Winter - The Deerhound Club

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CHRIS ARTHUR CONTEMPLATES VARIOUS III'MIiI)IIiS FOR
LONELINESS........... and recalls a small book, Siamcsc cats, the shoe box,
Celtic joie de vie, die valkerie arrd scrcndipity.
The Observer's Series of books was first published by Wirrrrc's around 1948,
and by the 60's had expanded to a range of 50 linle volurnes all copiously illustrated
with photographs and line drawings, and dealing with sLrb.iects as diverse as birds,
horses, wildflowers, pond life, furniture, aircraft and churches. Oul canirre copy was
plinted in 1964, maybe they are still in publication?
So to begin, in the general direction of, our beginning....
When Lynn and I met there was an intelligent, streetwise Toby the rnongrel,
who used to take himself for walks in central London, crossing the main road to the
park on his own (using the pedestrian crossing), he'd wait patiently until the traffic had
stopped or the road was clear. Originally a "rescue job" and so named
'cos he looked
like Mr Punch's dog; he lived with us on a sort of temporary permanent loan but
wisely returned to his previous (post rescue) owner.
After his departure I was told that the Siamese cats were lonely without a dog in
the house. In consequence, Sasha, the enchantingly beautiful, extraordinarily energetic,
mad as a hatter, guilt ridden lrish Setter, leapt into our lives from an ad in the evening
paper; because he needed a good horne. We were your average pet owners and boy
were we a good home! Possibly because he was SO enthusiastic seerned very large
after his predecessor. His predilection for running in ever decrqasing circles caused LJS
considerable stress. On these occasions his controllable deafness would switch in with
great precision and render him oblivious to the increasingly desperate screams of his
fast receding owners.
It was put to me that this was probably because he was lonely and NEEDED a
friend, another dog for company and then he would be MTJCH quieter. I diplomatically
expressed the opinion that it shouldn't be another big dog and in doing so mornentarily
showed a fatal weakness. Almost immediately Lily the Standard Smooth Haired
Dachshund arrived.
She also was lonely, she was the puppy sitting in the water bowl ion the corner
of the cage whilst the rest of the litter played happily at, what with hindsight rnust have
been a puppy farm, she NEEDED a good horne.
This dirninutive scrap rapidly put both the cats and the setter firrrrly in their
place. She was the boss. Unsurprisingly the Setter changed not one wit and continued
blithely to attempt to run into earth orbit. Lily hated men except me. lf we were being
polite we would say she wasn't very partisan ( in other words she was.just plain aggressive)
to ANYONE and ANYTHINC that was not family. Having said that, Lily
did have a lively sense of humour. She had a passion fbr diving dolphin-like into fox or
swan droppings, when her neck was sufficiently gilded she woLrld leap into the arnts of
her nearest hurnan for an affectionate cuddle.
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lkrth Setter and Dachshund lived to a good age. A few weeks after Sasha's
, \('ntuirl dernise, Lynn said to me that whilst Lily was very "sporting" (see partisan),
I rlr rrirs gctting on a bit and she would feel safer with a large dog around the house.
llr this tirrrc I had learnt. lt had taken a few years but I had LEARNT! Another dog
\\ \S qoins to arrive, and I was being given the opportunity to have SOME say in the
rrr,rllet
Accoldingly ltook The Observers Book of Dogs from the shelf and cruised
..rrt'lullr through the bleeds. Mmmm.... I wouldn't be seen dead with one of those,
rh,r\(' \itl) all the time, they're too small, they need a lot of grooming, they show their
f r,ffrrlf r\. thcy're too big, I came to the Deerhound,27" to 30" tall ... biggish but does-
,r | ,roun(l too big, quiet, noble etc could be OK. I replaced the book and forgot all. A
, ,r1ry11. ol'rvccks later Lynn took the book and went through it. SHE also stopped at the
| \'r'rlrorrrrd page. I realised that this had to be "MEANT"; in any healthy long term
.r l,rnrln\lrip llre nurnber of times both parties INDEPENDENTLY arrive at the same
,.'lr lrrriorl rvithoLrt prior communication can be rare. This makes them rather special
rlrl the r slrould be ignored at one's peril. At the time I was aware that a relative of
I rnn'\ livirrg irr Carlisle once owned Deerhounds and that Lynn had met the breed in
lr r r hrhllrootl. arrd it subsequently emerged that in her teens Lynn had worked for a
t.rx' rr\ ir I'crrncl rnaid for a Mr Joe Braddon, (but that was awhile ago); so she had
rrrx. lr,rt kuround in dogs.
t )rr tlrc othcr hand I was nothing but your bog standard archetypal pet owner.
\urr'l\ rrlrt'rr \tlrr wanted a pet you looked in the pets column of the local paper, or
.rr rrt tl ,t l)('t \hol). ll'it was a bit special and a real pedigree then you looked in the
-...,r11 .rrl.. ol lltc Sunclay Times. Not surprisingly I drew a blank. Look elsewhere, eve-
..rt,'rl' un(lcr tllc sun is advertised in the Exchange and Mart, fish eagles, anacondas,
r, ..,,,r r\\ ls ;rntl tarantulas but no Deerhounds. Puzzling for the lajrman.
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