SCOTTISH DEERHOUNDS

If you watched the Westminster Dog Show this week, you might have noticed that a Scottish deerhound won Best in Show.  In my opinion, this is a very good thing because (1) it was the first time this breed ever won the top prize at Westminster, (2) Scottish deerhounds are in the Hound Group, which basenjis are also in, so it was a victory for the Hound Group, and (3) at least that little Pekingese didn't win, because I think that even though he is probably a very nice dog, the way Pekingese are groomed for dog shows makes them look bizarre -- sort of like caterpillars with little black faces peeking out!

Okay, so now that I have told you the reasons why I'm glad the Scottish deerhound won BIS, I will admit that I was actually rooting for that adorable smooth fox terrier.  He was black-and-white, like me, and he was soooooo cute!  And the very cutest thing about him was that his face was half black and half white, just divided right down the middle.  I really, really wish he could have won, and I also wish he could be my boyfriend!  But I guess those things just aren't going to happen.  Sigh.

Anyway, getting back to Scottish deerhounds, the one who won at Westminster was named Hickory, which seems like it would be a boy's name, except that this Hickory is a girl.  Her official name is Grand Champion Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, and she is 5 years old.  She lives on a big farm in Virginia, where she can run around and chase deer and rabbits and whatever else she wants to chase.  She had already won 14 Best in Show titles before Westminster and was the top-ranked Scottish deerhound for the past three years. Now she is going to retire from show business and make puppies.

Scottish deerhounds are really tall dogs, and they look kind of like shaggy greyhounds.  Of course, since they came from Scotland originally, it was a good idea for them to have more hair than greyhounds have because it can get pretty chilly there.  Nobody knows exactly when the breed got started.  It might have come from the dogs that the ancient Picts had, or it might have started out being the same dog as the Irish wolfhound.

Anyway, the deerhound was mostly used for hunting deer, which you might have figured out from its name.  Back in the old days, only the rich people could own these dogs, so you had to be a Highland Chieftain in Scotland or at least an Earl in England before you could have one.  And this got to be a problem for the deerhound breed because by about 1769, there weren't many of them left.  Then finally in 1825, some people started trying to bring back the breed, which they managed to do, and that's why we have Scottish deerhounds around today.

Deerhounds hunt by scent and by sight.  Usually, either one or two hounds were used to hunt deer at one time.  They had to be strong enough and fast enough to catch the Scottish deer, which can weigh as much as 250 pounds.  Deerhounds were very important to the people who owned them, so the dogs were often kept in the home, and not in kennels.  That's how the hounds learned to really love being around people, and they still love this today.

In the U.S., it is illegal to use dogs for hunting any animals with antlers, but deerhounds are sometimes used to hunt wolves, coyotes, and rabbits.  Also they are good at lure coursing.  The dogs are easy to train and very devoted to their people.  In the old days, they used to come in several different colors, but now they are always some shade of gray.  It's okay for them to have a white chest, toes, and tail tip, but they're not supposed to have any other white on them.  Their tails are very long, and they go almost all the way to the ground.

Scottish deerhounds are gentle and friendly, but they really like to run, especially when they are young.  They need to live someplace where they can run a whole bunch, and not just in a little back yard.  Deerhounds can get bone cancer, cardiomyopathy, bloat, and torsion.  They usually live to be 8 or 9 years old.  Which means that if I were a deerhound, my life would be mostly over, since I am already 8.  I don't know why big dogs don't live as long as little dogs, but I have to admit that I'm glad to be a little dog!