| Maida | |
| Image Upright: | yes |
| Breed: | Pyrenean Wolfdog and a Highland Deerhound crossbreed |
| Gender: | male |
| Owner: | Sir Walter Scott |
| Namedafter: | Battle of Maida |
Maida (1813–1824)[1] was a dog belonging to Sir Walter Scott.[2] Sometimes called a Deerhound, Maida was a crossbreed from a Pyrenean Wolfdog and a Highland Deerhound,[3] and was reported to be his favourite dog.[4] 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],[5] thus Englished by an eminent hand : -
'Beneath the sculptured form which late you bore,
Sleep soundly Maida at your master's door.'"[6]
The monument mentioned is a statue of the dog at the hall door of Scott's home, Abbotsford House.[6]
A statue of Scott at the Scott Monument in Edinburgh includes Maida gazing up at the seated figure.[7] William Allan painted "Sir Walter Scott with His Dog 'Maida'" in 1831.[8] Alexander Nasmyth painted the dog alone.[9]
The part of Scott's statue in Perth featuring Maida was stolen, for a second time, in 2020.[10]