Torteval Irish Wolfhounds

When younger, he was inclined over-react and occasionally spook at new or unsettling events, but he demonstrated many times that he could overcome his nerves with a little gentle support from us. His only insurmountable fear was fireworks - fortunately, living in a rural area, this was only a problem for a few days a year.

Hogan acknowledged Darcy's supremacy within the pack and treated her with the utmost respect. In fact, so respectful was he of her that most of the time he managed to avoid contact with her at all.

Branigan and Hogan forged a firm friendship from Hogan's earliest days, and until McKenna's arrival were something of a double-act, with Hogan playing the straight man to Branigan's comedian. In spite of Hogan being some four inches taller and 25lb heavier than Branigan, not to mention able-bodied and fired up with testosterone (Bran was lame and castrated), Hogan's character was naturally the more gentle and submissive, and he was utterly relaxed about Bran's outranking him in the pack.

In fact, Hogan was so quiet and self-effacing that even McKenna, female and knee-high to a grass- hopper to him, bossed him around. The bond between them was instant, and to watch them play and romp together and see Hogan control his superior power and strength in the face of sometimes great provocation, was to truly understand why wolfhounds are known as 'gentle giants'. With maturity came a reduction in the frequency and length of their romps, but their friendship remained firm.

As for Rafferty, in spite of the fact that he was Hogi's nephew (his litter sister, Missy's boy) he chose to pretend that the lad didn't exist. There was no animosity, just a complete blanking out and total lack of communication between them.

Hogan's natural speed in life, both physically and mentally, was sloooww. He even managed to gallop slowly, and although his laid-back, sleepy, manana approach to life was very endearing, it did him no favours in the show ring. Gradually, we realised we were fighting a losing battle, and when he started pretending to be lame whenever a judge asked him to move we bowed to the inevitable and allowed him to take early retirement.

No picture of Hogan would be complete without mentioning one incontrovertible fact - the boy was not the brightest button in the box. His great size and gentle, loving nature hid a brain as sharp and quick as . . . goosedown!

The summer of 2009 saw the onset of serious health problems for Hogi. He developed weakness of his hindquarters due a problem with his spine, thought to be osteoarthritis. This was treated with variable success with a course of injectable anti-inflammatory drugs.

Worse was to follow - an irregular heart beat swiftly became dilated cardiomyopathy, and he suffered repeated episodes of acute heart failure. Three times in month we thought we would lose him, but each time he rallied. However, each time recovery took longer, and by the time of his fourth attack he was on the maximum medication and no more could be done for him. We couldn't see him continue to suffer, and reluctantly made the hardest decision of all - to allow our beloved boy to leave us at just five years old.

We will carry him in our hearts forever - so loving and loveable; a great, shambolic bear of a dog, gentle and courteous to all (though he did take exception to some male dogs) and always wearing a rather puzzled expression as though he hadn't quite got the joke that everyone else was laughing at. Frustratingly slow in everything he did; an indefatigable slobber machine, specialising in the most magnificent, slimey 'Klingons' which he would throw off with a shake of his head, then look around, fascinated to see where they would land, and quite the messiest drinker, eater and chewer ever . . . we miss him more than words can say.