Wow, this post is sorely late! As those of you who are my Facebook friends are probably SO SICK of hearing about, we finally brought home a sweet Irish Wolfhound puppy in mid-April. He is an absolute joy! I've had dogs since 2001, and almost every day I think to myself, 'I didn't know a dog could
be this good!' He really is a gentle giant.
Grimmauld (Grimm) is a perfect fit for our family. I have wanted a pup of this breed for years, but never thought that I could make it work. Because of their enormity (they are the largest/tallest breed) I had specific criteria that I wanted met before we would bring one into our home - a single family/detached house, property, no kids, no other pets, a willing spouse. Pretty specific, and I never thought that the stars would align and we would be childless in a SF home out in the country, and that both of our other dogs would pass within just a few weeks of one another!
After applying for a rescue and making ourselves know within the local IW community, we were recommended to a breeder in Michigan who had this little guy. He had an FCE (basically a stroke in the spine) as a puppy that cause temporary paralysis of his back legs. He was standing on his own again within a week, which is unheard of, and he has continued to improve every since. His gait is still slightly wonky, so he can't be shown, which is how he came to live with us. We had no interest in showing or breeding, nor in having multiple dogs in the house, and the breeder wanted the
right home for him. I'm glad she thought that was us! After a home inspection/site visit to make sure we were prepared for a dog this size, we were approved, and the following weekend we hopped in the car to drive to Michigan to pick up our new baby (public photo album here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152087386437005.1073741834.731562004&type=1&l=df4910b0b8).
He's been with us for almost two months now, and has grown SO MUCH, gaining about 5 pounds a week! Here are just a few photos to show his growth. And to think, he has much more growing to do still!
Grimm's first time swimming at our neighborhood lake/beachhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2wGejn51QQOur 'tiny' nugget the day after we brought him home (April 15)HUGE paws (that's my fist)!Our little guy on the deck just a few days after coming home......and the same photo side-by-side with one taken last weekend on the same deck loveseat! 16.5 weeks/24 weeksTaken a month after we brought him home, for size/growth reference (I'm 5'7"). He will most likely grow just about as tall as where my hip bone is And all of a sudden, he's no longer a puppy!'Helping' make dinner (standard counter height)He's our big boy and we love him to pieces!Thank you for indulging me in bragging on our sweet Grimmers!