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About me

I hope to share our passion for the majestic Deerhound breed by using the years of experience and being lucky in finding the perfect Deerhound couple, that fully exhibit the gentle, dignified, polite characteristics of the breed’s personality and pass on the athletic, coursing ability of the sighthound.

Gary Boyce
Founder of Iliboy Dëorhund Kennel
G.Boyce-2016

Back to 2017

In 2017, I attained my first Deerhound, Ch. Moka of Muma. Instantly, I fell in love with the stability of the breed and their peaceable character. Knowing when to be sight-hound and when to be a devoted companion, lying beside your side.

The next big step

In 2019, Antonius Vertragus Orchidée came into our lives. This sweet girl is the epitome of Deerhound elegance. Soon to be a champion in the Netherlands, she is well mannered, devoted, and affectionate. A delightful lady…

Decision was made, I started a kennel...

After a long relationship with various dog breeds ranging from Borzoi to French Bulldogs, Great Danes to Wired-haired Fox Terriers and Napolitan Mastinos, I had to the conclusion that the Deerhound was the breed for me- Elegant as a Borzoi, as playful as a Fox Terrier and as trustworthy as a  Dane or Mastino- I was and am hooked…

Ch. Moka of Muma

Antonius Vertragus Orchidée

What's in a name?

The kennel name Iliboy Dëorhund is a combination if things close to my heart.

Iliboy is a combination of our (my husband and myself) surnames to form iliboy. As a linguist, I liked the idea that the Scottish Deerhound breed rooted in the linguistic period known as Old English stems from the period between Anglo-Saxons and up to the end of Scottish clannism. Old English is the language of the Anglo-Saxons (up to about 1150), a highly inflected language with a largely Germanic vocabulary.

I looked for the Old English translation for Deerhound and found the modern English translation Hrânhund (a literal translation).

My first thought was, oh my goodness-how would people be able to pronounce this who did not study linguistics?

With further research, I found the term Dëorhund. And thought this was close enough to the modern Deerhound in terms of phonetic quality and meaning. Hence, Iliboy Deerhound Kennel was born.

The future looks great!

My desire is to become a breeder who exhibits passion to create Deerhounds that fit the bill. The future looks great, as the knowledge base is clear and the volition to partner with this wonderful breed is strong and coherent.