After a long wait, a respectable passage of time, an appropriate period of grief, grief for the passing of all the Blyss borzoi, and much soul searching and wondering if I really could do it, I have taken possession, thanks to the generosity of a dear and long time friend, a borzoi breeder in upstate NY, of a beautiful borzoi bitch, almost five years old, to be my companion dog. Her full name is: Ch Kasharra Bibikov Moscova, “Jelly”.
When she was just a pup, nearly five years ago, her breeder called me and told me she had a puppy bitch that she believed would be just perfect for Blyss, and she wanted me to come and see her. The puppy’s name was “Jelly”. My husband said no, basing it on the amount of room we had and the number of borzoi currently living with us. We could not take on another one and do it right, the way we both said we would want to do it. We had avoided the temptation of impulse purchasing of borzois, crowding, not being able to afford premium dog food and top of the line veterinary care when necessary. Having too many borzoi at once would impact that. I had to respect his wish to say no, and it was a very sad day when I delivered that message.
I would often see Jelly at the shows. She was truly lovely in every way. I often wondered what it would have been like if we could have had her. I only heard good news about her, how easily she had finished her Champion Dog title, and how much breeders and judges alike held her in such high esteem. Recently, I spoke with two breeders who had handled her in the ring for her breeder. She is well on her way to being a Grand Champion. It all seemed surreal but the idea entered my mind one day to inquire regarding her to her breeder, so I gave her a call. We spoke for a while, then I brought up the real subject of why I was calling, that being “Jelly”. I knew she still had her, Jelly had never been sold, so I asked her if she would still want to place her with me. I was overjoyed when she said yes.
With the health problems I had been burdened with over the last year, I wondered if I could have a dog. I was in treatment for an eating disorder at the time this conversation took place, and I asked if I could put off taking her until after I was released. I made being healthy enough to have a large dog a goal for my own wellness, and there were times when the idea of owning Jelly was the only reason I got out of bed in the morning, or went to a food store. I have problems doing the most basic of things, whereas I can do difficult things with facile. I forget to eat and sleep and get very sick as a result. With owning Jelly as my goal I got my priorities in a healthier order.
It has been one week since I have had her. My boyfriend, LT is back, and Jelly loves him, too. He adores her, so we are a very happy family together. Jelly seems to be very bonded to us, and I adore her. She eats well and enjoys her walks. I have even taken her to Watchung Reservation and let her run off-leash in the Scouting Field behind the old Trailside Museum. There are two fields there, actually, with acres and acres of open land divided by a line of trees, and dogs love running in them, and they are rather safely located, away from roads.
When the warmer weather comes, I will see to it Jelly is properly introduced to all the neighbors. Everyone in the neighborhood is expecting her. I love her so much already. It’s like I have gone back to the beginning. Before there were the Blyss Borzoi, even before Opal. It is a new start. Jelly is a new day. I have a new life now. It is hard for me to believe I was ever the person I wrote about in the original Blyss Blog.
Ch Kasharra Bibikov Moskova “Jelly” at Blyss.
