I'm going way back to 1967 and the first dog I had after I moved out of my parents' house. In 1967 I lived with a family that had a pair of Irish Wolfhounds. They gave me Truce when he was born for taking care of the litter of fifteen pups. Large litters are common with Wolfhounds and require a lot of supplimental feeding and care.
I called him Truce because the end of his tail was white. Others wanted to attach more esoteric and deeper meanings to the name, but that was their take, not mine.
It's funny to think that at eight weeks he outweighed our little Winterpup. At eight months he weighed 90 lbs. By the time he reached his full growth at two years he was thirty-five inches high at the shoulders and weighed one hundred and seventy to one hundred and eighty pounds. He was a sweet, gentle dog who had no idea of his own size.
I learned early on how to control him which stood me in good stead when it came time to trim goat hooves as I was much better at holding them, while Proge's father trimmed.
Is it any wonder that I have thought of the eighty and ninety pound pups we have had since as medium dogs and Winter as a mini-dog?
Somewhere there are photos of Truce with people that give a better idea of his size.
The early morning mist is burning off. It's time to plant marigolds and get out more of my big pots.
As always, thanks for stopping by..........*s(
He's a beautiful dog.
ReplyDeleteHi Lori...He was a handsome fellow!
DeleteBeautiful....our biggest is 80lbs and that feels quite big enough for me....xox
ReplyDeleteHi Corrine...We called our shepherds and such little big dogs!
DeleteGorgeous dog. I had a friend with a wolf hound -- loved that dog. He didn't know his size either - sweet gentle & great around her young kids. I love how dogs brief stay with us (comparatively) lasts a lifetime in our memories.
ReplyDeleteHi Judy...I have memories of Truce standing up under a coffee table with aHuh? Did I do something? look on his face.
Deletenow that's a BIG dog!
ReplyDeleteHi Michele.....BIG indeed!
DeleteThe noble wolfhound.....love! A family up the road raises them. When they are all out in the yard it is a scene to behold! The family hails from Ireland and said they wouldn't have another dog. At the time we had corgi's ...... LOL! The Tudors and the Stewarts!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy....I would love to have more Wolfhounds, if they weren't so costly. Our present pup is half Corgi and half something else.....some strange circle!
Deletewait, HOW big????
ReplyDeleteHi Gary.....Very BIG indeed!
DeleteDearest Suzi,
ReplyDeleteQuite a remarkable story about your first pup Truce. The Irish Wolfhoud is the largest dog breed but very gentle as I read. How old did your Truce get? They say that for that breed, seven years is the norm; which is not old.
I cannot compete with you as my only pup was Mauzie, a miniature dachshound... Like Tiggy-Tiger, very small and not heavy either. Funny indeed how you view mini, medium and large since this 'grand' start!
Hugs,
Mariette
Hi Mariette...Wolfhounds are such sweeties that it's hard to believe that they can indeed hunt wolves. Truce lived to be eight and a half. The interesting thing is that they don't really slow down until about a month before they go.
DeleteWhat a sweet dog, and I like the name Truce! Fits him well. What a special dog.
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth.....Thanks, he was a special dog.
DeleteI LOVE the Irish Wolfhounds and am really partial to the huge dogs. They are usually gentle giants. I had a 180 pounder Dane once. Truce reminds me of a story I need to tell someday soon about Wolfhounds.
ReplyDeleteHi Patti....I had Wolfhounds, my sister had Great Danes. My mother would shake her head over us!
ReplyDelete