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The Irish Wolfhound is famous in both legend and history. It is mentioned as far back as the second century A.D. When the Celts invaded Greece in 273 B.C., Arrian wrote of "the swift hounds" and evidence of this can be seen in statues, jewelery, paintings and other artifacts which have been recovered from that period.

From the 12th to the 16th centuries, Irish noblemen and their chieftains were still hunting with their Great Irish Dogs by their side. It was not until the 17th century, due to the disappearance of wolves and elk, that a serious shortage of wolfhounds was apparent mainly because so many of them had been exported as gifts for visiting royalty. In 1652, Oliver Cromwell passed an order in Irish Parliament prohibiting all persons from exporting the dog. With the founding of the Irish Wolfhound Club in 1885 by Captain George Augustus Graham, hailed the savior of the breed, the way was paved for the orderly growth of the Irish Wolfhound.

Were it not for a gentleman known as Father Edmund Ignasius Hogan, little would be known about the Irish Wolfhound. He devoted many years of his life searching both modern and ancient classics for all references to this great hound. His book "The Irish Wolfdog" was published in Dublin in 1897, but a disastrous fire all but destroyed the entire edition and only a few copies were saved. Unfortunately, Father Hogan was unable to have the book reprinted. Ten years later, Joseph A. McAleenan, a Long Island sportsman and lifelong friend of the Dogs of Ireland, had 200 copies printed privately which he gave to friends and also some libraries.

Irish Wolfhounds, known as "Gentle Giants", are sweet-natured and friendly. They are usually good with people and children but not always good with other animals. Since all dogs are descended from wolves, the desirable characteristics of all the different breeds are only modifications of the natural behavior of the wolf. A wolf's natural instinct is to hunt and kill and the dogs cannot be blamed for exhibiting these traits, as it was man who produced the hunting breeds to suit his own needs.

The standard for a male Irish Wolfhound with a height of over 32 inches is 120 lbs. For a female with a height of 30 inches it is 105 lbs. Because they are such a large breed of dog, a typical lifespan would be anywhere from 6 to 8 years. Wolfhounds need lots of space to safely stretch their legs and even though they no longer hunt wolves and elk, the chase is still a big part of their make up. If you

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