With almost 50 years experience in Irish Wolfhounds, The Hounds of Carroy is a kennel with an excellent reputation for quality animals and a desire to mentor new owners.
The Hounds of Carroy, Irish Wolfhound Kennel, was established in 1971. The late Dr. Dick Rosebrock was a veterinarian, Lynne was a registered veterinary technician and currently owns Animal Care Center, offering pet boarding and dog training services. Our daughter, Robin McInerney, has grown up with the hounds, and is an integral part of the team, helping to raise puppies and train and exhibit the adult dogs.
Over the years, our goal has been to produce quality Irish Wolfhounds which are sound both physically and temperamentally. We feel very strongly that breeding is a commitment to the breed, to future I.W. owners and to our own dogs. The dogs we use for breeding are shown to their champions or grand champion titles, or in rare cases are at least major pointed in the show ring before being bred. We follow the Code of Ethical Behavior for Breeders as established by the Irish Wolfhound Club of America which recommends that all breeding stock have both hips and elbows x-rayed to rule out hip and/or elbow dysplasia, have a cardiac examination by a Board Certified Veterinary Cardiologist and have an ophthalmic exam by a Board Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist. Our puppies are tested for Liver Shunt at about 9-10 weeks of age. We believe we owe it to our puppy buyers to do all in our power to send them a healthy, sound puppy that conforms to the breed standard. All our puppies are temperament tested and carefully evaluated to make the best possible match with their new families. We sell all puppies by contract which requires the purchaser to contact us at anytime if they can no longer keep their dog. We will take the dog back or assist in making an appropriate placement. No puppy we brought into this world should ever end up in a shelter or an unsuitable home.
Our commitment to the puppy and to its owners does not end at the completion of the sale. Puppy purchasers become good friends as we share in the life of their new companion
Our breeding stock are not only show champions, but many of them have been multiple title holders in conformation, obedience, and coursing. They are used as ambassadors for the breed in demonstrations and as therapy dogs at hospitals and convalescent homes. But, first and foremost, our dogs are our companions. All puppies are whelped in our home and are well socialized to a family routine. They are introduced to strangers as well as to other animals and given lots of love. Prior to placement, all puppies have been introduced to collars, leashes, car rides, baths, nail trims, strange noises etc. We want our babies to become bold, self-confident individuals.
We are located in the beautiful Sierra foothills near Yosemite National Park in central California. I have made this bold because I frequently get calls or emails from people who tell me they love my webpage, but don't know where we are. We welcome calls and visits to meet us and our hounds.
Some people have asked about our kennel name, The Hounds of Carroy. Carroy is a made-up word combining the names of our first two wolfhounds ... Fleetwind Cara of Irvine and Fleetwind Leroy McDuff. When we decided to take the next step on this great adventure with Irish Wolfhounds, we took the "Car" from Cara and the "roy" from Leroy to create a unique kennel name.
In addition, many of our dogs also carry the wonderful "Fleetwind" prefex. We were so blessed to have stumbled upon one of the great IW breeders in the world when we found Lois Hall Thomasson. She has been my mentor for more than forty years. When I first decided to try breeding I said to myself, "Self, if you ever produce a puppy good enough for Lois to want it, you will have accomplished something great. I am honored that for several years we have co-bred and co-owned many dogs with Fleetwind and are proud to frequently include that famous kennel name in front of our own.
The following is not intended to imply endorsement from any of the listed organizations, but merely to reflect our long standing involvement with and commitment to dogs:
Irish Wolfhound Club of America - Active Member - currently serve as the AKC/CHIC liaison to the IWCA Board - Previously served on the Board of Directors and also served as the National Rescue Chairman
Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast - Active Member - currently serve as the club Rescue Chair - previously served for 17 years on the Board of Directors in various capacities, including Director, Secretary, Vice President and President. Served as Specialty Show Chairman twice.
Northern California Irish Wolfhound Club - Active Member - previously served as the club President, Director on the Board of Directors, Rescue chairman and Specialty Show Chairman
Yosemite Kennel Club - Previously served as President, Vice President, Director, All Breed Show Chairman for 4 years and Conformation Class Instructor
Mariposa Dog Training Club- Founding Member - Served multiple terms as President and/or Director of Training - Senior Instructor for Basic Obedience Classes