OUR STORY

I found the Borzoi who was to become the foundation bitch of Secret Garden Borzoi, and known as Abidjan’s Armagnac, in the first litter bred by Abidjan Borzoi. She was known all her life as ‘Dearly’ as I had so often informed her that I loved her dearly that she thought that was her name. I had purchased her to show and breed but thought that I let her down by not socializing her properly as a youngster thus allowing her to be somewhat shy of people early in her life. I did not realize that she trained me instead of the other way around until she was ten years old. This was a very smart dog! Her first point show was just prior to her eleventh birthday where she won the Veteran Bitch class, and Award Of Merit in an entry of approximately 160 Borzoi under breeder judge Christina Rafton at the Borzoi Club Of Greater New York’s spring Specialty. She further distinguished herself by winning the Brood Bitch class at the National Specialty two weeks later under Michelle Billings, and it was as a brood bitch that she carved a place in the history of Borzoi that will never be forgotten.

Bred only twice, in ‘91 and ’92, the resulting offspring made her the #1 Top Producing Borzoi Bitch in ‘94. By ‘97 three of her sons enjoyed National Top Ten ranking. They were International, American, Canadian, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Champion of the Americas, and World Show Best of Breed Ch Abidjan’s Shostakovich, CD, JC, CGC, bred by Secret Garden, and known as ‘Shosta’, and BIS/MBISS Ch Majenkir Timotheus Seven, bred by Secret Garden and known as ‘Timo’, and MBIS/BISS Am/Can/Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden Song Of Songs, known as ‘Casper’. Both Timo and Casper climbed to #1 Borzoi; ‘Timo’ in the US in 2000 and ‘Casper’ in Japan where he went on to #1 All Breeds in ‘99. Casper’s daughter and double Dearly granddaughter Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden Rejoice succeeded him as #1 Borzoi in Japan in 2000 making Secret Garden the breeder of the #1 Borzoi in two different countries that year even as Casper achieved #1 Borzoi Stud Dog in the US at the same time. Even that was only the beginning of the story of this great brood matron’s influence on the breed as each of these sons, and several other offspring went on to produce classic Borzois in their own right thus permanently installing their dam in Borzoi stratosphere.

Sherry Faye Rodarmor, Shefaro Borzoi, San Antonio, Texas, first noticed the dog that was to become International, American, Canadian, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Champion of the Americas and World Winner Ch Abidjan's Shostakovich, CD, JC, CGC (Top Ten USA 1997) when he won his National Specialty class at the Borzoi Club of America show at Windsor Lockes, CT in 1994. Eventually her dream of owning him came true and she carved out a place for him in her breeding program and her life. With Sherry, he added numerous other prefix and suffix titles to his name including the much coveted World Championship by winning Best of Breed at the World Championship show at San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1997. Bred to two Borzoi bitches at Shefaro, he produced a World Champion daughter, who finished her American Championship in eleven shows with five majors. She is the lovely American, Mexican (World) and WORLD Champion Shefaro’s Alejandra. Alejandra followed in her father's footsteps by winning Best of Opposite Sex at the World Championship show at Mexico City, Mexico, 1999. She also won Puppy Sighthound Group First each day. Alejandra's sister, Shefaro's Anasazi, won back to back four point majors at her first shows 2001, and is on her way to finishing her American Championship. Not to be outdone, his other daughter, Shefaro Oksana’s Elia, won her Mexican (World) and BEST Junior World Championships at Mexico City 1999. Elia is proving her worth in the whelping box and Shefaro looks forward to many American and International champion Shosta Grandchildren and Dearly Great Grandchildren. (Notes on Shosta thoughtfully provided by Sherry Faye Rodarmor)

We may safely say the first show dog and champion of Richard Blodgett, Jr. not only fulfilled all his dreams, and expectations but also then went on to heights never achieved by any other Borzoi owner’s first show dog. BIS/MBISS Ch Majenkir Timotheus Seven, known to his many friends as Timo, was that dog. They learned together starting in puppy class, and enjoyed an incredible journey that included over 300 Best Of Breeds wins, three Best In Specialty Show wins, a coveted All Breed Best In Show, five straight years in the US Top Ten, and culminating with #1 Borzoi honors in year 2000 at nine years of age. Breeding was never in the Blodgett’s plans for Timo but he was permitted to sire a litter for Abidjan Borzoi producing Am/Can Ch Abidjan’s Mychtar Of Ferlinka, Na, NAJ, winner of BCGNY Specialty BOS, Canadian Top Ten, and Hound Group 1, and his brother Am/Can Ch MBISS Abidjan’s Mystic Moondance...BCDV and BCGNY Specialty Best Of Breed, and Canadian Top Ten. Timo’s one litter made him a Top Producer, and his grandchildren have snapped up specialty points around the northeast.

My first champion, MBIS/BISS Am/Can/Jap/Int CH Secret Garden Song of Songs, affectionately known as Casper, was Top Ten in both the United States and Canada prior to being purchased by Gengi and Kyoko Ozeki of Tokyo, Japan. In Japan he was not only #1 Borzoi, but also #1 All Breeds in ‘99. He began his International title with a Best In Show at Japan’s prestigious Westminster equivalent the All Asia International, and finished his International title with another Best in Show, and won several additional JKC Best In Shows that year. A wonderful sire, Casper became the #1 Top Producing Borzoi Sire in the US for year 2000, and later earned a ROMC-X suffix as a permanent addition to his registered name. His get include Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden Rejoice...#1 Borzoi & #7 All Breeds in Japan in ‘00, her sister Ch Secret Garden White Dove..a Borzoi Club of New England Specialty WB, Ch Secret Garden Gabrielle...Can National Specialty WB, and Hound Group winner, Secret Garden Angelica.. a Borzoi Club Of Greater New York Specialty class winner, and the finest borzoi yet born at Secret Garden, the incomparable Ch Secret Garden Believe, National Specialty Award of Merit winner. For Joseph Lara he sired an all champion litter that included Ch Lara’s’ Secret Rendezvous; Borzoi Club of New England Specialty BOW, and Ch Lara’s Poet Of My Heart, Ch Lara’s Trumpet Of Zion, and Ch Lara’s Rose Of Sharon are all Borzoi Club Of Delaware Valley Specialty Award Of Merit winners, as well as many other wonderful dogs for Borzoi kennels Karitanova, Jahdek, PoDusham, and Frostfire. Thanks to frozen semen there will be even more lovely Casper kids gracing our future.

Ch SG Sword Of The Spirit, affectionately known as ‘Spirit’, was never formally specialed as he had twice injured himself which was truly a shame as he loved showing so much that he would fling himself all over the backyard literally begging to go along when ever he saw the van being loaded. We tried to make it up to him by taking him other special places that he loved such as nursing homes, parades, and fireworks, and I did take him out to our one local show circuit for several years just to please him. In just these very few shows he still managed to defeat two future #1 Borzoi, and a future Top Ten/National Specialty Best Of Breed winner for the Breed. Several of his get figure prominently in the Secret Garden story.

Spirit’s son MBIS Am/Jap/Int Champion Secret Garden Grapes Of Wrath began his assault on the show ring with a five point BOW from his first puppy class during Borzoi Club of New England’s big specialty weekend in Massachusetts. He next went out to Seattle to take Best Puppy In Sweeps at the Puget Sound Specialty, down to Oregon for a few points, and then finished the week he turned 15 months old in Chicago with back-to-back majors at the first International Cluster. Another clown, this dog literally tried to pull whomever was holding his lead into every dog show ring he passed. You really had to pay attention walking Wrath through a dog show! He was exported to Japan where he won multiple Best in Shows, added Japanese and International Breed titles and became #11 All Breeds in ’03. Just like Song of Songs, Wrath began his International title by going Best In Show.

Wrath’s litter sister MBIS Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden Judea also was exported to Japan where she tied the former #1 All Time top winning Borzoi in Japan’s lifetime record of 8 Best In Shows in just four months time, and was #11 All Breeds in ’02. She more than doubled the former record the following year becoming Japan’s #1 All Time Top Winning Borzoi. The lovely Spirit daughter Ch Secret Garden GodJoy Nazimova is throwing her weight around the Midwest with show ring newcomers Mr. and Mrs. George Snook by taking Best Of Breed wins and group placements at times over ranked specials. This lovely bitch became the foundation of the Snook’s SevenOak Borzois when bred to their Wrath son in ’03. The Snooks also owned her lovely sister Secret Garden GodJoy Natasha who was always a factor in Midwest rings sometimes taking Best Of Breed from the classes. It has been great fun to watch the Snook’s and many other new borzoi owners own the ring with their first show dog from Secret Garden.

Prior to exportation Wrath sired three gorgeous litters for us out of three daughters of Song of Songs. A few of them have been shown sparingly so far and they include the dynamic Secret Garden America who has three supported entry majors, three specialty reserves, and a 12 to 18 mo. National class (’03) win by the time she turned 2 years of age. She will be our Bitch entry at the Centennial. Wrath son Lara’s Ancient Of Days is a multiple specialty class winner at age one co-bred with, and owned by Joseph Lara while his brother Ch Secret Garden GodJoy Nazarei of Lara owned by the Snooks has been very successful in the Midwest. Another brother co-owned with Joseph Lara is Ch LSG Elijah who finished with three supported entries at 18 months. Their sister Secret Garden Consider The Lilies has multiple Best Of Breed wins from the 12 to 18 month c

Dearly daughter and sister to #1 Borzois Song Of Songs and Timo, Ch Secret Garden Russia finished readily including a 5-point supported Best of Opposite Sex win over specials under esteemed breeder judge Chris Neale. Like her dam, Russia is a Top Producer, and her real legacy is as a brood bitch having produced multiple supported and specialty class and point winners in the States, and four All Breed list Borzoi in Japan. Some of the American winners include Ch Secret Garden White Dove; Borzoi Club of New England WB, Ch Secret Garden Psalms; 5 pt Supported WB in Lompoc, CA, and my personal favorite Ch Secret Garden Believe; 5 pt. Supported WB, and later National Specialty AOM, and whom I believe to be the best I have produced. Exported to Japan were the superb daughters and son;

~ Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden Rejoice ~ #1 Borzoi/#7 All Breeds ‘00,

~ MBIS Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden Judea ~ #1 Borzoi/#11 All Breeds ’02 and the reigning #1 All Time Top Winning Borzoi in Japan,

~ MBIS Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden White Roses ~ #1 Borzoi/#1 All Breeds in ’03,

~ MBIS Am/Jap/Int Ch Secret Garden Grapes Of Wrath ~ #11 All Breeds ’03.

Russia was also the progenitor of our next generation of stud dogs, which included the aforementioned Grapes Of Wrath by Spirit and Ch Secret Garden Living Water, by Song of Songs who have both produced magnificently. She was bred twice to her full brother Song of Songs, and once to half brother Spirit producing three litters with Dearly as the double grand dam concentrating splendid type, powerful structure, and that effortless stride into a deep, deep well for future generations of borzoi to draw upon. These offspring have found their way into every corner of the United States and several other countries ensuring my dream that my beloved friend Dearly shall never die because she will never be forgotten.

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