By Kristine Thomas
Laughing as her 10 dogs race past her to explore their five-acre playground near Silver Falls State Park, Anne Spalding jokes it’s a good thing her memory has only a two- to three-year time span when it comes to traveling with her dogs.
That’s about how long it takes her to forget the challenges of taking her Irish Wolfhounds to compete at the Irish Wolfhound Club of America National Specialty show, normally held on the East Coast where the majority of the top breeders reside.
“If I remember how much work it is to make the trip, I wouldn’t make it,” she said, laughing and adding she generally makes the trip every two to three years.
And if she didn’t make the trip, she wouldn’t bring home recognition for her breed – which she calls Kellcastle.
In 2009, Spalding drove to the competition in Rhode Island with three dogs, garnering three awards – her male who took third place in the open dog class; her female took a fourth in bred-by-exhibitor in bitch class; and another female took second in open bitch class.
A well-known breeder in the United States and Oregon, Spalding decided this spring to load up her Toyota 4-Runner with Smoky, who weighs 213 pound and is 36.5 inches tall; Kyna, at 150 pounds, and Skyler to head to St. Louis, Mo. for the national competition where 300 of the “cream of the crop” Irish Wolfhounds competed.
“It’s a huge honor to go and the show is attended from all over the nation,” Spalding said. She entered her dogs in three categories.
“We won ribbons in each class we entered,” she said. “We received two first place awards and one second place and Kyna also did very well in the obedience portion getting a score of 98 out of 100.”
Smoky took first place in the bred-by-exhibitor male class and Skyler took second place in the bred-by-exhibitor bitch class and Kyna took first place in the open bitch class.
“Kyna won the best bitch which is called the winner’s bitch class,” Spalding said, adding she’s proud to have some of the top Irish Wolfhounds in America.
“It’s pretty exciting to place at nationals. These shows have the cream of the crop dogs,” she added. “Coming home with an award isn’t easy.”
Describing her Irish Wolfhounds as sweet in nature, Spalding calls them “gentle giants who are like a quiet teddy bear.”
Although her five Irish Wolfhounds weigh between 150 to 213 pounds, they are graceful, moving like elite athletes.
However, they do eat like teenagers – while they are growing they can eat up to 8 to 10 cups of food a day. Adults average four to six cups a day.
The owner of Silver Creek K-9 Camp, where she boards and trains dogs and Kellcastle Irish Wolfhounds, Spalding said she doesn’t honestly know why she fell in love with Irish Wolfhounds.
She recalls being in her 20s when she decided to look at getting an Irish Wolfhound as a pet.
“I ended up with a show quality dog that I was encouraged to show and things just went from there with me showing, breeding and raising them for 30 years,” she said.
Besides the five Irish Wolfhounds, she has five other dogs and a parrot living with her.
Spalding’s dogs range in size from the 5-pound Papillions that can be picked up and carried, to the Irish Wolfhounds that weigh more than 200 pounds and stand 30 to 36 inches tall at the shoulder.
“I am only 5-feet tall so they come to about my shoulder,” Spalding, 53, said.
While the dogs take some work to feed, train and groom, Spalding said there are many advantages to have them around.
“My neighbors to the left of me have deer eating their apples,” she said. “My neighbors to the right of me have deer eating their roses. I never have seen a deer on my property.”
However, there is a cat who likes to tempt the dogs into a chase, getting them into trouble, but a look or word from Spalding prevents the dogs from acting on their instinct.
A hard-to-find breed, the Irish Wolfhound can trace its origins back 1,600 years. Spalding said the dogs were bred for speed and strength to take down Irish elk.
An old Irish proverb, Spalding said, describes the dogs perfectly – “Gentle when stroked, fierce when provoked.”
“The Irish Wolfhound is one of the sweetest breeds I know,” she said.
She chose the name for her kennel of Irish Wolfhounds “Kellcastle” because she considers her dogs “my castle of treasures.”
“I have strict standards for everything I do and because the breed is hard to find, I want to do what I can to preserve the line,” she said. “I am devoted to the breed and I am careful who I sell my dogs to. I even have a contract that states if the person decides not to keep the dog, he has to return it to me.”
From breeding and raising Irish Wolfhounds to training and boarding dogs, Spalding takes a great deal of pride in her work, believing in the importance what she does for animals she greatly respects.
A fierce defender of animals, Spalding has worked for the Willamette Valley Humane Society.
“We educated a lot of people about animals and saved a lot of animals from bad situations,” she said.
She has worked as a grocery clerk, a real estate agent, helped a friend start a dog business in England and as a housecleaner – all so she can pursue her love of dogs.
“It’s always been my dream to have a place for training and boarding dogs,” she said.
After a run down the long drive way and some time exploring their yard, Spalding whistles and starts walking to her front door – with all 10 dogs following behind her. It’s clear they know they are in the care of someone who loves and respects them as they do her.
