Thank you for visiting the Irish Wolfhound Association of Lake Erie

Irish Wolfhound Association of Lake Erie Designated Specialty January 24th and 25th with the Erie Kennel Club Erie PA.

Many of us have shown at the Erie Kennel Club show for many years. It is a nice respite from the winter to go see friends after the holidays at the Convention Center in Erie PA. The Convention center is right beside Lake Erie; a beautiful view. The show hosts many vendors and plenty of space for our dogs. We will have designated space at the front of the convention center; a room offered by the Erie Kennel Club to meet and rest before and after the show.

The room is the first room on the left after entering the building and passing security.

There will also be designated parking if you need to park closer if your dogs are staying in the vehicle.

We will be having a dinner at The Brewerie at Union Station Erie PA at 6pm.

https://www.brewerie.com

The Brewerie at Union Station
123 West 14th Street
Erie, PA 16501-1717
Phone: 814.454.2200

Very Proud to Present our Judge and Sweepstakes Judge

Our Specialty Judge is Bob Damron
My wife, Gael Lewis-Damron, raised, trained and showed Irish Wolfhounds from 1969. We met (although I knew her parents well and who she was) officially in 1992, and in a matter of 4 months we were married. I had gone to shows with her and her family prior to our marriage and actually proposed to her at a dog show.

After my first trip to Westminster in 1993, I was becoming intrigued by the sport. I had been raised on a farm and showed horses in 4H for multiple years, although different in some aspects, similar in others. My wife was committed to other shows in March of 1993, so I entered our Bulldog in puppy sweeps, and our IW in breed at shows in Monroeville, PA. I won the Bulldog sweeps, and took the points in IWs that day. I was smitten, the bug got me.

I continued to show IWs over the next couple years while she showed the Otterhounds. We decided to go professional due to multiple requests for us to handle dogs for clients. Gael and I were known as “Team Purple” and we worked diligently to maintain our skilled presentation capabilities and excellent reputation in the sport for over 20 years together, while still showing our own beloved IWs. I absolutely adore IWs and they are my favorite breed of dog without question.

After multiple losses of beloved family and clients in 2012, we had agreed we did not wish to breed any more litters, so we decided we needed to start to move to the next level and go into the judging side of dog shows. We eventually hung up our leads and processed the AKC paperwork.

I look at the opportunities to judge as an honor. To have the privilege to have my hands on the dogs and watch their movement in the ring, is still as important to me now as the first show I judged. I take these assignments very seriously and feel confident in making firm qualified decisions based on the standard of our breed.

We lost our last IW, “McLister” in January 2022, and our family home has been without an IW for the first time since 1969.

~Bob Damron~

Our Specialty Sweepstakes (Change) Judge Karen Winter -I was born into an active family with a deep passion for both horses and dogs, and I’ve remained immersed in this world throughout my life. My parents bred and trained dogs, and I was raised alongside many German Shepherds, Dachshunds, Manchester Terriers, and Rat Terriers, all of whom worked on our farm. In 1983, I got my first Retriever, and since then, I’ve had one by my side. Together with my husband, I live at Winter Farm Horses & Hounds, where we’ve been involved in conformation shows and lure coursing with Scottish Deerhounds for the past 15 years. During this time, we’ve had much success with our hounds both in the ring and on the field. We breed under the Winter Farm kennel name and are proud members of the Scottish Deerhound community.

I am actively engaged with the Scottish Deerhound Club of America, where I serve as the show chair for the 2026 National Specialty. My commitment to the breed is rooted in a lifelong passion for understanding breed type and purpose. As a breeder, owner, and handler of Scottish Deerhounds, I am honored to have the opportunity to judge your Sweepstakes entries.

Karen Winter

Winter Farm Horses & Hounds
139 Whites Road, Derry, PA 15627

(724) 961-4360 (voice and text)
krwinter@comcast.net