Maida (dog)

---

title: "Maida (dog)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["walter-scott", "1813-animal-births", "1824-animal-deaths", "individual-dogs-in-the-united-kingdom"] description: "Dog owned by Sir Walter Scott" topic_path: "people/1810s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maida_(dog)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Dog owned by Sir Walter Scott ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox animal"]

Field	Value
name	Maida
image	Scott Monument Statue 3 (cropped).jpg
image_upright	yes
alt
caption	Maida depicted on the Sir Walter Scott statue designed by John Steell, located inside the Scott Monument
breed	Pyrenean Wolfdog and a Highland Deerhound crossbreed
gender	male
birth_date
birth_place
death_date
nationality
owner	Sir Walter Scott
namedafter	Battle of Maida
::

| name = Maida | image = Scott Monument Statue 3 (cropped).jpg | image_upright = yes | alt = | caption = Maida depicted on the Sir Walter Scott statue designed by John Steell, located inside the Scott Monument | othername = | species = | breed =Pyrenean Wolfdog and a Highland Deerhound crossbreed | gender = male | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | nationality = | occupation = | employer = | role = | years_active = | known_for = | tricks = | awards = | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | owner = Sir Walter Scott | residence = | parents = | mate = | children = | weight = | height = | appearance = | namedafter = Battle of Maida | module = | module2 = | module3 = | module4 = | module5 = | website = | footnotes = Maida (1813–1824) was one of the many dogs belonging to Sir Walter Scott. Sometimes called a Deerhound, Maida was a crossbreed from a Pyrenean Wolfdog and a Highland Deerhound, and was reported to be his favourite dog. The animal was named after the Battle of Maida, which took place in 1806, and was a gift from Alexander Macdonell of Glengarry (Alexander Ranaldson Macdonell), a friend of Scott, and whose brother led the 78th Highlanders in the battle, a victory for the British against the French in the Napoleonic Wars.

Scott wrote to his son Charles that "Old Maida died suddenly in his straw last week, after a good supper, which, considering his weak state, was rather a deliverance; he is buried below his monument, on which the following epitaph is engraved in Latin [Maidae marmorea dormis sub imagine Maida / Ante fores domini sit tibi terra levis], thus Englished by an eminent hand : - :'Beneath the sculptured form which late you bore, :Sleep soundly Maida at your master's door.'"

The monument mentioned is a statue of the dog at the hall door of Scott's home, Abbotsford House.

A statue of Scott at the Scott Monument in Edinburgh includes Maida gazing up at the seated figure. William Allan painted "Sir Walter Scott with His Dog 'Maida'" in 1831. Alexander Nasmyth painted the dog alone.

The part of Scott's statue in Perth featuring Maida was stolen, for a second time, in 2020.

Gallery

File:England and Scotland 217.jpg|Statue of Scott and Maida at the South Inch, Perth, Scotland, dating to 1845 File:Sir Walter Scotts Favourite Dog, Maida (3084038507).jpg|Sculpture of Maida

References

References

1. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.221137/page/n307 Graham p231]
2. [[Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable]]
3. [http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/landseer-a-scene-at-abbotsford-n01532 Landseer's painting of Maida and a Deerhound]
4. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_cC6FoV8cND4C/page/84/mode/2up Thomas Brown's written portrait of Maida]
5. "Sir Walter Scott's dog, Maida". Edinburgh City of Literature.
6. (1854). "Abbotsford and Sir Walter Scott". Mabbott and Co..
7. "Scott Monument: About". Edinburgh Museums and Galleries.
8. "Sir Walter Scott in His Study with His Dog 'Maida'". [[Art UK]].
9. "Alexander Nasmyth (Edinburgh 1758-1840) Maida, Sir Walter Scott's Dog 22 x 27 cm. (8 11/16 x 10 5/8 in.)". [[Bonhams]].
10. [https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/perth-kinross/1422800/police-hunt-as-sir-walter-scotts-faithful-hound-goes-walkies-in-perth/ "Police hunt as Sir Walter Scott’s faithful hound goes walkies in Perth"] - ''The Courier'', 6 July 2020

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