Happy Birthday 4th Birthday Reilly!

One look at that face and the first thing you notice (well, after the size) is how happy he looks. He’s an incredibly easy keeper, which isn’t to say that he couldn’t be a rambunctious puppy; all dogs can. He’s got kindness and warmth for everyone. He’ll bark, sure, and any dog of his size has a bark that can rumble the earth, but to know him is to love his sweet nature. He wants nothing more than to be included and loved. Well, that and the occasional mad run around the yard with Drax and other dogs that come over–he’s big, but when he gets going, he can really move, and he loves to play!

Four years isn’t old, but giant breeds (Irish wolfhounds, Great Danes, Saint Bernards, and so on) have much shorter lifespans, in the range of 5-8 years. One of the things that appealed to me about Sunstag is that her wolfhounds routinely lived 10 years or more. My hope for Reilly is that he’ll be running around and enjoying the yard and being a great ambassador for wolfhound kind for many years to come. He’ll have no idea why tonight he’ll get extra treats and snuggles (as will his jealous little brother, Drax) but hopefully a little bit of how grateful I am to have him in my life will come through.