I was in my late fifties when I got to breed my first litter, the litter that produced Magnus and Tresor. It turned out to be notable for its greatness. The quality went deep, so deep that N5 bred and showed Magnus, and then sold him to a high quality kennel in Japan. There he made a huge mark of outstanding quality both as a show dog and a producer. It was Magnus who sired Lucy.
I do not want to make this message about Magnus today, but for private reasons he is particularly on my mind. The spotlight shines brightly on his puppy, Lucy, and deservedly so. Lucy is still being campaigned, and is winning even more Best in Shows. This is after she broke an 83 year record for number of Best in Shows by a borzoi by winning 22 Best in Shows in July, defeating Vigow of Romanoff’s untouchable record, and being the Number One Hound in America. But I am not surprised.
Magnus was my rising star in that litter. I called it when he was born, and I told 5N when I gave him to her. I knew he was destined for greatness as soon as I saw him. I wrote those very words to her that night in an email describing Mikhailya’s puppies. So, tonight I am nostalgic for my puppies, all three Boys, my only litter. I have come full circle, for I know well they are senior dogs now, and slowly each in their own way, slipping not through my fingers but life itself. I may reach out and try to grasp each of them, sometimes one more than another, one I sent away and it came home after four years, one that M5 sold to the kennel in Japan, and another that M5 sold and lost to destiny. Yet, they are all reaching their respective endpoints of life and I want to hold them very close to me while I can.