Baltimore Irish Festival

Today we took Finn to the Baltimore Irish Festival. We went as part of the Potomac Valley Irish Wolfhound Club to showcase the breed and let people pet and fall in love with them.

We had a great time!

Happy Halloween!

This was Finn's first Halloween. While he is 2 years old, I feel certain in his previous life he never was involved in the fun of this holiday.

First, of course, there is the costume. This is difficult for a wolfhound, there are no pet costumes big enough. Even the adult human costumes I looked at were not going to fit. I felt pretty confident of my ability to force him into something, but size is an issue.

We settled on Pirate. he already had the kerchief for his neck that I bought at Dogfest. I picked up a foam hat at Micheals, added a red plume and string to tie it on, and voila! I contemplated one of our vests and a pair of ragged pants (we have a whole container full of Pirate costumes), but there was no way it was going to fit.

Here is the photo..note his enthusiasm. 5 seconds after this photo he pulled the hat off. Oh well.

We had our first group of kids, and Finn greeted them at the door. With the mom's permission, I let Finn out to say hi.

Finn was ecstatic! Kids kept coming to the door! He got petted, scratched, and he got to sniff and lick all these kids. He spent the rest of the night at the front door waiting, watching the road and sidewalk, and when he spotted some 'trick or treaters,' he would start to whine and wag his tail.

So the costume part wasn't so much fun for him, but the kids coming by to see him was his favorite. He also managed to snark up a piece of dropped candy before I could stop him on our walk this morning, so another bonus for his version of the holiday, LOL!

Luckdragon??

Today after I took Finn for a walk and dried him off (it was raining) I realized he looked just like a Luckdragon from the Neverending Story. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, I think Falkor would be a great name for a cream or white wolfhound.

Play Dates

Three nights this week, Finn has had play dates with other dogs. The first was with a Goldendoodle, a 10 month old puppy who is all energy and golden curls. We met out walking, and decided to come back to my fenced yard and let them run.

They had great fun, mostly Finn running circles around the other puppy. Finn ran out of energy long before the puppy, so he decided to also swim in our pond. not so much fun for his mom when he got home, I am sure!

The second was with the Goldendoodle again, with a border collie mix along as well. The three of them got along great, no dip in the pond this time, and all three were slowing down and ready to lay down and pant by the time it was getting dark. This time when Finn saw them coming up the drive, he went to the back gate to meet them, he knew why they were here.

The third with a Great Pyrenees puppy that belongs to a friend who stopped by for dinner. They came to the front door, but Finn immediately wanted to take her to his back yard to play. We left them out there to work the energy off while I cooked dinner. It was dark, so we would hear panting, footsteps galloping across the deck, and see the occasional flash of fluffy white in the window. When they came in, both dogs were quite happy to settle down. Finn shared his water and his cookies without fuss. After dinner thye had another play session before she went home.

Finn thinks having company is great!

Dogfest 2009

Finn and the Gypsy

A beautiful stranger came to visit. She danced her way to the front door.

It was a gypsy. She had raven hair, with bells and charms that sparkled in the sunlight and created music where ever she walked.

She charmed the laird's son, and Finnegan.


















Finn spent a lot of time putting his cold nose into her belly, and making her laugh.

He adored the gypsy, and hopes she will come back.

Finn and the Puparazzi

Today we went to the VA Scottish Games at The Meadow in VA. Normally the site of nationally known steeplechasing, but for this weekend the realm of Celts, tartans, and bagpipes.

It is a dog-friendly event, and Scottish breeds are especially encouraged to come. Finn is a cousin to a Scottish breed, and is owned by Scotts, so we figured he would be welcome.

Finn was the hit of the event! Everywhere we went we had people wanting to pet him and take his photo.
































































Even Romans wanted in on it. Finn makes a good War Dog for a reenactment, don't you think?