I was born and raised in Germany and I have been around dogs since I moved out of my parents’ house at the age of 18. In 1983, I rescued my first dog from a shelter in Boeblingen, Germany. She was a female German Shepherd/Collie Mix who I named, Bessy. Ironically, I currently have another German Shepherd/Collie Mix--this time it’s a male and his name is Barney.  I also live with Angel who is a rescued female Siberian Husky. I’ve always been fascinated by the commanding appearance and temperament of the “Gentle Giant”… the Irish Wolfhound.  However, it took me several years before I felt ready to take on the responsibility of living with an Irish Wolfhound. While still in Germany, I contacted Marisa Sarrazin of “Irish Wolfhounds von den Sarrazenen” (also see www.sarrazenen.de) and was united with my first Irish Wolfhound, Jason von den Sarrazenen.  In 1995, I moved to Southern California and eventually I decided to continue to follow my passion for Irish Wolfhounds.  In March of 2006, I met Dixie Hirsch of “Sunstag Irish Wolfhounds” (also see www.sunstag.org) at the Pet Expo in Costa Mesa, CA.  I had Googled Irish Wolfhounds and emailed her on the night prior to the exhibition. When I checked my email the next morning I saw that Dixie had responded and invited me to come down to the Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa where the exhibition took place.  I easily found the Irish Wolfhound booth with all the crowds around it, Dixie looked at me and we hugged instantly. I can’t explain why, but it was like I had known her forever. It felt like coming home to the roots of my passion for Irish Wolfhounds. We talked about the possibility of getting a puppy from her, but I had plans to go on a trip to Germany for the Soccer World Cup that summer.  I had won 2 tickets for the World Cup Final in Berlin and I didn’t want to pass on this opportunity.  I told Dixie that I wanted to wait until the following year and that I would keep in touch with her.  To be honest, I didn’t contact her until 2007, a year later. I actually emailed her again at the same time as the previous year... the night before the Pet Expo in Costa Mesa.  I was unaware of the fact that I had contacted her on exactly the same day as the previous year.  I didn’t realize this until the following morning when I checked my email. It was interesting to find out about this coincidence… or was there a purpose?  Again, she had invited me to come down there to meet her at the booth.  Again, I did, only this time I had definite plans. In June of 2007, Sunstag’s Ice moved into my house in Orange, CA, and I enjoyed a very exciting but brief time with him; brief because of an accidental fire at my house.  Ice passed away in the fire on 5 May 2008… he was only 13 months old.  At that time, he had already won all his shows including a 3-day event in Mexico. More importantly, he had been my best friend. I was devastated. It took me all summer to recover from this loss. I completed my grieving process by dedicating the wall above my fireplace to Ice by creating a collage of his life which I mounted when I moved back into my house in December of 2008.  If you ever visit the home of “The Turrean Irish Wolfhounds”, you will be able to check out the wall with the collage. In September of 2008, while I was still living in a rental home in Irvine, CA, female Irish Wolfhound puppy, Killian's Turrean, moved in with me and in February of 2009, male Irish Wolfhound puppy, Sceolan (called Sky), joined us in our rebuilt house in Orange, CA.  The rest is the FUTURE…“The Turrean Irish Wolfhounds” kennel was born and well on its way. I feel fortunate to be able to contribute to the breed of Irish Wolfhounds as an advocate, huge fan, and a member of the Sunstag Dynasty.  Thanks Dixie!!