Hello and happy Tuesday!I wanted to tell you about a very cool dog museum. The Ashley Whippet Museum K-9 Frisbee Museum . Tom Wehrli, its curator contacted me wanting to know my inspiration for Joyous Amusement(featured at the right). Tom was visiting a good friend in Vermont who happened to show him a card with Ashley Whippet and Hyper Hank on it – my inspiration! It turns out Tom is a good buddy of Ashley’s owner, Alex Stein.
The legendary Ashley Whippet (1971 – 1985) is an icon in the Frisbee dog community. He leaped (pardon the pun!) into the national spotlight in 1974 at Dodger Stadium. It was the bottom of the eighth inning during a Reds-Dodgers game when Ashley and his owner Alex Stein sneaked onto the playing field for an impromptu game of Frisbee. Before a national televised audience Ashley thrilled the crowd with his speed and agility. People were amazed to see a dog run up to 35 miles per hour and jump 9 feet in the air to catch the Frisbee! And the rest as they say is history!
Alex and his amazing disc-catching dog were invited to perform on The Tonight Show, World Wide Sports, and Monday Night Football and at national events, including the pre-game show of Super Bowl XI. Ashley's high-flying antics made him famous and he is recognized as the creator of the Frisbee dog sport. A year later Alex Stein became co-founder of the first Frisbee Dog World Championship and Ashley the competition's inaugural winner. He went on to win again the following year and then again in 1977.
Soon, people were attempting to teach their dogs to emulate Ashley's grace, agility and power. This movement grew with televised competitions, corporate sponsorships and international rankings. Eventually Tom from his north Naperville home created the Ashley Whippet Museum, a 3,000+ piece collection of disc dog memorabilia. And it is here where my cards will reside.
Inspiration is everywhere. My inspiration came from a photo by Eldon McIntire and Irv Landers’ of “Hyper Hank watches his K-9 pal, Ashley Whippet soar for Frisbee disc.” The photo appeared in Jeanne Joy Hartnagle’s book All About Aussies. Don’t you just love Ashley’s areal ballet and Hyper Hank’s expression of wonderment?
To learn more about Ashley Whippet, the sport and upcoming competitions check out Tom Wehrli’s The Ashley Whippet Museum K-9 Frisbee Museum .
