Irish Heart Wolfhounds1. Dog of War
This account of an Irish Wolfhound during the Great War was written by Walter A. Dyer, author of Pierrot, Dog of Belgium and was published in Country Life, 1918.
Bally Shannon had been…a soldier in France. No ordinary ambulance helper was he, but an over-the-top fighter. Ten wounded men he saved by dragging them out of ‘No Man’s Land’. Then came a bursting shell and Bally Shannon and his master were both wounded. They were sent home on a hospital ship, and in mid-Channel the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine…. Only three men were saved—Bally Shannon’s master and two others. They managed to scramble on top of a barely floating piece of wreckage. Then came the brave dog, swimming strongly in spite of his wounds, and begged to be taken aboard. But the piece of wreckage would not have withstood his additional weight, and his master was forced to order him to keep away…. All night he swam about the rude raft, only resting his chin upon it when nearly exhausted. In the morning they were picked up…. When I visited the dog he was nearly well, though his master, alas, had succumbed to his wounds. I spoke his name…. He came to the edge of the enclosure and raised himself to his full height, resting his forepaws on the tope of the fence…. I thought I had never seen no magnificent an animal. All sinew and brawn, built on lines of speed, he stood there and received my homage…. And I looked into his eyes—great, honest, intelligent eyes, utterly human. ‘I know what you did, Bally Shannon,’ said I. ‘You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din’.
2. Dog of Comfort
This personal account occurred during the summer of 2008. In August of that year, Arkansas experienced hot, dry weather, some temperatures reaching triple digits. On one of these days, I had been working in the house, doing mundane chores—dishes, washing, vacuuming, etc. My old farm house does not have central air, and only window units provided cooling. The house was still warm, but a lot milder than the scorching temperatures outside.
After completing a task, I walked into the kitchen, and suddenly felt very light-headed and dizzy. Almost immediately I lost my balance and fell to the floor. I laid there for a few minutes, mentally checking my body for injuries. Meanwhile, all the dogs came running over to see what was happening. Darby barked a short growl, and all the dogs, except Cayla, retreated to the foyer.
Using Darby, I pulled myself up and staggered over to the kitchen counter to reach a phone, whereupon I called a neighbor. She said she was coming right over. The next thing I remember is regaining consciousness and lying on the floor with Darby by my right side, licking my foot and leg and Cayla at my left shoulder, licking my face and neck. I don’t know how long I had been unconscious, but it was comforting to know they were taking care of me. However, I was extremely weak and unable to move.
My neighbor came running into the house to check on me. I must have looked awful, because she immediately called 911. She started talking to me, asking me questions, like: Was I hurt? Could I move? Etc. Meanwhile, both Darby and Cayla remained by my side, continuing their loving caresses.
None of the dogs in the foyer moved or made a sound as the paramedics entered, pulling the gurney across the floor. Darby and Cayla did not move either, although they made space for the professionals to administer some oxygen. After questioning me, they determined I need to go to the hospital for observation. As they lifted me to the gurney, Darby and Cayla remained along side. They walked with me as we journeyed to the front door, all the while looking into my eyes as if to say, “Are you okay?” They stopped at the door, not venturing onto the porch, but their eyes never left me. A number of people had gathered in and around my home after the ambulance arrived, but not one of my dogs made a sound. They seemed to totally disregard everyone except me. I didn’t know it at the time, but my neighbor told me later that all of my hounds had followed me to the front door, watching everyone and everything that was going on.
Hospital professionals determined I had experienced heat exhaustion and sent me home several hours later with a number of warnings and advice.
Was this experience love between the hounds and me? Compassion? Concern? I believe it is an especially deep love connection I have with my wolfhounds. Thank God they stayed by my side and were there for me when I needed them.
3. Dog of Protection
This is another personal account that occurred during the Spring of 2007. A litter of pups had whelped that Spring and they were old enough to have visitors.
One Sunday afternoon, a father called to tell me he had had wolfhounds as a young boy and wanted his children to have the same experience. His wife, however, was afraid of such a large dog around their two young girls. He asked if he could bring his family over to see the wolfhounds, adults and pups. He promised to visit later in the day.
The wolfhounds and I live together. We have visitors, but mostly persons of my senior age. Few children visit, and the dogs only see them as they go past the house. Sometimes the school bus driver usually stops the bus so the kids can look at these large dogs.
What I am trying to explain is that wolfhounds love children, but my dogs were not accustomed to lengthy exposure with running, screaming, giggling and bouncing humans, especially small ones. In any event, the family arrived, and the wolfhounds, pups and I escorted them to the back yard. The children were fascinated with them…their size, their big heads, tails, mouth, and everything about them. The older child, who was about five years old, had a great time and enjoyed running, jumping, and playing with the adults and pups. The younger one, who was about three, had a much shorter attention span. After a few minutes, she was ready to explore my two-acre back yard. She forgot about the dogs and starting investigating everything around her.
Cayla watched the young child very cautiously as she wandered about. At some point, Cayla decided she had gone to far afield. She slowly and gently walked over the child and began nudging her back to her Mother. I had never seen an Irish Wolfhound herd anyone or anything prior to this occasion. But, she directed her back to where she thought she was safe. They did not seem to notice, but I did.
It wasn’t long before the inquisitive child noticed a squirrel in one of the trees. She started running toward it when Cayla, again, guided her back to her parents. This time I was excited and pointed it out to the Mother. She, too, was surprised.
After waiting only a short time, a similar experienced occurred. Cayla, acting like a shepherd, guided the child back to safety. I am not certain at what point Cayla determined the distance to be unsafe for the child, but she was doing her best to keep her close.
You can expect this type of behavior from one of the herding breeds, but not an Irish Wolfhound. However, Cayla showed me that the wolfhound is especially watchful of the young humans under her guard. What a dog!
4. Dog of Sorrow
This is another story of which I have personal knowledge. The story began when I sold a male pup to a young woman in Ohio. She had wanted an Irish Wolfhound her entire life and was determined to make her dream come true. In spite of this, her Mother, who lived in a separate home on her property, was much again such a large dog coming share their lives.
As with all wolfhounds, it only took a short amount of time for the Mother to become enchanted with the pup, whose call name was Gee. Each morning the daughter went to work, and the Gee spent the day with the Mother. He would greet her with a kiss on the cheek or lick her hand, but stayed quietly by her side, even as a puppy. In the evening, the daughter came home and the pup returned to stay with her. This became the daily routine—days with Mother and evenings with the daughter.
As time passed, the Mother’s health began to deteriorate. She didn’t use a walker long before she was confined to a wheelchair and then to a hospital bed. Her Hospice care was provided, but even so, Gee’s schedule did not change; he spent his days by her side, regardless of where she was or how she felt.
To make a very long story short, the Mother’s health grew extremely poor and Gee’s presence by her was one of the few joys she experienced. He would lay his head on her chest and listen to her talk, often in rambling expressions. Ultimately the Mother lost her battle with life, and quietly, but expectedly, passed away in her home with her family and Gee by her side.
The medical apparatus were removed from the house, including the walker, wheelchair and hospital bed. Yet, instead of Gee’s usual morning trot over to the house as in the past, he went over and laid on the floor next to where to bed had been positioned and would not leave in the evening to go home to the daughter. He only left the Mother’s cottage to relieve himself and to get something to eat and drink. Then, he would return to his appointed spot as if waiting for the Mother to return.
No matter how much encouraging, pleading or plodding, the daughter could not get Gee to leave the Mother’s Cottage. So, she told him to come home when he was ready–she would be waiting. His grieving lasted over three weeks.
When he felt the time sufficient, he left the cottage and returned to the daughter’s home. Afterwards, he did not revisit the cottage, but remained in the daughter’s home. Still, he does not visit the cottage, but seems to be at peace with the Mother’s departure. He gave all of this love to a woman who did not want to come, but he found his way into her heart.
We, humans, grieve at the passing of a loved one, but don’t forget that our animals do, too. Be patient with them, support them, and love them for the feelings they have and for which they are not afraid to show.
5. A Dog’s Passing
I know we grieve at the passing of our beloved canine compansion. Thus, I give you a copy of “Why Dogs Don’t Live as Long as People”, whose author is unknown.
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound name Belker.
The dog’s owner, his wife, and their little boy were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, the owners told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old boy to observe the procedure. They felt he could learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. The little boy seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animals’ lives are shorter than human lives. The little boy, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”
Started, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, “Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody and being nice, right?” The four-year-old continued, “Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
7. Dog Quotes
My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am. (Unknown)
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. (Roger Caras)
Anybody who doesn’t know what soap tastes like never washed a dog. (Franklin P. Jones)
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. (Will Rogers)
The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. (Anonymous)
The average dog is a nicer person that the average person. (Andy Rooney)
No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich. (Louis Sabin)
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. (Ben Williams)
If your dog is fat, you aren’t getting enough exercise. (Unknown)
If you have some stories, poems or quotes you would like to share, send them to me…please.