Mary Allen
The fact that greyhounds with a similar appearance hunted with and for humans thousands of years ago can be proven by depictions from this period. The Scottish Deerhound is believed to have descended from the Great Celtic Greyhound. However, one is still not sure whether the Celts already used such dogs for hunting or not.
In the Middle Ages, the Deerhound, then also known as the Scottish deerhound, was finally used in a targeted manner by the clans that ruled there when hunting deer. Back then, the swift breed hunted game more than twice its size in the Highlands, even tearing down the massive beasts.
In the 19th century, the breed was on the verge of extinction. The McNeill brothers saved the greyhound breed and created a new line with the remaining specimens. They bred the Deerhounds until 1914.
Nowadays, Deerhounds enjoy great popularity, especially in the form of companion and family dogs or in the racing and sporting dog sector.