OUR HISTORY
Sue writes :
One of my first memories is the time my Mum & Dad took me to get my first dog, I was 2 years old so the details are a bit blurred, We arrived at this lady’s house and a tiny Yorkshire Terrier X Dachshund was placed in my lap, everyone was smiling and chatting but I had spotted a large hairy dog and that’s the one I wanted, no, it was not a deerhound but an Old English Sheepdog, it was large and hairy and I wanted it, needless to say we left with “Sindy”, the little dog, who over the years had many Barbie dolls strapped to her back to go riding and accompanied me on my walks with numerous cuddly toy dogs on leads, this was the start of my love of dogs and it would be many years before the Deerhound finally stole my heart.
My Dad liked to have a dog and my Mum loved them as much as me so there was always a dog around the house, a few years later my Dad got a Whippet bitch called Smokey, KC name( Hallcliffe Honeysuckle), she was a beautiful blue fawn colour and apparently quite a nice type, by this time I was about 10 years old and Misty turned out to be very good fun, I used to run with a piece of rabbit fur tied to string and get Mum to hold her till I got further away so that she would chase after me and the fur. At that age I had no idea what lure coursing was but I thought this game was great fun and loved to look behind me to see this athletic little girl flying across the field after me, little did I know that I would still get the same thrill many years later when I watch the Deerhounds run.
At the age of 14 a finally got the chance to buy a big dog, I used the
£150 my Gran had left me when she died to buy a German Shepherd
bitch called Britt (Calagran Gladys) she was my soul mate but unfortunately
hated showing and once in the ring, dropped her perfect ears down either
side of her head which made her look awful.
The showing went on hold and I had a boyfriend who I went to Australia with for a year. This was the time I realised how much I loved being around dogs, I missed my family but I missed Britt more. I would stop and talk to people with dogs just so I could stroke them. When I spoke to my Mum she told me Britt was heartbroken, slept on my empty bed every night and was not the dog she used to be.
After a year travelling I arrived at the train station where Mum, Dad
& Britt were waiting, I just wish I had a photo of Britt’s
face, she went mad as soon as she saw me and that was when I appreciated
the devotion a dog can show, she was a very special dog to me and not
a dog I will ever forget.
By the age of 20 I had settled down with my then boyfriend in a cottage
with an acre of woodland, I just needed a dog to make things as they
should be, I still wanted to show ,so (don’t ask me why) I bought
a pointer, to cut a long story short I bought a working type, not a
show type and he was the most ugly thing that moved like a terrier,
a hard lesson learnt and off I went in search of a show dog, I did end
up having several mediocre pointers and limited success in the ring,
I found it hard to fit in with the pointer people and encouragement
was very limited which soon made me realise I really wasn’t enjoying
my “show days”
This was to be the start of a new era; I wanted another breed, but what?
I thought long and hard, I had my own house so the choice could be mine,
I have always loved big dogs but what was it I REALLY wanted??
I had never seen a Deerhound in the flesh, only pictures, but I decided
this is what I wanted if I could choose anything. This time I had to
get it right and how lucky was I to have Glenis & Mick only ½
an hours drive away, we met and I met the hounds and I can’t describe
what these dogs did to me, I was in heaven and I couldn’t wait
to have one of my own.
I think I had to wait about 5 or 6 months before Glenis offered me a
deerhound. “She will be a good start for you” is what Glenis
said about Melissa. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had
ever seen and went away the very proud owner of my first deerhound who
would go back to Glenis for a litter at a later date. The rest as they
say is history….......
1st Deerhound Ch Kilbourne Melissa
I have to thank Glenis & Mick for all the encouragement and advice
they have given me and for trusting me to do my best with their dogs.
The amount I have learnt on my days “playing” at Kilbourne
is priceless as is the friendship that has grown over the years.
About us;
I have been married to Tony for five years having met him only 4 months
before. When we met I had 2 deerhounds, Melissa and her daughter Ghost.
We bought a little bungalow and settled down to married life. A few
months later it was a bit of a shock to find I was expecting and a little
person would be joining us in the not too distant future.
Conor arrived on 18/1/04 and within days he was bundled up in the pushchair
and out in the snow exercising the hounds with me.
I was now a full time Mum which meant I was home all day; this suited
me fine, I got to spend lots of time with the hounds while baby Conor
was asleep. Tony goes out to work everyday to pay the bills and I do
the child care, house, dogs and garden jobs .Having spent so much time
growing up with the deerhounds, Conor has built up a strong bond with
them, giving out lots of kisses and cuddles, he likes to help out when
he can and loves to brush them and clean out kennels, it would be nice
if he continues his interest but as he gets older I’m sure he
will have more exciting things to do
Many a weekend has been spent adding bits to kennels and making room
for “one more”. We have 5 hounds at present and that is
the most we can have in the property we live in at the moment. We hope
to get somewhere with a bit of land and no neighbours sometime in the
future, all because of this little thing I have with the dogs. I don’t
think we will ever be a large kennel but it would be nice to have the
option of keeping 2 or 3 more.
Before I became a full time Mum I worked as a school caretaker, but
most of my jobs before that involved working with horses, breaking &
schooling, dressage, endurance and carriage horses. I still love horses
but the hounds have now taken their place, although I always have a
good look if I see a smart horse on my travels. If we ever win the lottery
I would go out and find a Friesian stallion, my favourite breed of horse
since I worked with a pair that I broke to harness many years ago.
Tony was not a “dog man” when I met him and he’s not
really keen on the exhibiting, though he has surprised me how much knowledge
he has picked up in such a short time, and easily spots a well constructed
dog. The hounds all adore him even though he is always firm and lets
them know there place, deep down he’s a bit of a softie especially
if one is hurt or poorly. I often catch him having sneaky cuddles with
them when he thinks I’m not looking He is a great help and on
my show days I leave him & Conor looking after the dogs that are
left at home.
The shows are “me time” where I get to catch up with some
of the lovely friends I have made over the years exhibiting.
Showing the hounds is only a small part of owning them, most of our spare time is spent exploring new places on long walks and planning the occasional litter. We are dedicated (when we do have a litter) to producing strong, healthy, well reared puppies. All our dogs are tested for factor VII and the pups are fully vaccinated, liver shunt tested & micro chipped before leaving for their new homes. We are always here for help and advice and will never turn away any dog we have bred should it ever need to come back to us. All potential owners are thoroughly vetted before we will sell a puppy. Visitors are more than welcome to come and meet the deerhounds and have a chat
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