If you’re considering adding a smaller dog to your family, you might be considering a whippet, a pint-sized version of a greyhound. But just as you wouldn’t buy a trendy motorbike when you have a family to transport, you should never decide to bring a dog home based on “popularity” or features you find “cute.”

Like all animals, every dog is someone, not a toy or an accessory. Here are five reasons never to purchase a whippet.

1. Whippets Have Health Issues

Like all ‘designer dogs’ who are genetically engineered via inbreeding and for physical features considered fashionable, whippets can face a range of health issues. These include joint and thyroid issues, as well as:

Eye issues. Due to their genetics, whippets are more prone than other dogs to Progressive Retina Atrophy (PRA), a gradual sight impairment that can eventually lead to blindness.
Heart issues. Whippets are prone to mitral valve disease, where one of the heart valves degenerates, allowing blood to flow in the wrong direction. This can lead to congestive heart failure.
Immune system issues. Like Cocker Spaniels and poodles, whippets are susceptible to immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA), in which the body targets red blood cells, causing anaemia and even death.
Skin and paw problems. Whippets lack the thicker skin and protective hair of other breeds, making them susceptible to cuts and scrapes, which can become infected. They’re also prone to excess keratin growth on their footpads, which can cause corns and a painful limp.

2. Whippets Have Varied Personalities

Some say whippets are calm and cuddly. Others say they’re short-tempered and snappy. Whippets are indeed all this – and more – because each whippet is an individual with a unique personality.

One thing all whippets have in common is that they are high-energy and need lots of stimulation and attention. They’re also prone to anxiety, including separation anxiety. Looking after such a dog is a huge commitment requiring much patience and time, that’s why some people who purchase whippets on a whim end up abandoning them. Just because they might look “sweet” or be “in fashion” doesn’t make a whippet the right fit for your lifestyle.

3. Vet Bills Add Up

The physical and mental health issues “designer” dogs face can mean they must visit the vet more often. This can also mean spending more money on their care – from buying thunder jackets to calm them to paying dog walkers to keep them entertained.

Being the guardian of any dog is costly, and the additional financial demands of properly caring for a whippet see many left to tremble in shelters.

4. Buying Animals Kills Shelter Dogs’ Chances

Aside from filling up with whippets deemed “too much trouble,” shelters are overflowing with animals of all kinds who need loving homes, and more are born daily.

Every time you buy a dog from a breeder, you’re supporting puppy farming on some scale and killing a shelter dog’s chance of finding a loving home.

With dogs being euthanised daily to make room for newly dumped dogs, it’s vital to seriously consider your ability to make an animal’s life happy and healthy for as long as they live, and – only when you’re sure you can – adopt, don’t shop!

5. Whippets and Other Dogs Need You to Speak Up, not Pay Up

Regardless of the breed they sell or the size of their operation, all breeders put profit ahead of dog welfare. Dog shows like Crufts glorify intensive breeding and breed manipulation, resulting in dogs with deformities that severely inhibit their quality of life.

Please help dogs by urging Channel 4 to stop giving dog abuse a platform: