sunday, or you may have a dog which competes on behalf of the owner at competitive level. This has got nothing to do with enjoying yourself, or the day, it has got nothing to do with not making friends, but it does have everything to do with making sure that your dog, should it be asked to compete is as fit and well as you can endeavour. This is not a sport for the faint hearted!!!!

I maintain that it is not possible to keep a dog racing fit and treat it as I do mine, running free over the hills, byways, river walks, woods, fields and the dog NEVER PICK UP AN INJURY WHICH PRECLUDES THE DOG FROM RACING ON SUNDAY. I am of the view that one may have one thing or another!! (w00t)

Anyone who tells a new racer that they can..... is in the same weight group!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It is in my personal view misleading to portray racing as a something you can pick up on Sunday and and put down Sunday evening - without doing your dog/s a great deal of damage through ignorance. And I should know..........

 

[June Jonigk]

Uhhmmnn, (well, ignoring the fact that a personal comment was made about me earlier on in this thread good job I have a boat so I missed it and I thought that attacking another person by name is not allowed), here goes ....
I'm very pleased to read that you enjoyed your day, but I go back to my original post, if you want to keep your dog 'racing fit' you will not, in opinion, and more to the point, experience, be able to to watch your dog run over the hills, they do not go hand in hand.  You may have one thing or another, you may have a pet which club races on a Sunday, or you may have a dog which competes on behalf of the owner at competitive level.  This has got nothing to do with enjoying yourself, or the day, it has got nothing to do with not making friends, but it does have everything to do with making sure that your dog, should it be asked to compete is as fit and well as you can endeavour.  This is not a sport for the faint hearted!!!!

I maintain that it is not possible to keep a dog racing fit and treat it as I do mine, running free over the hills, byways, river walks, woods, fields and the dog NEVER PICK UP AN INJURY WHICH PRECLUDES THE DOG FROM RACING ON SUNDAY.  I am of the view that one may have one thing or another!! (w00t)

Anyone who tells a new racer that they can..... is in the same weight group!!!!!!!!!! :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:

It is in my personal view misleading to portray racing as a something you can pick up on Sunday and and put down Sunday evening - without doing your dog/s a great deal of damage through ignorance.  And I should know..........

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No one would deny you your opinion Carmel, but I don't think the majority would agree with it. Thank goodness, or else none of us would go racing again (w00t)

 

[finalez]

Uhhmmnn, (well, ignoring the fact that a personal comment was made about me earlier on in this thread good job I have a boat so I missed it and I thought that attacking another person by name is not allowed), here goes ....
I'm very pleased to read that you enjoyed your day, but I go back to my original post, if you want to keep your dog 'racing fit' you will not, in opinion, and more to the point, experience, be able to to watch your dog run over the hills, they do not go hand in hand.  You may have one thing or another, you may have a pet which club races on a Sunday, or you may have a dog which competes on behalf of the owner at competitive level.  This has got nothing to do with enjoying yourself, or the day, it has got nothing to do with not making friends, but it does have everything to do with making sure that your dog, should it be asked to compete is as fit and well as you can endeavour.  This is not a sport for the faint hearted!!!!

I maintain that it is not possible to keep a dog racing fit and treat it as I do mine, running free over the hills, byways, river walks, woods, fields and the dog NEVER PICK UP AN INJURY WHICH PRECLUDES THE DOG FROM RACING ON SUNDAY.  I am of the view that one may have one thing or another!! (w00t)

Anyone who tells a new racer that they can..... is in the same weight group!!!!!!!!!! :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:

It is in my personal view misleading to portray racing as a something you can pick up on Sunday and and put down Sunday evening - without doing your dog/s a great deal of damage through ignorance.  And I should know..........

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No one would deny you your opinion Carmel, but I don't think the majority would agree with it. Thank goodness, or else none of us would go racing again (w00t)

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Well mine have raced all year ( and been exercised sensibly) throughout the year without injury, so you"treat it as I do mine, running free over the hills, byways, river walks, woods, fields " sounds very perilous to me (w00t) . You stick to your "walks" and we will stick to our racing :thumbsup:

 

[peppermint sue]

Uhhmmnn, (well, ignoring the fact that a personal comment was made about me earlier on in this thread good job I have a boat so I missed it and I thought that attacking another person by name is not allowed), here goes ....
I'm very pleased to read that you enjoyed your day, but I go back to my original post, if you want to keep your dog 'racing fit' you will not, in opinion, and more to the point, experience, be able to to watch your dog run over the hills, they do not go hand in hand.  You may have one thing or another, you may have a pet which club races on a Sunday, or you may have a dog which competes on behalf of the owner at competitive level.  This has got nothing to do with enjoying yourself, or the day, it has got nothing to do with not making friends, but it does have everything to do with making sure that your dog, should it be asked to compete is as fit and well as you can endeavour.  This is not a sport for the faint hearted!!!!

I maintain that it is not possible to keep a dog racing fit and treat it as I do mine, running free over the hills, byways, river walks, woods, fields and the dog NEVER PICK UP AN INJURY WHICH PRECLUDES THE DOG FROM RACING ON SUNDAY.  I am of the view that one may have one thing or another!! (w00t)

Anyone who tells a new racer that they can..... is in the same weight group!!!!!!!!!! :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:

It is in my personal view misleading to portray racing as a something you can pick up on Sunday and and put down Sunday evening - without doing your dog/s a great deal of damage through ignorance.  And I should know..........

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In my veiw with also many years of whippet racing and mine being pets first.

and they have the freedom to run in fields and I don,t think Im ignorant

find this post also misleading :- "

 

[Smiffy@VeronnaV]

Exactly ---- you have illustrated my point most clearly. Good management of a racing whippet is paramount. If you recall, at the beginning of this post, the lady concerned said how much she enjoyed seeing her dog free running and that she was inclined to give racing a go ...... that the was the rationale that she used for deciding that she would like to test her dog on the track to see how it performed. So if you manage your dog(s) to ensure that they are fit to race on Sunday, you clearly do not let your dogs go off over the hills and byways. Each to their own. But it IS misleading to infer that you may treat your whippet like a 'normal' pet dog, and let it race on Sunday - at least 3 times - with imputnity. To do otherwise is to do an injustice to every new whippet race owner and more pertinently, every new whippet and their novice owners bank balance!! :- " :- "

 

[finalez]

Uhhmmnn, (well, ignoring the fact that a personal comment was made about me earlier on in this thread good job I have a boat so I missed it and I thought that attacking another person by name is not allowed), here goes ....
I'm very pleased to read that you enjoyed your day, but I go back to my original post, if you want to keep your dog 'racing fit' you will not, in opinion, and more to the point, experience, be able to to watch your dog run over the hills, they do not go hand in hand.  You may have one thing or another, you may have a pet which club races on a Sunday, or you may have a dog which competes on behalf of the owner at competitive level.  This has got nothing to do with enjoying yourself, or the day, it has got nothing to do with not making friends, but it does have everything to do with making sure that your dog, should it be asked to compete is as fit and well as you can endeavour.  This is not a sport for the faint hearted!!!!

I maintain that it is not possible to keep a dog racing fit and treat it as I do mine, running free over the hills, byways, river walks, woods, fields and the dog NEVER PICK UP AN INJURY WHICH PRECLUDES THE DOG FROM RACING ON SUNDAY.  I am of the view that one may have one thing or another!! (w00t)

Anyone who tells a new racer that they can..... is in the same weight group!!!!!!!!!! :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:

It is in my personal view misleading to portray racing as a something you can pick up on Sunday and and put down Sunday evening - without doing your dog/s a great deal of damage through ignorance.  And I should know..........

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In my veiw with also many years of whippet racing and mine being pets first.

and they have the freedom to run in fields and I don,t think Im ignorant

find this post also misleading and utter rubbish :- "

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Exactly ---- you have illustrated my point most clearly.  Good management of a racing whippet is paramount.  If you recall, at the beginning of this post, the lady concerned said how much she enjoyed seeing her dog free running and that she was inclined to give racing a go ...... that the was the rationale that she used for deciding that she would like to test her dog on the track to see how it performed.  So if you manage your dog(s) to ensure that they are fit to race on Sunday, you clearly do not let your dogs go off over the hills and byways.  Each to their own.  But it IS misleading to infer that you may treat your whippet like a 'normal' pet dog, and let it race on Sunday - at least 3 times - with imputnity.  To do otherwise is to do an injustice to every new whippet race owner and more pertinently, every new whippet and their novice owners bank balance!! :- "  :- "

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Surley good management of your Whippet (racing or not)itself is paramount,mine do have free running aswell as racing As you are now a non racer...... may I suggest the Chit Chat or Dogs in general threads :- " i'm sure the would love some sound advise for thier pets :thumbsup:

 

[peppermint lady]

Uhhmmnn, (well, ignoring the fact that a personal comment was made about me earlier on in this thread good job I have a boat so I missed it and I thought that attacking another person by name is not allowed), here goes ....
I'm very pleased to read that you enjoyed your day, but I go back to my original post, if you want to keep your dog 'racing fit' you will not, in opinion, and more to the point, experience, be able to to watch your dog run over the hills, they do not go hand in hand.  You may have one thing or another, you may have a pet which club races on a Sunday, or you may have a dog which competes on behalf of the owner at competitive level.  This has got nothing to do with enjoying yourself, or the day, it has got nothing to do with not making friends, but it does have everything to do with making sure that your dog, should it be asked to compete is as fit and well as you can endeavour.  This is not a sport for the faint hearted!!!!

I maintain that it is not possible to keep a dog racing fit and treat it as I do mine, running free over the hills, byways, river walks, woods, fields and the dog NEVER PICK UP AN INJURY WHICH PRECLUDES THE DOG FROM RACING ON SUNDAY.  I am of the view that one may have one thing or another!! (w00t)

Anyone who tells a new racer that they can..... is in the same weight group!!!!!!!!!! :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:

It is in my personal view misleading to portray racing as a something you can pick up on Sunday and and put down Sunday evening - without doing your dog/s a great deal of damage through ignorance.  And I should know..........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

In my veiw with also many years of whippet racing and mine being pets first.

and they have the freedom to run in fields and I don,t think Im ignorant

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Exactly ---- you have illustrated my point most clearly.  Good management of a racing whippet is paramount.  If you recall, at the beginning of this post, the lady concerned said how much she enjoyed seeing her dog free running and that she was inclined to give racing a go ...... that the was the rationale that she used for deciding that she would like to test her dog on the track to see how it performed.  So if you manage your dog(s) to ensure that they are fit to race on Sunday, you clearly do not let your dogs go off over the hills and byways.  Each to their own.  But it IS misleading to infer that you may treat your whippet like a 'normal' pet dog, and let it race on Sunday - at least 3 times - with imputnity.  To do otherwise is to do an injustice to every new whippet race owner and more pertinently, every new whippet and their novice owners bank balance!! :- "  :- "

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Surley good management of your Whippet (racing or not)itself is paramount,mine do have free running aswell as racing injured in the safety of As you are now a non racer...... may I suggest the Chit Chat or Dogs in general threads :- " i'm sure the would love some sound advise for thier pets :thumbsup:

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:thumbsup: ALL my whippets enjoy free running aswell, and a diet that would be the same if they didnt race

totally agree with you Les :thumbsup:

 

[maggiemay2]

i have purposely avoided commenting on this but here goes my ten pennys worth...

my dogs are fed as pets, exercised as pets ie they come to the horses with me and gallop around up and down dale every day. IF they get injured then they do so whilst doing something they love. i do care very much for my dogs and do everything possible to prevent injury without wrapping them up in cottonwool.

My girls do race and lure course but regardless of whether i race/lure course or not I would not treat them any differently. they would still be fed the same, exercised the same and most definately loved the same.

:wub: :thumbsup:

 

[peppermint lady]

i have purposely avoided commenting on this but here goes my ten pennys worth...
my dogs are fed as pets, exercised as pets ie they come to the horses with me and gallop around up and down dale every day. IF they get injured then they do so whilst doing something they love. i do care very much for my dogs and do everything possible to prevent injury without wrapping them up in cottonwool.

My girls do race and lure course but regardless of whether i race/lure course or not I would not treat them any differently. they would still be fed the same, exercised the same and most definately loved the same.

:wub:   :thumbsup:

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DITTO sarah :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[LJH]

Exactly ---- you have illustrated my point most clearly.  Good management of a racing whippet is paramount.  If you recall, at the beginning of this post, the lady concerned said how much she enjoyed seeing her dog free running and that she was inclined to give racing a go ...... that the was the rationale that she used for deciding that she would like to test her dog on the track to see how it performed.  So if you manage your dog(s) to ensure that they are fit to race on Sunday, you clearly do not let your dogs go off over the hills and byways.  Each to their own.  But it IS misleading to infer that you may treat your whippet like a 'normal' pet dog, and let it race on Sunday - at least 3 times - with imputnity.  To do otherwise is to do an injustice to every new whippet race owner and more pertinently, every new whippet and their novice owners bank balance!! :- "  :- "

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I'm sorry you feel this way Carmel. There was a time when you didn't and appeared to menjoy racing. My dogs have ALWAYS 'run the hills' as you put it and still been able to compete.Yes they have picked up injuries at racing but none in the field. I guess it is each to their own. I for one will continue to run my dogs to their hearts content and still go racing on a Sunday.

You are entitled to you opinion of course but look back over the posts and take note of how many experienced racers do not agree with you.

 

[SUNDANCE]

I think we should be encouraging newcomers to racing, not trying to put them off. If certain people have had a go at racing and for whatever reason have decided it's not for them any more, then just let it go.

 

[peppermint sue]

I think we should be encouraging newcomers to racing, not trying to put them off.  If certain people have had a go at racing and for whatever reason have decided it's not for them any more, then just let it go.

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well said rob after all a dog can knock up a toe or even break a leg playing

about in the garden

 

[controversial]

all our dogs are fed the same ,a good variety. coursing dogs and racing dogs ,they all free run,are pets first and arent wrapped in cottonwool. their free running is more important to us than their racing.if they get injured its just bad luck but it happens.we think the free running actually helps prevent injuries .

 

[peppermint lady]

I think we should be encouraging newcomers to racing, not trying to put them off.  If certain people have had a go at racing and for whatever reason have decided it's not for them any more, then just let it go. 

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well said rob after all a dog can knock up a toe or even break a leg playing

about in the garden .stop the scare mongering :angry:

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your right mum, your flo had a nasty cut to her leg earlier in the year.....where did that happen....in your garden running up the path :unsure:

we have 7 horses stomping about on our feild, they go in the stables and the hounds go free, they run over all the ruts and cut up ground...hardly a cotton wool situation here :lol:

 

[Smiffy@VeronnaV]

I think we should be encouraging newcomers to racing, not trying to put them off.  If certain people have had a go at racing and for whatever reason have decided it's not for them any more, then just let it go.   

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As this has become personal .... It is possible to dip in and dip out of whippet racing and STILL have an opinion ........ and if whippet racers are hell bent on getting new people to join them, then asking them to make sure they sing from the same hymn sheet as them all the time may not be the way to ensure they stay....... but then remind me, how many new people have joined the 'clan' in the last 18 months???????? Does anyone really think that someone like say, me, who gives what you believe to be a negative opinion, would put someone off, or do you think, perhaps, upon reflection, that your, and other, very negative public reactions to an honestly held view would put possible 'punters' off?

You don't have to race week in and week out to hold an opinion, nor for that view to be valid. So may I suggest that we deviate from the personal, and get back to the matter in hand, should someone race their pet whippet or not...........?

 

[Judy]

I've split this from the previous thread as the replies are now more general than answering Julie's original question. Hope this is Ok with you all.

Can I just remind you all that it is acceptable for anyone to post anywhere on this forum.

 

[June Jonigk]

I think we should be encouraging newcomers to racing, not trying to put them off.  If certain people have had a go at racing and for whatever reason have decided it's not for them any more, then just let it go.  Don't keep coming on here being negative and getting everyone's back up. 

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As this has become personal .... It is possible to dip in and dip out of whippet racing and STILL have an opinion ........ and if whippet racers are hell bent on getting new people to join them, then asking them to make sure they sing from the same hymn sheet as them all the time may not be the way to ensure they stay....... but then remind me, how many new people have joined the 'clan' in the last 18 months???????? Does anyone really think that someone like say, me, who gives what you believe to be a negative opinion, would put someone off, or do you think, perhaps, upon reflection, that your, and other, very negative public reactions to an honestly held view would put possible 'punters' off?

You don't have to race week in and week out to hold an opinion, nor for that view to be valid. So may I suggest that we deviate from the personal, and get back to the matter in hand, should someone race their pet whippet or not...........?

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We've all told you that we free run our dogs - where do you get the idea that our dogs are wrapped in cotton wool during the week, so they can race at weekends?

If any racers do just walk their dogs during the week, and run them at weekends - what harm is there in that anyway? Or are you suggesting that racing is cruel because the dogs pick up injuries? -

It's wonderful to free run your dogs, but I say the same to you as I said to Hannah - I will only free run my dogs in an enclosed space where I feel it is safe, and they will not meet other dogs off the lead who may be nasty. I am lucky that we have such an area, but it would be exactly the same whether we raced our dogs or not. In fact the dogs who are now retired and don't race are treated exactly the same as those who still race. Surely anyone who races their dogs are giving them free running every Sunday anyway - whether it be up hill and down dale, or running on a flat surface chasing a lure.

 

[naylorwhippets]

My opinion is it is up to the owners preferance what they do with there dogs as long as the dog is kept fit and healthy and as a good life.I have always had sighthounds since being a teenager my first dog being a whippet bitch ziggy,me and my freinds used to go rabbiting and take the dogs out on the lamp and both we and the dogs had a great time. About 6 years ago my wife diane bought me a whippet for my birthday from Rebecca Hough we named her Misty, we started to go to the ginn pit track in astley when Misty was 12 months and started to give her a run. We then got talking to Barry and Carol jepson, Barry had wanted a whippet for a while and decided to get one which was Barny. it was at the ginnpitt that we met John Greenwood who got us all to join the northern, Misty took to racing she really excelled and won the top 10 at the northern, both me and Diane had been bitten by the racing bug. (w00. We decided to try open racing and our new puppy Seth/Deadly cocktail was looking really promising he as given us some great times at opens and the champs and we had our first champs win in our first season with him. Our other dog Wilf/ life in the fast lane as won the champs this season and we were over the moon as were the people who bred him Jacquie Mullens, and Sharon and John Pedder we have become good freinds with these people and they are always on hand for good sound advise, infact everyone we have got dogs off have been great and always willing to give us good advise :cheers: The one thing i will say is to anyone who wants to get into whippet racing is it is not a cheap hobby, it can be very expensive travelling to opens with the price of fuel etc, we have met loads of nice people over the last few years ,some who have become very good freinds some from as far away as scotland :thumbsup: iI would say our dogs have a good life with us they are our pets and we love them to bits and we get the great advantage off getting the great buzz of seeing them race on sundays. :cheers: All my dogs get a good 3 miles a day and they run as well, there are people around where i live with different breeds of dog who walk there dogs once a week and thats if they are lucky. :rant: From what i have seen the life of a racing whippet is a good one. :thumbsup: Dave

 

[BeeJay]

I agree with you Carmel ............................. up to a point.

I don't understand why people have got so upset over what Carmel has said. It would be a very sad world if everyone thought the same way. So lighten up people. I treat my racing dogs differently to my non racing dogs. I have no guilty feelings about this, my dogs aren't suffering because of it AND they are still my pets.

IMO All she has really said is that many racing owners treat their racing dogs as canine athletes and work really hard to keep them as fit as possible in order to race them on Sunday. This means that we, or maybe just some of us, take care where we run our dogs, feed our dogs performance type diet, drive hundreds of miles to go to specialist vets and on Saturdays instead of thinking lets take the dogs and go walking all day, those dogs stay at home and rest, because they are racing the next day. How many non racing owners are checking their dogs out for injuries and massaging their dogs everyday etc etc.

However of course as anyone can race a fat, flabby, tired or injured dog down a track it's not necessary to take special care of them in order to race the dogs. Will those dogs run at their very best week in week out I very much doubt it. It's up to an owner how they want to race them. How much effort they want to put in. How much they are prepared to change the way that they keep their dogs etc.

Also Carmel is still racing just 'cause you haven't seen her yourselves doesn't mean that she's not racing, she's just racing somewhere different to yourselves. She's certainly run her dogs down the track with mine this year.

If I've written something that's offended people then I apologise I certainly didn't mean to but having taken a very long time to write a reply and then edit it and then lose it last night I really haven't got the heart to go through all that again.

 

[finalez]

Having raced Whippets this year and being an owner of older and non raced Whippets I think that no Whippet can be wrapped in cotton wool, they can pick up an injury at any time or place racing or not, we can only ,as responsible owners "free run our dogs in an enclosed space" The only thing that is unhealthy is when a person finds it funny when a Whippet may have been injured.......THATS SAD!!!!