The Borzoi In Western Europe (Part 2)

 

The Borzoi In Western Europe

Part II

Link to Part 3

By Ursula-Vera Trueb, Malleray [Switzerland]

Translated from “Der Windhundfreund”#131, February 1983 by Jean Vandongen

In 1909, another line was added to all the fine imports into Germany that in the beginning was hardly noticed, yet it was destined to give the entire breeding of borzoi a new rise. Unfortunately, it was also destined to be the cause of a controversy which lasted for decades.

One of the last imports before World War I was a certain Vigow von der Moritzburg from Kiev, father and mother unknown. The whole appearance of this male was proof that he was a 100% well bred borzoi. The specialist Losslin described him as follows: “Vigow von der Moritzburg. A silver-grey male, tall, short coupled, deep in chest with faultless front and hindquarters, coat thick and curly. His head was most attractive, it appeared out of a curly neck like an eagle’s head, it was dry without any flesh or unevenness in the bone structure; seen from the side it was high, and at the spot where our borzoi have a hollow spot in the nose, his was arched.”

It was unbelievable that this borzoi Vigow was not used for more breeding. One person seemed to have had an eye for his value — Richard Dix, Weimar, owner of the kennel Bielaja. He bred his bitch Marza [Steinach] DWZ638 to Vigow. This resulted in two males and two bitches; from these the all black Chack Bielaja was destined to bcome a world famous and sought after stud dog.

The 1st World War was a very difficult time for the West-European borzoi breeders. Many good males were lost, but the best ones were saved. The before-mentioned A. Nikolskoi dogs from the union of Asmodey ex Ptitschka found refuge in the kennel Bessberk of Mr. van den Berkhof in Holland. [note from translator: Bessberk was derived from Mrs. Von BESSel, who had the A-Nikolskoi litter, and Mr. van den BERKhof, who raised them in Holland] There they were dutifully cherished and nursed; this precious inheritance was preserved through careful, planned breeding. As an example, we have to mention Bessberk’s “B” litter from a brother/sister breeding [Ch. Almadin Nikolskoi DWZ829 ex Ch. Arsinoe Nikolskoi DWZ831]. Bessberk’s Bran, Bytschok, Bronka and Bloschka were all white with red markings. All of these dogs we find later on as ancestors of the entire borzoi breed, bred before the 2nd World War in Germany.

Almadin

When the disorders of the War had ended, van den Berkhof returned the offspring of Asmodey and Ptitschka to their German breeder with a generous gesture. This gesture would be the beginning of working very close together between Dutch and German borzoi breeders, which lasted for many years, and which influenced favorably the entire European borzoi breeding.

When we think about it, that in the period after the 1st World War the German borzoi breeding for the most part was founded on direct offspring of the male Ch. Asmodey Perchino and Chack Bielaja, as well as the bitch Ptitschka Perchino, we can only be amazed about the vitality and health of these lines. For decades the closest line- and inbreeding was done with this foundation, without deterioration of the quality of the offspring. On the contrary! The basic breeding of all these uncomparable animals that lasted until the 2nd World War, came together as follows:

ASMODEY NIKOLSKOI [d] was bred to:

·         Butterfly Ural, 3 in litter

·         Kara Frisia , 7 in litter

·         Vaska v. Federsee , 9 in litter

·         Zaza v. Bayrischen Wall,  9 in litter

·         Troika v. Gessenberg, 5 in litter

·         Carina Bielaja [daughter of Asmodey ex Butterfly], 5 in litter

ALMADIN NIKOLSKOI [d]was bred to:

·         Arsinoe Nikolskoi, 4 in litter

·         Planja Pascholl, 7 in litter

·         Isma Beresina, 2 in litter

·         Cresta v. Sachsenwald, 2 in litter

·         Draga Hassia, 7 in litter

·         Astra Sinjawa, 1 in litter

·         Kara Frisia, 3 in litter

·         Blanca Achotnik, 1 in litter

ALIASKA NIKOLSKOI [b] was bred to:

·         Ajax v. Sachsenwald, 7 in litter

·         Volga du Nord, 1 in litter

·         Boldareff du Zwaenhoek, 2 in litter

husdent

From these second generation direct offspring of Asmodey and Ptitschka Perchino, these four – Element v. Sachsenwald, Cresta’s Husdent, Bessberk’s Ajax and Bessberk’s Freude – can be marked as the real foundation of the German and European borzoi breeding in the time between the two World Wars.It is difficult and not right to put one name of the many excellent borzoi breedings all formed as first class dogs in front of the other, because every one of them contributed his or her part for the improvement of the quality of the German-bred borzoi. And it is also impossible to waive one selection. As an excuse is solely the fact that the entire breedings at that time were built on the same bloodlines. We will [and have to] limit ourselves to names that are still known nowadays: Ural, v. Sachsenwald, Bielaja, Pascholl [later Frisia-Pascholl], Windsbraut [formerly Cresta], Rasswet, Wergei and v. Silberhof.

URAL [Dr. Wegener]

clou

After World War I and the death of her husband, Mrs. Wegener continued the mutually started work, and it is thanks to her that the available bloodlines were not only preserved but, with a lot of knowledge and very much experience, were brought to the highest point of perfectness. The story of Ural breeding takes up almost forty years. The first litter was registered in 1902, the last in 1941. Among the many excellent Ural borzoi that were known inbetween the two World Wars, we will only mention two names —two dogs who influenced the entire breeding on a large scale: Ch. Clou Ural and International Ch. Amurat Aless Ural.

Clou Ural immediately brought two new bloodlines into Germany via his sire, Lasky du Zwaenhoek, who was by American -bred Ch. Asmodey O’Valley Farm out of Ch. Wartha du Nord. His dam was Ariadne Ural, by Bessburk’s Heyduck out of Ptitschka Bielaja. His pedigree tells more than I can:

clou ural pedigree

In a report from Wilh. Muller, we can read what kind of a borzoi Clou Ural was: “Clou Ural received in 1932 under Van de Berkhof the Championship. He was an exact classical Perchino dog, from whose head we could say he had the lines that Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievitch wanted to see in his breeding. A tall-caliber dog, not at all too tall, but with strong dimensions, heavy enough to master a wolf.” Further on, the excellent characteristics of Clou Ural were described

The name Clou Ural we see in numerous pedigrees, especially, from his son Wladislaw Monasterium in pedigrees of the Wergei borzoi.

amurat aless

But most influential for the entire European breeding was without a doubt the beautiful Amurat Aless Ural. The following list shows us the concentration of the original bloodline by using this male. International Ch. Amurat Aless Ural [Bessberk’s Heiduch ex Ptitschka Bielaja] was bred to the following bitches and was the sire of the following litters:

Descendants chart

So, we have a total of 98 direct offspring, who all contributed to keep the German and European borzoi breeding on the right road and to bring the breeding to a climax. The 2nd World War unfortunately became its end, however.

BIELAJA [Richard Dix]

Although only started shortly before the 1st World War, the Bielaja kennel lived through the hard times, perhaps thanks to the success of the male Chack Bielaja who, during and especially after the War, had become the “fashion” with the breeders. The all black Chack not only influenced the Germans, but the entire borzoi breeding in Western Europe – and America – and usually in the right manner.

In later years, rivers of ink were wasted inexplicably in order to try to ruin the breeding value of the male Chack, a value which was already proven by his offspring. As an example, we mention the absolute unfounded accusation that the forbidden “black and tan” had come into the breeding through the black dog.  The” black and tan” was said to be an inflow of unclear blood in the type, which was a wrong opinion.  In reality, the black male only produced intensive pigmentation as well as black dogs and grey ones and snow white ones. The unacceptable sign [I know it from the Dobermans] came from Ch. Asmodey Perchino, who inherited it from his famous father, Armawir Perchino. This description also exists in red- and grey-coated dogs, and also in the wolf.

Chack

What we do thank Chack for are well angulated and well placed hindquarters. Without his good influence it soon would have been possible, because of the very close linebreeding of Ch. Asmodey Perchino, that we would have had straight and straighter hindquarters – which is a major fault – more so than a loved or unloved color sample, because the hindquarters are the ‘motor’ that determines the performance and ability of the body.

On this occasion, we must also remember the inner qualities of Chack Bielaja: the appearance alone does not make a real borzoi. In an article by Joh. Rickmeyer we read: “He, Chack, is an excellent jumper, who jumped 1.80 meters in competition in Hamburg. He is an excellent runner, who won the performance in the field, such as we can only expect from Russian hunting borzoi. Chack hunted the hare with passion and skill.”

At the special Show of the Borzoi Club on March 21 & 22, 1924, Chack placed 2nd at eleven years of age, something that nobody will copy easily.

The Bielaja breeding was built carefully on the following three lines:

·         The old import inheritance before the War which, as we saw, did not differ much from the new blood;

·         Chack Bielaja, whose mass of inheritance were Russian and English lines;

·         Ch. Asmodey Perchino

The Bielaja borzoi type, especially their beautifully long, narrow, finely chiseled heads, we find mostly in offspring of the kennels v. Silberhof, Rasswet, and the early vom Bergland. Add to that the friendly, slightly sad expression of the face which, undoubtedly when it is seen, goes back through Silberhof ancestors to Bielaja dogs.

The last litter of this kennel was registered in 1932.

 

To be continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year of Event:

1983

Country:

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Source:

 

Author:

Sue Vasick

Dogs:

 

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