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

Fyre's on Fire

Fyre! Photo by Kevin Peuhkurinen

Fyre, our Gryffindor boy in Canada, won Best of Breed in lure coursing at Canada's National Specialty for Irish Wolfhounds!

Shortly afterward he earned his Canadian coursing championship title.

Fyre is not only outstanding in the field, he also is chasing some ribbons in the conformation ring.

Fyre winning first place, novice dog, at New England specialty,
under breeder-judge John Lewington of Australia. (Mike Wilkinson Photography)

Fyre, who is formally known as Starkeeper Glenamadda Fyrenze of Gryffindor, SC, recently crossed the border into the U.S. and went to his first all-breed conformation dog show.  He won a 3-point major toward his AKC championship title.

The same weekend he won Best of Breed at a lure coursing competition in the United States.

Fyre is owned and loved by his co-breeder, Jocelyne Gagne.

At the Canada national specialty, Fyre's son Jake won honors as the best puppy courser. Fyre's Dad Tate, like Fyre, held a senior courser title ...

So, now it's three generations of coursing wolfhounds.

Two dogs, two specialties, two wins

Photo by Rich Bergman

Gryffindor Colin at Tara Hill, with co-owner Barbara Call (also co-owned by Linda Souza), en route to winning Best of Winners at Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast specialty 1, July 2012. 
Thank you to Judge Miss Dorothy M. MacDonald. 
Thank you to handler Bill Buell. 
Colin, pictured here winning the Open Dog class, went on to Winner's for a five-point major and then Best of Winners, quite an exciting day!

Photo by Rich Bergman

 The next day was Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast's second specialty. Our GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen, Colin's littermate, went Best of Opposite Sex. 
Thank you to Breeder-Judge Mrs. Beverly Little. 
And thank you to Bill Buell, who has been showing our wolfhounds since 2004!

Rose and Colin were the only two dogs we brought to the specialties. Their mother is GCH Glenamadda Starkeeper Verity, CGC, who won this specialty in 2008. Their sire is CH Taryn Tate of Limerick, SC, who won this specialty twice, in 2002 and 2006, and is the sire and grandsire of many champions.

Gryffindor Rocks the Specialties

At the Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast July 26 specialty, our Colin, Gryffindor Colin at Tara Hill, was Winners Dog and Best of Winners! 

Entry was 71 wolfhounds, including 19 class dogs and 29 class bitches, for a five-point major.

Thank you to Judge Miss Dorothy M. MacDonald for finding our young man, co-owned by Barbara Call and Linda Souza, among those in the open dog class. Thank you to handlers Bill Buell and Erin Hines.

The next day, July 27, was another Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast show, with an entry of 79 wolfhounds, including 24 champions. Now Colin's lone sister, our Rose, had her turn to shine.

Our new Grand Champion, Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen, won Best of Opposite Sex from breeder-judge Ms. Beverly C. Little. Thank you to Ms. Little and to handlers Bill Buell and Erin Hines.

At the all-breed Lompoc Kennel Club shows that followed, Rose also won very competitive Best of Opposite Sex ribbons both days, for three out of four. 

Rose and Colin are two years old.

The Rose is a Grand Champion

Rich Bergman Photo

Rose finished her AKC Grand Championship title with a Best of Breed win and her seventh major at Kennel Club of Beverly Hills. Thank you to Judge Mrs. Betty-Anne Stenmark, who then awarded Rose a very competitive Hound Group 4 placement. Thank you to handlers Erin Hines and Bill Buell.

Now she's GCH Gryffindor's Wild Rose O'Starry Glen. 

Rose and her mom, GCH Glenamadda Starkeeper Verity, apparently are the only mother-daughter Irish Wolfhound Grand Champions.