Irish Wolfhound kennel: Arkham by Alex Riva

Let me introduce myself, I'm Alex Riva, I live in Langhirano-Parma and I'm the owner of the Irish Wolfhound breeder "Arkham".

My story begins many years ago when, walking around Milan with my wife Ottavia, we met an Irish wolfhound: we were immediately impressed by the great size and sweetness of these dogs. Driven by curiosity, we did a lot of research and, hoping to meet some other specimens, we started attending some dog shows.

Shortly thereafter we got our first Wolfhound, Merlino, he joined our family. Everything revolved around him and the irish wolfhound world. We made new friendships, always related to the world of this breed. Thanks to these friendships we were persuaded to let Merlino matchs with a female dog owned by a novice breeder… so Parsifal was born, our second beloved dog.

Unfortunately, after some time we discovered that Parsifal suffered from primary portosystemic shunt. At this moment we understood the importance of cooperating with the experienced breeders of Irish Wolfhound breeders who care about the health of these gentle giants.

Unfortunately, after some time we discovered that Parsifal suffered from primary portosystemic shunt. At this moment we understood the importance of cooperating with the experienced breeders of Irish Wolfhound breeders who care about the health of these gentle giants. At first grief, which later turned into a great void, filled our days. Many friends advised us to get away from the thought was going to Irish Wolfhound breeders, to choose a less sensitive breed with greater longevity, but for us Wolfhounds are unique.

We decided to open our home to a puppy again, so our Tommy come to live with us. A few months later we also brought home Will Scarlet, a puppy from the same kennel, so the family has gotten bigger.

In the last 10 years I have attended more dog shows; I love them and I love this life with Wolfhounds, but I never forgot, and never will, to take care of the dogs’ health first. Almost every day my wife and I go for a long walk with our dogs, and dogs from our kennel are regularly checked by expert veterinarians. Every year I have shown my dogs to internationally renowned judges, real breed specialists, always getting excellent results. My dogs have gained several titles all around the Europe.

I can definitely say that I love this breed more than my life. In our kennel it is important to spend most of the time with our wolfhounds: I was able to combine my passion for them and share it with people who are connected to the world of Irish wolfhounds. Over the years I have gained valuable experience in wolfhounds, by trying to learn every day from people who are more experienced and competent than me and by comparing myself with other Irish Wolfhound kennels.

And based on this following our passion, my wife and I decided to start breeding the Irish wolfhounds. We decided to start this adventure trying to make our idea of a wolfhound come true. Thanks to my travels in Europe, Canada and the USA I had the opportunity to meet, visit and make friends in several kennels. Thanks to these experiences we decided to import two dogs from Usa and Canada. The very beginning was not easy at all…The year 2019 wasn't the greatest of times for me, I had close family bereavements so after a very difficult 2019, I never thought I would have to face a worse 2020... The news of the Coronavirus pandemic in Italy left me incredulous to say the least. I was in the United States to pick up the puppy when my wife Ottavia on the phone called, “you can't imagine what's going on here in Italy.” She kept me informed daily, since I was traveling to the USA to pick up our second baby, a dream come true.

The first pup had been the male: Castlekeep’s Evil Enchanter at Arkham. I had been in Ontario to pick him up. Now, two weeks later, I had flown back - this time to the USA - to pick up a puppy from Lynn Simon in Minnesota, a special friend of mine. My stay was very short. I’d flown into Denver, driven to Minnesota, and picked up Elvira (Rockhart Mistress of the Dark), with plans to fly back home out of Denver. I was in my hotel room with Elvira when Ottavia informed me about the first restrictions and the first checks being done in my country. I was scared and worried, not so much for me, but for Elvira. What kind of checks would there be at the airports of Denver, Frankfurt, and Milan that she would undergo? But what else could I have done? We had to get home. So I faced the things. My stay in the USA was short but full of emotions. This was not a normal trip. At least, all things went the right way, and checkpoint after checkpoint we came through, and were finally home.

Over the past five breeding years we have successfully fulfilled our initial aim also thank to fruition by collaborating with our friend and owner of Irish Wolfhound breeder, Marcella Grassi. Our breeder named "Arkham" was FCI registered, more projects and few collaborations are coming soon, trying to fix our goals.

The name Arkham is a fictional place name created by American writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft, also know H.P. Lovecraft (Providence, August 20, 1890 - Providence, March 15, 1937), as a setting for many of his stories. Its exact etymology is uncertain, being a literary invention, but we can hypothesize the inspiration from English towns, Arkham could evoke words like arcanum (Latin for “mystery” or “secret”) and arx (Latin for “fortress” or “citadel”), fitting the eerie and esoteric themes of Lovecraft’s stories.

Arkham recalls Salem in Massachusetts, famous for its witch trials, which strongly influenced Lovecraft’s fictional Miskatonic Valley in Massachusetts. The town of Arkham is an important location in H.P. Lovecraft's strange and otherworldly Cthulhu Mythos.

In this surreal atmosphere we like to imagine our beloved Irish Wolfhounds, a mysterious breed that combines strength and nobility with sweetness and loyalty. From wolf hunting to royal courts to modern homes, its appeal crossed the centuries. Even today, it is appreciated for its beauty, its amiable nature and its incredible history.