ALIYA TAYLOR AZAWAKH INTERVIEW
1. Where do you live? What is your occupa- tion? How many years in dogs? I am a resident of Philadelphia. I have lived here for most of my childhood and adult life. I am a retired police officer. I was a police officer for the City of Philadelphia for 18 years before getting injured by an on- duty incident, and a stroke that followed. I have always had a love for animals, and used to bring home injured wildlife to care for. I wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but life happens and I didn’t get to real- ize that dream. I have been into dogs ever since I was a little girl, with my first dog being a Schnauzer; so for over 25-30 years. I showed him in small shows, and learned to hand-strip him myself at 13 from a book I’d read. My next dog, well into adulthood, was a Boston Terrier, which I bred once and had spayed after her whelping of the litter, due to complications. She had two puppies that went to the family. My next dog, many years later, was a Standard Poodle that I got, unfortunately, from a backyard breeder. I showed in UKC events until he died of Addison’s. I learned from that experience that a reputable breeder is the only way to go when looking for a purebred animal. I got hooked on Sighthounds with my first one, a Borzoi, which I showed limitedly in AKC events. He was my heart dog who introduced me to Sighthounds. He lived a long life for a Borzoi, passing away at 9 years old. 2. Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? Yes! I am a creative soul by heart. I have always been creative, and I have made Afri- can-inspired jewelry for myself and for oth- ers. And in just the last three years, I have created an online business called Mother Of Hounds. I make custom Sighthound collars and leashes, mostly in African print textiles. My store is on Etsy, called Moth- erOfHoundsDesign. I am in the process of building a website.
252 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2021
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