Proud of Our Veterans

GCH Glenamadda Starkeeper Liberty, 

born July 4, 2008, will be 10 on July 4, 2018.

GCHS Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen CGC

turned 8 on February 1, 2010. 

The Rose retired the Irish Wolfhound Assn. of the West Coast female veteran trophy in 2017. 

So, starting this year, the new trophy will celebrate the Rose.

An Irish Blessing

© Photo by Pat Murkland

For Colin:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of His Hand.
(August, 2014)

BISS GCH Glenamadda Starkeeper Verity, CGC (Miss Ginny) Heart Hound

Godspeed, Ginny. February 2006-February 2014.

IWAWC Best in Specialty

Rose wins Best in Specialty, Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast, July 26, 2013. Thank you to Breeder-Judge Ms. S. Kelly Cromer. Thank you to handler Erin Hines. Thank you to all the people and dogs behind Rose who made this dream come true. There are so many of you!

BISS Bronze GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen (Rich Bergman Photo)

At the Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast first specialty the preceding day, July 25, 2013, Hound Specialist Judge Mr. Bo Bengston awarded Grand Champion select to Rose. With this award she achieved the record-setting status of Bronze Grand Champion and made Irish Wolfhound history. Thanks to Mr. Bengston. Thanks once again to handler Erin Hines. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this achievement possible!

New Bronze Grand Champion GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen
(Rich Bergman Photo)

Best in Specialty

GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen, Best in Specialty, IWAWC

At the Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast Specialty on July 26, 2013, Breeder-Judge Ms. S. Kelly Cromer awarded Best in Specialty Show to our own GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen (Rose). Thank you, Ms. Cromer. Thank you, handler Erin Hines.

Rose, born Feb. 1, 2010, was the only girl in a litter of 8. She is Gryffindor's first home-bred champion, grand champion, and bronze grand champion.

Rose was co-bred by owner Pat Murkland and by Jocelyne Gagne.
Her mother, our own BISS GCH Glenamadda Starkeeper Verity, CGC, won Best in Specialty at Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast in 2008. Her father, CH Taryn Tate of Limerick, SC, won Best in Specialty at Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast in 2002 and 2006. Thank you to all the dogs and people behind Rose.

There's more! The day before, on July 25, 2013, at the first IWAWC specialty, Judge Mr. Bo Bengston awarded the select Grand Champion award to our Rose. Thank you to Mr. Bengston. Thank you to handler Erin Hines.

We believe this win propels Rose to Bronze Grand Champion.


Rose would be the first Irish Wolfhound girl in California to achieve Bronze Grand Champion status. And she would be the second girl to do so in Irish Wolfhound history!

All in all, a fantastic specialty show weekend!

Fred reads the show catalog (Pat Murkland Photo)

Gryffindor at Eukanuba

Rose, Best of Opposite Sex, Irish Wolfhound Assn. of the West Coast, July 2012 

Rose and her mother, Verity, are the only mother-daughter Irish Wolfhound Grand Champions. We're thrilled!

Both grand champions were honorees invited to this year's Eukanuba-AKC National Dog Show in Florida. Rose also was invited to Eukanuba because she was ranked among the top 20 wolfhounds.

Florida is far, far away from Gryffindor. Although we didn't go, our Irish Wolfhounds managed to make a cameo appearance anyway.

In the popular Meet the Breeds booth, our Ocho represented the Irish Wolfhound therapy dog in this display by the Florida Irish Wolfhound club:

(Courtesy of Helen Cullum)

 Ocho earned his Therapy Dog title from AKC this year and we couldn't be prouder of his therapy work in Texas with his owners, the Cox family. 

At the Meet the Breeds booth, Ocho's sister, our own Rose, represented the Irish Wolfhound in conformation:  

 

(Courtesy of Helen Cullum)

Here is Rose in the conformation display, shown competing with handler Erin Hines at this year's National Irish Wolfhound specialty judged by Mrs. Jacqueline Carswell.

A wolfhound-sized Thank You to the Irish Wolfhound club members in Florida for including us!

Best of Breed

Best of Breed, Kennel Club of Riverside (Rich Bergman Photo)

Thank you, Judge Mr. Dana Cline, for this highly competitive Best of Breed win for GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen, Kennel Club of Riverside, October 2012. Thank you to handler Erin Hines!