Calvin and I went to Stanford Mall on the weekend to look for my damn white shoe for my costume. Too bad…..luck is not on my side. And Calvin wanted a shoe too and we so into shoe shopping that weekend and we kept on talked about having a Gucci shoe. But we can’t find anything we like at Gucci. Sux! But I saw one shoe that I like which cost over thousand. Think twice is not worth the price. But do need a wallet which I’ll save it for another day.
Anyways, as we on our way to Neiman Marcus store. We saw a HUGE dog. It’s really HUGE!
Manage to take photo of it.
Sitting position has already shown how big the dog is
Me and the Dog
Taller than the little girl
Something to know about :-
The Irish Wolfhound is a breed of domestic dog (canis lupus familiaris), specifically a sighthound. The name originates from its purpose (wolf hunting) rather than from its appearance. Irish Wolfhounds are the tallest dog breed, even though some individual Great Danes have recently been acclaimed "tallest dog." Irish Wolfhounds are also heavier than Great Danes, though not as heavy as some Mastiffs.
The most distinguishing physical feature of the Irish Wolfhound is its great size. Generally breeders aim for a height range of 85 to 90 centimeters (33 to 36 inches) in males, 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) less for females. Generally acceptable weight 46-70kg (101-154lbs).
Irish Wolfhounds are sweet-tempered, patient, generous, thoughtful and can be trusted with children. Dignified and willing, they are unconditionally loyal to their owner and family. Not a guard dog by nature, but may be a deterrent simply due to his size. They tend to greet everyone as a friend, so use of them as watch dogs is not recommended.
The breed is very old, possibly from the 1st century BC or earlier, bred as war dogs by the ancient Celts, who called them Cú Faoil. The Irish continued to breed them for this purpose, as well as to guard their homes and protect their stock. Regular references of Irish Wolfhounds being used in dog fights are found in many historical sagas - Cuchulain's favourite dog, Luath, was slain by a southern chief's hound, Phorp.
While many modern texts state Irish Wolfhounds were used for coursing deer, contemporary pre-revival accounts such as Animated Nature (1796) by Oliver Goldsmith are explicit that the original animal was a very poor coursing dog. Their astonishing size, speed, and intelligence made them ideal animals for both boar hunting and wolf hunting, and many were exported for this purpose. They were perhaps too ideal, as the boar and wolf are now extinct in Ireland. The Irish Wolfhound has been recorded as being exhibited in ancient Rome to some excitement, and mention is made that they so amazed and terrified the Romans that it was seen fit to only transport them in cages. There exist stories that in the arena, the original Wolfhound was the equal of a lion. It has also been shown that when hunting animals, the wolfhound would bite the neck and crush the spine, killing the creature.
During times of conflict with England, it was not uncommon for Wolfhounds to be trained to take armoured knights off of their horses, thus allowing an infantry man to move in and finish the kill if the Wolfhound had not done so already.
Due to a massive export into various countries as a gift for royalty and a ban that allowed only royalty to own such a dog, the breed almost vanished in the middle of the 19th century. Captain Graham rebred the Irish Wolfhound with the Deerhound, Great Dane, Borzoi and other breeds; this saved the breed, but had the inevitable effect of altering its appearance, most noticeably leaving the Irish Wolfhound with alternative colours such as brindle (inherited from the Great Dane) as before they were mainly grey in colour.
The ancient breed (often referred to as the Irish Wolfdogge in contemporary accounts) was available in both a smooth and rough coated variety. Descriptions of its appearance and demeanor, as well as the method of its use place it closer to the flock guardians in appearance than the modern breed. It is clear that the dog was not always the giant of today and it has been suggested that the Wolfhound was part of the make up of the Kerry Blue Terrier. The historical variety (which may have been quite similar to a now-extinct sighthound, the Old Serbian greyhound) was famed for its loyalty, discernment, grave nature and aggression. In terms of temperament the modern breed has been greatly mellowed.[citation needed] Wolfhounds are often referred to as "Gentle Giants", and a historic motto of the breed is "Gentle when stroked. Fierce when provoked."
The Wolfhound is sometimes regarded as the national dog breed of Ireland but in fact no breed has ever been officially adopted as such. The Wolfhound was historically a dog that only nobles could own and was taken up by the British during their rule in Ireland. This made it unpopular as a national symbol and the Kerry Blue Terrier was adopted by early Irish Nationalists such as Michael Collins.
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