Victorian Era Nightgown Restoration: The Hounds

Project 3, part 6 – Outtakes and Bonus Greyhounds (Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 here)

Welcome back to a bonus episode of the Victorian Era Nightgown restoration project! I had a few goofy outtakes from my photoshoot, and I thought it would be fun to share those with you, as well as introduce you more properly to the greyhounds I share my home with! It’s particularly relevant as dog breeds as we know them mostly date from the late Victorian era. Prior to that they were primarily defined by function, rather than by physical or behavioral characteristics. In 1873, however, the UK Kennel Club was founded, and more and more breeds began to be recognized over the years.

Greyhounds, or greyhound-like dogs, have been accompanying their humans for centuries, so it’s not surprising that I was attracted to the breed due to my love of history! However, it was when I got involved with volunteering at an organization that rehomes retired greyhounds that I really fell in love with them. They are incredibly sweet, sensitive, and snoozy little beings that just want to spend their day sleeping next to their human (and then about 5 minutes zooming around the living room like crazy).

Finn, my black greyhound, is 8 years old and is a retired racer from Florida. He came to my home after 77 races, at the age of three and a half. His pedigree goes back to 1820 to a no-doubt clingy sweetheart named Pilot. He’s a true Velcro dog – he teleports instantly to any room with a person in it, and is happiest when he’s getting his tummy rubbed.

Ashleigh, my brindle girl, is 6 years old, and she’s a retired coursing hound from Ireland. (Coursing is a sport of hare-chasing in Ireland, and Ashleigh is still quite interested in bunnies…) She came to my home a year after Finn, at the age of only two and a half. She also counts Pilot in her ancestry, but on her mother’s side her pedigree goes all the way back to a fawn lady named Toy who was born in 1793! Ashleigh is more shy than Finn, and prone to hiding behind him if she gets frightened, but when she trusts a person she’ll run up to them and lick their face all over in excitement.

I’m so very lucky to share my home with these two weirdos! Not only is it fun having living history in my home, but Finn and Ashleigh have such hilarious and sweet personalities that it’s impossible not to laugh when they’re around. ❤

You’ll no doubt see them bouncing or snoozing their way into future photoshoots, so I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting my hounds! And I’ll be back soon with more projects and spotlights, so stay tuned!