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Do you know anything about podenco/podengos? I'm curious if you'd be able to compare their temperaments to borzoi and silkens, who I have spent more time around

Only the Ibizan Hound (Podenco Ibicenco) and IME they are much barkier, mega bouncy, and you have to get extra creative with fencing. Gravity is just a suggestion to them! I haven’t met any of the other types.

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Bandit at 10.5! We were at the ophthalmologist to get his eyes updated for OFA. He has developed teeny tiny old man cataracts but we were assured that this type is very typical of aging dogs and likely won’t ever need surgery. I wrote about it more on my IG.

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Happy 9th birthday, Obie!

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Dune is now an AKC champion!

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The team at TAMU are doing such incredible work for borzoi and this research can help a hell of a lot more breeds. When I lost Selkie to Sudden Cardiac Death in 2022, a sample of her lung was sent to them for genetic sequencing. Her siblings are in this study, as are much of her extended family. I sent blood samples from my girl, Olive. And Bandit, who is 10 and still having beautiful echocardiograms and holters, may be a control for their research.

Do you have a snoot noodle or other variation of sighthound? If yes, there’s new heart health research for the breed happening!

A researcher at Texas A&M whose work I’m familiar with is starting a new study looking at genetic factors contributing to heart disease in Borzoi and related breeds. They just put out a call for dog owners who are willing to submit saliva samples & (noodle) medical records. Studies like this need a big sample size! They’re accepting new sign-ups starting now until March 1, 2025, for dogs both in the US and internationally.

Let’s help make some science!

From the study page:

“Background and purpose

Recent research in Borzoi dogs has revealed that dogs of this breed experience sudden, unexplained death. About 85% of sudden, unexplained deaths in humans are linked to an underlying heart disease. Our existing research in Borzoi dogs has shown that they are predisposed to developing arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and dilated cardiomyopathy (a heart muscle disease causing dilated heart chambers and weak pumping function).

Due to our documentation of the frequency of these conditions in Borzoi dogs, we seek to identify responsible genetic variations similar to what is seen in humans with electrical cardiac diseases that trigger arrhythmias and dilated cardiomyopathy.

The objective of our study is to identify genetic mutations associated with heart disease in Borzoi dogs and document their existence in other sighthound breeds.

What happens in this study

We are collecting saliva samples from both healthy Borzoi and Borzoi dogs affected with arrhythmias and/or dilated cardiomyopathy. We will also collect saliva samples from any other sighthound breeds.

We will extract DNA from these samples and perform genomic sequencing on a select number while retaining the remainder for further screening.By analyzing the sequencing data, we can compare the genes of healthy and affected Borzoi dogs and identify variants linked to their heart conditions. We will also compare the findings in Borzoi dogs to results from other sighthound breeds.

Pet owner responsibilities

A swab kit will be sent to you for at home use along with a link to an instructional video on how to properly obtain a swab of the mouth. The kit will contain equipment to collect the saliva swab, a history form for your pet, a client consent form and a shipping label to return samples to us.

Participation requirements

To participate, you must have a Borzoi dog or a sighthound breed that is either healthy or affected by arrhythmias and/or dilated cardiomyopathy. Pets may be any age or sex. Electronic or paper veterinary medical records will need to be provided.

Benefits and risks of participating

There is little to no risk for taking a brief swab of the mouth for saliva collection if procedures outlined in the video are followed. No individual genetic test results will be provided to study participants.

Compensation

There is no cost to the owner for participating in this study. No compensation will be provided.”

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Zsa Zsa at her first lure coursing trial

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Zsa Zsa, 3 years

Rezance Satara Maid of Amsterdam

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Random shots of Dune and Fig (2nd cousins) at a lure coursing trial over the weekend.

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I never considered borzois + cats can = dead kitty but it makes sense considering that's a whole hound bred to smoke things of cat-relevant size. My family owns a pig and he can't be left with the dogs for fear the dogs could hurt him so it's definitely applicable in many homes lol!

Yeah lots of considerations to be had with a large prey driven animal! We have chickens now and have to keep the two totally separated (except Obie, who doesn’t have a scrap of prey drive). It’s easier since the borzoi are mostly active for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening. So while they’re passed out on the couch, the hens get to free range ��

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I would really love a borzoi and have done a lot of research on them, but my girlfriend is worried because we have a cat and some dogs like borzois are supposedly dangerous for cats. Do you know anything about that?

There are lots of borzoi + cat homes that are living harmoniously! It takes a little more management but you can have both. Here are some key things:

The cat(s) must be indoor only. Outdoor cats are prey. A borzoi could be fine with a cat indoors and then dispatch that same cat outdoors.

Borzoi that are raised with cats from puppyhood have higher success rates. Seek breeders that have cats.

The home should be set up in such a way that the cat has safe spaces that the borzoi doesn’t have access to. High up perches, tunnels, cat doors between rooms, etc.

The temperament of the cats can play a role too. Cats that get zoomies all the time and move in frantic patterns are more exciting to a borzoi than docile cats who just puddle all day.

Don’t leave them loose in the same room when you leave the house. A lot of borzoi/cat homes can do this but if you want that extra level of protection, crate the dog when you leave or put them in separate rooms.

Photo from my first visit to @sataraborzoi — she also has a great video of the same cat jumping in and out of the whelping box with Fig and his siblings as puppies. When we had our litter, her other cat was regularly in the whelping room :)

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Dune - Satara Rezance Sea and Sand

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Hi! happy new year. :) I have an afghan hound and have been looking into borzois / silken windhounds. my dog is usually really friendly with the other dogs he meets, but more often than not most dogs wont keep up with him/play too rough and make him lose interest, and so i was thinking of adding another sighthound to the family, so my dog has some more company during the day and a more reliable playpal. do you have any idea if a borzoi or silken would be a better match?

Ooh it can depends on a few different factors but generally, I would say borzoi. They are closer in brains, play style, and tend to handle rough play better IME. Silkens can play rough too but the size difference can be a hindrance and some are sensitive little souls.

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Bandit is 10 years old today! Happy birthday, Grandpa.

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Happy pumpkin season from Fig!

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Dune at his first dock diving competition

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Dune QC’d for AKC lure coursing today! He’s all clear to enter trials now.

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what’s the smallest borzoi you’ve ever seen? the last ask inspired me to ask you. i am interested in the breed and mesh with them more than silkens, but would still love a bottom of the standard zoi if possible, if you have recommendations on to find one too

There have been a few itty bitties (for borzoi) throughout the years. A few years ago, I posted about a miniature borzoi project that predated silken windhounds, that involved selecting smaller and smaller and then line breeding on those smalls.

There used to be a kennel called Pickle Hill that had some pretty small borzoi. The breeder, Fern, passed away right before I got into the breed but I was able to meet a couple of the dogs that were pulled from her property. I think they were around 25”.

I know of one case of dwarfism and posted about the dog, Bilbo, who looked like a basset hound in a borzoi suit :)

But the smallest I’ve ever seen in photographs was this teeny tiny dude, who is a whopping 20” at the shoulder and was owned by Janet Vandenburgh.

These days, there doesn’t seem to be anyone intentionally selecting for particularly tiny borzoi. I know of a few 26” girls, but most are 27”+. The smallest male I’ve met IRL was 28”, and most I think are 30”+. It’s hard to truly guarantee size too. But if you message me or ask off anon, I can send you some potential breeders who trend a bit more on the small side (but again, there really are no guarantees with this).