Irish Wolfhound in Ten Pensive Photos

Yesterday, I was researching "large brown hound dogs" to try and identify a dog that I had seen in my neighborhood. As I searched, first with a Google image search, it became apparent that the dog I wanted to identify is the Irish Wolfhound. I next did a bit of reading about the Irish Wolfhound on Wikipedia.

After Wikipedia, I did a Google web search to read about the Irish Wolfhound from The American Kennel Club [AKC] and further information on the Irish Wolfhound from the Dog Breed Info Center.

By this time, I had learned a lot about the Irish Wolfhound, "of great size and commanding appearance ... he is the tallest of dogs, but not the heaviest." The Irish Wolfhound is described much like an Olympic athlete. And, it is said that the Irish Wolfhound is described in an old Irish proverb that says, "Gentle when stroked, fierce when provoked."

What's amazing is the range of colors that are allowed by the American Kennel Club ... "grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn, wheaten and steel grey." Two kinds of grey!

The Irish Wolfhound has a relatively short lifespan, ranging between 6 and 10 years with 7 years being the average. The AKC has specified the size and weight of the Irish Wolfhound:

• Minimum height for mature males: 32 inches, females: 30 inches
• Minimum weight: 120 lbs. for males, 105 lbs. for females

I last searched on Flickr for Creative Commons photos of the Irish Wolfhound. I honestly had no idea that I would want to do this blog post until I found I couldn't pick just ONE photo of this pensive dog. My image search brought precisely 1,111 results. From all those photos, I opted to conduct a photo contest and celebrate the top ten best photos of the Irish Wolfhound, with one honorable mention. That's 1% ... the cream of the crop! Check out those best photos, see if you agree! 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... Here is the Irish Wolfhound in Ten Pensive Photos!

Honorable Mention

#10

#9

#8

#7

#6

#5

#4

#3

#2

#1

Aren't those adorably "pensive" photos of the Irish Wolfhound? Do you have a love for Irish Wolfhounds? Perhaps you own or have owned an Irish Wolfhound? Why not share your experience with this dog breed.

Irish Wolfhound Photo Credits:
Honorable Mention : By Jess Liotta and Colin Liotta. This photo was taken on December 19, 2008 using a Nikon D70.
#10 By dustin_drew Dustin Drew. This photo was taken on October 9, 2011 using a Canon EOS 7D.
#9 By jodimarr. This photo was taken on March 14, 2010 using a Canon PowerShot SD750.
#8 By Sighthound Kevin. This photo was taken on April 29, 2007 using a Nikon D50.
#7 By stevet955i Steve. This photo was taken on January 5, 2011 in Seacroft, Leeds, England, GB, using a Nikon D40.
#6 By me'nthedogs Mark Robinson. This photo was taken on April 16, 2009 using a Casio EX-Z1050.
#5 By Jess and Colin Jess Liotta and Colin Liotta. This photo was taken on December 19, 2008 using a Nikon D70.
#4 By jbraine. This photo was taken on March 25, 2008.
#3 By viclindsay. This photo was taken on August 12, 2007 using a Canon PowerShot G3.
#2 By LesPaulSupreme Graham. This photo was taken on March 6, 2008 using a Nikon D40.
#1 By Sighthound Kevin. This photo was taken on July 1, 2007 using a Nikon D50.