Photo from Wikipedia of Scottish Deerhound Fernhill's Kendra photographed by Linda Lindt.
An eighty five pound female Scottish Deerhound named Hickory won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last night.
To say her win was a surprise would be an understatement. Hickory is the first of her breed to win at the prestigious show which has been going on for over one hundred and twenty five years. That means she is one great dog and very representative of her breed.
Truth be told, I don’t know a lot about this breed. What I do know is the Scottish Deerhound is a sight hound and resembles an over sized rough coated greyhound. You can probably surmise sight hounds are called by that description because they use their eyesight in hunting rather than relying so much on scent like a Basset Hound or Blood Hound.
Hickory is handled by Angela Lloyd and lives on a farm in Virginia where she was born. She has plenty of room to roam there and that is what a Scottish Deerhound needs. She loves to chase deer and rabbits on the farm, so it is a great thing that she is retiring from the show ring to go back and live there.
As usual after a win at Westminster there will likely be an increase in the number of people purchasing or rescuing Scottish Dearhounds. Before you run out and try to get a dog of this breed, let me give you just a few things to think about.
If you get a puppy of this breed, be aware the giant breeds need care in raising them so they don’t grow too quickly and cause damage to their bone structure. Also know that all giant breeds have a shorter lifespan than smaller dogs. They also are more prone to bloat than smaller breeds. Last but certainly not least, these dogs need room, preferably a lot of it.
If you can give the Scottish Deerhound the type of home it needs and deserves, I think they would make wonderful pets. Just don’t take this trusting and loving animal into a situation where they will not have the things they need to grow up healthy and strong.
I am going to talk to some friends who know a lot about sight hounds and I will post more about them after I do my home work.
In the meantime, love your pet and do right by them. They deserve it.
