Welcome to my new blog!

Welcome to my new blog! I am Finnegan the Otterhound, one of the rarest of all the great British breeds. We are so rare that in fact we are endangered (only about 50 of us new puppies were registered in 2009). Which is a big worry, since we are the backbone of lots of other great breeds, including the Bedlington Terrier (my favourite! see me sleeping alongside Leo the Bedlington Terrier when I was just 8 weeks old). But our numbers are going up and I am one of the new Otterhounds of 2009!

We are scent hounds and, as I live in London, I thought I would call my blog "Scents and the City." I am a bit of a socialite and I love smells, so it seemed appropriate. People wonder if such a big dog can live in the city. But I hope I am proving that we can, as long as we have a happy home with lots of love (and lots of Leo!).

We're strong and smart and very very friendly. So once you meet one of us you can't help but fall in love.

In fact, that was my job this year at Crufts. It was my first time at Crufts. I hope to be in the ring next year! But this year, I was on the Discover Dogs stand. This was fantastic fun as I got to meet 100s and 100s of new people. I got lots of cuddles from lots of the little kids (I love kids!). Here I am greeting all the visitors to the Otterhound (there were very many indeed!). I also met lots of other Otterhounds - Chaucer, Charity and Wrangle. And lots of fans of Otterhounds.

And my Uncle Hugo came along for a bit too (Ch Keepcott Connoisseur). He is very handsome and everyone says I will grow up to be just like him.

Here we are going "head to head." He is obviously very much bigger than I am but I am doing my best to catch up.