How many times have we all heard that? I was one of those people who said it time and time again. I have been dog-obsessed since I knew what a dog was and have owned, showed and bred Flatcoated Retrievers for the last 34 years. But I had a pact with myself that before I died, I would own an Irish Wolfhound.
Husband number one forbade me to get a third Flatcoat, so I got my third Flatcoat and later on got husband number 2, Chris, who one day announced that he had always thought Irish Wolfhounds were magnificent. On that, we agreed and decided we ought to 'do something as we were both approaching 50. So one fine December day, I was travelling into the NEC with my Flatcoat Delilah and on the transfer bus was Roger Tebbutt with his beautiful Wolfhound, also called Delilah. And so it started. After a chat and randomly seeing him judging hounds later at an open show in Lancashire where I was showing my dogs, he made the mistake of telling me he lived on Anglesey, which is where we holiday each year with all our dogs. So that summer, Roger and Debbie allowed us to visit, and we were blown away. What amazing people they are, and their dogs are magnificent. After a walk across their fields with some of the pack thundering past, we were sold.
Sometime later a close Flatcoat friend of mine who worked at the Bonaforte kennels told me about a puppy who had become available after a person buying her had 'changed their mind'. The puppy was destined to stay at the kennel, but after considerable discussions with Carla and Hugh and a meeting and scrutiny (of us), references provided, and an inspection and nod of approval from our eldest Flatcoat, we came home with Ava.
Ava - the only Irish Wolfhound ever to be registered with the British Flyball Association
And so it began. We lead busy lives which revolve entirely around our dogs. As well as showing we are in a Flyball Team and race some of the Flatcoats and our Border Collies. We take all the dogs with us to the tournaments with the caravan, trailer, an additional car (now a big van) and an awning and corral. We have been described as a travelling circus. So Ava slotted in and did what all our other dogs do. She is the only Irish Wolfhound ever to be registered with the British Flyball Association and had a short career in a starters team. Short because although the small jumps were of no concern to her chosen object of retrieve was her Peppa Pig over the preferred tennis ball. She certainly drew a crowd when she raced. Socially though, she met every size and breed of dog known to man and this has been useful when out and about off the lead and racing on the beach at Blackpool where we live. I have never had to worry she may mistake a small dog for a quick snack.
My first show with Ava was Cheshire County Show, where I felt I was viewed with suspicion. A stark opposite to the experience of showing Flatcoats. However, I am not easily 'put off, and I have remained thankful to Elaine Catlow, who was welcoming and kind. Following on from this, I showed Ava fairly regularly and met with some successes and made some really lovely friends along the way; I am happy to say. The best thing about showing Ava (apart from the time she did a massive pee at the indoor venue at Royal Highland Showground, Ingliston ) was the feeling I had when I ran her around the ring. She was always sound and fit and a joy to have on the other end of the lead. I felt proud, and that's all that really matters.
Chris and I have been made welcome at Roger and Debbie's several summers and enjoyed their hospitality and time with their hounds, although Roger did have a worrying moment the day Ava decided to have a dip in his pond which was a lot deeper than she expected and she disappeared for a few seconds.
Ava visited my Mum in her Care Home for several years until Mum died in 2018 and continued to visit residents and bring joy to many elderly folk until Covid-19 struck.
So at age four, after numerous heart tests by Serena Brownlie at the Bonaforte Kennels and a series of discussions with Carla, who fully supported having my first (and at the time, I said last!) litter of Irish Wolfhounds. What a baptism of fire that was. Not at all like breeding a litter of Flatcoats. The same rules apply regarding 24-hour watch for the first few weeks. Still, nothing prepared me for Ava's determination to have her babies on the settee rather than the fantastic luxury bespoke whelping box my husband had built. Unlike a Flatcoat, she thought nothing of picking them up by their tiny heads to move them about. I seriously thought I might have a stroke. When they all went to my vets for their liver shunt tests, they took over. Anyway, we survived, and we have Elsie to show for it and another six brothers and sisters in the best homes they could want.
Ava has always been famous at the Flyball tournaments because of her friendly nature and beauty. She has had quite a following since she was a youngster. A lady from one of the Welsh teams who do film/TV work with her Jack Russells asked me if I would be interested in working with Ava if the opportunity arises. She said she would give my details to the casting company, Creature Castings. So in February 2020 that there may be an opportunity for Ava, but of course, everything went quiet because of the Covid lock-down. Then one day last August, I got 'the call' from the casting company.
"Can you come over to Bradford this afternoon for the director to meet Ava and try her out for a part in a TV drama? Unfortunately, it's not working out with the male dog they have, and they are in the middle of filming. So you may need to go to Monaco!" I quickly checked in with Chris, and he said, "go for it", so Ava and I jumped in the van and off we went. On the way, I had a hilarious conversation with Carla, who owned the boy who was currently onset and wasn't 'playing ball'. I don't think anyone had properly understood precisely how giant a fully grown male Wolfhound is—getting a dog of this size in and out of normal-sized vehicles and up and down steep, narrow stairs if he doesn't want to just isn't going to happen.
The Syndicate - starring Ava the Irish Wolfhound and Neil Morrissey
I didn't know what I was getting us into at this point. I should have realised it was something pretty big when I arrived on set in a small village near Bradford and the BBC crew of 70 were quite literally everywhere – up high scaffold, up ladders, cameramen on dollys on rail tracks whizzing up and down and people holding huge reflectors and microphone booms. I recognised the lady who came up and talked to Ava and me and a tall man in a long coat wearing a hat, but it was much later that I understood it was Kay Mellor OBE, the writer/director and Neil Morrissey, who was the lead actor. They loved how Ava looked and could soon see that she would do whatever I asked of her. So Ava took up the mantle and from then on had to pretend to be the male Wolfhound Duke. She was happy with her lot because she loved nothing more than to be admired and stroked and kissed. And even better, there were threats to be had.
And so we began a series of trips to and from Blackpool to the Leeds area for a day shooting here, a couple of days there. Sometimes Chris took Ava when I couldn't get off work, and we both enjoyed a few overnight stays ready for early morning shoots to make sure Ava got her beauty sleep.
The first proper scene Ava had with Neil was in Golden Acre park at a cafe, and it was pouring rain. Here's an extract from Ava's diary "Then I meet a man I understand is very important, and he is called Neil. He seems pleased to see me and asks Mum if she thinks I will like him, and Mum says she thinks I will but to make sure it will be better if he has sausages to give me. Neil takes a sausage from Mum's bag and gives it to me. He puts some more in his pocket. I think I am going to like him. Neil is friendly.
The next thing I have to go with Neil to see a lady sitting at a cafe table. The day is getting even better as I spy cake on the table. Mum has put a blanket on the floor next to the table, so I don't get too cold sat on the floor. Neil and the lady practice saying words, and Boss Lady (Kay) says it's good, and then they start pointing the cameras "action". This could be the moment for me to grab the cake. I always get cake at home because I live with eight other dogs and we all live in the house with Mum and Dad, and we have loads of birthday parties, and we have loads of cake. I make a try for the cake, but Neil is too quick and stops me. Damn it. I decided to try again in a while. "Cut". Some of the people are laughing, and Neil tells Mum I nearly got the cake. She looks surprised, but I know that she isn't surprised at all. Haha. We do lots more of this walking to the table, sitting down and Neil talking to the lady at the table. The men with the cameras keep moving about, and I can see Boss Lady behind a window in the cafe, and she is watching us. I am happy there is a big canopy above us as I am not getting wet, but the blanket I am sitting on is getting soggy.
Ava on set with Neil Morrissey
Then everyone moves closer, and Mum comes and stands at the other side of the table and is watching me with Neil. It is good I can see Mum. She has the sausage bag. "Standby". I think they want me to look interested in what's going on, and I sniff the cake, which has been moved to the edge of the table again somehow. It's Rocky Road. It's not the best. I prefer a good thick slice of Victoria Sponge. Swiss Roll is good too. Oh, and Fairy Cakes. "Action". Oh my goodness, what's that? One of the men has a huge furry toy on the end of a long pole, and it's right above my head. I wonder if it squeaks. I stare at it while it lurks there under the umbrella. If it moves fast, I am going to grab it. This could get messy as it is above the table now with all the cups and saucers, plates and cake. I'll risk it if I need to. It won't be the first time I have jumped on a table. "Cut". Boss Lady is delighted and says, "you couldn't ask for more than that," and Neil says I am a natural. I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, but they are delighted, and so is Mum, so that's good. All the men start packing things up, and Neil says goodbye but that he will see me again. He said earlier that when we go to Monaco, I will get to lie on his bed, so that sounds great. I think it is as I don't know what Monaco is".
There were a few moments of hilarity whilst filming in this country involving two of Ava's favourite things – water and food. Ava learnt to love water through living with her Flatcoat family. Whilst young actress Katherine Rose Morley was being filmed walking Ava around the lake at Golden Acre Park, Ava decided, on about the fourth take, she was going into the lake. Given that Katherine weighed less than Ava, this was only going to end one way. Ava suddenly swung a right, and off to the lake, she went with Katherine in tow, shrieking in alarm. As Ava entered the water, two of the crew ran forward, one grabbing Katherine around the waist and one grabbing Ava's lead. Disaster averted and one very dirty pair of trainers.
Disco Dave's (crew member) breakfast barn met its fate when Ava got a whiff of it during filming in the flat above the newsagent set. As Ava and Katherine came out of the kitchen of the flat to walk along the landing, Ava's urge to follow her nose took over, and an unwilling Katherine shot into one of the bedrooms where equipment and crew were located. "No, no", shrieked Dave. Too late. His breakfast had gone forever. Katherine and the rest of the crew fell about laughing while Ava licked her lips.
Whilst I took Ava to some of the Leeds locations and Chris went to Hull, I was the one who got to drive to Monaco with Ava while Chris held the fort at home. I picked up two colleagues from the casting company who lived in Wales from Knutsford Services on the M6 so the 3 of us could share the driving to Monaco. Having had to organise everything from insurance for additional drivers and stickers to deflect the main beam of the headlights for driving on the right to portable breathalysers and reflective jackets should we break down, rabies jabs (for Ava, not me) etc. I thought I had got everything covered. I drove us down to Folkestone, and I was still mulling things over in my head when my blood suddenly ran cold. I remembered that I had had a last-minute change of purse and left my driver's licence at home! I had to impart this news to the other two, and things got worse when my friend, who was sitting in the back, went very quiet after fumbling in her handbag. "Oh my God", she announced, "I went to the Post Office for Euros and had to show my driving licence, and now it's not in my purse". We laughed SO much that we thought we might die. We were booked into a hotel for a few hours kip before we drove onto the Euro-tunnel train in the early hours to drive through France and arrive in Monaco at teatime. There was no time to go home or even for someone to come and bring the documents. Anyway, my friend found her licence, and the two of them shared the driving down to Monaco. My licence arrived much later by post.
We were rammed in my pickup truck with all the luggage but Ava had the whole of the back part of the truck to stretch out like a princess on a pile of beds a foot thick. On arriving in Monaco, we were welcomed into the hotel by staff who were desperate to meet Ava. Ava and I were taken to our family room overlooking the harbour, and we had a king-size bed, each with a dining area and luxury bathroom with everything we could possibly want. Carla had given Ava a present of a bespoke travel bag adorned with her picture and a massive matching blanket to go on the bed. So we were all set up.
And so it began. We received daily call sheets telling us when and where we were required. We were picked up from the hotel every day by drivers in beautifully air-conditioned vehicles and taken to the locations around Monaco. Ava was never apart from me, and I was always on set with her. Kay Mellor, who directed the series, completely adored Ava. She always had a treat to give her and put her needs before those of anyone else. She sourced some cool mats for Ava as it was usually around 18 degrees. When Ava did the limo scenes with Neil Kay made sure all the windows were shut, and the air conditioning was on to cool the car right down, ready for the take. The air-con couldn't be on during filming because the microphones picked it up. I was always in the vehicle in front of Ava and could hear everything that was going on by radio. Then Kay would insist that the cars stop to give Ava a break, and I would smile when I saw her sprawled across Neil's lap, and she wasn't even panting.
Ava & Helen in Monaco
There was a French crew as well as the English one, and they talked to Ava in French and kissed her a great deal. It was hilarious to watch. She also spent some of her time in the costume and make-up rooms on the hotel's ground floor watching the actors and actresses and the crew doing their work. She was welcome everywhere she went, and it wasn't long before the residents of Monaco started to recognise her, too, as they had heard about the big dog in the English film production. Pictures of her were on the local news, and she appeared in the local Monaco Facebook Page.
We had quite a few days off, but there were restrictions due to Covid, which meant we were a bit limited. Monaco is not a place for big dogs, and given that Ava was used to galloping on Blackpool beach, it was a disappointment for us both that there were no big open spaces for her. That said, we found a lovely coastal walk which led to a cove where she could at least get in the water and cool off. There was a small sandy beach where dogs were not allowed, but I took her there anyway and swam in the sea with her. We were evicted on more than one occasion by men in uniforms! I was glad I didn't have her with me the day I had popped down for a swim in the sea (which was very cold), and the police (armed) came and asked to see my papers. It was SO much more strict there than in England regarding Covid, and every time you left the hotel, you had to complete a form to show why you were out and the time you left as you were not allowed to be out for more than 60 mins. Several of the crew were fined €100 on the spot for not wearing a mask (even if you had it in your pocket and genuinely forgot to put it on), and there was no arguing at all.
So Ava got to spend several days at the top of the Metropole Hotel, which overlooked the Monte Carlo Casino where some of the filming took place too. I knew when we went up there that she had her eye on the sun loungers on the terrace, but I always made sure she had a nice bed and her cool mats on the floor. Then the inevitable happened. They were shooting a scene where she was supposed to walk across to Neil while he was on the phone talking to his partner, and she suddenly swerved off and climbed onto one of the very expensive sun loungers and laid down. Thank you very much. I was mortified, but Kay said, "No, leave her there if that's where she wants to be", and so that is how that scene came about! So there she is, front paws crossed on a sun lounger on the rooftop terrace of the Penthouse suite in a very expensive hotel in Monte Carlo. Ridiculous.
Then we had the scene where she had to eat a steak. Poor Ava! The hotel would not allow the props department to bring food into the hotel, and if the dog was going to eat a steak, it had to be one of theirs. Only the best if it was to be on British TV. So Ava was presented with not one but four steaks at the cost of €79 each. I have to say I think the French crew thought we were bonkers, and they looked on enviously as she chomped her way through them on each of the takes from different angles.
Neil Morrissey thought a great deal of Ava, and he was kind and patient with her. In a scene where he was in bed, and she was laid next to him on the bed, she edged him further and further over on each take until he had virtually no room. I had to try and haul her back, but she had none of it. But then she got used to her king-size bed in our hotel. Then there was a scene where she had to go and see Neil in the bath, which she did momentarily and then just cleared off. It was a complex scene because there are more reflections in a bathroom than you can imagine, and no one wanted to see me waving my arms around in the background and shoving her back in! And sometimes, she would wander over to look at a cameraman or anyone who gave her an admiring glance.
I have to say that all the people we met were kind and thoughtful. Ava had everything she could want. Or did she? I thought about the trip to Monaco, which was a four-week adventure and considered taking another dog as a companion. Still, there was the additional rabies vaccination and vet checks and worming etc., to come back to England, and I decided that being with me would be good enough for her. But on reflection, I strongly believe that she missed her daughter and the other dogs and her home after a while. She didn't eat as heartily as she did at home, and sometimes I felt she seemed sad. I even discussed this with Carla and my vet at home and saw a vet in Monaco to get her checked over to make sure she was in good health.
So when we finally left for home and said all our goodbyes and thank yous, I was quite happy. Our journey home was smooth, and when we walked in the front door, I stood and cried, watching the other dogs literally 'mob' Ava and sniff her all over. I never thought I would be so happy to be on Blackpool beach in the howling wind and driving rain, watching her charging into the sea with the rest. She was ECSTATIC to be home. She was back to her old self within 24 hours, with the sun and the 'luxury' and fancy food a fading memory.
On balance, I am really pleased and very grateful that I had such a fantastic opportunity with Ava, and I am proud that she represented her breed so graciously. The filming was in edit from mid-December, and Episode 1 of the six-part series aired on BBC1 9 pm on 30 March 2021. Ava was on the front cover of the TV Times that week and in every TV Magazine, and there were interviews to be done for both newspaper and magazine.
But Ava had been sleeping a lot more for a week or so and was a bit picky with her food. She was still going to the beach, and some days she seemed okay. One of her favourite dogs was my old chocolate Labrador Beanie who was coming to the end of her life at 15 and 10 months, and Ava had always looked out for her and laid with her when she wasn't well. Beanie had taken a turn for the worse and stopped eating, and I had wondered whether Ava was worried about her.
I took Ava to the vet on the Thursday morning after the second Episode had to be aired on Tuesday, and they did a blood test. That afternoon she was called back in for an infusion as her kidneys were failing. Chris and I were mortified. The next day Ava was still in the vets on fluids and drugs when we took poor Beanie to be put to sleep. I brought Ava home that night and slept on the floor with her. She was very, very poorly, and the next morning, we decided to let her go following further tests. We were outside in the sunshine, and she was laid in my arms as she drifted off very quickly. She was seven years and seven months. Not enough time in this world, but she was determined she would cross the rainbow bridge with Beanie. Her memory will live on forever, but she took a piece of me with her. I just wasn't prepared to lose her or for the impact it would have.
Ava in her favourite place
I cried every day for five weeks solid. When I wasn't crying, I had discussions with Publicity and Kay about what we should do. Finally, we decided to keep Ava's passing private until the series concluded. We did not want the whole crew and cast and everyone else we knew to watch the series with sadness. It was a difficult few weeks, but it allowed me to come to terms with Ava's passing.
Ava changed my life and those of many others too. Irish Wolfhounds are different from other breeds I am used to, and it has taken an enormous effort to drag myself out of the awful melancholy I experienced. What has helped is the arrival of Ava's great-niece puppy Rita who was gifted to us by Carla and Hugh. "You can't give her to me I said". Carla replied, "Yes, I can. You need her to help you heal". She was right. Rita is helping. Ten weeks have passed since Ava went, and I think of her every day and dream of her every night. I am sad, but I feel blessed that I got what I always wanted – an Irish Wolfhound.