The Beautiful and Elegant Borzoi
As a child growing up, I remember scouring the pages of my dog breed books and memorizing every detail of every single AKC breed and falling in love with each and every one of them. This was at the age when my goal in life was to own one of each. A little bit of an unrealistic expectation of how much ownership of dogs cost and how much time one actually has as an adult. One of the breeds I instantly fell in love with was the Borzoi. To my young and innocent eyes, it reminded me so much of my all time favorite breeds, the Collie which we raised and bred. Years have passed and I am still in love with beautiful and elegant breed.
Borzoi's, also known as a Russian Wolfhound, are an intelligent, independent, gentle and athletic breed. This ancient breed was developed in the sixteenth century. Their similarities to the Greyhound are due to the fact that they descended from the Arabian Greyhound and a collie like Russian Sheepdog. In modern Russian they are known as Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya which is essentially "fast, wavy-haired dog". They can run an incredible 35-40 mph, and were developed to pursue wolves. With all of that speed, they are actually a very calm breed.
Interestingly, for centuries you were not able to purchase this incredible breed. They were popular with the Tsars and you could only receive them as a gift from one. They became almost extinct during the Russian Revolution as they were killed on mass because of their association with the aristocracy. By the 1940's there were only a small number left. What a horrible loss that would have been
Mikhail Baryshnikov
I met "Mik" and Andy at a beautiful and quiet museum in Ellsworth Maine. I had been over the top excited to finally meet a Borzoi live and in the flesh. I was not disappointed. Andy opened her van and my fan-girl heart was lost. She let out two tremendous boys for a walk around the yard and I just stared in awe at their beauty. I could not wait to get started on our session. I like to give each person a few minutes, to get their dogs used to a new environment, relax, and potty. This gives both owner and dog a chance to get to know me and get comfortable before I pull out my camera. They both came right out of the vehicle and greeted me without a moments hesitation and much enthusiasm. I just wanted to hug them. They could easily jump up and reach my face, so I waited.
I asked Andy about her experience with the breed and she said she was in love. She immediately looked for a second after getting the first and would be getting a third later this year. She said they are beautiful and elegant and incredible to watch on the outside and couch potatoes on the inside. They are very quiet, in fact don't bark and very friendly with everyone they meet. I can attest to that as I hugged "Mike" multiple times during our session because I just could not help myself, and he eagerly obliged.
Accomplishments
"Mik" is not just another pretty face, he is a UKC and AKC champion. Meaning he has won multiple conformation classes from multiple judges. In other words, I wasn't the only one who thought he was perfection to look at. He uses his athleticism to compete in Lure Coursing and Fast CAT. Fast CAT (Coursing Ability Test) is a timed event where the dog runs a strait shot of 100 yards chasing a lure. Coursing involves the dogs chasing a lure through a 600-800 yard course that simulates the zig-zag pattern of a rabbit. He has multiple titles in this competition. He also has his CGC and BIMBS (UKC best in multiple breed show).
To sum up, "Mik" was pretty to look at, a great athlete, and a gentleman. So basically, perfection.
I finally met a Borzoi, a lifelong dream. I can honestly say, not only was I not disappointed but I am now more in love with them than ever.
