Tamara came from a family of dog lovers. Her first dog was Patches, a little English setter mix her Mom found as a stray. Then she acquired a German Shepherd named Princess, also a stray. Her first AKC purebred was a Chow named Cindy who lived to be 12 years old, and her first training classes were at the Nashville, TN Dog Training Club.

Tamara moved to Texas when she was 23 and graduated from a school of veterinary technology.  She then moved to Chicago taking a job as a veterinary technician at Lincoln Park Zoo. After moving to North Carolina, she worked as a trainer in veterinary medicine. Tamara and her husband are currently building a veterinary hospital in Cary.

Tamara’s been breeding and showing Irish Wolfhounds since 1991, currently serving as President of the Irish Wolfhound Association of the Mid-South and the Irish Wolfhound Rescue of the Mid-South. She’s an active member and past board member of the Irish Wolfhound Club of America and has written articles on health. 

She won Best Puppy at the National with one of her home bred hounds, Ch. Ierne's Stella Artois. Other achievements were Winners Bitch at a regional specialty in Washington with Starkeeper's Norah Ni Ierne, and also Best in Field in lure coursing at the National. Her hound GCH. Ierne's Saltimbanco was first Award of Merit at Eukanuba.  However, her proudest moments have been with the hounds she’s placed with companion owners.

Tamara says that the Durham Kennel Club not only helped her attain a better relationship with her dogs, it gave her goals to meet that she didn’t even know she had.  Since joining DKC, she’s done barn hunt, scent work, rally, agility and trick dog for the first time, which have all been so rewarding. What she likes most about DKC is how welcoming and inclusive everyone has been.