Showsight - March 2022

LINDA SOUZA — LIMERICK IRISH WOLFHOUNDS

We had also had some minimal mentor- ing from Renee Poston of the Apple Arbor Kennels in Santa Rosa. She was actually the agent for the purchase of our first Irish Wolfhound, Ch. Roaree of Limerick. The Limerick Irish Wolfhounds are wide- ly known, highly successful and well respected. What breeding philosophies do you adhere to? Our breeding philosophy was always to practice limited breeding with the high- est quality possible and with consistent results, because we do not want to feel like we are exploiting these wonderful animals in any way. We also feel it is best to not let your numbers get out of control with this giant breed. We always kept a puppy from every litter, so we only bred on the average of once every three years or so. We have always taken the choosing of stud dogs very seriously, never taking shortcuts to save money, and it paid off. We have been blessed with some particularly good- producing males over the years, but we have also imported semen to bring in some different blood which is something we will continue to do. How many dogs do you currently house? Tell us about your facilities and how the dogs are maintained. We currently house two Irish Wolf- hound males and two Irish Wolfhound bitches, a 15- year-oldWhippet, an 11-year- old Cavalier, and a 5-year-old Frenchie. In June of 2021, we left California and moved to 10 acres in the Teton Valley on the eastern border of Idaho/western border of Wyoming. The altitude is 6,200 feet. The Wolfhounds are absolutely thrilled with the colder weather and the little dogs just hang out in the house. The little dogs have a doggie door which goes out to a cov- ered area with faux grass. The Wolfhounds and the little dogs spend time in the house together, but we never put the little dogs in the running paddocks. That could turn into a coursing event if the little dogs start running in the wide, open spaces! We have two large running paddocks, for the Wolf- hounds. Both have covered areas for them to get out of bad weather. They spend all day out in the paddocks, with short visits in the house (they must stay out to get ade- quate exercise) unless the weather becomes too harsh. I believe Wolfhounds need exer- cise, fresh air, fresh water, and quality food to keep them in top condition. We run the Wolfhounds in pairs, boy/girl. We have an 80’ x 80’ airplane hangar where they sleep at night. I can also use the hangar during the day if the weather turns too harsh. The hangar is fully insulated and heated. We house our vehicles there along with a

Cessna and big dogs! It’s perfect, and the dogs love sleeping there at night in their Kuranda dog beds with cushy pads. Who were/are some of your most signifi- cant Irish Wolfhounds, both in the whelping box and in the show ring? Some of our most significant winning dogs in the show ring have been Ch. Shaw of Limerick, Ch. Grianan Ladd of Limer- ick, Ch. Noinin Cnoc Noll of Limerick, Ch. UrLimerick of Kilmara, Ch. Taryn Tate of Limerick SC, GCH Cash of Lim- erick, GCHG Limerick Frosty the Show- man, and most recently, GCHG Khaleesi’s Drogon of the Seven Kingdoms. The top producers from these males, so far, are Ladd, UrLimerick of Kilmara (Ricky), and Tate, totaling close to 100 champions among the three boys. Our best produc- ers in the whelping box were Ch. Roaree of Limerick, Ch. Timberlane Casey of Lim- erick, Ch. Kaelyn Gabardine of Limerick, Ch. Halle of Limerick, and Ch. Limerick Jingle All the Way. These bitches produced 19 champions all together, only having one litter each. We know how important the tail female line is in breeding, but we lost our tail female line about 14 years ago (the risk of doing limited breeding). We have survived nicely using our male line instead as the emphasis in our breeding selections. Please comment positively on your breed’s present condition and what trends might bear watching. I feel the only place you can assess the current condition of your breed is at a National Specialty where you have a large entry and a cross-section of dogs. For the few serious, quality breeders we have in this country, I feel our breed is in fine condition. One thing to keep in mind is that our dogs should be athletic hunters and not lumbering draft horses. You can create a Wolfhound with lots of bone and substance, but he or she still needs to be able to move actively and easily with some enthusiasm! I can’t ever remember leaving a National Specialty and being depressed about the condition of our breed. We have had many amazing breeders over the years producing beautiful Wolfhounds. The sport has changed greatly since you first began participating. What are your thoughts on the state of the fancy and the declining numbers of breeders? How do we encourage newcomers to join us and remain in the sport? The sport has become very competi- tive and very expensive. Breeding Wolf- hounds has also become extremely costly and it is difficult to find young people who want to put in the time and have the

Frost, 2013 IWCA National

Ch. Taryn Tate of Limerick SC

Ch. Noinin Cnoc Noll of Limerick

Ch. Urlimerick of Kilmara

64 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2022

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