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)

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!

Forward

GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen with handler Erin Hines

What a Weekend!

The January dog shows in the balmy desert sun of Indio, CA, are among the largest in the United States. The hound show preceding the all-breed shows always attracts Wolfhound people from near and far...a wonderful time for visiting, learning, and seeing all the puppies competing in sweepstakes and the rest competing to be recognized as the best. We are deeply honored that among an entry of 34 Wolfhounds, Judge Mr. Wayne Burton of Australia chose our new AKC champion, Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen, as his Best of Breed winner at the Inland Empire Hound Club of Southern California show. Rose is our first homebred champion and this was her first show as a champion. Rose went on to win Best Opposite Sex and Grand Champion Select at the two all-breed Kennel Club of Palm Springs shows in large entries also supported by the Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast. Thank you to handlers Bill Buell and Erin Hines and to the many, many people who have helped us.

Countdown ...

Then there were just two points remaining ...

Catalog

Sincere thanks to our handler Erin Hines and to our judge!

A Second Major Win for Liberty!

Wolfhound entries at the all-breed Santa Barbara Kennel Club shows on Aug. 30 and 31, 2009, were supported by the Irish Wolfhound Club of America. To support the club, we entered.

We had no expectation at all of winning. Yes, honestly! We just wanted to be part of the fun. The day was so hot, we nearly didn't go. But Liberty was keeping cool in the air-conditioning, so off we went. We wanted the fun of showing our beautiful girl to esteemed wolfhound breeder-judge Joel Samaha.

She was the youngest girl there, still considered a puppy, in the 12-18 month-old class. So we didn't think she would be a contender.

We were wrong.

She went Winner's, with 4 girls present, for one point toward her Championship title. We were so thrilled!

It only got better.

The winner's dog had earned two points (there were five dogs). So when we went in the Best of Breed ring we thought we were competing for Best of Winners, two points.

It only got better.

The Winner's Dog beat three male champions to earn Best Opposite Sex to the beautiful Best of Breed winner. Eight dogs! A three-point major for him! Wow!

Then our Liberty beat the Winner's Dog, for Best of Winners.

A three-point major for her!

Thank you to Judge Mr. Joel Samaha. Wow!

The Journey Continues

Liberty's journey toward her AKC championship title continued at the Channel City Kennel Club show over the July 4 holiday weekend. Thank you to Dr. Eric Liebes for awarding her WB and Best of Winners in a tough competition.

She earned another point. 

Thank you to handler Erin Hines!

The tally so far:

3 points, Judge Elliott Weiss.

1 point, Judge Lee Canalizo

1 point, Judge Eugene Blake

1 point, Dr. Eric Liebes.

Liberty is our resident firecracker and she celebrated her first birthday on July 4.

And we're still celebrating!

Liberty at 11 months

Rich Bergman Photo.

Thank you again to our judge Mrs. Lee Canalizo.

At the shows

Liberty's journey toward her AKC championship title continued over the weekend at two all-breed shows in Chula Vista.

She was the youngest Irish Wolfhound competing, 11 months old and in the 9-12 class.

That stopped no one.

She won Winner's Bitch on Saturday and we thank our judge, Mrs. Lee Canalizo, for such a lovely win.

She won Winner's Bitch on Sunday and Best of Winners, and we thank our judge, Mr. Eugene Blake, for choosing her and also for awarding her Best of Winners over the Winner's Dog.

We were very privileged to have such respected hound judges at this show. We were thrilled they appreciated Liberty and how she represents the hard work of Glenamadda, Starkeeper, and Limerick kennels.

And we were very fortunate to have the talented Erin Hines handling Liberty.

The show each day was a lot of fun. The grounds were wonderful, the rings on well-groomed grass, the weather was overcast and not too hot or too cold, and we loved chatting with our wolfhound competitors. We came early and stayed late.

Liberty's journey so far:

3 points (a major), Orange Empire Dog Club, age 6 months, thank you again to our judge Mr. Elliott Weiss.

1 point on Saturday

1 point on Sunday

total  5 points! We're so proud of our puppy for these achievements.

The Goal is 15 points, including two major wins of at least three points each.

Congratulations, Sister Abby!

Liberty's sister Abby won a three-point major today from the 9-12 puppy bitch class, the youngest girl today taking the purple ribbon at the Contra Costa Irish wolfhound competition! 

Congratulations!

Catalog is here.

Memorial Day Salute

Our relatives, Starkeeper California Ierne;

Starkeeper Glenamadda USA Flag (Betsy Ross, Liberty's littermate sister);

Ch. Starkeeper Glenamadda Realtan (Verity's mother, Liberty's grandmother);

Ch. Glenamadda Starkeeper U R Zada (Verity's half-sister, Liberty's mother);

give a team tribute to U.S. and Canadian troops at the Irish Wolfhound Club of America national specialty show.

Thank you to Ewa for sharing this great photo!

Glenamadda Starkeeper Liberty at nine months

Liberty at the Hound Classic

Liberty looked beautiful to me (no bias of course) at the annual Hound Classic, where she had many positive, new experiences. She turned 9 months on the 4th and so is now in the 9-12 month puppy girl class. On the second day, she came in reserve winner's bitch! We thank our Judge, Borzoi breeder Ms. Robin K. Riel, for this wonderful recognition of Liberty. Ms. Riel also gave our Verity a wonderful Best of Breed win last year when our girl was a new champion. We thank her for appreciating the girls' movement and type. Read the online catalog here.

Liberty's win

Here is the online catalog.

Liberty's first dog shows

Liberty is now six months old and so, we went to our first dog shows for a fun outing, for socializing, and practice. So far, she thinks dog shows are all about being inside buildings. She loves the treats, gaiting around the ring, and shopping for toys.

At our second weekend out, at Orange Empire Dog Club, Liberty won her first points toward her AKC championship title!

She won Winner's Bitch, Best of Winners, and then BEST OF BREED over three champion specials. A THREE-POINT MAJOR at six months old. 

Best of all, she had a fabulous time! 

We're still in shock. Wow!

Many thanks to Judge Elliott Weiss, to handler Erin Hines (and of course to Bill Buell), and congratulations to Liberty's breeders, Dr. Susan Prokopenko, Jocelyne Gagne, and her father's breeders, the Souzas of Limerick. 

Verity Slideshow

CH Glenamadda Starkeeper Verity in the Hound Group, Santa Barbara, Summer 2008.
These are still photos in a slideshow. Thank you to Handlers Bill Buell and Erin Hines for the photos.

Mail for a Dog

In the P.O. mailbox lay an envelope addressed to "CH Glenamadda Starkeeper Verity."

She didn't seem to mind when I opened it for her.

I let out a whoop. She looked at me.

It was an invitation.

An invitation to the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.

Congratulations! it said. WOW! I said. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

To be invited she had to qualify. To qualify she had to be in the top 25 Irish Wolfhounds nationally between Oct. 10, 2007, and Oct. 8, 2008. 

She's only been competing since March.

And she qualified. WOW did she!!!

I gave her a big hug and she looked at me again, rolling her eyes, you're a little crazy today, mom.

Yes, I am, I told her. 

Congratulations!

A Big Congratulations to Handler Bill Buell and his St. Bernard, CH Alta Vista's Billion Kilowatt, CD, for winning an all-breed Best in Show in Oklahoma on Sunday, Oct. 12!

The judge was Mr. Ken Buxton, who himself recently was honored with AKC's esteemed 2009 lifetime achievement award.

Kilo is a wonderful Saint, with a very sweet temperament. He's well-trained, and an excellent ambassador for his breed, wherever he happens to be. In the show ring, he has won numerous specialty best in show wins. He is ranked No. 1 in national Best of Breed rankings.

Congratulations to owners Tom Brown and S. Tsagris, and also to co-handler Erin Hines! Go, Kilo!

From Zero to the Top 5 in 4 months

When the Best of Breed rankings were posted online for Jan. 1-July 31, we were thrilled to see that BISS CH Glenamadda Starkeeper Verity was No. 5 Irish Wolfhound.