Here are things that you didn’t know about the Irish Wolfhound
1. Earliest record of the Irish Wolfhound
A letter was written by a Roman consul which mentions the Irish Wolfhound, and this was all the way back in 391 A.D. The letter was written in order to thank the brother for the Irish dogs that were gifted to him. It is said that the Romans were amazed by the dog and this was the reason why they were given to numerous world leaders and Kings as a gift.
2. Irish Wolfhounds and the legend of Cormac mac Airt
Cormac mac Airt was said to be one of the High Kings of Ireland. His reign was prominent sometime between the 2nd and 4th century, and according to some, Cormac mac Airt has 300 Irish Wolfhounds as there were highly regarded in these days. This is mainly due to the fact that they prove to be excellent companions, guardians and hunters.
3. Extinction fears
There was once a time, back in the 1800s, when the Irish Wolfhound faced extinction fears due to the reduction of the wolf population in Ireland. Captain George A. Graham noticed this and made it his mission to revive the breed with the few that were left. Hence, he gathered what was left and crossbred them with Scottish Deerhounds in an attempt to bring the population of Irish Wolfhounds back to prominence.
4. Irish Brigade
The Irish Brigade was a Civil War brigade that consisted of infantry regiments from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York. As a commemoration, in 1888, a memorial of the Irish Wolfhound was erected with an inscription which claimed that the breed has been extinct for more than hundreds of years. The memorial is a life-sized rendition of the hound.
5. Height
In compared to other breeds, the Irish Wolfhound is regarded as the tallest due to the fact that they are nearly 32 inches long. An Irish Wolfhound would also be 7 feet tall if it were to stand on its hind legs.
6. Hunting
The Irish Wolfhound, as the name suggests, is a wolf hunter that is also capable of hunting boar and deer. Fianna, a small set of warriors from Northern Britain and Scotland that were independent, were known to use Irish Wolfhounds during hunts. According to Irish mythology, as many as 200 stags were killed in these hunts. Apart from boar, deer, and stags, the Irish Wolfhound was also known to help in the hunting of Irish elks.