Puppies have temporary names for the time they live with us before joining their new families. The Winter Carnival in St. Paul is one of the largest and oldest in the county. A synonym for carnival is circus. Having a litter of whippet puppies in the middle of winter is a circus in the making. So, all the puppies have names with the winter carnival theme.
Pedigree for the litter (courtesy of the whippet archives)
Here are the little ice maidens:
“Mittens” – If you’re going out on a cold Minnesota night to the carnival, you need toasty warm mittens. Or in this case, gloves. | |
The merry men of the carnival:
“Boreas” was the King of the Winds. In his travels all over the world, he stumbled on Minnesota and determined it was the ideal place for a winter playground – “Realm of Boreas.” | |
“Circus” – is another name for a carnival. Any whippet litter is a circus, especially one in the winter. What else but animal crackers go with a circus? | |
“Polar” – many nights at the carnival the actual temperature is zero or less, not to mention the wind chills. Polar temperatures, to be exact. He is shown with a glacier from the arctic north. | |
“Castle” – One of the focus pieces of the winter carnival is an ice palace, or castle. The castle is created by cutting ice from a nearby lake in huge blocks to create the building. | |
If you’d like to learn more about the legend surrounding the St. Paul Winter Carnival , to learn more about Klondike Kate, Boreas, the Vulcan Krewe and winter activities crazy Minnesotans enjoy, click on Legends for a link to the carnival page.