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| The Oberon Story | ||
 Oberon Whippets are built to perform the work whippets were intended to do - hunt jackrabbits and race. My name is Scott Ekblad, and Oberon is my kennel name. I live in Beavercreek, Oregon with my partner Michael and 8 whippets. While we only get to chase jacks on occasion, we do race quite a bit.
I got my first whippet in 1993, and immediately became hooked on the breed. (Obsessed is the word Michael would use, but that’s neither here nor there…  ) When I decided I wanted to get a whippet, I attended every whippet event I could find. I went to dog shows, lure coursing trials and race meets. It seemed as though no one knew of any available whippet puppies. While at a race meet one day, someone pointed at June Harrison of Loughren Whippets and said “she just had a litter, why don’t you talk to her.” June breeds whippets that can do a bit of everything…show, lure course and race. I wasn’t sure I wanted to “specialize” in any one of those activities, so eight weeks later I drove to Canada and picked up my first whippet, Ellie Mae.
True to the “potato chip theory” that you can’t have just one, I soon added more whippets to the family. I wanted to do it all - race, show, lure course and open field course. However, I realized early on that different types of whippets succeed in different activities. I was trying to like the show ring at that point, so my next two whippets were show bred, from David Hintson of Raintree Whippets in Vicksburg, Mississippi. All whippet activities are fun, but I eventually realized that racing is my favorite. The judging is objective, and you don’t have to dress up to do it! Plus, the dogs absolutely love it. It is, after all, what they were bred to do. All these years later, it still takes my breath away when I watch a whippet in full stride, running its heart out to cross that finish line first. One weekend in 1995 I was in Northern California for a race meet, enjoying the hospitality of Dave & Merril Woolf of Kentfield Whippets. Merril was running a dog I had admired for the past couple years, Ringdove Black Tuxedo. Everyone in the racing world knew that litter of four, thanks to the phenomenal accomplishments of brother Eddy - Ringdove Black Adder. As luck would have it, Tux’s owners had decided to quit racing, and Tux was staying with Merril until he found a new home. Well, his new home was Oberon, and Tux remains my favorite to this day. When I decided I wanted some Tuxedo puppies, Tony Lewis of Lyth Whippets kindly agreed to lease his bitch “K” to me. K is the happiest, most outgoing whippet on the planet, and a perfectly built match for Tuxedo. They produced the first litter of Oberon puppies - the "North Dakota" litter - on July 7th, 1997. The fifth puppy whelped during that long night was Della - Oberon Blaisdell, and I knew the moment she popped out that she was my pick. Della soon went on to become my first “home grown” meet winning champion. She finished her oval title at the 1999 Nationals in Texas, and her sprint championship title soon thereafter. In 1998 Tony Lewis bred his bitch Pug (Lyth Ranee) to Tuxedo, and had a litter of six boys. I opted for a puppy as my stud fee, and chose Abner. Abner has held his own in the shadow of his half-sister Della, having earned his sprint championship title, his oval championship title, finished in the Top Ten in the 2002 NOTRA Nationals, and won meets on both the straight and oval tracks. In May of 2000 Jeff & Ramona Bradley of Dreams Whippets had the last litter out of their very famous bitch Mysti. I had no intention of getting a new puppy, but every time I visited my eye was drawn to this cute little bitch that reminded me so much of her dam. I thought she would be the first puppy to be picked, but as buyers began to choose other pups in the litter, I decided that it was a sign and brought Luna home. She has turned out to be the most endearing one of the bunch. If anyone doubts that a dog can have a sense of humor, they need to meet Luna. Luna produced our "Minnesota" litter a few years ago, and all who are racing are making us very proud. The two latest additions to Oberon are Della puppies Samson and Dora - the "Alabama" litter. Brother and sister, they couldn't be much different. Three years later Della presented us with 7 new puppies, on 9/22/05. Stay tuned for the adventures of the "New Mexico" litter! Who (or what) is Oberon? Well, no breeder can claim sole credit for any line, regardless of how many generations carry their kennel name. Oberon is a new kid on the block, just one branch of the whippet family tree, sprouting from the success of others, namely Lyth, Ringdove and Windyglen. To all my predecessors in the breed and the great sport of whippet racing, I say thank you. |
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