~*Newbie Intro*~

[EnchantedGypsy]

Hi! My name is Rebecca, I live in central California and have spent most of my life with pet English Springer Spaniels. I am currently dogless, but have a clowder of (spayed/neutered) housecats all of whom are rescues or adopted from shelters.
When I was 10, I wanted a Borzoi; but was quite happy when my parents got 2 Springer puppies instead. I like the medium-size of Springers, I like their medium-length coat, I like their average lifespan (10-15 years), and I love their sweet/goofy personality!
I'm finally at a point in my life to choose my first dog entirely on my own preferences.... I recently "discovered" what seems to be the dog of my dreams! I'd always wished for a dog that resembled a Borzoi, was a tad larger than a Springer; with a personality in-between the typical aloofness of a sighthound and velcro-dog of a Springer. As fate would have it, I happened upon the Silken Windhound in 2004. I've spent the past 2 years learning about the breed, and meeting lots of Silkens & owners at events. While choosing my next dog, I also have to consider the breed’s suitability for being a service dog. Something that has not been a factor with previous dogs since my disability occurred fairly recently (2004). As it turns out, there are already 7 Silken Windhounds trained and working as service dogs! I am currently on a waiting-list for a Silken Windhound puppy due this Winter.

[nesta21har]

Welcome to a healthy addiction... glad you joined, when you get your new little pup post some pics. PLEASE

[StarfishSaving]

What beautiful dogs Silkens are. How exciting that you can have found what seems to be the perfect dog for you AND it can be your service dog as well!

I love the look and personality of English Springers though I've met too many whose owners prevented them from being the dogs they should be, buying them for their looks and not letting them be the active working breed they are. I'm a setter addict myself.

Welcome to the group!

[EnchantedGypsy]

The pups are almost 3-weeks old now One more week and they'll be about 1/2 way to the age where they can have their initial evaluation for pet-vs-show prospects. Waiting, waiting, waiting to find out out if there's a pup for me from this litter is a trillion times harder than the 2 years I waited for this breeder to plan a litter!! Good thing I'm going to be running a booth at the local county fair for the next couple weeks to distract me...

I will most definitely share photos when I get my pup, whether it's this litter or one early next year from a different breeder. For now, I've added some photos of various Silken Windhounds I've met over the past 2 years to the photo gallery.

[GSP4619]

Nice to meet you and welcome to the board. Gotta love those nubs

[SmoothCollieluver]

What exactly are Silken Windhounds? They look like a cross between a borzoi and a whippet.

[EnchantedGypsy]

Originally Posted by SmoothCollieluver

What exactly are Silken Windhounds? They look like a cross between a borzoi and a whippet.

The Silken Windhound's creation began in 1984.The breed was created using Borzois (aka Russian Wolfhounds), Whippets, and Longhaired Whippets. The woman (Francie Stull) who created the breed is a geneticist, and had already bred over 200 champion Borzois. The Silken Windhound stud book was closed in 2000, since then only Silken Windhound-to-Silken Windhound breeding has taken place. FCI (Europe's dog registry) has already approached ISWS expressing their interest to recognize the breed, but the FCI rules are that a breed must first be recognized by the national kennel club from a breed's country of origin. The AKC requires breeds to be established a minimum of 10 years, so the International Silken Windhound Society has 3 more years to wait before they can apply to AKC.

The breed's height standard is 18"-25" at the shoulder. Average weight is 35-50 pounds. There are currently Silken Windhound owners & breeders in:

USA:
Arizona; California; Colorado; Florida; Hawaii; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Kentucky; Louisiana; Michigan; North Carolina; New Jersey; New York; Ohio; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Texas; Virginia; Washington; Wisconsin; Wyoming. And I may even be missing a couple states.

OTHER COUNTRIES:
Canada; England; Finland; Sweden; Netherlands; Germany; Slovenia; Japan; South Africa; The Bahamas.

Here are couple links to the creation/background of Silken Windhounds....

http://www.silkenwindhounds.org/history.html

http://www.silkenwindhound.com/history.html

And here is a link to photos I've taken of the Silken Windhounds I've met over the past couple years....

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lemurlover.geo/my_photos

Unfortunately due to some family medical issues, I've had postpone getting my puppy til next year

[d'tails]

I met some at a rare breed show July '05. I love sighthounds. Have had salukis and afghans. Don't call them long haired Whippets! You may get your head bitten off. I did not make that mistake, but while talking to the breeder, but someone else did. Part of breeding is education. I really like the Borzoi. I think the Silkens act an awful lot like the Borzoi. A definate aire of nobility and elegance. I would like to own a pack of sighthounds one day. The more hair the better for me. Afghan, Borzoi, Silken, and Saluki. add the Akita, Coton de Tulear, and Krysarik and I'd be happy...and busy.

[EnchantedGypsy]

Due to a medical problem in my family, I had to make the difficult decision to delay getting my puppy until next year I was supposed to be bringing my wee one home this Veterans Day weekend. The breeder did refer me to another breeder who has a litter planned for Spring 2007 though....

[GSP4619]

I am sorry to hear about that. I hope everything works out for you.


GSP4619