@delmospeed

1. The Irish Wolfhound is one of the oldest breeds of dog. Although the breed is thought to be much older, the first official records of these dogs dates back to 391 AD.

2. These dogs were originally bred to be used in war. These doggy-leviathans were used to pull and drag enemies off of horses and chariots.

3. Clearly powerful dogs, they were also used as guard dogs and I don’t think I need to explain why they were good at that. I mean, have you seen the size of these hounds?

4. Besides their talents on battle grounds and as guards, Irish Wolfhounds are renown for their hunting ability. These sight hounds  hunt in packs and together they chase and take down elk and, as their name suggests, wolves.

5. It’s said Irish Wolfhounds were bred during a time when the number of wolves outnumbered people and dogs combined. Unfortunately for the wolves these hounds were so successful that the wolves all but went extinct. Now that’s a canine family feud.

6. In the 1800s Irish Wolfhounds followed in the wolf’s paw-steps and found themselves on the brink of extinction. Fortunately for them Captain George Graham spent nearly two and a half decades restoring this breed.

7. He did this by crossing the remaining dogs with Great Danes, Mastiffs, and Scottish Deerhounds.

@claireopdebeeck

8. Back then the Irish Wolfhound was owned only by royalty. It was not uncommon to find these dogs in the royal court of different kings. Irish Wolfhounds were prized for their high value and given as gifts to nobility of other countries. Fancy!

9. Irish Wolfhounds measure two to three feet at the shoulder and can weigh up to 150 pounds. Now that’s a dog way out of my weight class!

10. These dogs can come in light cream colored coats or have coats as dark as black. Frequently they are seen in varieties of gray or silver but they have also been known to sport wheaten and even red colored coats.

11. Although white can be acceptable on the tip of the tail and in small amounts on the chest, excessive amounts of white are not acceptable for the Irish Wolfhounds.

12. Irish Wolfhounds are frequently described as gentle giants. They are known to do very well with children.

13. But Irish Wolfhounds can have trouble in the homes with other small animals due to their hunting instinct.

14. Don’t let the intimidating size fool you. Modern Wolfhounds don’t guard castles as well as their forefathers. In fact, they’d much rather make friends with a stranger than attack them. Phew!