Saved By Shows – The History Of The Scottish Deerhound

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226 – July, 2023

By Lee Connor

It’s widely claimed in the press and in the negative comments pertaining to pedigree dogs that, “dog shows have completely ruined our dog breeds.”

And whilst I would certainly tend to agree with our critics that exaggeration and complete ignorance of standards has indeed wrought havoc upon a few unfortunate breeds, we never seem to hear the other side of the argument. There are numerous, iconic and extremely beautiful dog breeds that are only still with us because of dog shows.

One of those breeds that fits very snugly between both the beautiful and iconic camps is, of course, the Scottish Deerhound.

Large, shaggy greyhound-type dogs have been known in Scotland for well over 500 years–possibly a lot longer. However, evidence to prove that is fairly thin on the ground.

It is often said that one of the first references to the noble breed can be traced back to Hector Boethius’ Pitscottie’s History (1575) where the writer mentions three varieties of Scottish dogs, one of which is described as ‘hardy and swift’ and canine historians (including the likes of Dalziel) repeatedly reference this work claiming that the word, ‘Deirhoundis’ is used.

Click here to read the complete article
226 – July, 2023

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