A shaggy dog story is really an Irish Wolfhound story
Posted in Animals, Dogs, Historical articles on Friday, 8 June 2012
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This edited article about the Irish Wolfhound originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 722 published on 15 November 1975.
The shaggy giant of the greyhound family and the tallest dog in the world is the Irish Wolfhound. It is the national dog of Eire and can trace its ancestry back over two thousand years.
Early Celtic literature contains many references to the “great hound of Ireland” or “Irish greyhound”, as it was sometimes called.
Renowned for its strength and hunting skill, this hound’s fame spread across Europe, and in 391 A.D. several of them were exported to imperial Rome to be used in the arenas there.
Their power and speed in the chase were remarkable. Hunting by sight rather than by scent, they were used to stalk prey which included a large variety of game then plentiful in their native country. In particular, the timber wolf and the large Irish elk were hunted, the elk being a formidable adversary, standing over six feet (1.8 m) high.
Over the centuries, these wild animals gradually became extinct in Ireland and, when this happened (in about 1750), the breed itself began to dwindle and practically to disappear.
It is likely that Irish Wolfhounds would have vanished altogether but for one man. He was Capt. G. A. Graham, an Englishman from Gloucestershire, who, in 1862, started a campaign to bring back the breed. It took him 20 years to complete this difficult task but, by careful breeding and with the addition of Scottish Deerhound blood, the Irish Wolfhound of olden times was recreated.
Because of its immense size, not many people can afford to keep an Irish Wolfhound today, but those who do, pay tribute to this gentle giant. It is quiet, dignified and a very loyal companion.
About 32 inches (812 mm) tall at the shoulder with a hard, rough coat, often grey or brindle in colour, this big dog thrives in the country and much prefers to be outdoors. Its long, hairy tail curves slightly, and, considering its great height, it walks with a light and graceful stride.