How Does Irish Wolfhound Rescue Work in the Mid-South and Carolinas?

Rescue and placement for Irish Wolfhounds in this region is handled by Irish Wolfhound Rescue of the Mid South (IWRMS), which the Irish Wolfhound Association of the Carolinas (IWAC) supports and promotes. IWAC — originally named the Irish Wolfhound Association of the Mid-South (IWAMS) — is the regional club that backs those rescue efforts, covering North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and the neighboring southeastern states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. If you want to adopt a rescued Irish Wolfhound, surrender one, or help, your starting point is the rescue arm rather than the club itself.

Who does what: IWAC (formerly IWAMS) and IWRMS

The two names in this space are easy to confuse, so it helps to separate them:

So when you see "IWAMS" in older material, it refers to the same club now called IWAC — not a separate rescue body.

Which states the rescue network covers

IWRMS serves Irish Wolfhounds across:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Alabama
• Mississippi

If you live outside these states, the regional club is not the right contact — you would need the rescue or club covering your own area.

Adopting, surrendering, or getting involved

The club's stated objectives include encouraging education on the health and welfare of the breed and supporting IWRMS in rescue and placement. That gives you three practical paths:

• Adopting — inquire with IWRMS about hounds currently available for placement in your state.
• Surrendering or rehoming — if you can no longer keep an Irish Wolfhound, contact IWRMS rather than rehoming informally, so the dog goes through a placement process.
• Supporting rescue — the club frames its rescue support around IWRMS, so volunteering, fostering, or donating runs through that rescue arm.

Because the website excerpt does not publish specific adoption forms, fees, or contact details, treat the club and rescue as your entry points and ask them directly for current procedures.

What the wider club offers that touches rescue and ownership

IWAC's activities are relevant to anyone adopting or owning a rescued hound:

• Education — public outreach at regional St. Patrick's Day parades, Irish and Celtic heritage festivals, and specialty events, plus owner gatherings that have included speakers on behavior and health.
• Health — support for the Irish Wolfhound Foundation (IWF) and the Irish Wolfhound Club of America (IWCA) on health initiatives, studies, and testing; the club recommends breeders follow IWCA's Standard of Behavior for Breeders.
• Heart screenings — offered throughout the year at IWAC specialty shows, at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine in North Carolina, and in Virginia with Dr. Bill Tyrell.
• Vet referrals — the club says it can make regional recommendations for veterinarians experienced in treating Irish Wolfhounds.

For a rescued Irish Wolfhound, these are useful follow-ups: a breed-experienced vet and a heart screening are both concrete next steps after placement.

What to expect from the process

The source material describes IWRMS as providing "rescue and placement," but does not detail timelines, home checks, or fees. What you can reasonably plan for, based on how the club describes its role:

1. Contact the rescue arm for your state and ask about current hounds and requirements.
2. Expect a placement process rather than a same-day handover — rescue organizations typically assess both the dog and the adopter.
3. Use the club's health resources once you have a hound: heart screening locations and breed-experienced vet recommendations are the two the club names.
4. Keep the club's education channels in mind — events and gatherings are where owners learn about breed-specific care.

For exact steps, eligibility, and any costs, ask IWRMS directly; those details are not published in the material available here.