In memory of Eugenia Feodorovna Dezor

 

Eugenia Feodorovna Dezor

Elena Nikolaevna Makkonen who personally knew Eugenia Feodorovna Dezor wrote this in memory of her friend. She has agreed to have it published in the Borzoi Encyclopedia.

Eugenia was born on August 29 in 1903. She was the eldest daughter in a family who descended from scientists and explorers.  Her father, a chemist-engineer in textile production, was invited to work in Russia. With him came his family of wife and two daughters. They were baptized orthodox and adopted Russian citizenship.

 

Eugenia Feodorovna was married at the age of only 17 to Vladimir Fjusno.

Fjusno was engaged in catching and delivering wild animals to zoological gardens in Europe. He was also the owner of Borzois, which was very rare in the years after the revolution as many were killed during and after the revolution, considered part of the legacy of the Tzars Regime.

After the Revolution, the Imperial Kennel Gatchina were abolished, and dogs and horses were sold, mainly overseas. 14 of the dogs were taken by Konstantin Haritonovichem Matveyev, who then worked at the administration of hunting, and two of these, Uhod and Tchaika came to stay in the zoo in a cage called “Traces of the past”. Georgij Pavlovich Kartsov who knew about borzoi was able to establish the origin of these two Borzoi as coming from Gatchina.

 

At that time, Eugenia and her husband lived at the Divenskaia Street,where they had 9 dogs. From the name of the street they formed the kennel name, “Divenskaia”, known to all lovers of the breed. In about 1923, a handful of enthusiasts, including the Fjusnos, formed a Borzoi section within the already existing Petrograd Canine Society. /

Vladimir Fjusno was arrested and was shot as “enemy of the People” in the first wave of victims of the “Red Terror”. Eugenia Feodorovna was left alone with her little daughter, Inna Wladimirovna and the dogs.

She soon married a descendant of an aristocratic family, Stepan Alexandrovich Obyljaninov, but kept her maiden name: Dezor

Saratov 1936

In a report from Leningrad 1934 dog show, the judge, N.A. Sumarokova, among 27 Borzoi, presented at the exhibition mentioned Armavir Divenskij, born. 26.05.1929, owned and bred by Eugenia Feodorovna Dezor.

Armavir

At this time, early 1930-1934 a change in the attitude to dogs from the authorities became evident. The state needed money and dogs could generate income because of the potential profitability of exports, as well as their use for hunting.

As a consequence of appeals from the most prestigious “dog-people”  of the time, such as N A Sumarokova and N.N. Tchelischev, to the RSFSR government, the creation of breeding kennels for Pedigree dogs and horses was decided and in1936, kennels was created in several places, also in Saratov and Balandinski (later Engels).

In 1936 Eugenia Feodorovna and her family was deported to Saratov, they had to leave with only short notice with all their dogs. After arrival both Eugenia Feodorovna and her husband was arrested. The borzois, she brought with her, went in to the Saratov Kennel . Where the daughter Inna Vladimirovna lived during this time is not known, most possibly in an orphanage.

Saratov

Eugenia Feodorovna was released but her husband, Stepan Obyljaninov was kept in Saratov Prison and later shot and killed. She rushed to rescue her dogs from the kennel. Eugenia Feodorovna later told her friend Elena Makkonen, that when she left empty handed from the kennel, she could hear her borzoi screaming.

After being released from prison life was difficult. It was impossible to find a job. Her daughter, Inna Vladimirovna was classed as “Enemy of the People” and was not allowed to study or get a professional occupation but managed to work as an unskilled house painter. Eventually Inna got married and went to live in Kazakhstan.

Eugenia Feodorovna met a man who worked in the police, he helped her to find employment as typist which helped significantly. He became the third husband of Eugenia Feodorovna, with whom she lived until the end of his life.

Later she was contracted to work in Balandini, (Engels) in the borzoi kennels.  Dogs chosen to be bred from were selected according to skills shown in trials. The judges was well known and respected people like Vera Konstantinova Amelung, Boris Nikolaevich Armand and Nina Alexandrovna Sumarokova.

Show

In 1948, Eugenia Feodorovna returned to Leningrad. In the catalogue states that she was chairman of the Commission of the 14th exhibition of hunting dog.

The catalogue also tells that she was the assistant to judge John Lem in the ring for Gordon Setters.

In addition, this exhibition awarded a prize to best secondary male Dezor F.e. Age bracket. But soon called PCIA Dezor.

Raketa

In 1949, she was still not rehabilitated, and had to leave Leningrad and go back to Engels. It was not until 1956 after rehabilitation that Eugenia Feodorovna and her husband could return to Leningrad.

Earlier borzoi bred by Mrs. Dezor was named by the kennel name, Divenskaja. established by Mrs Dezor and her husband, Vladimir Fjusno. 

After her rehabilitation and return to Leningrad, it changed and the dogs was named using Dezor as owner.

Leningrad

The couple settled in Leningrad and in 1959 when the kennel in Engels was closed she had her grown borzoi back, Schalost, Volga and three young dogs Metelj, Grozna and Raketa, as well as some puppies.Metelj, Grozna, Shalost and two puppies were acquired by the organization, LOOOiR (Leningrad Society of hunters and fishers) to recreate the race. Raketa belonged to Dezor, other dogs were distributed to Borzoi lovers in Leningrad.  Revival of the breed began at this time with LOOOiR and President of borzoi section Eugenia Feodorovna. She held the post as president until her death.

The borzoi in Leningrad was at this time the best in the country. From 1959 each year till 1975, Eugenia Feodorovna was present at the Exhibitions for hunting and decorative dogs.

In 1963 she became an expert of the Russian dog category and President of the Commission for Borzoi and Scottish Setters.

In the catalogue from LOOOiR 1977, Eugenia Feodorovna Dezor, President of the Commission for Borzoi was named an All-Union Expert. She was elected honorary member of the “Russkaja psovja barzaja” and was awarded a silver medal by VDNH for the preservation and development of the Borzoi race in Russia.

Desor

Eugenia Feodorovna had retained a large archive containing information on the Leningrad Society of hunters. Unfortunately, after her death in November 1981 a major part of the archives was lost. Iya Fedorovna Klimcova, with the permission of Eugenia Feodorovna’s relatives, took a large amount of material to work on. Some of the material, (specially selected by Eugenia Feodorovna) was given to the famous borzoi breeder in Moscow, Igor Borisovich Solovyev. The rest, much of the information about the origin of her borzoi kennel disappeared without a trace.

At the 10th anniversary of her dead a prize was set up in honor  of Eugenia Feodorovna Dezor for the work she did for the borzoi in Leningrad and in Russia. The prize was set on the initiative of the Chairman of the borzoi section, Balinah HP.

 

Eugenia Feodorovna Dezor 1903 – 1981

 

 

Year of Event:

1991

Country:

Russia

Personal Collections:

 

Source:

Author:

Arvid Andersen

Dogs:

 

Persons: