Video: 'Whisper' - The Dog That Made A Wingsuit BASE Jump!

 The video above is the short version from Dean Potter's youtube channel showing him making a wingsuit BASE jump in Switzerland with his small dog Whisper tucked securely into pocket between him and his parachute container. The video below is a longer version from the National Geographic youtube channel that offers a little more insight into this rather unusual adventure. 

 I was already planning to post this video on AirPigz when I began reading the youtube comments on both videos. Wow, youtube comments never fail to expose the irrational thinking of a large part of the population here on Earth. After reading the comments claiming that this was animal cruelty I KNEW I had to post this video.

 First, let me add that my wife and I have five miniature Schnauzers in the house (Schnauzers don't shed!) and have been living with these little creatures for the last 10 years... we started with one and then fairly quickly wound up with six in all. A couple years ago one became ill and passed away leaving us with five.

 When you really know a dog it's easy to tell when its uneasy in a given situation... and I would think all of us can tell when a dog is truly scared. A dog owner with any level of intelligence will also know whether a specific dog is of the mindset (or nerve tolerance) to be able to handle adventure, even extreme adventure. I have two Schnauzers that I know would love to BASE jump and I have three that I know would freak out. 

 It's obvious that Whisper, a 22 pound mini Australian cattle dog, was completely up to the task of riding along on this wingsuit jump, AND that she enjoyed it. It really confuses me that rational people could watch the video (especially the long version) and somehow come to the conclusion that Whisper was scared. And then when you add the obvious effort to make this adventure safe and secure for Whisper, I can't see this as being ANY different than someone taking their dog for its first car ride. A tremendous amount of effort went into making the special parachute rig with the space for Whisper, and test jumps were made to verify the safety of the rig with the size and weight of this awesome little dog.

 All you need to do is watch as Whisper looks left and right on the ride down, that's a dog that is taking it all in and doing great! Further research indicates she has made about a dozen jumps but has been taking a break here lately. Dean is working on a re-designed jump rig to advance the art of taking Whisper along on wingsuit flights.

Video screenshot: Whipser the wingsuit BASE jumping dog looking happy in flight!

 You'll be able to learn more about Whisper and her BASE jumps in Potter's 22 minute film When Dogs Fly but I'm not sure when and where you'll be able to see it. I'll update later when I find out... til then, I think Whisper is a true AirPigz at heart and deserves some bacon!

(and please don't go off on me about how bacon is bad for dogs... as an occasional treat in small quantities, bacon is perfectly fine for a dog!)

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Comments

[Colin]

Just wonderful.