The Longhaired Whippet Association (LWA)

The foundation line of Longhaired Whippets was Windsprite Whippet Kennels, registered with the A.K.C. and founded by Walter A. Wheeler Jr. in 1958. Mr. Wheeler undertook the project to bring out and focus on the recessive longhaired gene within the Whippet breed. Windsprite produced decades of outstanding Whippets with both smooth and long hair. More can be read about Mr. Wheeler and the 50+ years of history of the Longhaired Whippet Association on this web site.

By the 1970's dog show ring competitors had rumors circulating widely that Mr. Wheeler had introduced Shelties to his Whippet lines to get the long coats. Indeed, Mr. Wheeler was a Sheltie breeder before World War II. However, before leaving for the war, he closed his kennel and never owned a Sheltie again.

The Longhaired Whippet Association (LWA) was incorporated in 1981 and has been managed by Mr. Wheeler and a Board of Directors. For over half a decade, the LWA has only ever bred Whippets that exhibit or carry the long haired gene to each other and to pure, registered Whippets from AKC, CKC and FCI health tested bloodlines.

No breed other than purebred Whippets have ever, or will ever be bred with, for progeny to be registered in the studbooks of the LWA.

The International Silken Windhound Society (ISWS)

In 1984, a Texas Borzoi breeder named Francie Stull, owner of Kristull Kennels, bought her first Longhaired Whippets from Walter Wheeler. In '87 Kristull began cross-mating their LHWs with their Borzoi lines. When Mr. Wheeler learned of this, the Stulls and Kristull Kennels were removed from any affiliation with the LWA.

At first the nick-name "Silken Windsprite" was applied to the Stull's dogs. However, following the cross-breeding activities at Kristull, a request from the LWA was made not to use Wheeler's AKC kennel name with regard to the naming convention of their new breed.

1988 Mrs. Stull decided on the official breed name "Silken Windhound" for her dogs. The International Silken Windhound Society was chartered in 1999 utilizing a foundation of Longhaired Whippets, Borzoi and a smooth Whippet to create a new breed of small sized, long-coated sighthounds.

In 2000, the stud books were closed. Silken Windhounds may only be bred amongst themselves. The ISWS states that they are deeply committed and dedicated to the goal of attaining AKC recognition. More information on the ISWS can be found on their web site.

The International Longhaired Whippet Club (ILWC)

In the mid 1990s Claybrook Farms owned by Michelle Henninger in Pennsylvania bought half a dozen Longhaired Whippets from Mr. Wheeler. With those dogs and a few other Windsprite-bred dogs that she acquired from other people, she began the dedicated breeding of a very large colony of LHWs.

By 1997 Claybrook had begun actively breeding their LHWs to other dog breeds. Once again, with the introduction of the first cross-bred litter, Claybrook was permanently removed from any association with Walter Wheeler and the LWA.

In 2001, Claybrook and a small group of like-minded people formed the International Longhaired Whippet Club (ILWC) as an outlet for the registration of their original and cross-bred LHWs. The cross-breds are called by the name "Percentage of Longhaired Whippet". The ILWC uses a single registry with a different number and lettering system to keep track of the pure Longhaired Whippets or the percentage of LHW in the mix. Within 4 generations from cross-breeding a LHW to another breed, these % dogs are considered "100% Longhaired Whippet" by the ILWC and they assume that people will know the difference between "100% LHW" and "pure LHW".

Any breed may be used for cross breeding with the ILWC LHWs, and many different breeds have been used including Border Collies, Shelties, Foxhounds, Labs and smooth Whippets. However, the most prevalent mixes have been Spanish Galgos and Schnauzers in Claybrook's effort to begin a new breed of dog that will likely be called "Appalachian Greyhounds".

It is the ILWC's position that their dogs have never been pure Whippet. The ILWC is not associated with the LWA in any way and there is no interbreeding between dogs of the ILWC and dogs of the LWA. More information on the ILWC can be found on their web site.

The International Silken Windsprite Club (ISWC)

In 2002, Marietta Birr, owner of FCI Whippet kennel Whippets of Giant Causeway in Germany, bought a few dogs from Claybrook Farms of the ILWC. Operating under her son's name and the newly formed kennel name of Golden Nugget, they began an aggressive program of breeding.

Having bought her foundation stock from the ILWC registry, Birr was certain that her LHWs were not pure Whippet. And so, like Kristull Kennels had done before them in the '80s, they chose to re-name the results of their breedings using the name "Silken Windsprite". This was done regardless that there was already a well-established and very similar dog breed called the Silken Windhound and notwithstanding the fact that there was quite alot of confusion over this name already in sighthound circles.

The LWA Board wrote to Frau Birr, requesting that Walter Wheeler's kennel name not be used as a breed name for the results of their program. However, in 2005 within months of this letter the "International Silken Windsprite Club" was formed in Europe. It seems for the benefit of marketing purposes or registration with the FCI which is their publicly stated goal, they refer in communications and on their web sites to both breed names where it suits them.

The ISWC was founded on ILWC-bred dogs, with the occasional addition of other Whippets. Registry for litters of ISWC dogs is available both with the ILWC and with the ISWC. The ISWC is not associated with the LWA in any way and no dogs between these 2 clubs have ever been inter-bred. More information regarding the ISWC can be obtained on their web site.

Get More Information:

How Were Whippets Originally Formed? DNA Breed Background Chart for Whippets

Longhaired Gene Proven in Greyhounds: The Foundation Breed for Whippets