IVA KIMMELMAN, MERCI ISLE WHIPPETS
Success can come in time for those who are patient with just a litter a year, but to create a pedigree, a bloodline takes real work.
Two AWC National Specialty winners Ch. Merci Isle Burncoat Babylon and his sire Ch. Merci Isle Meridian, ROMX
quite the experience for a young person with stars in her eyes. I even got men- tored a bit by the great Terrier man, Ben Brown. That is where I met Peggy (named after the great Peggy Newcombe of Pennyworth Whippet fame), my first Whippet. I thought she was skinny and strange because I was into REAL dogs then; big, hairy, you get the picture. She followed me around every day and whenever I turned around, she was a few feet away, looking at me like I was a god of some kind. Then suddenly, one day, I “saw her.” It happened when someone mentioned Ricky and that Life magazine cover. Ricky was Eng./Am. Ch. Courtenay Fleetfoot Of Pennyworth who won West- minster in 1964. It was then I knew which breed I wanted to create. Who were your mentors in the sport? Please elaborate on their influence. So many people, and some who do not even know it. There are, indeed, various ways to mentor someone by example, both good and bad. Far too many to mention here. However, I must mention these: Mike Dougherty, Isabell Stoffers, Doris Ringer, Marie Talbot from Royal Acres, Gay Valentine, Betty Wolkonsky, Jean Balint, Doris Wear, Annie Clark, Paul Lepiane, Bo Bengtson, Susan Vargus (Westgate), John Shelton (Sheridan), and Richard Reynolds (Roving). Seriously, there had to be hundreds. I learned from every person I met at dog shows and field events, anywhere that dog people congregated. I learned by watching and listening. What I learned from all of them was that I had a lot to learn. Of course, like most novices, I had my take downs coming. I learned not to talk at ringside or talk about people’s dogs at shows. I learned about good sportsmanship. The Merci Isle Whippets are widely known, successful and well respected. What breeding philosophies do you adhere to? I do not think that I have a unique philosophy other than breeding healthy dogs with good minds as a foundation, with strong pedigrees, and phenotype that adheres to the AKC standard. I owe everything to the people who bred the dogs in my original pedigrees. It takes an exceptionally long time to create a bloodline unless you breed dozens of litters a year and you really know what you are doing. Success can come in time for those who are patient with just a litter a year, but to create a pedigree, a bloodline takes real work. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity in the last two decades to import or purchase Whippets from outside the US to complement my bitches.
(So, it is not all about me.) I was not able to do this during most of the 54 years that I have loved Whip- pets. I just did not have the resources at the time, yet I always had my dogs with me. It certainly matters to me that others think my dogs are well-made, correct examples of the breed. It also matters to me that my peers respect me for my care of my dogs. I go to a National and to specialties to show my dogs to my peers. This all starts from the ground up, as far as I am concerned. Sure, there are “famous” breeders in all breeds who breed a great deal and get lots of nice dogs, but it is how my dogs live that matters most to me. Standing for something, with a moral and ethical compass, has served me well. Now for some philosophies: My dogs have certainly gotten better in the last three decades. It is a learning curve, to be sure. I always go back to my mentors and what they said to me. I wish so many were still alive now. I need them sometimes. Type is defined by the head and outline of this breed. When you get that right, and they are sound moving, you are halfway there. I was told early on to burn the image of Ricky into my mind’s eye. This con- siderably basic and honest advice has always served me well. Ricky’s photograph by Neena Leen, published in Life magazine, is one of the most often downloaded and published dog photos ever. That says it all, doesn’t it? I believe it is fair to say that that is what a Whippet is supposed to end up looking like. My first Whippet, Verdi of Merci Isle, was a great- grandson of Ricky. How many dogs do you currently house? Tell us about your facilities and how the dogs are maintained. I have 10 Whippets in my home, and two males that live just a few miles away with a friend who is just getting started in Whippets.
70 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, APRIL 2021
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