Editing Whippet (section)

== History ==
[[File:Misse and Turlu, Two Greyhounds Belonging to Louis XV.jpg|thumb|''Misse and Turlu, Two small Greyhounds Belonging to Louis XV'', by [[Jean-Baptiste Oudry]]|alt=a painting of pair of small greyhound-like dogs]]
[[File:Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton.jpg|thumb|''Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton'' by [[Pompeo Batoni|Batoni]], 1758, featuring a dog that appears to be an early form of Whippet.]]
Whippets, like all [[Sighthound|sighthounds]], were bred to hunt using their sight-driven [[Prey drive|prey instinct]], coursing game in open areas at high speeds. Numerous representations of small, sighthound-like hunting dogs can be found in [[Ancient Egypt|Ancient Egyptian]] artworks dating back thousands of years, possibly depicting ancient forms of the Greyhound, [[Basenji]], [[Pharaoh Hound]], or [[Saluki]].<ref name="Barron6">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxHKDOZB7GoC | title=Whippets: A complete pet owner's manual | publisher=Barron's | year=1998 | access-date=24 January 2013 | author=Coile, Caroline | isbn=0-7641-0312-1 |oclc = 38016572|location = Hauppauge, N.Y | page=6}}</ref> In medieval England, a small greyhound-type breed became popular as a [[Terrier|ratting dog]]. The first written use of the word 'whippet' in English, referring to a type of dog, was in 1610.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/concise/whippet | title=Whippet | dictionary=Merriam-Webster | date=13 August 2010 | access-date=29 December 2011}}</ref> In a painting by [[Jean-Baptiste Oudry]] (1686–1755) of two dogs named ‘Misse’ and ‘Turlu’, presented to [[Louis XV of France]], the dogs depicted were either Whippets or another small, smooth-coated sighthound, but they were likely an early form of the Whippet.<ref name="Walsh" /> Oudry also completed a second painting of Misse with a different, non-sighthound breed of dog. A 1758 painting by [[Pompeo Batoni]], ''Portrait of Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton'', also features a similar, whippet-like dog.<ref name="Walsh" />

In the 19th century, Whippet racing was a popular sport in parts of England.<ref name="Barron8" /><ref name="Walsh">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_fyUuvyzhJQC | title=The English Whippet | publisher=Coch-Y-Bonddu Books | year=2004 | access-date=24 January 2013 | author=Walsh, E.G. | isbn=1-904784-03-8 | author2=Lowe, Mary |oclc=650188132}}</ref> The breed was highly regarded in the northern parts of England, as well as in [[Wales]], but was generally disregarded in the rest of the country.<ref name="Walsh" /> At the time, there were two varieties of Whippet: one type had a smoother coat and was more popular in [[Lancashire]], [[Yorkshire]], and the [[Midlands (England)|Midlands]], later becoming the modern Whippet.<ref name="Walsh" /> The second form had a rougher coat due to [[crossbreed]]ing with [[Bedlington Terrier|Bedlington Terriers]]. This type was more popular in [[Durham, England|Durham]] and [[Northumberland]], and was frequently referred to as a 'rabbit dog'.<ref name="Walsh" /> Early specimens were taken from the racetrack by [[Animal fancy|dog fancier]]s of the time and later exported around the world. [[John Taylor (poet)|John Taylor]], an English writer, noted that "''In all the shapes and forms of dogges; of all which there are but two sorts that are useful to man's profits, which two are the [[English mastiff|mastiffe]] and the little curre, whippet, or house-dogge; all the rest are for pleasure and recreation.''"<ref name="MonGaz">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=onYuAAAAIBAJ&pg=5354,1850673&dq=whippet+-car&hl=en | title=The Whippet: Something About the Animal and in Racing Abilities | work=The Montreal Gazette | date=25 October 1904 | agency=The Montreal Gazette | access-date=25 January 2013 | location=Montreal, Quebec, Canada | page=12}}</ref>

The modern Whippet seemingly came into its own in 1891 when [[The Kennel Club]] officially recognized the breed. This recognition allowed Whippets to compete in dog shows and have their pedigrees recorded.<ref name="Barron9">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxHKDOZB7GoC | title=Whippets: A complete pet owner's manual | publisher=Barron's | year=1998 | access-date=24 January 2013 | author=Coile, Caroline | isbn=0-7641-0312-1 |oclc = 38016572|location = Hauppauge, N.Y | page=9}}</ref> In the [[United States]], the Whippet was recognized three years earlier, in 1888, by the [[American Kennel Club]] (AKC).<ref name="Barron9" /> The breed arrived in the U.S. from England, brought by [[Puppy mill|mill]] operators, with the first populations established in [[Massachusetts]].<ref name="AKC Meet The Breed" /> According to the AKC ranking, the Whippet has consistently ranked within the top 60 breeds over the past decade, with a ranking of 51st place in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/whippet/|title=Whippet Dog Breed Information}}</ref>

In 1964, the Whippet Ch. Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth won [[Conformation show|Best in Show]] at the [[Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show]].<ref name="allthosedogs">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/11/sports/backtalk-all-those-dogs-all-those-tales.html?pagewanted=1 | title=All Those Dogs, All Those Tales | work=The New York Times | date=11 February 1996 | agency=The New York Times | access-date=6 February 2013 | author=Fletcher. Walter R.}}</ref> Later, in 1992, Pencloe Dutch Gold won [[Conformation show|best in show]] at [[Crufts]],<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Coile|first1=D. Caroline|last2=Earl-Bridges|first2=Michele|title=Whippets: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, Training, and Exercising|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxHKDOZB7GoC&q=Pencloe+Dutch+Gold&pg=PA46|series=Complete Pet Owner's Manual|date=26 May 2000|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-7641-0312-4|page=46|access-date=6 February 2013}}</ref> followed by Cobyco Call the Tune in 2004<ref>{{cite web | url=http://crufts.fossedata.co.uk/Default.asp?ShowYear=2004 | title=Crufts 2004 Results | publisher=The Kennel Club | access-date=6 February 2013 | archive-date=13 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313064940/http://crufts.fossedata.co.uk/Default.asp?ShowYear=2004 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and Ch. Collooney Tartan Tease in 2018.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bentley|first1=David|title=Crufts 2018 Live Results - all the winners including Best in Show as they are announced|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/crufts-2018-live-results-winners-14386087|access-date=11 March 2018|work=Birmingham Mail|date=11 March 2018}}</ref> In 2011, the female Whippet GCh. Starline's Chanel was named Hound Group Show Dog of the Year by the [[Westminster Kennel Club]].<ref name="Year">{{cite journal | title=Dogs of Esteem | publisher=BowTie Inc | journal=Dog World | date=June 2012 | volume=97 | issue=6 | page=20}}</ref>