There can be few dogs that command the affection of people who have never owned a single specimen of the breed more than does the Deerhound, known at one time as the Scottish Deerhound. The combination of elegance of proportion with a down-to-earth, workmanlike look makes this fellow an object of admiration. Better acquaintance only serves to confirm first impressions.

Mystery surrounds the origins of the breed, but there are grounds for thinking the Deerhound may have been taken to Scotland by Phoenician traders. Certainly there were running hounds there when the Romans arrived. He has hunted the red deer for a thousand years, and although today more accustomed to the show ring, he has remained similar in type over the centuries.

Dignity and humour, affection and loyalty, all play their part in his temperament, and he delights in exercise. As he is less bulky than many breeds that reach his height, he takes up a lot less floor space than one might expect, even if his true environment really ought to be in front of the log fire in a baronial hall.