She was miserable. She had been born here...in this house ...in this filth. The tall, slender hound was discovered in a house with 29 other Borzoi and two cats. They were living in two and in some places three feet of their own feces. The younger dogs, it was believed, had to sleep in this filth, while the older animals slept on top of them.
She and the others had dirt and grime caked into their matted coats. There was so much feces packed in between their toes, that their feet bled. They all had to forage for any food that they could find.
The humans that forced them to exist in this manner, lived in the house with them. It seemed that an occasional kick or swat to the ears was not unusual for these miserable creatures. This brave girl and her housemates merely existed. This was not a life. Seven of these wonderful creatures died as a result.
Borzoi are magnificent animals. Hounds of the Czars of Russia. Regal, royal, dignified. The conditions that these dogs lived in negated anything that their ancestors knew. The dogs were discovered only after the wife of the man in this house called to the neighbors for help. He was apparently also an abusive husband. Animal control authorities removed the dogs from the house and took them to a local animal shelter. The shelter was too small to do the dogs any real good and within 24 hrs, the National Borzoi Rescue Foundation, NBRF, came into the picture. NBRF took all the dogs to safe foster homes, most going to Mary Childs in Ohio.
Upon hearing their story, I was compelled to do something for at least one of them. Having been involved with Greyhound adoption , (including adopting seven myself), for almost 6 years, I felt that I could give one of these pitiful creatures a brand new beginning. Through a new friend, Deb West, I contacted Carol Backers of the NBRF. She seemed to feel as I did. That I could do justice for one of the Borzoi from this rescue.
She picked out a shy, but beautiful young female that they had named Hope, to come live with me and my family.
The pictures above were taken at Mary Child's and were just after her rescue .
Hope came to us on June 12, 2000, thanks to several volunteers of the NBRF including Carol Backers, Mary Childs, Roy Silguero and most of all, Deb West, who selflessly drove all the way to Maryland to pick her up and deliver her to me here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This picture was taken only one month after her deliverance from Hell. Still thin and quite shy, she had her whole life in front of her now and she had a lot of catching up to do. We started by changing her name. I thought that the name that NBRF gave her, Hope was very appropriate, but I wanted something Russian. Something to reflect upon her royal Russian heritage.
I contacted my friend, Mikhail Virgiliev in Vsevolozhsk City in the Leningrad region of Russia. I told him about Hope and asked him for suggestions for a name for her. He told me that hope in Russian is Nadezhda, but shortened to a name form is Nadya. He also liked Vesna for a name. It means Spring and how fitting for a girl who was just starting a new life. I liked both so I went with both. Her new name was to be Nadezhda Vesna Jeanniov But we just call her Nadya.
Sometimes she's my "little Zoi toy" or my "Zoi-sha". After watching her leap around in my backyard I also nicknamed her "Tigger" She most certainly has springs on her feet!
