Showsight November 2018

ShowSight Interviews: Karen Staudt Cartabona, Majenkir Borzoi BY ALLAN REZNIK continued

or a designer dog. I mentor and encour- age as much as I am able to. I do not know a simple solution. So much of the problem revolves around the present state of the modern world and bewil- dering changes in our lifestyles. 9. Where do you see your breed- ing program in the next decade or two? At this stage of my life it’s difficult to think that far ahead! I have been want- ing to pass the torch for some time now; the plan was to retire at the 50-year mark in 2013. Then there is always that young dog coming up and that good bitch that should be bred to just that special dog! Sadly for the future of the breed, I have outlasted kennels which I thought dedicated and who would have been longer lasting. Fortunately there are still those quite dedicated breed- ers who seem to have the passion and pluck needed to continue a long-term breeding program. I am fortunate in knowing younger people who I plan to hand the show leads to. In Califor- nia Stuart McGraw and Justine Spiers, are breeder/handlers. They understand and appreciate quality and it is my belief they are the future. In Michigan Lynne Bennett of Avalyn Borzoi keeps a small, quite outstanding kennel where she breeds top-quality hounds. Here on the East Coast my good friends and co-breeders, Howard and Karen Spey of Bookstor Pointers and Borzoi, share the passion. As is often said, “it takes a small army.” 10. Finally, tell us a little about Karen outside of dogs… your pro- fession, your hobbies. I am an artist working in pastels and specializing in portraits of dogs and horses. I relax by sketching my own dogs but don’t find the time to do many commissioned portraits. I love horses and riding. Sadly our barn is closed, and we found good homes for our three pleasure horses. I enjoy gardening and cooking, especially preparing Mediter- ranean-based vegetarian meals, incor- porating veggies from the garden. I very much enjoy doing all things dog related and mentoring in Borzoi. At Judges Edu- cation I will often pull out a pencil and pad to draw what I am explaining, espe- cially head profiles and toplines. I cannot visualize a life with- out spending time with my fam- ily of dog friends and especially my beloved Borzoi.

also the Number One Hound in the US in 2017. In the same year a Regal grand- son, GCHS Raynbo’s Foolish Pleasure RN SC, was Number One Hound in Canada. Regal’s get have also produced top winners and producers in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia, among other countries. All of the afore- mentioned dogs go back to the all-time top-producing Borzoi sire, Ch. Majenkir Gyrfalcon Fld Ch ROMX-C, whelped in 1973. In 2004 a group called “Friends of Majenkir”commissioned a bronze statue of Gerry which is offered as a Challenge Trophy at the BCOA National Specialty to the Breeder of the Best of Breed Bor- zoi. Majenkir currently has won two legs out of the necessary three. The kennel has retired some lovely Chal- lenge trophies at specialties including National Challenge trophies for Open Bitch, Best Bred By, and recently the Tamboer Best-of-Breed trophy. Retiring the Tamboer trophy was GCHG Majen- kir Bookstor Vintage Glamour, a mul- tiple BIS and No. 1 Borzoi. In 2005 I was honored to have been selected as AKC Hound Breeder of the year. 7. Please comment positively on your breed’s present condition and what trends might bear watching. The ability to import and export foreign dogs and frozen semen with comparative ease greatly helps freshen the gene pool. With the loss of so many

prominent US Borzoi breeders over the last few decades our own gene pool has shrunk dramatically. As has always hap- pened since the Borzoi is such a beauti- ful and artistic-looking breed, breeders must always keep in mind the impor- tance of function in the living dog and beware of introducing exaggerations which are always detrimental and often irreversible. 8. The sport has changed great- ly since you began as a breeder/ exhibitor. What are your thoughts on the state of the fancy and the declining number of breeders? How do we encourage newcomers to join us and remain in the sport? How I wish I could offer an answer. I have watched my own breed and show dogs overall go full circle from a small beginning in the 1960s, when a total of nine dogs constituted a five-point major. That many class dogs would usually only be present at the National. In the 1990s specialties and often supported shows brought out more than 200 Bor- zoi. Today we may have as few as 20 to 30 Borzoi at local supported shows or specialties except for the National, which still draws large entries. Not many years ago the entire family would come out for the weekend to cheer on Dad or Mom in the ring showing the family dog to his championship. Some even went on to become breeders. Now every other person owns either a rescue

132 • S how S ight M agazine , N ovember 2018

Powered by