When I look back on the past 12 months, what I feel most of all is gratitude. It has been a very good year for Scottish Arrows. We began it still in the company of Lili, Moro, Barbas, Fenrir, and Lennox — the puppies from the L litter who were waiting to reach the appropriate age to be legally allowed to travel abroad to their new homes.
Four of them left at the turn of January and February. I am happy that all the puppies went to good, conscious, and loving homes. Lennox stayed with us the longest — until mid-April. He had to reach six months of age, as this is required by regulations concerning dog imports to the USA, where his current family lives. Early spring was therefore spent in the company of five deerhounds.
Knowing that Lennox would face a long airplane journey, I devoted a lot of time to preparing him for travel. I frequently took him into the city to familiarize him with unfamiliar people, sounds, and smells. We visited the railway station, observing the surroundings from the platforms. These station trips paid off when Lennox found himself at Warsaw Airport in April. Nothing surprised him — and certainly nothing frightened him. He handled the journey, which lasted over a day (with a layover), calmly, and his trust and curiosity about the world allowed him to quickly adapt to his new home.
Until the last puppy left to start their new life, we did not attend dog shows. As a result, we began the 2025 show season quite late — at the end of May. I traveled with Gaja and Elton to Dortmund, where both of them earned the titles of Dortmund Winner (Dortmundsieger) and European Winner (Europasieger). This was followed by shows in Poland, where Gaja and Nessie collected the certificates needed for their Junior Champion titles, which both of them completed.
Of all dog shows, I enjoy club and specialty shows the most. They usually have stronger competition (and more excitement!), are judged by breed specialists, and I value their opinions of my dogs the highest. In 2025, I traveled across half of Europe, presenting my dogs not only in Poland, but also in Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. Even in my boldest dreams, I did not expect this show season to be so successful for us!
Elton became World Winner 2025, as well as the winner of the Deerhound Club Show in the Czech Republic, the Sighthound Specialty Show in the Czech Republic, the Polish Sighthound Club Show, and the annual deerhound specialty Deerhound Jahreausstellung in Germany. Additionally, at the World Dog Show in Helsinki, he earned the title of Finnish Champion.
Nessie became Junior World Winner 2025, as well as the winner of the German Deerhound Jahreausstellung and Junior Winner of the French Sighthound Specialty Show in Pompadour. At the Swedish Deerhound Club Show in Skokloster, she won the junior class and placed 5th Best Female out of 13 competitors. She completed her Polish Junior Championship and also fulfilled the requirements for the Junior International Champion title by earning CACIB-J certificates at international shows in Poland, Finland, and Lithuania.
Gaja completed her Junior Championships in Poland and Germany. She also fulfilled the requirements for the Junior International Champion title by earning CACIB-J certificates at international shows in Poland, Germany, and Lithuania.
But the show season is not only about presenting dogs in the ring. It is also — perhaps above all — about travel, sightseeing, and relaxation in beautiful places previously unknown to me, discovering different cultures, and meeting new people, including breeders and breed enthusiasts. I hope these relationships will lead to future breeding cooperation — but I will write about that when the time comes ;)
Outside the show season, we spent most of our time on walks through the nearby meadows of the Noteć Valley, often accompanied by our canine friends. This is our favorite way to spend free time, and it brings a lot of good to all of us — dogs and people alike. It was a great joy not only for me, but also for other dog owners walking with us, to watch our dogs enjoy free movement and exploration, gain experience and social skills, and pass these on to the younger dogs in the group. We always returned from these walks — both dogs and humans — content and happy.
I also made an effort to develop myself and expand my kynological knowledge in various areas — from behavior and canine communication to genetics and reproduction. I participated in meetings and conferences, online webinars, and hands-on workshops. I also used a wide range of educational resources — from training sessions organized by the Polish Kennel Club to those offered by various companies and foundations. I intentionally draw knowledge from diverse sources, often from institutions that do not cooperate with one another, in order to form my own opinions and choose what feels closest to me and best for my dogs.
It’s time to finish this article — the dogs are demanding their last walk of the year ;) Before we head out, we want to thank you for being here with us. Together with the entire Scottish Arrows team, we wish you a wonderful New Year — may it be exactly what you dream of and what you need.
Lidka, Tomek, Aria, Elton, Gaja, and Nessie
