A Dogs in Review
Limerick Irish Wolfhounds
San Martin, Calif.
Clockwise from top left: Linda,
Janet, Jamie, Tatum, and Ella.
Photo taken in 2011.
INTERVIEW BY ALLAN REZNIK
PHOTOS COURTESY LIMERICK IRISH
WOLFHOUNDS
Dogs in Review: Please introduce us to the three ladies
who make up Limerick — perhaps there are four now, with
Ella! — and how you got into Irish Wolfhounds.
Linda Souza: Limerick Irish Wolfhounds reside in San
Martin, Calif., and represent a three-generation family of
breeder/owner-handlers. My mother-in-law, Janet Souza, and
I are retired and house the Wolfhounds in San Martin. My
daughter, Jamie Souza Bartlett, lives in San Francisco with
her husband, three children and two Limerick Whippets. She
is a business systems analyst. Our matriarch, Janet, acquired
and finished her first Irish Wolfhound in 1972.
From the moment the Irish Wolfhound came into our lives,
we knew this was our “forever” breed. It has been an incredible family journey filled with passion. Now we have the fourth
generation on the way up in Jamie’s children Ella (10), Tatum
(7) and Will Jr. (4). Ella has just started exhibiting in Junior
Showmanship with their Whippet Ch. Limerick Seven Come
Eleven. Tatum is looking forward to doing the same. We suspect Will Jr. will learn to fly airplanes someday with his dad.
Janet was actually the one who discovered the Irish Wolfhounds after having owned American Staffordshire Terriers.
I attended the shows with her while showing my Old English
Sheepdogs, and she made an attempt to show her AmStaffs.
It was not very relaxing for us with the excitable temperament of the Staffs and all the grooming that went into the
Old English.
Janet would continually see the Irish Wolfhound folks
meandering into the shows with their commanding yet calm
hounds. She became intrigued and decided the Wolfhounds
had the demeanor for which she was longing. I truly cannot
remember the first Irish Wolfhound I ever saw in person, but
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