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Fern Hill, Spring and Summer 2002
It was such a long winter, and though very mild the snow
seemed to fall continuously. Much as we love cross country
skiing with the dogs, it was with a sigh of relief that
we welcomed the March calves and lambs.
Our Highland cattle which we have had since 1973 are a
mix of reds, silver dun and dark duns. We no longer have
the black Highlands that we brought in from British Columbia
in 1980. Perhaps to compensate, our flock of Jacob and Rideau
Arcott sheep have mixed into a delightful blend that seems
to be predominantly black. Spring lambs came in a rush in
March during some of the worst weather we had all winter.
So we headed for Louisville, Kentucky mid March to see
some Spring blooms and compete in the SDCA supported entry.
Torquil’s son Lehigh Yuill
bred and owned by Paula Pascoe scooped up most of the majors
and finished his championship in royal style. Our Fernhill’s
Roslyn topped a supported entry of 21 bitches to
take her first US major.
Because I was so excited about Roslyn’s win I forgot
to get a photo so here is Lehigh Yuill instead,
a stunning young male pictured below at 18 months. We think
Torquil is siring some lovely puppies…..
Ch. Lehigh Yuill bred, owned and handled
by Paula Pascoe above at 18 months.
In April we took our annual pilgrimage to the Deerhound
Club Breed Show in the UK. This time Susan Trow and Barb
went together, and after the show spent a week with Mary
Girling (Pyefleet) with Susan photographing for us parts
of the extensive image collection held in the Deerhound
Club archives. The addition of new material from Dr. Poyner-Wall
and Miss Noble made this a poignant and intensive time for
us. Susan worked non stop while I (Barb) dithered about,
engulfed in memories of Marjorie Bell (Enterkine), Agnes
Linton (Geltsdale), Norah Hartley (Rotherwood), Anastasia
Noble (Ardkinglas) and Dr. Poyner Wall (Melchior), who all
had such an impact on the breed and were so kind to me over
the years, tolerating my visits and endless questions. The
volume of material collected for our forthcoming book on
the Scottish Deerhound is enormous.
As well, Richard visited the AKC library in Manhattan in
April on a research trip for additional historical information,
particularly gaps in the history of the Deerhound in the
US. He returned with a treasure trove of interesting data
for the book thanks to wonderfully cooperative library staff.
This included registrations, articles spanning the mid 1850’s
to the present, photos, and negatives of the AKC’s
Deerhound art which we have permission to use in our forthcoming
book. Such as the superb “Highland Tod, Fox Hunter”
by Richard Ansdell, 1859……
Spring also brought a litter of puppies. Not ours this
time, but to Bodil Andersson in Sweden who bred her beautiful
Ch. Manticorns Christa from imported frozen
semen from our Am.Can.Ch. Fernhill’s Torquil.
Christa produced on April 6, 2002, a dozen, yes, twelve
puppies! (Of which nine survived.) This is, I think, a record
for the breed as most frozen semen Deerhound litters never
seem to be more than two or three puppies. We were delighted
for Bodil and Torquil, but have to give a lot of credit
to Liv Vogt Johansen who made the arrangements, the Norwegian
veterinarian team that carried out the trans-cervical insemination,
and Dr. Debbie Boyd of Owen Sound, Ontario who collected
and shipped the pupsicles. Of course we couldn’t resist
a pup from this litter and Manticorns Hugo
arrived June 14th after a long flight from Göteburg
via Frankfurt.
Hugo settled in immediately and found
in Holly a perfect playmate.
Fern Hill’s welcome to Manticorns Hugo
Our “litter” this Spring consisted of two large
eggs laid in an abandoned barn on the east side of the farm.
Eventually they hatched into two chicks that really only
a turkey vulture hen could love…we watched fascinated
as they grew..
 
As Paula Pascoe (Lehigh) said when we sent her and Grant
pictures of our brood…they had
to be Fern Hill chicks as they had absolutely no facial
furnishings! We watched them learn to fly using the barn
as their sheltered flight pen until they eventually soared
off.
Holly’s delight in Hugo
seems to be in compensation for the loss of brother Havoc.
For after much arm twisting and the realization on our part
that there is truth to the adage that the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police (RCMP) always get their man, sometimes woman,
horse (and occasionally the perfect dog), Havoc
went off to live with Gail Secord Lamb and Andrew Lamb,
both RCMP officers in Banff, probably one of the most beautiful
parts of Canada.
Gail and Andrew were passionate in their desire for a Deerhound
and it was hard to deny a dog like Havoc
the glory of running free in the Rocky Mountains and coursing
elk off the lawns of Banff..
So Havoc is much loved, and from the “Havoc
Journals” that we receive every week, we can tell
that Gail and Andrew and Havoc will some day be as famous
as that brilliant RCMP officer Sergeant Renfrew and his
Incredible Dog “Cuddles” who kept law and order
in Canada for many years from his lonely log cabin on the
14th floor of Mountie Headquarters. “Cuddles”
tales of daring-do were immortalized by the Royal Canadian
Air Farce, but no tale compares to that of “Havoc
and the Grizzly” a.k.a. “Gail the Gal with Buns
and Nerves of Steel and that Incredible Hulk Havoc”.
But Havoc is really Andrew’s birthday present……now
if he would only stop chasing the Warden’s horse and
behave well enough to be invited to join the RCMP Musical
Ride.
Meanwhile, Havoc’s brother High
Glamour, who lives in Switzerland with Petra and
Rolf Pfenninger, not to be outdone, rises to the occasion
and sends greetings from Spain where he holidays in the
summer with his two lady Deerhound companions.
At a year, a young male Deerhound is all legs – perhaps
that is why currently Glam is registering times of 34.9
seconds over 480 metres on the race track in Switzerland.
Below is another brother Hawkeye Pierce
at a coursing meet with his owner Alan Ryder and reclining
on a well nibbled leather couch at the Lazin-Ryder home
in British Columbia.
 
One of our most exciting events this summer was an ultralight
flight by Richard with Bill Lishmann. Bill, an inventor-sculptor,
dreamed some thirty years ago of flying with Canada geese
on their migration route.
This idea evolved into “Operation Migration”
http://www.operationmigration.org.
After practicing with Sandhill cranes, Bill recently completed
a reintroduction of endangered Whooping cranes into eastern
North America by taking a small group on a new fall migration
route from Wisconsin to Chassahowitzka National Wildlife
Refuge in Florida. He successfully established a new eastern
wintering site for these birds which reduces the risk associated
with wintering in only one location which is their current
pattern. The flight with Bill in his ultralight brought
Richard, as the turkey vulture flies, for a view of Fern
Hill on a spectacular summer evening…
To the left of the laneway, running up to the house in
the foreground of this picture, are our two long “dog
runs” lined with lilacs and shade trees where we put
everyone if we both have to leave the farm for the day.
Over the hills you can see meandering across the fields,
top right, the paths that we have worn on our walks. Richard
mows these so visitors don’t get lost - and we notice
that not just ourselves and the dogs, but also the deer,
hare, coyotes, foxes, wolves and skunks all seem to use
these trails as well.
Our one major Canadian show every year is the Ontario Sighthound
Specialty held in June (very, very hot) and always attracting
Canada’s biggest Deerhound entry. This year Fernhill’s
Roslyn, still a baby at only 20 months, won Best
of Breed from the classes over 5 champions. Best of Opposite
was Am. Can.Ch. Pyefleet Nonesuch our UK
import co-owned with Judith Bownan, whom Judith has been
campaigning very successfully.
Fernhill’s Roslyn …BOB at the
Ontario Sighthound Specialty, June 30, 2002
At the end of July, Barb and Roslyn flew
out to British Columbia to join Sharlene Lazin, Hawkeye
Pierce and Fernhill’s Gabriola
on a trip down the west coast to the SDCA Specialty at Lompoc,
California. Pierce won his class, Roslyn
came 2nd in a tough Bred By class and Pierce
and Gabby came 2nd and 4th respectively
in the ASFA coursing (in an entry of about 20 Deerhounds),
winning for Sharlene the Kennel Stake. It was great fun
camping, and the trip included as well a visit with Allyn
and Dan Babitch in San Jose, CA. Here we picked up Sindar
Salix born 13 days after Hugo
on April 19, 2002. She is co-owned with Sharlene Lazin,
sired by Ch. Jaraluv Kempthorne out of Ch. Windshift Bramble
and for the next year will make the perfect companion for
Hugo.
Salix in the foreground doing the usual
puppy “ear thingy” if you are lucky enough to
have such gorgeous itty bitty perfect ones. This is their
puppy room where Hugo and Salix
are learning to destroy shoes thanks to fancy equipment
provided by their good pals Marion and Mike Langford who
spoil them with toys. They can also do “show time”
for the camera…
Sindar Salix at 4 months
and now here is Hugo being
set up for the first time…drum roll please!
Manticorns Hugo first “show stack”
at almost 5 months of age
That pretty well brings us up to date…we now await
two major events. The Fern Hill International Annual Walking
Stick Contest (FHIAWSCo) which is planned for October 19th
. Gerry Anderson, our neighbour was the first judge of this
event fifteen years ago. From the 1987 Archives we have
Gerry and Bruce Matheson reading a long involved explanation
as to why what assuredly deserved to be the Supreme Grand
Champion stick wasn’t there to be chosen at the contest
(some dastardly knave had stolen it the previous evening)
and this poor substitute was there in its place…..
Quality sticks are now the norm and actually make it to
this event from all corners of the globe without getting
stolen enroute. Fifteen years later here is Gerry trying
out a stick entered by Judy Wozniak last year…a leopard
frog carved onto the head of a painted shaft. A stunning
stick, but alas not a winner in the eyes of Joan Giles the
judge.
 
The other Fall Event that will keep us busy is a litter
from Simone and David Ross’s Fernhill’s
Dulcinea (of Havoc, Holly, Pierce, Glam fame) by
Ch. Fernhill’s Turbulent Indigo due
at the end of September. We will try and be a bit more communicative
with our next update by the end of October when Roslyn and
Reiba turn two, and the puppies are at the really cute four
weeks-and-we’re-out-of-the-box stage. That’s
geriatric love for you…Indy (left)
and Dulcie (right)…isn’t it
grand!
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