NBRF news, events, and updates delivered to your inbox.

(And always available on our website at NEWS - Newsletters)

In ruminating on how best to wrap up 2022 for our readers and supporters, I decided to query the NBRF team.  With so many rescues and placements in the past 12 months, I challenged them to review, to consider, and then share with me the rescue that stood out to them -- the one intervention that most impacted them this year.  Here are a couple of those stories:

The Untold Story of Big Boy

It was the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Liz Duncan was out to lunch with family when the call came into the toll-free hotline and Director Ann Marie put out the message that a no-kill multi-breed rescue in the Midwest had, in their charge, a 9 year old male borzoi. They wanted to know if NBRF would be in a position to collect him. Without hesitation, NBRF agreed and a flurry of messages and phone calls ensued with Liz ignoring her lunch companions while texting and making phone calls. Within three hours of initial contact, on the eve of a federal holiday, the paperwork was completed, Big Boy was readied for transport, picked up by a volunteer, and officially in NBRF care. Rarely do things happen that quickly. Arrangements were made for Liz to meet the volunteer in central western Illinois in the early morning on Black Friday and bring Big Boy home to her farm.

Initial observation was that he was an incredibly handsome fella. It was obvious this boy had been loved. He was in good shape. He came with expensive kibble as well as two comfy dog beds. He was friendly and knew his name. He had been part of a multi-dog home so he wasn’t at all offended when Liz’s male chart polski, the self-appointed-welcoming-committee-chair, led him on a tour of the pasture’s fence line. Big Boy moved a little slower so her male patiently waited for him to catch up, regularly checking back to make sure he hadn’t abandoned his tour guide. Even in an unknown circumstance, following stressful hours of transport, and facing a huge yard full of unfamiliar sights and smells, Big Boy moseyed along after the farm’s furry ambassador, wagging his tail.

Liz kept him with her for the following few days to determine his demeanor as well as his level of prey drive. Her read was that he was cat-safe. She thought, "This big, beautiful boy will be so easy to place!" She also noted that he seemed really sad which was understandable. In an extremely short and very recent period of time, this handsome gentleman had lost his PERSON …his PACK …and his HOME. He needed a family to love and care for him through his grieving. He needed the perfect people to help him find his joy again.

In short order, Big Boy was paired and placed with just such a home. He fell in love with the family…and especially the daughter. The bonding began immediately. There is an expected acclimation time with any adoption. Liz followed his progress. As is our normal procedure, we remain in very close contact with the new home through the transition and until everyone agrees the settling period has ended and the dog has found his happily ever after. One week in, Big Boy was not eating as well as he should. He was taken to the vet for a follow up. Upon examination, it was discovered that his chest was filling with fluid. The diagnosis was congestive heart failure and additional x-rays showed tumor growths throughout his lungs and chest cavity. Big Boy would have to be euthanized as nothing could be done to give him quality of life, if even for a few more days. Mom stayed with him. The daughter was called and left work early to be there. Big Boy was happy to see her. His eyes lit up. He was loved through his last breath.

Rescue is a roller coaster ride of the highest highs and the lowest lows. There are certain stories that touch us deeply. It is human nature to try to make it make sense of circumstances. With this one, everything fell into place. From the moment of contact until we had him was three hours. He was a gorgeous creature with a happy-go-lucky disposition. We had hoped to post updates for years to come. But that was not to be the case. We would have spent whatever money it took to help him live a long and happy life. Instead, we live with the consolation that he was not alone -- that he was not in a shelter for what turned out to be his last week. He was instead surrounded by humans who had fallen in love. We much prefer posting the joyful updates but know it is important to share untold stories. It’s often these stories that change us. It was certainly true for Liz in this circumstance. Big Boy will never be forgotten.

At other times, there are rescues that are special because they remind us of someone or something that is near and dear to us. This was the case this year for Edna Hanley and a blind baby Murphy.

Murphy the Sightless Sighthound

Edna Hanley and her husband had long loved a blind borzoi – their sweet Chloe. Chloe shared their home and their hearts for nearly a decade. When a blind borzoi puppy came into rescue, Edna was called to pick him up and transport him to his foster about 7 hours away.  She coordinated his placement. She committed to helping the fosters and new home learn how teach and train a blind puppy. She then picked him up and spent another 8 hours taking him to Cheryl Brown who would finish the journey taking him to what was to be his forever home. Not long after he was placed, it was determined the situation was not working out.  Cheryl retrieved Murphy and brought him back to Edna who then transported him to his original foster, Nick Doric. Both Cheryl and Nick spent endless time working with Murphy, all the while consulting and having discussions with Edna on training. Needless to say, all 3 had fallen in love with Murphy. Murphy has a special way of making everyone who meets him fall in love. It takes only a few moments with him to become bonded to him and he to you.  The long and short of it is, Murphy melts hearts.

Edna will quickly tell you, "When it comes to raising a blind puppy, it’s not difficult …it’s just different.” Just like humans, dogs that are born blind have never relied on sight.  Their other senses naturally take over. They will live long, happy, healthy lives. Obedience training is of the utmost importance as the human will be providing audible cues for the dog throughout the balance of its life. A few of the basic commands are Left, Right, Stop, Step, etc. The dog learns, develops, and grows the same as a sighted dog and will make accommodations to successfully navigate his world. These simple audible assists go a long way to keeping him safe. It also builds a very special bond between human and dog.

Despite everyone’s best intentions, there are occasions when it is determined that a home is not the best fit. NBRF is committed to being a safety net for every single one of our rescues for the rest of their life. It is why we remain in close contact with our fosters and adopters.  When the original placement did not work out, to minimize the stress for little Murphy, he went back to his original foster (Nick Doric) who gladly welcomed him back into her home. Not long after his return, Edna’s Chloe suffered a stroke which meant she was mercifully let go. This unforeseen heartbreak made finding the best home for happy-go-lucky Murphy a distraction from their loss. Working to help Murphy find his forever home helped heal Edna's aching heart. She decided there was plenty of time to wait for the exact match she had envisioned for this handsome little sightless sighthound. His next move needed to be his last move. Murphy was safe with his loving foster as the team searched for the perfect fit.

It took a month or so, but that special home applied for Murphy. There is no doubt, he has found his forever family and it is so beautiful to watch him blossom!

We think Murphy and Edna and our wonderful volunteers are pretty darned special. Edna’s love, her know-how, her invaluable personal experience in raising a blind puppy, and her deep care for Murphy's well-being put him in the right position with the right family to thrive. We look forward to keeping you apprised of his milestones so we can celebrate together as he lives his Happily Ever After.

The complete collection of the NBRF Team's most memorable rescues of 2022 will be included in the annual year end print newsletter which will be available in the spring of 2023. For your convenience, all NBRF newsletters can be viewed at any time on our website under the NEWS tab at

NEWS | Mysite (rescueborzoi.org)

And next, we get down to business...

At the time of this writing, NBRF has taken possession of, medically evaluated, and treated 36 borzoi domestically. NBRF-International has processed 10 rescue borzoi this year with the last one scheduled to arrive in the U.S. this week on December 29th.  While most of these angels have been placed in forever homes, those still in need of their perfect family are listed on our website under the heading THE BORZOI. If you will select “Available” from the drop-down menu, you can read over their profiles.  Perhaps YOU could be the perfect match for a beautiful borzoi in need of their Happily Ever After!  Click the quick link to complete an application and be a part of the good work we are doing for borzoi around the world.

It is important to clarify that the numbers listed above *DO NOT* include those that have been transported, fed, delivered medications or received medical attention, been fostered, moved to safety within Ukraine, or relocated outside of Ukraine’s border.  Hundreds of dogs have received assistance through our efforts in Ukraine with more than 100 of those dogs being specifically borzoi.  That reporting will be detailed for you in a special Borzoi Bulletin.  We look forward to sharing with our readers and supporters the ways NBRF has been instrumental in alleviating at least a small portion of the hardship in that region.  But our work there is not complete. 

Without mincing words, this has been an extremely expensive year. 

It has certainly not been easy, but it has definitely been worth it – because we know in our souls these majestic dogs deserve compassion, humans who love them, and a fighting chance at a good life.  We have done quite a bit of fundraising this year because, quite frankly, the conditions of many of the dogs who have come to us have been truly abysmal.  Too many had gone years and years without veterinary care or medical treatment.  We have been presented with situations that broke our hearts, made us wince, and required medical crowdsourcing to determine a diagnosis as well as a surgical and/or treatment path moving forward.  This year has been especially heart wrenching for the NBRF Team and our volunteers.  We have cried together for the dogs who could not be saved, for the ones that were too far gone for medical intervention, for those who were lost due to tragic events, and those who were beyond the reach of medical know-how.  We would greatly prefer paying for veterinary specialists, therapies, and medications rather than cremations, but every difficult decision is made in the dog's best interest and quality of life.  We have mourned the loss of several of the creatures we FOUGHT to save.  It has been roller coaster year for our Team and our Volunteers who put their whole hearts into each rescue. Financially speaking, some days were a metaphoric trickle and other days were a firehose.

We had a dog with necrotic intestines and anus from a long-untreated enormous anal hernia who, mid-surgery, had to be humanely euthanized.  We had several seniors that required spay/neuter, vaccinations, and dentals with multiple tooth extractions – and this was AFTER we got them to a healthy enough point to be able to begin addressing their issues as they were all severely undernourished.  One had a closed pyometra and infection in her uterus that became an emergency during her spay surgery.  Another boy came to us with a torn prepuce that has actually healed on its own with a gap that forced the penis to protrude through that open hole.  And yes, we believe it was as painful as it sounds. This year saw multiple dogs that were so anemic and so flea infested, they had little to no hair.  One poor baby had spent approximately 7 years outside …alone …and without any shelter.  He had suffered so much sunburn and had so many flea lesions that he was nearly naked.  He had a golf ball sized mass on his right rear hock.  He was placed in a home with humans who adored him in August.  He was learning to be part of a pack.  He was excited to be a housedog.  He was on pain management but in just one week, he went downhill quickly as his body was riddled with cancer.  He was humanely euthanized just before the holidays, cremated, and his ashes returned to the adoptive family who loved and respected him.  His passing broke our hearts but we know those five months were his best five months and they were absolutely worth it.  Another female came to us at 6 years of age.  She had been crated her entire life.  More than likely, she had been used as breeding stock for a mill.  She has extensive muscle atrophy.  She required extensive physical therapy to walk properly.  Her front legs did not fully extend and she would face plant when moving too quickly.  And recently, we began the diagnostic process to assess why a male’s sight is so severely impaired to determine if it can be corrected or treated to restore or improve his vision.  Another youngster is in chronic pain with chronic ear infections.  It’s been determined that this unfortunate pup has a malformed ear canal and flap on his septum wherein a video otoscopy is required to decide if it merits an open procedure to remove both eardrums which will leave the dog completely deaf. 

This certainly does not detail each and every measure for every rescue in 2022.  But we mention a few of these specifics to demonstrate the urgency, to let you know that your donations ARE being well spent, and to ask again for your generosity, your continued financial support of this work.  Together, we are making a difference and changing the entire WORLD for each of these deserving creatures.

And finally, in conclusion...

In what has been a really tough year, our sincerest THANK YOU goes out to all of our AMAZING VOLUNTEERS, which includes but is not limited to: our executive team, the faithful fosters, potential adoptive home evaluators, those who have mentored, those who have trained, and those who have met fellow volunteers under a single light in a dark mall parking lot because that was the only time a transfer could be scheduled.

This heartfelt shout out is to those who have collected dogs from shelters, investigated online postings, documented on the ground conditions, made calls to secure the release of lost, neglected, or injured borzoi, those who have driven short and long distances -- in every conceivable type of weather -- to transport the MOST PRECIOUS of precious cargo...

WE SEE YOU! WE APPRECIATE YOU! WE NEED YOU!

Thank you for getting MAD with us. Thank you for being SAD with us. Thank you for laughing with us. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for celebrating with us both the biggest and the smallest things. Thank you for always saying without hesitation, at a moment's notice, "YEP! I'm ready. Where do you need me and when do you need me to be there?"

Seriously, YOU ARE INCREDIBLE HUMAN BEINGS.

NBRF-International's endeavors in Ukraine are ongoing.  We continue to fund food, transport, and humanitarian initiatives for the people and pets in hard-hit areas. Their needs are considerable.  We would like to thank those who have donated in support of this work.  We will continue to assist those in need so long as we are financially able.  Our next edition of the Borzoi Bulletin will feature some stories of the ongoing work there.