Torteval Irish Wolfhounds

The second photo shows me at eleven months of age visiting Terri at work and reaching up to smooch the nice colleague with the camera. You will see that I have grown a bit especially about the NOSE.

P S It has now come to light that young Branigan is my second cousin, so you can see where he gets his good looks from."

"Here are two photos of me taken in Denver, Colorado where I live with my human whose name is Terri. The first photo shows me at about four-and-a-half months with my toy fabric frisbee. I think that my ear carriage is especially lovely here and I cannot understand why Terri laughs at it.

September 2004
Terri writes, 'Wilson Puppy is now two years old and is simply the sweetest boy. He has had an adventuresome life so far; he had bloat and torsion last December, at which time he twisted both his stomach and spleen and tore an artery in his abdomen. He survived due to outstanding veterinary care and some transfusions of blood donated by greyhound friends. The greyhounds' owner says the greyhound blood has given Wilson his long, LONG legs. I love him so . . . The photo shows Theo, Wiglet, and Wilson loafing on the porch on Wilson's birthday!

February 2005
Wilson is now two-and-a-half years old, and is learning a wealth of New Things. He has discovered the joy of sleeping for sleeping's sake (this took longer than Terri imagined!), and has also discovered how to be a Flat Wolfhound, a vital skill if one becomes exceptionally sleepy as it allows one to occupy the maximum portion of the floor. He loves, for some reason, to sleep in rather a corkscrew shape. He is still so very much a puppy, which brings Terri such joy, and he is very much loved.

July 2005
Wilson was three years old on 12 July, though he very nearly didn't make it as he swallowed a tangle of a rope toy and needed surgery for obstruction. He had never been allowed rope toys at home, but the one that caused the problem had been shredded by another dog and left on the ground at the park, where, nice and stinky, it was scooped up and swallowed in an instant by Wilson. He came through the surgery beautifully, but poor Terri now has a lot more grey hairs! He celebrated his birthday with a grand long walk and lots of special treats, and the photo shows him on the day, practising a sit/stay (he says it is soooooooo boring!).

Although generally considered safe, rope toys can be lethal. If the toy disintegrates tangles of swallowed string can obstruct the exit from the stomach and the dog can suffer bloat and/or torsion, or intestinal obstruction. Rope toys should be used only under close supervision and discarded immediately they start to come apart, and are not suitable for giant breeds or dogs who are avid chewers.

March 2006

Wilson is starting to look a bit more like an adult wolfhound although Terri thinks that mentally he is all puppy!

He's been happy with snow this week - springtime in the Rockies! and loves to go on long walks and meet new people.

He walked in Denver's St Patrick's Day parade and enjoyed himself very much, and is especially happy when his walks take him past a local school at recess time. He enjoys having the children reach through the fence to pat and love him and would spend all day with them if he could.

Wilson's feeling especially close to Hogan now as he had the same surgery last summer for a dietary indiscretion. It must be said that Wilson was nearly three when he committed his indiscretion, while Hogan's not quite two, so of the two boys it is clear that Wilson has fewer brains by a long shot! (That's Terri's opinion, not ours! - Anne)

October 2006
A few weeks ago Wilson came across four little girls, sisters, who needed meeting and greeting. He lay quietly in a down-stay, as instructed by Terri, while three of the girls started patting him. The fourth said she was afraid because a dog had frightened her badly when she was tiny. Her sisters teased her a little, so Terri told her she did not have to meet the big dog AT ALL unless she wanted to, and no one should tease her about it.

The other three were asking questions and Wilson was administering kisses every time a face came close enough, and suddenly Terri noticed that there were four little girls patting him. The scared sister had taken up a spot next to his back and was stroking away.

She was very proud of herself, and said that Wilson was only the second dog she'd ever patted in her life. Wilson, of course, thought that things could not get much better at all. The only improvement in his eyes would have been for them to have been feeding him while patting him.