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When one door closes, we find one that opens... 

It is almost impossible to believe that the creatures that were once so revered, so prized by the Russian aristocracy that they could not be purchased but only gifted to fellow nobles or royalty, could now be found wandering alone in the streets. The notion that the descendants of the very dogs that once coursed prey with society’s elites mounted on horseback, Russia’s historic treasures, could be left to fend for themselves for food, water, and shelter seems remarkable; but it is too often the case.  NBRF cannot and will not abandon them.

Despite the current barriers and CDC Ban concerning canine imports from Russia, NBRF refused to accept defeat.  We began the search for a work-around to continue assisting the Russian borzoi in need.  There is no shortage of listed rescue groups out there; however, finding and vetting them thoroughly enough to feel confident that their practices, values, and abilities closely align with those of NBRF took time and significant research.  Persistence pays off. NBRF has partnered with a reputable sighthound rescue group, SOS Levrieri, in Italy.  Because of the miles, time zones, oceans, and international borders separating our two bases of operation, Team Borzoi remained on heightened alert – cautiously optimistic – until our first Russian rescues were received and then placed in forever homes.  In December 2021, the first two dogs, who had been rescued from the Western Steppe region near the border with Kazakhstan, were transferred from Moscow to Italy.  Strelka was placed in a wonderful home in Milan.  Lada was placed in an equally wonderful home in a rural suburb near Turin.  With both dogs settled into forever homes, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

We are absolutely elated to be in partnership with this fantastic organization.  We will continue to work with them to rescue, relocate, and rehome our Russian rescue borzoi until the CDC ban is lifted and we can resume bringing them to the USA.  At the time of this reporting, 5 additional borzoi are “in process.” Sokol arrived in Italy about 3 weeks ago. Lara and Sonya will arrive in about a month. Khrabr and Asya will travel sometime in March.

We look forward to telling YOU their stories!   

Lada's Epic Adventure

No matter how careful...  No matter how thorough...  No matter how attentive to detail... when dealing with dogs, and despite best efforts, the unexpected can happen.  Such is the case with the lovely Lada.  Hers is a tale of chills and thrills and worry and a team unshakably committed to her safe return.

Just nine days after arrival, specifically Christmas Eve, Lada and her new owner were in their yard.  Having just returned from a walk with dad, she still donned her collar and leash.  Spooked by a loud noise (believed to be a gunshot), a terrified Lada bolted.  She leapt the 6-foot fence and ran for her life. She was spotted soon after at a nearby farm but couldn't be captured.  Lada continued to run.  The SOS Levrieri team wasted no time, believing instant action would lead to the best possible outcome.  A rescue plan was developed and deployed.  They assembled a search posse and put out bulletins.  They alerted park patrol, police, and neighbors. They used every tool at their disposal, including drones and heat seeking visual equipment. On Christmas day, they hired dog-tracking specialist, Debora Fiore.

After the initial sighting, subsequent sightings were few and far between.  Lada had wandered into a massive area along a riverbed. bordered by thick forest on both sides.  The forest proved nearly impenetrable for the search team.  They were mostly limited to the riverbed for access. To speed up the search, SOS hired tracking dogs that traveled up from Genoa, a trip of 105 miles (169 km), to help pinpoint Lada's location. The tracking dogs were successful! They found Lada's trail.  Infrared, automated cameras were set up along the riverbed and accessible areas in the forest. Lada was photographed making visits to the river for water at night. Her front leg was injured as cuts could be seen in the photographs and from the way she was holding her leg up.  Everyone was concerned it was broken.

On New Year’s Eve, Lada seemed to have settled into an area so a cage trap was set up. The zone was saturated with food in an effort to keep her there. She was eating and settling in so there was hope she would be caught soon. However, the food attracted fox and wild boar.  Lada left the location. The team could track her direction but not identify the exact location. Cameras were moved and the search began again. Three days passed without any sightings. Her collar was found in the woods and tracks were found by the river; but there were no visual sightings. On January 6th, Lada was spotted both on camera as well as directly by Debora, the dog-tracking specialist. Despite making eye contact with Debora, Lada turned away and disappeared into the woods. The trap was relocated to this locale and everyone remained hopeful that Lada would stay.  Once again, she took off.  At this point, all involved were extremely worried that Lada had slipped away and would not return. It was a difficult day but their commitment did not waiver.

Early the next evening, Lada wandered back into the area, followed the scent of the food, and actually entered the trap!

Enrico, her adopter, had been in the woods every single day helping Debora track Lada.  When the trapped Lada saw Enrico, she began wagging here tail.  He slowly entered the cage, scooped her up, and carried her to the car. They drove straight to the emergency vet.

Overall, Lada was in good condition considering her circumstance. She was fully examined and treated. The cuts were cleaned and the X-rays showed two fractures to her lower front leg.  She also had a slight fever. Her leg was splinted and she was sent home for TLC. The vet recommended a few days of rest and care to be strong enough to begin the necessary repairs to injured leg. Her prognosis is very good. The wounds are healing nicely. The break required a plate. The orthopedic surgeon had to cut to reach new bone to repair the injury. There was no infection - miraculous considering the break occurred early in her adventure. Originally, we thought a second surgery would be required.  We have since learned that is not the case!  We will continue to keep our readers apprised of the latest Lada news.

As for SOS Leveiri; we simply cannot say enough good things. They notified NBRF immediately and kept us informed of every event in real time. The search was 24/7 and lasted FIFTEEN days.  There were many sleepless nights. The tracker, Debora, spent every night in her vehicle watching the cameras.  Her days were spent tracking Lada along the river and into the woods, often using cutters to clear a path. Lada’s adopters, Enrico and Giavanna, were there every day (and well into the night) assisting Debora. Alessandra, President of SOS Leveiri, and her husband alternated driving back and forth from Milan to Turin to assist in the search efforts (approximately 90 miles/144 km one way).  Even Strelka traveled to help with the search!  The thinking being, if Lada saw and recognized her sister, she could be lured to safety.

It was an exhaustive operation, day and night, through the holidays with all hands (and even paws) on deck. 

SOS handled this grave situation superbly and spared no resource to ensure Lada's safe return.  Saying we are thankful for their efforts would be a gross understatement. In reality, we think they are utterly awesome! 

"Hope is a verb with its shirtsleeves rolled up." ~ David Orr

We would like to introduce you to Jackson. He was one of the fortunate dogs who was rescued from the Korean meat market at 6 months of age. He is blind in one eye and missing quite a few teeth, but he is the sweetest, happiest puppy you will ever meet.

Unfortunately, as he grew, we realized there was a big problem. He has a deformity where the femoral heads of his hips do not reach his hip sockets. This causes him an incredible amount of pain and he was to the point that he could not get up without help. We were told there was nothing that could be done for him and the recommendation was to euthanize. This poor fella has endured so much. This can’t be the end of his journey.

After researching alternatives, we selected a surgery that has had great success so we opted to move forward with femoral head removal surgeries. The right hip surgery was completed on 1/12/22 and has proven to be successful. The left hip surgery will take place in a few months.

These are very costly surgeries that have been made possible by the generosity of our amazing NBRF supporters. Your donations make it possible to provide these lifesaving surgeries for our NBRF dogs. Surgery on both of Jackson’s hips will cost $8,000 and we are asking for your help to replenish NBRF funds so we can help the next Borzoi in need. Any amount is appreciated. In honor of Jackson, help us pay it forward.

The Importance of the Home Visit

We want you to WANT to read the Borzoi Bulletin.  We try to tell the stories that make you "aww", that make you smile, that may even make you giggle.  We love sharing the exciting news, the milestones, and the transformations.  We are proud and delighted to brag about our community and the good work we are doing together.  It's so uplifting to celebrate the dog's successes, accomplishments, and personal bests.  Sometimes it is important to talk about what I like to call the "Meat and Potatoes." From time to time, we pause to explain the reason we do some of the things we do so our readers and supporters understand WHY we are the way we are.  These conversations are less "feel good" but oh so important.

NBRF is committed to finding the best possible landing spot for each and every borzoi in our charge.  More oft than not, the borzoi who are surrendered to NBRF have already been let down by humans and circumstances.  We will move heaven and earth to ensure these dogs are never in that situation again. This is why the home visit is a non-negotiable requirement before we will place a dog into an adoptive home.  It’s a prudent safety protocol to ensure that the dogs are going to the home we THINK they are.  

We recently rescued a female borzoi who was left alone 10-12 hours per day in a small apartment with 3 dogs from the vicious breed list.  She escaped at every opportunity and was returned each time to the owner and the situation.  When she was surrendered to NBRF, she was traumatized - withdrawn, fearful, and skittish.  Our team placed her with one of our terrific and trusted foster families.  She will be loved and afforded the time, patience, and assistance she needs to heal her mind, body, and spirit.  Our hope is that, in time, she will blossom into the borzoi we know she can be - confident, trusting, fit, and well-socialized.  

We have been invited to intervene many times over the years in circumstances that could have been avoided if a Home Visit had been done. Buyers and Adopters are excited at the prospect of getting a borzoi. They may misrepresent the conditions of their living situation. They may be unaware of the measures to be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of a borzoi.  They may say what they believe the seller or shelter wants to hear. A home visit is the only way to determine if the environment is a place where a borzoi can thrive.  It is the only way to ascertain if the fence is adequate, if there is evidence of multiple dogs that may not have been disclosed, if there is a safe space for a dog to retreat to, if the area is free of things that could be harmful, and if there is room for romping or a verifiable plan in place to meet their exercise requirements.

When considering an adoptive home, we are not merely evaluating the physical space.  We are also evaluating the temperament of the people and the wellness of pets on the property.  We will wander the yard and rattle the gate to be sure it is secure.  We will sit and talk. During a Home Visit, we are ultimately trying to decide if we would trust leaving our own pets at the home. Yes, the bar is set high and no, we will not compromise.  These dogs are precious to us and we take this responsibility very seriously. Even with repeat adopters, if the length of time since a dog was placed exceeds two years, we require a new home visit before placement.  

We have encountered yards that met the requirements on paper – half an acre surrounded by 6 ft fencing.  Applicant stated she had been "approved previously."  At the home visit, the fenced yard contained buckets of unsecured pool chemicals and so much garbage in the yard, a dog couldn’t run if it wanted to.   The home was not approved.

In another case, it seems to be the perfect situation.  It wasn't until the NBRF representative was leaving the visit that they learned the front door was "always propped open" so kids and pets could freely come and go into the unfenced front yard on a fairly busy street.  We could not place a dog into a situation that could easily result in injury. 

One applicant was on the final phase of the approval process but did not like the borzoi that was brought for the home visit because, as it turned out, he" did not match her décor."  This may seem like a silly story, and I am sure we all rolled our eyes; but it took her out of the running for an NBRF adoption. It left the impression that our objectives and values were not aligned.

Any time is not necessarily the right time to invite a borzoi into one's life.  We are thorough.  We are selective.  Home Visits are a must because our mission for our dogs is Happily EVER AFTER.