Ida Reents’s Nordseestrand kennel/ By Andrus Kozlov

 

In the 1890s and the early years of the 20th century, many Borzois imported into the

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USA from Europe originated in England. The situation changed in the 1920s, when most imports from Europe came from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and other countries. In the 1920s and 1930s, at least 30 Borzois were imported into the USA from these countries, most of them from well-known kennels whose pedigrees already included Perchino dogs.

One might have expected such a large number of imported Borzois to have influenced the development of the breed in the USA. However, by that time, American kennels, particularly O’ Valley Farm, were already operating at full capacity, and most of the Borzois imported from Europe during this period, along with their descendants, were absorbed into this much larger population.

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In their study The Modern Borzoi (2002), Rey and Yvonne McGehee cite information provided by Fred Crangle, kennel manager at O’ Valley Farm, stating that by July 1906, more than 300 Borzois bred at Valley Farm had been registered in the AKC Stud Book.
The number of puppies produced at Valley Farm was comparable to that of the Perchino kennel. These figures are based on dogs registered in the AKC Stud Book with O’ Valley Farm (OVF) listed as the breeder, and on Perchino’s records of the number of puppies present at the beginning of each year. In Perchino’s data, “young puppies” are listed separately as the second number.
· 1904: Perchino — 51 puppies; OVF — 36.
· 1905: Perchino — 51/37; OVF — 34.
· 1906: Perchino — 57/38; OVF — 49.
For comparison, the total number of Borzois registered throughout the USA was 83 in 1904, 87 in 1905, and 115 in 1906. These figures refer exclusively to dogs registered in the Stud Book.
US newspaper reported in 1913: “It is claimed that Mr. Joseph Thomas and his brother practically supplied all America with Valley Farm blood.”
In October 1929, as part of the reorganization of Valley Farm, 62 Valley Farm Borzois were registered in the name of the new owners. Of these, 55 went to the Perchina kennel, established by L. Kellogg. These figures give an idea of the scale of American kennels at the time.

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However, Borzois from lesser-known European kennels also made their way to America.

Three Borzois from Germany, from Ida Reents’s Nordseestrand kennel, were imported into the USA:
· Astor vom Nordseestrand, DWZB 1885, 929040 (Bessberk’s Ajax – Ina vom Walhall), born on 22 May 1923; owner: Harold Wilson.
· Guido vom Nordseestrand (Axel Frisia Pascholl – Asta vom Nordseestrand), DWZB 5255, 790286, born on 2 April 1930; owner: Heinrich Reents.
· Bojar vom Nordseestrand, DWZB 2435, who, in the USA, “was killed by ruthless hands.”
The photograph shows Guido vom Nordseestrand at 13 months of age.
Also included are an article about the Nordseestrand kennel from the 1931 issue of Der Hund magazine and a list of O’ Valley Farm Borzois published in a 1929 magazine.

 

Year of Event:

1930

Country:

America (USA)

Personal Collections:

 

Source:

 

Author:

Dan Persson

Dogs:

 

Persons: