Thank you for visiting the Irish Wolfhound Association of Lake Erie

3rd Annual Concurrent Specialty Outdoor show Hamlin New York Sunday August 30th 2026 with Tonawanda Valley Kennel Club and Genesee Valley Kennel Clubs
https://infodog.com/show/club_page.htm?ev=2026761208

Conformation Judge Dr. Judi M Roller
Riverdell Irish Wolfhounds

I fell in love with Irish wolfhounds at the 1976 Westminster show.  I passed out just as they were getting ready to enter the ring because I had low blood pressure and was “in whelp” so I often fainted in crowded settings.  When I came to, there were about a dozen IW heads leaning over the ring railing looking at me with concern while their handlers tried to get them to move; they would not.  So I said, “I’m fine; you can go now.”  Then they left, and I thought, “I have to have one of those.”

In 1989 I got my first companion wolfhound from Ygdrasil when they were still located in Ohio.  Galadriel lived for nine and a half years and was a wonderful friend.  I decided next time I wanted a show dog.  I contacted Sam Ewing; about a half-hour before I was leaving to pick up my puppy (pre-cell phone days and a 16-hour round trip drive), the phone rang and it was Sam.  After giving the puppy a bath, he was carrying it to the barn in the rain and it slipped out of his arms and into a hole and broke its leg.  We were both devastated.  The puppy recovered but had a limp and couldn’t be shown.

I was told that Pam Paloma had Eagle dogs and contacted her in 2003.  She arranged to meet me at Locust Grove.  I must have passed muster because she had a puppy dog available for me about six months later.  There were two boys; I couldn’t make up my mind which one to select and I asked Pam, “Which one has the better head?”  She pointed and said “That one.”  I took him.  About a year later, she told me “You picked the right one.”  At 14 months in his second show, he was the only wolfhound entry, but I’d been advised to take him into group for practice.  He showed very well; I was very happy. When the judge pointed and said, “The Irish Wolfhound,” I thought, “The Irish wolfhound what?”  And then was stunned to realize he’d gotten the group.  I didn’t even know I was supposed to go to the first place placard so I just stood there as though encased in cement.

A few years later, Pam decided to go out of wolfhounds and offered me her favorite girl, Erinwood Rajean.  I said I didn’t think I could take her and go into breeding because I had another breed; work was very demanding of my time; and I had a lot of land to take care of.  A few weeks later, I thought, “If I don’t do this, I will always wonder ‘what if?’”  So I changed my mind.  Seven champions and a couple of grand champions later, I have never regretted the decision and have never wondered “what if.” 

I have enjoyed judging the GLIWA match, the Rocky Mountain Irish Wolfhound Association specialty, and the Irish Wolfhound Club of Puget Sound specialty. I am thrilled to be able to judge at the Lake Erie Irish Wolfhound Association specialty and look forward to the privilege of going over the beautiful hounds I know will be there.  Thank you very much for the invitation.

Dr. Judi M Roller

Sweepstakes Ewa (Ava) Boldok Wolfholm Irish Wolfhounds

I was only a toddler when introduced to the first purebred dog in my life, my grandfather’s beautiful boxer. Initially, working and herding breeds were my focus, with their inherent aptitude to endlessly work for their people. In a twist of fate, I was given an Irish wolfhound puppy, and while I never bred her specifically, here we are, five generations of wolfhounds later. I breed under the Wolfholm prefix as well as mentor, evaluate and successfully exhibit at all breed and specialty shows. I am a member of the Canadian Kennel Club, the Irish Wolfhound Foundation, the Irish Wolfhound Society and served on the Board of Directors of the Irish Wolfhound Club of Canada in the years 2013-2016. In addition to being invited for puppy evaluations of various breeds, I have judged specialty sweepstakes for the Leonberger Club of Canada, Bernese Mountain Dog, Ontario Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and the Elkhound Club. I truly enjoy putting my hands on the dogs, advancing my knowledge, researching pedigrees as well as simply spending time with my hounds.

Ewa (Ava) Boldok Wolfholm Irish Wolfhounds Registered