The Scottish Festival celebrates and preserves Scottish Heritage by educating people about the cultural history of Scotland. I was looking forward to all the vendors with unique Scottish merchandise, sampling some interesting Scottish food, and watching the fun demonstration of Highland games and dancing. What I was most looking forward to though, is seeing some Scottish Dogs! You knew there had to be a dog angle, right?
 |
| Guenevere "Gwenie", my cousin's adorable Scottie was none too pleased that we went to a Scottish Festival without her. You're not taking ME along? Really!? I hope you get sick on Birdie Pie, Humpf!! |
DOGS OF SCOTLAND, LET'S GET TO IT ALREADY!
The Scottish Festival wasn't a dog event, in fact it wasn't even a dog friendly event! No dogs were permitted other than a few dog rescues, Scottish dog aficionados wanting to educate people about their dog's breed, and Scottish dog breeders that had booths set up there. But there were plenty of adorable, sweet Scottish dogs to pet and love on!
I was a little disappointed that there weren't more rescue dogs and dog rescue groups represented at the festival, but it was interesting to learn about the dogs of Scotland. I was especially interested in the Scottish Deerhound, which I was only a little familiar with. When I first saw this beautiful dog I assumed she was an Irish Wolfhound, the tallest breed of dog, but I was wrong. Scottish Deerhounds and Irish Wolfhounds look so much alike - to me, anyway!
 |
| I mistook this sweet Scottish Deerhound for an Irish Wolfhound - My Bad! |
The Scottish Deerhound is a pretty big dog, but they're considerably smaller than their Irish Wolfhound cousins. This beautiful girl was so large I just assumed she was an Irish Wolfhound - sorry sweetie, my mistake! You know what happens when you assume, don't you? You make an ASS of U and ME, LOL!! In this Modern Dog magazine article, you can read more about the differences between the Scottish Deerhound and the Irish Wolfhound .
I was thrilled to see a number of Scottish Terriers at the festival. These Scotties were so adorable, and super friendly!
 |
| This adorable Scottie loved greeting the children who came by to say Hi. Look at him smiling at his adoring fans! Kids' faces obscured for privacy purposes |
I love black Scotties! In fact that's what I wanted when John and I finally decided to get a dog - actually, I had decided long before but it took some work to Convince my husband to get a dog! We ended up with our Siberian Husky, Icy, instead! A Scottie and a Husky couldn't be more different, but as most of you probably know, I wouldn't have it any other way. Icy brings us so much joy. I still hope to have a jet black Scottie one day.....
 |
| How handsome is this Scottie dude?! |
I was happy to see a Shetland Sheepdog rescue group with some really sweet Shelties at the festival. Among them was this absolutely adorable Dog. This Sheltie was so popular and friendly, I could barely get near him! I loved his unique coloring and amazing temperament, especially with the children.
 |
| Sheltland Sheepdog Rescue Group on Long Island NY |
Other great Scottish dogs we had the pleasure of meeting at the festival were West Highland White Terriers (Westies), a beautiful Sky Terrier, and a sweet little Dandie Dinmont.
 |
| Beautiful dogs! Skye Terrier (L), Dandie Dimnont (Upper Rt), and a Westie (Lower Rt) |
It was so nice to meet these dog breeds of Scotland, I loved it!
After I got my Scottish doggie fix, I was delighted to see that there were some interesting birds of prey at the festival too!
BIRDS OF PREY MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT THE SCOTTISH FESTIVAL
All birds of prey are beautiful and fascinating. One of my favorite birds in general are Owls. I can't recall if my owl fascination increased following Harry Potter and his stunning Snowy Owl, Hedwig, or if I've always been this enthralled with Owls. There wasn't a Snowy Owl at the festival, but there was an adorable little Barn Owl and a gorgeous amber colored Eurasian Owl.
 |
| Beautiful birds of prey were at the Scottish Festival |
In addition to Owls there were Hawks, Kestrels, and a majestic Bald Eagle, which is the national bird of the United States. The Falconer shared some interesting facts about each of the birds.
Check out the giant talons on this Bald Eagle! These birds can weigh up to 12 lbs and can lift and carry up to 5 lbs. But don't panic dog moms! Although they'll eat small mammals, a Bald Eagle's primary diet is fish.
 |
| Closeup of a Bald Eagle's talons |
Red Tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls, however, have been known to attack cats and dogs weighing well over 6 lbs. Both of these predators are common on Long Island, so needless to say I keep a close eye on little Phoebe.
I wasn't that clear on the connection between these birds and Scottish culture, but I do know that Kestrels and Golden Eagles can be found in Scotland. Oh well, it's a festival and these wild creatures were beautiful to behold! Most of the birds they had on display were rescued birds, but not all of them.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about our day at the Scottish Festival and all the sweet dogs and beautiful birds we saw there. Please leave us a comment and let us know if you enjoyed this post. We always love hearing your thoughts!
Here's a fun Flashback photo of Icy when she was less than a year old. Look how big her ears were LOL! As she got older, she lost the beautiful markings around her eyes which looked like a mask. I always thought they made her look a bit mean, but of course she's the sweetest girl! I'm jumping on the Flashback Friday blog hop with this photo of Icy:
I wasn't that clear on the connection between these birds and Scottish culture, but I do know that Kestrels and Golden Eagles can be found in Scotland. Oh well, it's a festival and these wild creatures were beautiful to behold! Most of the birds they had on display were rescued birds, but not all of them.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about our day at the Scottish Festival and all the sweet dogs and beautiful birds we saw there. Please leave us a comment and let us know if you enjoyed this post. We always love hearing your thoughts!
Here's a fun Flashback photo of Icy when she was less than a year old. Look how big her ears were LOL! As she got older, she lost the beautiful markings around her eyes which looked like a mask. I always thought they made her look a bit mean, but of course she's the sweetest girl! I'm jumping on the Flashback Friday blog hop with this photo of Icy:
 |
| Icy as a puppy. Look how giant her ears are LOL! |
JOIN US ON THE FLASHBACK FRIDAY BLOG HOP, HOSTED BY DOROTHY WILLS-RAFTERY OF FIVE SIBES!!
