Signe and Axel Hallqvist started their breeding of Borzois-“Russian Wolfhounds” in 1948. They lived in Arendal, just outside Gothenburg at the time and had aquired the female Bonnens Roity, sister of the more famous Ch-siblings Bonnens Fedja and Raija. This litter of kennel Bonnens brought together all the famous names from kennels as Perchino, Ramsden, Addlestone, Ural, Hassia, and Wergei, which had formed the Swedish line.
Ch Ekhaga Jana
Roity, that was white with black spots (sorry, no photo) was mated to HeimerbergsTzarewitch, a male who was linebred on Int Ch Wladislaw Monasterium. Wladislaw went in his turn back on German Wergei-kennel. This mating was in 1948, and it resulted in the two Champions, Ekhaga Petrow and Jana.
Ch Ekhaga Czarina
Tzarewitch-Roity had a second litter in 1949, which also produced two Ch-s, Ekhaga Czarina and Nadja. Roity then had a third litter, after a son of Heimebergs Tzarewitch, Koschaj. This litter resulted among else in Ch Ekhaga Olga.
Ch Ekhaga Olga
Ch Ekhaga Irina
Ekhaga Roity
The next litter at kennel Ekhaga was a full sibling mating between Petrow- Czarina. This gave one Ch, Ekhaga Irina but also two sisters, Ekhaga Roity and Kismeth Dascenca, the later foundation for the Stockholm located kennel Tichij Don. Kismeth was mated to the German import, Czarewitsch v d Solitude and became mother of three succesful and very influential males, Int Ch Tichij Don Igor, Int Ch Tichij Don Towaritsch Ruski and Tichij Don Boris.Roity came to be mated with a male from another Stockholm kennel, Ch Odessas Boris a son of the English import Ch Achilles of Woodcourt. (He was imported by well-known Sighthound judge Marianne Furst-Danielsson, but were later sold to Helga Wiklund‘s Trolliden kennel). The mother of Boris was Nord Ch Zinja, she carried the same Swedish blood lines that were concentrated in Roity.
BIS-winning Breeding group, from left, all Ch-s from left, Ekhaga Sirocko, Gaselle, Rimski, Nikolai, Gordi & their mother Ekhaga Roity.
The combination of Odessa Boris-Ekhaga Roity, born in 1957, was very successful, resulted in five Ch-s, Rimski, Gordi, Nikolai, Sirocko and the single female Gaselle. Noticeable is that Ekhaga Gordi at a show in Gothenburg, was labelled “An excellent Borzoi of Yermoloff type” by judge Han Jungeling, Holland.
Ch Ekhaga Gordi
Ekhaga Nikolai (exported to Norway)
These five littermates were at one point BIS breeders group at SKK Gothenburg. Rimski and Gaselle remained at Ekhaga and came to be of great importance for the Swedish Borzoibreeding. Also Nikolai were used in breeding, in the Norwegian Kennel Frimodts, but this line died out.
Ch Ekhaga Rimski
Ch Ekhaga Gaselle
Ch Sadia of Whitelilies
Nordic Ch Ekhaga Dan
Ekhaga Rimski was used by kennel Borelands for a litter from the English import Ch Sadia of Whitelilies. One of the puppies in this litter, Borelands Petrov, came to have a major role in Ekhagas further breeding.
Littersisters Ekhaga Carmen & Raija, at one year of age, from a show in Gothenburg 1963
So did Ch Sadia of Whitelilies, which after a couple of litters at Borelands was transfered in to Ekhagas possession. She also here had a litter after Rimski, which gave Nordic Ch Ekhaga Dan and Ch Ekhaga Irja. Irja came to play an important role in the future, through a litter with Igorof Ialmar, in which kennel Don-Cosackens first Borzoi, Int Ch Zero was produced and also Int Ch Capella, owned by PO Jönsson
Rimskis sister Gaselle had at least three litters at Ekhaga, all by Borelands Petrov, a line breeding on the combination Odessa Boris-Ekhaga Roity. In the first of these litters, born in 1962 were seven puppies, four of them became Ch-s. Int Ch Ekhaga Raija was the most successful. (She eventually was loaned for a litter at Ekhaga, mated to her father Borelands Petrov, a fairly advanced inbreeding. There were two puppies, one of them, Ch Ekhaga Tatijana was shown.)The three others who recieved their titles, Don, Katja and Carmen left no trace in the breed, but worth noticing is that Ch Ekhaga Carmen became this articles author entry in to the Borzoiworld.
Int & Nordic Ch Ekhaga Nikolaus
When the combination Borelands Petrov-Ch Ekhaga Gaselle was repeated in 1965 it contained two males that both became of great importance. One of them, Int Ch Ekhaga Nikolaus, was owned by Monika Wall, kennel Tzar. He was frequently shown and became a big winner throughout the Nordic countries. He was also used in breeding, with several litters, both in Sweden and Finland, and his name is still to be found in pedigrees worldwide.
Ekhaga Nikolaus
Three Ch-s, Ekhaga Gaselle, Rimski & Sadia of Whitelilies
Worth mentioning in this context is the only Borzoi litter breed by world famous Afghan kennel El Khyrias. It was a pure line breeding on the above mentioned Ekhaga combination, where the siblings Nikolaus and Ekhaga Bijou was to be found in the second generation. There were three Champions in this litter, two of them went on into breeding, Nord Ch El Khyrias Vaskresenja became foundationbitch for the Majorows kennel and her brother Ch El Khyrias Maltchik was used by Tichij Don and went on through Ch Tovarisjtjs Polar, so that he still can be found in modern pedigrees.
Ekhaga Bijou, owned by kennel Tzar.
Ch Ekhaga Gorkij
Ch Tatijana, foundation for kennel Yermoloff
The other brother who became of importance, isn’t nearly as famous as Nicolaus. Ch Ekhaga Gorkij was more sparsely shown and in breeding only used by his owner, Inga Gullquist whom, without kennel name breed two litters in a pure Ekhagakombination Ch Ekhaga Gorkij- Ekhaga Kalinka. From the first litter the female Miroschka went into breeding. She was purchased by Steve Little from Canada who eventually settled in Switzerland and started his kennel, Northland Hounds with a litter after Mirioschka. In the second litter at Gullqvists was Ch Tatijana born. She became foundationbitch for kennel Yermoloff, where she had two litters, that are still to be found behind the kennels latest breedings.
Ekhaga Erina, foundation for kennel Murugi
Ekhaga Piroschka, foundation in kennel Murugi
During the last years of breeding, Ekhaga was based on two females, both daughters of Ch Ekhaga Rimski, Borelands Tanja and Sundhems Arista.
Tanja gave, among else, Murugis foundationbitch Ekhaga Irina and Sundhems Arista had a litter with a son of Ekhaga Nikolaus, Ch Korotai Krasivy Aleksei, which gave two important brood bitches, Ekhaga Piroschka, that produced the topwinning Podjajka for Murugi and also her brother, Chodlik, that sired kennel Yermoloffs first litter. Piroshkas sister, Ekhaga Kalinka produced the earlier mentioned two litters for Inga Gullqvist
Kennel Ekhagas last Champion was Int Ch Ekhaga Saritza, owned by kennel Dalom. She left unfortunately no puppies
Int & Nordic Ch Ekhaga Saritza.
Difficult to briefly summarise Ekhagas breeder’s deed. One can only note that they, during their more than 20 years with Borzoi constantly produced Borzoi of high quality, and it is doubtful whether the “Swedish line” would have survived without the work that Signe and Axel Hallqvist put down for so many years.
Signe Hallqvist, photo taken while assisting at a whelping at Yermoloff’s
