The name Cluain Dá Chon refers to an ancient legend according to which a pagan chieftain set two wolfhounds on Saint Patrick.
This condition is hereditary in some dog breeds (e.g. Irish Wolfhound).
He is 7 ft tall and is described by the charity as 'some kind of Great Dane/Irish Wolfhound crossbreed', although it is far more likely that he is really a volunteer in a dog suit.
Irish | Irish people | Irish language | Provisional Irish Republican Army | Irish Republican Army | British and Irish Lions | The Irish Times | Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | Irish Independent | Irish War of Independence | Irish mythology | Irish Sea | Irish Free State | Irish nationalism | Royal Irish Academy | Old Irish | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Irish republicanism | Irish Republic | Irish Rebellion of 1798 | Irish Civil War | Irish annals | Irish literature | Irish Language | Irish Republican Brotherhood | Irish Guards | Irish Army | Irish Wolfhound | Irish Volunteers | Irish Parliamentary Party |
There is evidence that other running and working dog breeds such as Borzoi, Whippet, Saluki and Irish Wolfhound were added into the mix, but the majority of the heritage comes from greyhound and deerhound lines.
The shunts found mainly in small dog breeds such as Shih Tzus, Tibetan Spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers and Yorkshire Terriers, and in cats such as Persians, British Shorthairs, Himalayans, and mixed breeds are usually extrahepatic (outside the liver), while the shunts found in large dog breeds such as Irish Wolfhounds and Labrador Retrievers tend to be intrahepatic (inside the liver).
While any dog, especially a hound used for hunting wolves may be loosely termed a "wolfhound," several dog breeds have been specifically bred for the purpose, some of which, such as the Irish Wolfhound, have the word in their breed name.