Tamara Dunn

Immediate Past-President & Director-At-Large

Irish Wolfhound Association of the Carolinas

 

President, Irish Wolfhound Rescue of the Mid South

Ierne Irish Wolfhounds

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My love of Irish Wolfhounds began when I was in third grade and read a mystical story about Irish Wolfhounds in an old breed book from the 1940s. With a family history closely tied to Ireland I was hooked. I had always loved animals, dogs in particular, and the bigger the dog the better. It was 1991 before my dream of having an Irish Wolfhound of my own came true. Kaila wasn't from the best of breeders, but she was perfect in my eyes. She loved to course and during the peak of her coursing days was the #7 Irish Wolfhound in the American Sighthound Field Association. Through her I met my first human mentor in the breed, and eventually acquired my second "show quality" Irish Wolfhound Brionne. Brionne was the foundation bitch for most of our hounds to come, a legacy lasting 7 generations. Unfortunately, due to health issues in our last litter, that line came to an end in 2016. I acquired our youngest hound from a dear friend. She is a totally different personality, and together we've started an entirely new journey into this beautiful breed. Irish Wolfhounds are unique, with an intelligence and depth of soul that defies description. I've lived with many different breeds, but none have been as much a presence in my home as our wolfhounds have been. Known as the "heartbreak hound", people often ask how I can handle going back again after the loss of a hound. It's really quite simple, I would rather live 7 to 9 years with an Irish Wolfhound than 15 years with any other breed. I hear all the cute saying, "Who rescued Who", "My dog saved me", "Owned by my dog", etc. But none of those even comes close to describing the relationship you build with an Irish Wolfhound. My relationship with my hounds is a partnership. We are family. It is unique to anything I've experienced before in all of my life with dogs. 

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