Scottish Deerhound

Think of it as a shaggier, rangier greyhound scaled up to hunt red deer in the Scottish Highlands. Deerhounds are famously mild at home and rarely bark, which makes them poor guard dogs and lovely housemates. They need a proper gallop, ideally in a large enclosed field, because at full stretch they outrun most fences and all recall. Rarer than the Irish Wolfhound and a little smaller, they share its shorter lifespan, typically eight to eleven years, and a risk of heart disease and bone cancer.