Species: Dog
Breed: Whippet
Date of birth: 13/04/2021
Gender: Male
Neck circumference: 28cm
Base of neck to base of tail: 55cm
Chest circumference: 62cm
Height to shoulders: 53cm
Weight: 14.4kg

General Description

Monty is the sort of dog who can go from a dead sprint to a snooze on the sofa in about ten seconds flat. A blue whippet with the smooth slate-grey coat the colour is named for, he has the long clean lines and deep chest of a born runner, set off by a pair of quick, watchful eyes that follow every move on set. Friendly, confident and plainly fond of people, he treats a film crew less like strangers and more like a room full of friends he has not met yet.

Whippets were bred in the north of England in the nineteenth century, where mill and mining families crossed small greyhounds for weekend coursing and racing. The ‘poor man’s racehorse’ could outrun almost anything over a short dash. The breed still holds the title of fastest dog for its size, reaching speeds close to thirty-five miles an hour. Blue whippets like Monty, with their cool grey colouring, have become favourites of fashion and design photographers, and the whippet’s sculptural shape now makes it a quiet star of advertising and social feeds alike.

Monty has been in front of a lens for years. Jody has photographed him since he was small, and somewhere along the way he worked out that the click of a shutter, or the word ‘okay’, means a treat is on its way. On the job he stays calm under pressure and is brilliant with strangers, perfectly happy to be handled and groomed. Loud noises do not bother him at all, he takes trains in his stride and settles fast wherever the work takes him. One honest note for casting: Monty has a classic sighthound prey drive, so he is best kept away from cats and small furries. He gets on well with most dogs, takes happily to children and warms to anyone offering a fuss.

Monty’s turn of speed makes him ideal for anything that needs a dog at full pelt. Send him off and he recalls cleanly from a distance, hits his mark and works comfortably out in open country, which suits chase sequences, period pieces set around the old racing tracks and any outdoor scene calling for a sprinter with an off switch. He lies down on request, barks on cue and drops his head low for those wistful, faraway looks directors love in an emotional beat. Because he is confident, focused and unbothered by loud noises, he can hold his nerve in busy, high-energy scenes where a flightier dog would lose the plot.

This is where Monty really earns his keep. Years in front of the camera have given him a professional’s patience: he holds a pose for as long as you need, takes studio lighting and flash without a flinch and looks exactly where he is pointed, be that up, off to one side or back over his shoulder. Dressing him up is no trouble at all. Clothing, hats and accessories are all fine by him, which makes him a ready-made fit for the dog-fashion and lifestyle labels he already works with, like Dog Copenhagen and The Trendy Whippet. Pop a product beside him and he leaves it well alone, holding his position while the camera does its work. Pet brands, clothing lines, harness and accessory makers and homeware companies after an unflappable, photogenic model who can perch on a prop or sit up on a platform will find him wonderfully low-maintenance on set.