Can. CH RUBY de BOLSHOY

by Melanie Richards, Lythe Borzoi

What is the difference between two of Canada's world-famous borzoi kennels, Kishniga and Sirhan? One little red and white bitch named Ruby de Bolshoy who brought a mix of Dutch blood to the famous Sirhan bloodline.

Sirhan was well known for the lovely Best in Show brother-and-sister team, Am.Can.CH Sirhan Kaissack and Am.Can. CH Sirhan Tatyana, both multiple Specialty winners in the states as well as en route to their American titles. One of Kaissack's "trophies" at the Midwest Specialty was a puppy from Sunbarr Kennels who was to become one of the most famous sires in the breed: Sirhan Podar of Sunbarr. Podar was linebred on the famous Sunbarr "B" litter, all named for saints, which was a blend of Scottish and German lines.

When Tatyana was mated to Podar, one of the most famous litters in borzoi history resulted: the Sirhan "P" litter, which included the two multi-Best in Show brothers Am.Can. CH Sirhan Poraschai, owned by Edd Abblett, and Am. Can. CH Sirhan Porchai, owned by his breeders Audrey & Julian Benbow, both #1 borzoi; as well as Group-winning Am. Can. CH Sirhan Pobedim and multi-specialty winning CH Sirhan Pleshka, as well as other champions.

The first Kishniga litter resulted when Dick Meen & John Reeve-Newson leased the multi-Specialty winning Am. Can. CH Sirhan Raskolnika, who was out of Kaissack bred back to his dam, CH Antigone of Tyree. Dick and John then tracked down Podar, at that point living as a companion in Western Canada with Leslie Rogers, and bred Raskolnika to him.

The two bloodlines diverged with the introduction of Can. CH Ruby de Bolshoy. When bred to one of the males from the Kishniga "A" litter, Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Gallant Anubis, Ruby produced the spectacular multi-Best in Show winning litterbrothers Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Desert Song, owned by breeders Dick and John and shown by Dick; and Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Dalgarth, later sold to Dyane Roth and piloted by Edd Abblett, both #1 borzoi in their time; as well as the group-placing bitch Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Desiderata and others.

Ruby was sired by Am. Can. CH Sirhan Rugay of Wilolea, a top winner in Canada, whose dam was three-quarters the same breeding as Kaissack and whose sire was from the well known Trezor Kennel, based on similar European imports to those behind Podar, blended with some English.

Ruby's dam was a tightly bred daughter of the famous continental stud dog, Intl. CH Troyka v. Borjoschka, out of his half-sister. The introduction of this Dutch bloodline definitely stamped Kishniga borzoi and marks the point Kishniga borzoi took on a look distinct from their Sirhan forebears.

Ruby was a heavily coated, substantial bitch with moderate angulation and an exceptionally sweet temperment. John Reeve-Newson picked her out as a puppy when one of the Kishniga's "A" bitches was traded with Ruby's breeder Pauline de Rycke.

Though rarely shown in the states, Ruby was Reserve Winners Bitch and the Midwest Borzoi Club specialty in Detroit under Swedish judge, Carin Lindhe. Her brother,Am. Can. CH Goshka de Bolshoy, a top winner in Canada, came down to the states one year for this same specialty and went Winners Dog to finish his U.S. title. Interestingly, despite the highly successful combination of Ruby to the Kishniga "A" litter, I've never heard of any of the Kishniga "A" bitches having been bred to Goshka.

Ruby was subsequently bred to Anubis' litterbrother, Am. Can. CH Kighniga's Poh Ardagan, for the Kishniga "H" and "K" litters. The "H" litter contained Specialty-winning and Group-placing Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Hermes and Can. CH Kishniga's Hatiana. The "K" litter included Can. CHs. Kishniga's Kassatka and Kishniga's Black Knight.

She was later bred to each of her famous sons. The Kishniga "O" litter was sired by Desert Song and included several Canadian Champions, including Oona, Olga, Omnipotence, and, my favorite for wittiness, Oedipus Rex! Her litter sired by Dalgarth was co-bred by Kishniga and Dyane Roth's Dirlov Kennels and included Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Dirlov Buttons, Reserve Winners Bitch at the B.C.O.A. national specialty.

Batruk of Volga, a male heavily linebred to the well know Volga bloodline, sired Can. CH Kishniga's Tallulah B.

Ruby has many well-known grandchildren, including the "Desert Song" offspring, Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Rasputin, a U.S. Specialty winner and a Canadian Best in Show winner; Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Principessa Dolly P.,Canadian Best in Show winner; Canadian multi-Best in Show winner Can. CH Keljhenni's Anna Karenina; Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Nickelodeon Kid, multi-Specialty and Group winner in the states and a Canadian Best in Show winner as well; Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Dirlov Augustus, a multiple specialty winner; Specialty-winning Kishniga's Dirlov Angelica; Specialty-winner CH Kishniga's Purly Victorious; Group-winning CH Tremara's Figaro of Goodooga; Specialty-winning CH Zenovia Alotza Spots; Group-winning CH Silde Captain Fantastic; and the Best in Show bitch, CH Tara's La Troika.

Other well know "Ruby" grandchildren include the Dalgarth offspring Can. Best in Show-winning, U.S. Group- and Specialty-winning Am. Can. CH Kishniga's Isis; and Specialty-winning Can. CH Chernenkoff's Tavarish.

"Ruby's" daughter "Tallulah" produced Canadian Best in Show and U.S. specialty winner Can. Am. CH Swiftess High Sierra of Andare and his specialty-winning littersister, Can. CH Swiftess African Queen. Another daughter, Hunter's Moon, produced B.C.O.A. National Specialty Best of Winners CH Lythe Mandragora, and litterbrother, multi-Group and Specialty-winning Am. Can. CH Lythe Moon & Sixpence.

One of the most famous borzoi bitches in recent decades was a Ruby great granddaughter, the Best in Show and National Specialty winner, CH Fox Run's Ivy Rose, and so the legacy continues.