I am quite proud of my Ballyhara Irish Wolfhound website. On my site I strive to provide practical information on this splendid and often heartbreaking breed to all newcomers, and I endeavor to share valuable advice to other veteran fanciers. My maxim is that we learn from experience.

As my site has been gaining popularity, I have a respectable audience size or visitors perusing its information as well as my "Dog Blog Musings." As is the case with most all website analytics, I can see what pages of information are most popular, determined on a daily, weekly and a monthly basis. Because one of my main purposes is to enlighten and educate breed novices, my Irish Wolfhound Required Fencing & Acreage is the most frequented page. Strangely enough, another page nearly similar in popularity is my Irish Wolfhound Spay-Neuter Considerations and Concerns. The regular appearance of this page's top rankings is puzzling, and in a moment, I will share my thoughts as to perhaps why it shares such high frequency. Another well-attended page is Irish Wolfhound Health Concerns, and the list goes on. However, one of the most important and influential pages I have published on my site, "Irish Wolfhound Typical Expenses," ranks only 18th in popular content for the past 30 days.

The low level of attendance and attention this relevant page has received is both disappointing and worrisome. An issue that I have attempted to remedy over and over. Although, this web page enjoys a prominent spot in the evidence-based list of information that I provide, still, it is poorly ranked on my overall accessed content. This spells trouble for our breed. Over these many years, I have regularly urged prospective owners and newcomers to consider the economic costs that it can take to raise, sustain and be responsible for an Irish Wolfhound. Be prepared is my motto!

Folks, the reality is that we are NOT talking about, let's say, a Labrador Retriever. The Irish Wolfhound is high-maintenance, and a "special needs" breed. Preparing for as well as the initial expenses to obtain a wolfhound can be expensive. Initial Investments such as appropriate, secure Wolfhound fencing (NOT garden fencing strung up on metal stakes or garden posts, nor four-foot high ornamental aluminum fencing) that surrounds suitable acreage is a starter, but it may also involve, on occasion, land that had to be cleared and opened up by a landscaper. Ka-ching!

Even considerations such as a proper vehicle that can accommodate such a tall hound and most likely his MidWest Solutions Series XX-Large Heavy Duty 54-inch giant breed traveling crate will have a direct effect on new owners. We have only just begun! Wellness and Veterinarian medical care; annual Snap3DX tests and the subsequent heartworm prevention tablets; initial vaccinations and adult titers; annual heart EKG and Echocardiogram screenings, and highly recommended Holter Monitor tests; plus any necessary antibiotics, CBC blood work, medicines and the like will add up VERY quickly! Need we even discuss surgery and hospitalization costs for such a huge animal?

There is no getting around the truth. This breed is not for the faint of heart nor for someone who is on a budget. I am incensed when I hear stories of some breeders and fanciers informing newcomers that owning a giant breed Irish Wolfhound is no more expensive than having a medium or large breed dog. Most frequently heard claims are that their wolfhound never had a sick day in its life or that they never used fencing because their wolfhound never roamed or ran away. Blah, blah, blah -- just irresponsible senseless hogwash.

Nine out of ten disturbing accounts concern ignorant, novice wolfhound owners complaining about veterinarian expenses. As a breed contact, I have fielded many of these calls. Such as an upstate New York family who obtained a puppy from out-of-state. This buyer visited a well-known breeder kennel and brought home a male only to have the poor lad allegedly experience anal gland issues. These continued over time along with another separate infection, and the new owner asserted that he had spent upwards of $3,000 in veterinary costs and that finally, he wanted to return the puppy for a full refund. The pups breeder refused a full settlement; the Buyer severed ties with the breeder and it is entirely possible the owner disposed of the wolfhound, one way or another. Another incident involved a wolfhound, obtained from Canada, who was having chronic intestinal issues. The man was seeking nutritional and dietary advice explaining that he was tired of paying the costly veterinarian and medication bills. When I made relevant suggestions about the young hound's diet, the man recoiled stating he had no time to do so, and she would eat what she was given. Another sad incident was from a new owner who euthanized her ten and a half month-old wolfhound male puppy supposedly because he was continuously ill due to an irreconcilable illness, along with having skin and allergy issues. Apparently, the veterinarian(s) could not correctly diagnose his illness; the lad was not eating, and therefore she maintained that he was failing and needed to be put down.

Whether the circumstances of this latter case are true or not -- I have my opinion as to what health issue that pup was suffering from, but I was only contacted after the fact. What it does comes down to with many beginners is the money, money, money. Conscientious breeders need to start educating potential puppy buyers to the pleasures and difficulties --translation expenses -- of owning an Irish Wolfhound. Tell them there may very well be medical costs that, if any should arise, can escalate into the multiple thousands of dollars. These buyers MUST be prepared for such and, at the least, be advised or better yet required to purchase pet health insurance. Understand that I am not declaring that there are no healthy wolfhounds. What I am saying is that there are far too many people who are unprepared for any and all medical eventualities and the costs associated with this GIANT breed.

Returning to the Spay-Neuter Considerations and Concerns information page on my website: I suspect this page is regularly accessed because there are many, many wolfhound pups obtained from unscrupulous, reprehensible, so-called "breeders" producing litters for the economic model of supply and demand. The puppies keep coming, whether they are from show breeders, backyard breeders, commercial puppy mills; it does not matter. Apparently, the supply of wolfhounds is being met and as of February 2016, AKC's list of the most popular dogs in America has the Irish Wolfhound ranked #69 and climbing, out of 184 recognized breeds. Many of these new owners have no Irish Wolfhound breed mentor to guide them. They do not know as to when is the best age to spay-neuter their Wolfhound, so they turn to the Internet. However, in a few cases, they have a Breeder insisting that the hound NOT be sterilized to preserve his or hers breeding potential under the guise that they may want to exhibit the dog at an AKC Conformation event.