The Miracle of Wolfhounds
Dogs are renowned for their ‘healing’ qualities. We’ve all heard the heart-warming stories of the wonderful effect they have in their role of Therapy Dogs on the sick and elderly, and how dog owners tend to live longer and healthier lives. Wolfhounds, with their predictably loving and gentle natures, make perfect Therapy Dogs – they also make excellent babysitters, and they’re not beyond creating a miracle or two…
I recently had an opportunity to witness an almost carbon copy of an event I’d once read about. It happened at yet another dog show. The grounds were thick with people and crowded with colourful tents and an assortment of dog cages and dog show paraphernalia. Once again, I was delegated dog-sitting duty, when amidst the cacophony of voices, barks, yaps and radios, an announcement came over the speakers alerting everyone to the disappearance of a small three year old boy. Trying to find a lost child in that lot would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack – especially a small child. BUT I FOUND HIM!
He wasn’t really ‘lost’, you see. He came from a family sitting just a few yards away, and I naturally assumed his parents would also know where he was. Who would take their eyes off a three old in those circumstances, I had thought! This little boy was in the safest place he could be, apart from his mother’s arms. He was curled up, almost but not quite, asleep against the strong, warm, furry chest of one of our larger Irish Wolfhound males. This large dog had curled his huge body protectively around the little boy and just lay there with his eyes open, not moving. From where his parents were seated, of course, they couldn’t see their little boy – but I could. Mum took him back to their tent and he kicked and screamed the whole way! Wolfhounds have that effect I guess! But the amazing thing here is that this is not the first time something like that has happened. A lovely lady I have met and a wolfhound breeder, Shelley Camm, (Yasashiikuma (Perm.) Reg'd, Canada), also experienced something particularly wonderful with her dog, Caleb, which I’d like to tell you about. It made me realise that there are Angels, and there are Irish Wolfhounds… and somehow, I think the two are intertwined!
Caleb, a magnificent Irish Wolfhound and an expert ‘Therapy Dog’ and something of a ‘senior citizen’ himself, participated in hospital visitations for quite a few years, but the one very special occasion that sticks in Shelley’s memory occurred about 5 years ago. One March, Shelley had taken Caleb to the Purina Pet Extravaganza. During this show there was a segment several times a day called "Pet-a-Pup", wherein the breeders took one of their dogs on stage and were interviewed by the Master of Ceremonies. (The breeder – not the dog – Irish Wolfhounds are smart, but they’re not that smart… at least, I haven’t actually heard one speak ‘human’ yet!) After each session, the audience were invited to come up on stage and pet the dogs and talk to the breeders and ask questions.
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