Winter - The Deerhound Club

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FORTUNA: SPAIN After a shambolic move from Wales to Spain we are now more or less settled here, "We" being my wife Delia and l, an eighteen rnonth Deerhound Dougal Alexander (Anmialchu Beinn Bynac x Regalflight Gauze), two twelve year old Siamese Cats. Brothers Solomon and Sebastian and one ancient seventeen year old Lurcher, Lily, once a champion, but now, like her owners, overweight, grey and arthritic! Our first problenr was getting a crate to fit Dougal that would be airline approved. Making it was no problem, but the snag was their rules say that the animal must have a specific amount of space over it's head height. Dougal is about thirty five inches to the shoulder and obviously a lot taller to the top of his head, so the crate ended up nearly four feet high, which we were told initially would not go through the planes cargo door. Eventually through an organisation called Trans-fur we found that Britannia could fit it into one of their planes and better still, they flew from Cardiff. Delia booked us all on the same plane, which was wonderful until it occurred to me that we hadn't sold the house yet!! Fortunately allwent well with the sale and thanks to the kindness of Cail& Kinr Lewis (fellow Deerhound owners) from Pontypridd, who boarded us and the two dogs (and even offered to keep Lily if we thought the move would be too much for her), we all departed safely from Cardiff to Alicante with us upstairs and the tribe down. The Rep was waiting for us at the airport to lead us to the house we had rented whilst completed the purchase of our new home, and Trans-fur's contact was waiting with a van to collect the animals, all seemed perfect. However, the plot then became completely unravelled. We trekked the considerable distance across to the car rental area in a ternperature of about 103 degrees only to find our car boxed in by two others from the same company and no representative to be found anywhere. Fortunately, someone who was going back to the hire desk told the Rep for us and came back with a promise of them being moved in 5 minutes. Half an hour later nothing had happened so a phone call was made to the desk, this brought profuse apologises and a prornise to come straight over. Another half an hour and still nothing. By now tenrpers were becoming a little frayed so Delia took off on the trek back to the desk, look out Rep!l Her Spanish is pretty good normally but when annoyed, fluent. I obviously did not hear or see the ensuing clash, but it seems that when the Rep saw her coming he made the mistake of pretending that he didn't understand English. What Delia said to hinr I don't know but it was obviously very effective because the cars were moved ("MUY RAPIDO"). However, we were late and very tired when we all arrived at the rented house. Afiel ir careful check around the fencingthe animals were released and all seemed well a_eairr All was indeed well until the day we were due to move to our new house. This was the time Sebastian clcciclcd to squeeze under the fence and disappear! We were frantic and searched fbl nriles but eventually we had to set off for our new home with heavv hearls. We leli telcphone numbers and notices but we both had a bad feeling ablut him. The next problenr to arise was the furniture, scheduled to arrive on 8th June, turned up on 3rd July, one day before our friends arrived to stay with us! Even worse, after we had nrade a poirrt of telling them we lived up a narrow country track, they arrived with a 28 ton articulated lorry. Eventually, the furniture was just dumped on a patch of rough ground about half a mile away and we had to trundle up and down collectine it bit by bit in ternperatures hovering around l04 degrees. We were exhausted when at 4 o'clock we received a call from The San Anton Animal Hospital to say that a Siamese cat had been brought in and " could we come and see if it was ours?" We were desperate to go but could not leave our belongings on the waste ground. Spurred on by this, we redoubled our efforts and things were just dumped anywhere to get them in. Despite this, it was still l0 o'clock before we could rush of to the hospital, and midnight before we arrived. We were quite expecting to be disappointed but, wonder of wonders, it was Sebastian!! He was skeleton thin, hanging with ticks and his face was terribly swollen with some horrible infection. Pus was coming from his mouth. nose and ears and it quickly became apparent that he was totally blind. Poor creature. God only knows what he must have suffered in the four weeks he was missing. He was found near a church in Guardamar, about five miles from our rented house, uia to.trnarely for us. an old Spanish lady had taken pity on him and taken him into the animal hospital. The vet helped us to clean him up and gave him a massive anti-biotic injection, but she warned us to be prepared for him to die in the next twenty four hours. We were prepared forthis, but our hooligan of a Deerhound had different ideas, and we are convinced that he saved his life. The moment we arrived home he took charge of him and nursed hirn like an indulgent Mum. Lily ( who had raised both cats since their rnother died when they were five weeks old) refused to touch him, which made us even more certain that he was going to die. Dougal however took him off onto his own private mattress, licked him clean at regular intervals, slept with him between his paws and refused to leave hirn for days, We were frightened that he would catch the infection, but he insisted on cleaning Sebastian and keeping his face and nose clear. We were really amazed that such a teen-age thug, as he is at the moment, could be so loving and gentle to an anirnal in such distress. Whatever he did worked because Sebastian sloyly recovered, day by day, and is now able to walk again, has put weight on and regained a srnall amount of sight, though I don't think he will ever see properly again. It's interesting to note that although Dougal gives Solomon no regard, and has been known to step on him, he is always very
careful not to walk across in front of Sebastian and always picks his feet up very carefully and very high to step over him. All seems peace and quiet again now, with us and the tribe doing well. (except for another visit to fhe satne anirnal hospital for Dougal to have a grass spear removed from between his toes) He had to be tranquillised to do it as he fought like a tiger, with the two young vets, that tried to treat him. I think he had two attending vets because of his size. No particular comment was made but when the vet was called in to the surgery he said i.Jesu Christo" under his breath, then vanished and catne back with reinforcerrtents! Walking the dogs here is quite difficult, as it is not possible to go out rnuch after eight in the mlrning,io it has to be early walkies. Trust us to arrive in Spain dLrling the hottest summer on record with terrtperatures of 95 to | 00 degrees. Tlrele are plenty of good walks aroutrd as tlre coutrtryside is pretty open and wild where we are. Miles of i-"ron g.ou", but unfoftunately they are full of rabbits, pheasants and hares, so if the dogs were let loose in thern I don't suppose we would see thenr again fbr a foltnight' We aia let them off early one nrorning and Dougal prornptly vanished. ljow cau you lose somethingthe size of a Deerhound in open country? We found hitlt eventually, returning frorn a visit to a nearby Finca. Fortunately, being early, only the Abuela (Grandniother) was about and she flapped a towel at hir.rr and off he went. I dread to think of th. mayhem that would have ensued had he gone into the house, as nearly all the Spanish are terrified of big dogs, and will not go anywhere neal thern. Poor Dougal, he does so love everyone, but only a t'ew will touch him ol'even talk to him Lily has no such problems, as she is very similar to their Podenco hurrting dogs so no one minds her. I believe this stems from the time when Spain was a trruch poorer country and if you spent money to feed a big dog it had to be for a reasorl. TIre reason usuuily *ut tirat it was a savage guard dog and fionr childhood they learned to steer clear of big dogs. Leishmaniasis is a worry of course, but hopefully, living about forty ntiles inland fionr the costal belt we may avoid it. We maintairr a very rigid anti-mosquito and fly regirre so do feel we have a good chance of escaping it. We are looking forward to the Autumn and winter (not sornething we would say in Britain), as it doesn't seern as if it gets very cold here, although they did have snow on the mountains around us last year We can't wait to get out into that open countryside and turn thenl loose. We will write again of tlreir progress (and ouls) after Chlistmas, and although a littlc early, may we take this opportunity to offer our best wishes for the f-estive tinre to all deerhound owners. PS We loved the Summer Newsletter and look forward to the next olle. Delia and George MacDonald-Hedger. Late of Wales 62 JU{N & SA-C,LV EUrSE C 3{ A" E.CTOM TB" Z AIVI AB,A & N{T. SAN\TTYA.CERVS * ^Wish a[[ our friends A verY 9{oyyy Christmas & 3{eafthy Sfew Uear
Page 2 and 3: From the President Irr the spring o
Page 4 and 5: ;lrl THE CLUB BADGE AVAILABLE TO ME
Page 6 and 7: l Deerhound Club 2004 'f'frc l)ccrl
Page 8 and 9: HffifiS, xM&s f,ffiftvoHfl {:r. nt
Page 10 and 11: The 2004 Breed Show 16th -18th Apri
Page 12 and 13: Sue Hird, and girls Cressie & Janna
Page 14 and 15: BRAG AGHNADARRAGH EARRACH Was the E
Page 16 and 17: i OUR FIRST COURSING MEETING A wet
Page 18 and 19: Miss M.F. Loughrey (Rosstyn) *.'8rH
Page 20 and 21: 11 THE DEERHOIJND CLUB'S CHAMPIONSH
Page 22 and 23: HOUN DSHOW 2003 Critique The Hound
Page 24 and 25: Open Bitch l.) 1445, Ashtonbrook Br
Page 26 and 27: ANMIALCHU BEINN BUACHAILLE Winner o
Page 28 and 29: Table decoration with a difference
Page 32 and 33: -l Elmore Court Farm Walk (04110103
Page 34 and 35: op: Toby & Gill Smith )rganiser) .t
Page 36 and 37: I L 0) d (.) JIKA ASHTONBROOK BRYON
Page 38 and 39: llt't'r'hourrd Club Members' Single
Page 40 and 41: 2nd Meer's Kilbourne Lewis Of Lords
Page 42 and 43: I I I I ri 2nd. Carr's Kilbourne Se
Page 44 and 45: Julieffe Cunlifte & Corol Ann Johns
Page 46 and 47: I i t; GREYFLAX DEERHOUNDS Wishing
Page 48 and 49: l Lynn rernembered that there used
Page 50 and 51: CATHY'S NORTHERN NEWS BLACKPOOL 211
Page 52 and 53: SOUTHERN SNIPPBTS by Joyce Bond Sad
Page 54 and 55: SOUTTIERN COMFORTS Penny Redmond wr
Page 56 and 57: The Netherlands After a short holid
Page 58 and 59: #****** * *= * -. Q-) *"##.s#+1F, *
Page 60 and 61: t, News from Norway and Sweden I ar
Page 62 and 63: While I was in California, an Engli
Page 64 and 65: CH FLAUNDEN FLORA MCDONALD BREEDER/
Page 66 and 67: HOUNDSHOW (02.08.03) Judge: Mr Jame
Page 68: woRTHTNG & DtST. C.S. (20.07.03) HO

Winter - The Deerhound Club

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