Narration

I have always had what seemed to me to be a special connection with them. I loved all my little dogs, and every other dog I met. I remember back when I was 12, and my friend and I were walking down a back alley when a doberman jumped the fence from a yard to our right and came at us in a rush. At seeing this, my friend shrieked and sprinted down the alley faster than I've ever seen him move. The doberman, snarling and barking, hurtled after him for a few blocks, then came rushing back to see about me. As it neared, it slowed to a walk, sniffed me, and then jumped back over the fence into its yard without so much as laying its ears back. The whole time, I was just thinking how amazing this dog was to be able to jump a fence that tall, never even contemplating that the dog might harm me. I just seemed to get along with dogs as if they were all my family.

My parents weren't rich, or even well off, and the most they could afford to feed was a small dog, and I think that it was a stretch to do that sometimes. Also, I dont think they liked the idea of all that upkeep that a big dog needs, like all the exercise. Through college and my first career job I lived in apartments, and they never allowed big dogs(and big dogs don't seem to like small apartments with no yard either). Finally, I settled into my second job and bought a house with a big yard specifically to get my big dog. Now it was time to decide what kind I wanted.

For a long time I had my heart set on a great dane because they're quite big, but I was also considering a newfoundland, a leonberger, or a mastiff of some type. Then I got on the internet and looked up biggest dog. It of course went to the english mastiff. I then looked up tallest, and I fell in love with what I saw. On the first webpage I opened up, there was a big picture of an irish wolfhound. It just had a look about it that made me smile without knowing why.

The first thing I checked about the irish wolfhound was temperament, prices, and without even looking I was barraged with information warning of their short lifespans(around 6-8 years). While that was not exactly something to look forward to, if that was the worst thing I had to expect of them, I was still very interested in the breed. The temperament rating was highest possible, and so, unfortunately, was the price for a purebred puppy. All the prices from experienced breeders were between $1,400 and $1,600.

Undaunted, I searched the rescue webpages, but none listed whether they had dogs that needed rescuing, just dogs that had successfully been adopted already! I am currently saving my cash, and around Christmas I plan to purchase a puppy and finally live out my dream of owning a dog that will outweigh some of my neighbors.