THE BIRTH OF ALIXSTOWE
During a visit to our friend Denyse, I was leafing through a German dog magazine and casually came across the birth advertisements.
As I’m inquisitive I ask : " What does 5/3 mean? " .
Denyse answers : " Five males and three females ".
Next question : " Do you know the SAGERT-BRUCKEL? ".
" Yes of course, they are friends of mine ".
My heart started thumping like a child who doesn’t know if Santa Claus will bring him the present that he has asked for.
What if they might have a female left ?
" Denyse, could you call them ? ".
" Yes of course".
" Thank you Denyse "..
Although I knew that it was not the done thing, I listened in on the conversation…. It was then that Denyse confirmed what I had overheard - We were going to get the female dog that an American couple had decided not to take.
It was destiny, our Christmas gift !
Could we really say that as we were still only in November ?
Of course you can because everyday with an Irish Wolfhound is Christmas !
Little Winola was only two months old, too young to leave her mother. It’s the reason why we travelled to Munich only to reserve her ! The moment we arrived we rushed directly to see the puppies and their mum.
Words fail to describe the moment. Bending down to reach, I put my hand through the fence and a little thing came and nibbled me.
How did she know that I was here for her ?
It’s a mystery.
We spent most of the day discussing Irish Wolfhounds, learning about them, gathering as much information as possible about adults dogs, puppies, growing etc……
We were preparing to return home when Suzanne suggested that we might take our little treasure with us.
No problem ! After an agitated night we came back to Suzanne and Werner’s, our new friends…. A little bit of dog grooming, some photos, lots of suggestions and that’s how we embarked on our big adventure.
Following Suzanne’s suggestion, we slept in the lounge on camp beds for the first two months so that Winola didn’t feel abandoned.
During those two months we often visited Denyse and Gerard. Our visits were fuelled by our future puppy " Rhiannon " who was born there.
After avidly reading over and over again all that I needed to bring up our two girls, I got a taste for historical research.
It’s the greatest of the paradoxes, I having an inherit repulsion for history am there rushing to read every detail of the Irish wolfhound’s history.
Before, I always wondered why I had to learn all about the lives of Charlemagne, Louis XIV ; the dates of their battles, their births and their deaths...
But, today I’m always on the look-out for any historical detail about this wonderful dog.
Once more, I wondered where would my love for an Irish Wolfhound take me?
During the course of my literary historical travels I became acquianted with many breeders from the past and encountered some prestigious kennels without whom we would not have the Irish Wolfhound : Bouroughbury, Raikeshill , Sulhamstead, Felixstowe, Ouborough ...
When we had to choose a name for our kennel, I thought that as we live in " les grands bois " it would be nice to use the English translation
" high woods ". But I found something better .
By way of thanks and in recognition of all those breeders from the past who took care of the Irish Wolfhound, I wanted to encorporate one of their names. One sprang to mind. From Felixstowe to Alixstowe there was not much difference.
Hence we decided that all the puppies that were born here would carry the name of
ALIXSTOWE
A PICTURE OF HAPPINESS !
