As is known, Count Mengden was one of the few Russian breeders of Borzois, who, after the revolution, emigrated to France and continued to engage in dog breeding there. He has repeatedly judged at exhibitions. An interesting proof for Count Mengdens great interest in Borzois, during his time in France, is illustrated with the photo below. From a demonstration of Borzois, with help from Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevitch in France. All arranged by Count Mengden.
A Borzoi Event, “Group of Sworas” in France 1927.
Count Mengden was also engaged in training hunting dogs in France (advertisement from 1922).
Advert in French Newspaper
In a Russian book (his sister’s memoirs) it is mentioned that Dmitri Mengden already in Russia had a talent for training animals.
In the magazine “De Nederlandsche Hondensport” on August 20, 1921, his article (report)about the exhibition in Brussels, was published. Probably his original report was in French. In the translation (in the Dutch text) there are some words that cause doubt or misunderstandings – for example, it is often written about “length of the legs” (been), but its hard to understand what exactly is meant (tarsus, knee, ??) In addition; The text is translated using Google translate, so don’t be too harsh on it.
It was interesting to see that Count Mengden (as he wrote), evaluated the dogs “according to the rules of Russia”, his “estimates” were rather modest, even for the champion Almadin Nikolskoi only “a small bronze medal”…To make it easier to read and understand, I will add a photo of the dog (if I have one)/Andrus Kozlov
“De Nederlandsche Hondensport” 20-08-1921 Russian Borzois in Brussels – Report of Judge Count Mengden
The Société Royale Saint Hubert exhibition in Brussels made the greatest impression on me. In addition to the significant number of Borzois. I was struck by the enthusiasm of such Borzoi lovers as Mr. and Mrs. Beernaerts (du Zwaenhoek) and Mr. and Mrs. Van den Berkhof (Bessberkś) Undoubtedly, such enthusiasts will soon be able to improve the breed of Borzois abroad at the expense of well-chosen sires with Pershino blood. And we, Russian hunters who have lost all our dogs in Russia, will be infinitely grateful for the desire to preserve this magnificent breed. I will follow the description of the prize-winning Borzois and, to more clearly show the Russian standard of examination, I will mention the prizes the dogs are said to have received in Russia.
“Volga du Nord”, ow. Mrs. Beernaerts immediately stands out from all his competitors: despite his age, he is still well-preserved and very muscular. His only fault is that his head is heavy and the hair on the skull is slightly wavy – a large silver medal.
Ajax v Sachsenwald
“Ajax vom Sachsenwald”, owner of Mrs. Van den Berkhof, despite being of a not very classic black color for Borzois, a dog with a typical but not sufficiently dry head, lacks muscle mass and lacks forelimbs: toes too long and not tight enough adjacent to each other; the tail is too short. His black color is not dangerous for breeding, because his offspring has a different color, such as Mrs. Beernaerts “Maslowa du Zwaenhoek,” bitch, who could compete in appearance with the best Pershinsky bitches – a small silver medal.
Poi Iwanoff
Treu
Maslova du Zwaenhoek
Poi Iwanoff”, owner, Mr. Van Essen, large male, back with top, hind legs not long enough, beautiful eyes, like “a fleur de téte” (an expression that is difficult to translate correctly, “an ornament in the head”, is the closest) the head is not good, the skull is heavy, the ears are set too low, the tail is tilted to the right – a large bronze medal. Treu, owner. Mrs. Lawlor, very refined, good head, good eye, good back, toes closed and short, tail not long enough, and hindquarters feet too short – Small silver medal.
Ch Almadin Nikolskoi
“Champion Almadin Nikolskoi”, owner of Van den Berkhof, thoroughbred, with a good head, not enough dark eyes, low-set ears, straight back, which is a disadvantage for a male, no muscles, bad twisted tail – small bronze medal.
Iwan Moscowa
“Iwan Moskowa“, owner Countess van Bylandt, thoroughbred, with a good eye, but the toes is too short and pointed, the front legs are too straight – small bronze medal.
Planja Pascholl
Bessberk´s Annuschka
Planja Pascholl‘, owner Mrs.Van den Berkhof, very large bitch with beautiful eyes, like ‘a fleur de tête’, good head, good tail too, but lacking back and too long toes – big silver medal .
Braila Pascholl
“Braila Pascholl“, owner Mrs. Beernaerts, muscular, with a good back, toes too long, eyes too small, ears set too low, tail turned sideways – small silver medal.
“Wonja Pascholl“, owner of Van Essen, muscular bitch with very good broad back, hind legs too short muscular bitch with very good width, flat back, on the other hand, her hind legs are too short, ears are not good – small silver medal.
Bessberk’s Annuschka, owner Mrs. Beernaerts, good bitch, the head is small and thin, but not long enough, a beautiful dark eye, hind legs of sufficient length, the back is too arched, the tail is turned to the side – a small silver medal. “Blanda Achotnik”, Mr. Bamberg, pretty good head, toes too long, eye too light, tail carried sideways when moving – big bronze medal.
After the show, Mr. and Mrs. Beernaerts kindly invited me to visit their kennel. It is well organized with all the rules of hygiene and impeccable order. The only comment I would like to make, if it can be, is that due to too little space, the dogs do not get enough training, which inevitably leads to the fact that the muscles suffer. At the exhibition, this was noticeable in almost all dogs, with rare exceptions. Another common mistake is weakness in the toes. This is because most dogs stick to sandy soil, so the toes are not strong enough and tend to move apart. I will end by saying that I have so often told Borzoi enthusiasts that in order to preserve and improve the breed, the dogs must first be trained, either by hunting or coursing. Otherwise, the muscles dry out completely, and the Borzoi turns into a dog that can only be used for walking in the forest.
