Deerhound

A passionate little blog started by a deerhound dog in Scotland called Rogue ‘Brylach’ MacAllister then Passed to Rascal ‘Logan’ Dorrator Heath and now picked up by Rebel Borrodhail 'Muirfinn' and Rocket Borrodhail 'Frode'.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Deerhound Club Newsletter


Ah, my favourite read. And if you are wondering where you can get your paws on this fine newsletter . . . start by clicking . . . here.

I know it’s the Summer edition 2007, but with weather being what it is here in the UK, our seasons have time shifted somewhat.

I believe we are expecting the Summer to start in September and continue to run until the end of October. This being the case, the newsletter has arrived perfectly timed and is not late as many may have presumed.

Hunt down your copy of the newsletter and enjoy!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A matter of proportion







In the image above, my family Scottish Wildcat who answers to the name of Islay, ‘et moi’, the Scottish Deerhound proudly named Rogue, recline for our portrait. You may be able to guess that it’s all a matter of proportion . . . er, the choice of seating that is.

I feel the portrait perfectly captures the mood of our relationship. What do you mean? . . . either party living on edge whilst sharing the same room. Does it show?

Perhaps that’s why Islay and her cat sister, Skye sleep in the conservatory and I sleep where I choose.

Click the image for an enlarged view, and on the cat names to discover a little more about our homeland. Enjoy.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Deerhound and the Antz

Watch closely and find the deerhound and wolfhound stars of Adam and the Ants 1981 - UK pop chart, number one, hit song - ‘Stand and Deliver’. The hounds are clearly the stars and show superior acting class over the many thespian and musicians involved in the promotional video.

Enjoy the hounds of the pop scene below.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

What a day in History !

Here at Rogue ranch it’s 3 Leo’s and a Sagittarian so it’s Birthdays galore in August - no wonder there’s a fight for creative attention.

So what in the world of Deerhound History happened on 22nd of August?

Well, interestingly, in the year 565 on this day, the traveling St Columba whilst visiting Loch Ness, reported seeing a Monster in the Loch and everyone has been looking for it ever since. I myself rekon it was no more than a couple of deerhounds having a time of the day bathe, but we don’t want to ruin the legend.

Also, interestingly on this date was the Battle of the Standard fought between England and Scotland in the year 1138. Scotland didn’t fare to well on this occasion - King David I eventually resigning himself to settle back to Carlisle. We do know that the Normans who had settled the upper area of what was the England of this period had brought specific ‘hunting hound’ handling teams with them from France which possibly contributed to the development of the greyhounds we know today - but I’ll reserve a bit about this and Scottish Border history for another deerhound day which will sure interest deerhounds the world over.

In the meantime - Happy Birthday Ricky!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Bairns, Hoonds n Scottish Corpus

In the quest for the history of what we now know as the deerhound, the Rogue journeys to many places in the virtual, the ethereal and the known world. We often find, that reference to the history of the deerhound is garnered from much in the way of written English and that many researchers never appear to consider seeking information recorded in the Gaelic, Scots or from ancient tribal tongues, and many hound historians accept from discovered Latin texts, that the translations are accurate and then associate them with modern ways of thinking.

The one that always amuses my family and I, is that repeated recent deerhound histories, dismiss the giant dogs to have been found amongst the Picts and Tribes of the North by the Ancient Romans of Britain, because Latin texts report of them as being vicious. It is then presumed that they could not possibly be that which we know as deerhounds.

But when one considers that much was made of the spectacle of large and unusual animals by the Romans and many, when displayed to be recorded in foreign lands and/or upon return to Rome, were poked and prodded with spear to create dramatic impression - I know I myself would be pretty vicious if someone stuck a spear in my rear . . . wouldn’t you?

Similar treatment was doled out to Tigers, Lions, Elephants, all of which were terrified and quite often had to be goaded into ferocity. Another thought to bear in mind and for one to ask oneself is this - when deerhounds kill - does it appear pleasant and restful? - or vicious and violent? - ‘I rest my case your honour’.

Anyway, we love ranting and today for fun, we thought we would point deerhounds born out of their homeland in the direction of a fantastic website to help brush up on their Scots language and culture. Produced by Glasgow University, this site gives a marvelous database of Scots and Scots/English language in the form of written and audio recordings.

If one has an abundance of time on their hands and are serious about researching the Scottish Deerhound - this would be somewhere for academic Deerhounds to loose themselves.

Visit the Scottish Corpus Of Texts & Speech and let your education commence.

Just as a taster, the Rogue here thought he would point hounds in the direction of one of the many excerpts that relate to Scottish hound culture - but be warned the website is a ‘work in progress’ and there are currently upward of four million Scots words cross referred.

Check out the tale below from the website and also the interesting image above which is from a blank card found in a gift shop in Edinburgh - neither the deerhound nor child’s name are credited and there was no information as to who created the card but I felt it pertinent to the play excerpt below, enjoy . . .

THE ILL GUIDMITHER

A Play in Two Acts
By David Purves

This is based on a rather grisly Highland tale set in the eighth century AD. The language is Scots, and although Gaelic would have been the language spoken in this area at this time, Scots places the action firmly in Scotland and produces some powerful emotional effects. It concerns Malcolm, said to be brother to Fingal, King of Morven, who had a beautiful daughter called Moula by his first wife. Moula’s wicked stepmother, Shona, is naturally jealous, and plots Moula’s downfall by committing a series of ill deeds and blaming them on Moula. Her most horrendous evil deed is to murder her own baby son by Malcolm and place the corpse in Moula’s bed. Despite Moula’s protestations of innocence, Malcolm is persuaded of her guilt and she is taken into the forest, seriously wounded and mutilated by Malcolm, who leaves her there for dead. However, her life is saved by an errant knight who discovers her, rescues her and eventually marries her. The knight visits Malcolm, who then discovers Shona’s perfidy and has her imprisoned and tortured to death.

The play has a gothic character and raises important moral questions about the validity of the concept of punishment and the justification of violence in role playing in our society. As in so many folk fairy tales, the grisly character of the story is mitigated by its folk character.

excerpt

Eilidh: She’s a richt randie whan she gits stertit. Ah thocht she micht tak a turn for the better eftir hir bairn wes born, but no a bit o it. The’r nae betterment an if oniething, she’s waur.

Moula: Div ye think sae, Eilidh?

Eilidh: That’s whit Ah think. She’s growein waur.

Ye mynd whan Breinger, yeir faither’s favorite hoond, wes fund lyin deid wi his thrappil cut lest month. Ah’m thinkin yon wes Shona’s daein, tae. She wesna content wi haggin doun his favorite tree. She haed ti kill his favorite hoond anaw, an it a mukkil cannie beiss. Breinger uised ti lick yeir faither’s haund eftir, whanever he gied it a guid leatherin. Ah mukkil freinlie cannie craitur it wes.

Moula: Ye dinna ken Shona killed the hoond, Eilidh!

Eilidh: Ah canna prove it. Ah didna see hir dae it, but Ah ken she did it, for aw that. Ah’l sweir yon wes hir haundiwark. An whit is mair, it wadna surprise me if she’s putten the notion intil yeir faither’s heid that it wes you that killed the hoond.

Moula: It’s funny ye soud say that. Nou that Ah cum ti think on’t, ma faither is gey cauld wi me thir days, the mair sae, sen Breinger wes killed. He’l haurlie luik near me ava. He wes never lyke that afore.

Onie gait, he’s pleased aneuch wi his wee son. He’s fair the aipil o his ee.

Eilidh: The’r nae dout aboot that----! He fair dotes on the bairn.

if you didn’t quite understand the above excerpt about the murder of a large hound read it over several hundred times and eventually, if I remember I will translate to ‘Angle-ish

We’ll leave the hours of fun as you search the Scottish Corpus website for yourself - and don’t forget to listen to the audio samples - here’s a braw we poem aboot the hedgehog - I’m forever barking at them in my garden - follow the link and click the speaker symbol at the bottom of the webpage. The Hedgehog by Dr James A Begg.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Yet another Deerhound ‘Cigareet’ Card

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Rogue at the Races 2 - Revenge of the Rain God!



Off we went to Stirling and the Trossachs on a ‘Gie Dreich Day’.

Does the hail, rain, sleet, snaw or ‘midges’ ever stop anybody in Scotland from enjoying a day out ? Never ! For if it did . . . nothing would ever happen here.

It doesn’t seem like a year since we last coursed at the Scottish Whippet Club open fun day . . . but hey! How time flies.

Well . . . did the gods shine on us that day ? The rain came down every which way, left to right, right to left, top to bottom and a few more besides. The down side to this was the recording of the days events with the video camera. We managed to captured a whole load of blur, water and blank screen, still, we’ve managed to salvage a little of the days event from Sunday past, the 5th of August.

we even captured a brother from my litter, although I decided not to get to friendly with him . . . that’s him standing by the pram in the youtube video and also running the second race.

Enjoy what little movie footage we have and hopefully, next year we will have a can full of sun and fun racing.

Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Rogue

2 human years old today . . . Happy Birthday Rogue XXX

Deerhound from Germany


view video

Monday, August 06, 2007

Rob Roy and Deerhound

The enhancement of any screen actors appearance is regular work for we deerhounds. So continuing with deerhounds of the movies, this little movie was put together by Scottish director and a school associate to oor family friends Maggie and Sconey, Michael Caton-Jones. He attended high school only a few miles along the road here, so Rob Roy as movie subject matter comes as no surprise.

As a Highland Rogue masel’, I would recommend a sit doon with this movie for any deerhound interested in finding oot a wee bit about the days when our celtic ways were facing serious denegration.

Sometimes I think the deerhound history itself suffers from an attempt to remove or dissociate it from Scotland, the Gaels, Celts, Scots and Picts - but then what do you think I would know? - I’m all of the above!

Sunday, August 05, 2007

A celtic cousin to the Scottish Deerhound?

Painted at the time when the scientific world and Charles Darwin was set about categorization and specific labeling of life specimens, it comes as no surprise that this fine hound is labeled as a ‘Welch Deerhound’.

I suspect, that Wales is either where the artist discovered his subject, or where the hounds’ owner informed Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins that his subject was from. The Artist was famed for his illustrative works featuring creatures from a much earlier age, than indeed the oldest hounds (follow the links to find out more).

Perhaps there is simply a romanticism in the painting to the chivalrous dark-ages of dashing knights and beautiful princess’ that Mr Hawkins was portraying for pleasure. Who knows? Check out the fantastic Medieval history of Wales for (like most countries histories of the period,) just how unchivalrous it all was.

Well, at least we deerhounds have been consistently courteous and gallant with that good old Scottish heritage. You can take the hound out of Scotland, as they say . . .

Enjoy.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Scottish deerhound song for children

Hmmm . . . here’s a little ditty that will be of interest to deerhound lovers everywhere. A song about Scottish Deerhounds written and performed by Nancy Simmonds. This song is available on cd or as a download from various websites. I-tunes has it categorised under Childrens Songs but the musical tails website simply refers to the songs with obvious commercialism, with the question - Looking for a song about your dog? Click on Nancy’s website if you want further information. The Scottish deerhound song is on the 7th litter compilation if you are seeking it.

Enjoy the video compilation of images with the Scottish Deerhound song as below - with I, the Rogue in the closing frames, crossing the little wooden bridge in Blair Atholl and also enjoying some of my human child companions cheese and chips in a restuarant at Pitlochry.

More Scottish Deerhound songs will be appearing here soon after this number has invoked our household to compose some celtic/pictish tunes and you can be assured the Rogue will be accompanying with a full moon choir.