HISTORY
Some facts at the beginning
Since 1st of January 2017, the breed has been called Windsprite in the USA and Canada.
“The Board of the ILWC (International Longhaired Whippet Club) asked its members to vote on whether the breed name should be changed from Longhaired Whippet to Windsprite.
129 members were eligible to vote, of which 90 participated.
65 members (72%) voted in favour
25 members (28%) voted against”
In FCI countries with national recognition, the name Silken Windsprite has evidently been agreed upon. In view of the efforts towards FCI recognition, it is advisable not to diverge in the naming.
The Silken Windsprite Story
Name: Silken Windsprite
Silken = silky
Windsprite = “Windsprite” was the kennel name of the founding father of the breed, Walter A. Wheeler Jr., who bred the first “longhaired Whippets” in the early 1950s.
The founder of the breed was the breeder Walter A. Wheeler Jr. (1924–2013).
After returning from the Second World War, his breeding objective was to develop a small to medium-sized, longhaired sighthound. Soon, dogs from the “Windsprite” kennel appeared with a uniform type that likely corresponded to his vision.
Between 1958 and 1975, an increasing number of longhaired dogs appeared in the American Whippet kennel “Windsprite” of Walter A. Wheeler Jr. These were initially registered by the American Kennel Club as purebred Whippets. Wheeler presented them as longhaired Whippets and explained this by a recessive longhair gene, which was said to exist in Whippets, as Whippets had always occasionally shown a pronounced tuft of hair on the tail.
However, with the introduction of genetic testing, Wheeler’s claim was clearly disproven.
Maintaining this claim and the name was likely the fundamental mistake of Wheeler and his followers, which has stood—and continues to stand—in the way of AKC/FCI recognition of the breed.
Famous American Kennels
From as early as 1958, the breed was further developed on a larger scale in the kennels “Claybrook” of Michelle Henninger and “Tova’s” of Jean McKenzie. A uniform breed type and typical conformation were soon established.
In 1986, the first standard was created, and in 2001 the ILWC (International Longhaired Whippet Club) was founded.
In 1987, the first dogs arrived in Switzerland, and in 2002 in Germany and Austria. Worth mentioning here is the male “Golden Nugget’s General Lee”, who was imported to Austria in 2005 and died in 2023 at the age of 18.5 years.
Very soon, a large circle of admirers and breeders emerged. In particular, the dogs of the “Claybrook” kennel were highly influential in Europe; almost all European dogs trace back to these diverse breeding lines.
Past
For a historical review of the breed’s origin, it is useful to take a look at England, the country of origin of the Whippet.
Records by J. S. Turner (The Kennel Encyclopedia, 1911):
Quote: “Breeders in Northumberland confirmed to him that Whippets had originally been rough-coated. However, as a short and fine coat was considered better for a racing dog than a rough or even long coat, breeders increasingly favoured smooth-coated dogs. Before rough-coated Whippets were excluded from breeding, racing enthusiasts clipped or even shaved their rough-coated dogs before races to make them faster.”
In the 1920s, “rough-coated” or “longhaired” Whippets were particularly popular on the racetrack. The turmoil of the Second World War caused this variety to almost disappear, but until 1960 the rough-/longhaired Whippet was still listed as a breed by the FCI. Known breeding lines at that time included Sachsenwald, Einzelberg and Hallerhütte Whippets.
Record by Hans Räber, Swiss kynologist:
Quote: “In the USA, rough-coated Whippets were regularly shown at exhibitions until around 1920, after which they disappeared there as well. However, in the 1970s, longhaired Whippets reappeared in the USA. During a visit by the Israeli kynologist R. Traini to Walter Wheeler in 1982, around 20 longhaired Whippets were present in his kennel, all descendants of the bitch ‘Shot Silk’. At a presentation of the new breed in 1981, 35 longhaired Whippets appeared. These longhaired Whippets are not entirely new; as early as 1841, the Whippet was described as a cross between a Greyhound and a Spaniel. It can therefore be assumed that longhaired Whippets existed. In addition, crosses between Whippets and Collies are said to have taken place in England and the USA until 1940.”
Longhaired Whippet
This designation, which still adheres to the breed today, is the difficult legacy of Mr. Wheeler. Many experts have dealt extensively with this subject. At this point, further discussion is almost redundant. One should acknowledge that Wheeler effectively created what would today be called a “designer dog”.
He had a vision, selected the “ingredients”, and the result is known.
Without diminishing his contribution, his claim of a “longhair gene mutation” was not well considered in view of the emerging genetic testing at the time.
The most problematic aspect was the naming. Today, efforts should be made to unite under one name either Silken Windsprite or, as in the USA, Windsprite.
Double naming and double registrations are counterproductive, as they prevent achieving the common basis required within the FCI framework.
If all clubs and associations with largely identical breeding foundations were to pursue a common path, this would ultimately benefit the breed.
Relationship???
Crosses between sighthounds and other breeds still exist in England and are known under a general term.
More on this in the next section.
The English breeders have always been creative regarding dog varieties. Utility has historically been—and still is—a key driver. Breeding combinations sometimes resemble a recipe:
Whippet × Bedlington Terrier
Whippet × Collie
Greyhound × Collie
From this concept emerged the “Lurcher”.
LURCHER – Source: Wikipedia
The Lurcher is a hybrid dog from Great Britain and Ireland. It is not a breed in the strict sense, but a functional cross between two or more breeds involving a sighthound.
Origin and History
The Lurcher was originally bred by travelling people in the British Isles for poaching.
The word “Lurcher” derives from Anglo-Norman and entered Middle English in the 16th century; to lurch means “to lurk” or “to sneak”.
Lurchers are created by crossing sighthounds—usually Greyhounds or Whippets—with herding dogs such as Collies or with large terriers.
The term applies specifically to crosses between a sighthound and a non-sighthound.
Crosses between two different sighthound breeds are referred to as “Longdogs”.
Description
The Lurcher is a sighthound-type hybrid with short, medium-length, rough, or smooth coat in all colours.
Ears may be carried to the side or erect.
There is no uniform appearance.
Use
The Lurcher is a silent hunting dog with good family dog qualities.
They are also used for hare coursing, where two Lurchers pursue a hare in open field.
