Thursday, August 13, 2009

Borzoi

Borzoi
Borzoi by aslakr

The Borzoi ([ˈbɔɹzɔɪ, ˈbɔːzɔɪ]) is a breed of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) also called the Russian Wolfhound. They were brought to Russia from Middle-Asian countries. They have medium-length and slightly curly hair and are similar in shape to Greyhounds. They are a member of the sighthound family.

Borzoi
Borzoi by Paul L. Nettles

The plural Borzois may be found in dictionaries. However, the Borzoi Club of America asserts Borzoi is the preferred form for both singular and plural. At least one manual of grammatical style rules that the breed name should not be capitalized except at the beginning of a sentence; again, breed fanciers usually differ, and capitalize it wherever found.

Borzoi
Borzoi by Paul L. Nettles

"Borzaya" ("quick dog") is a Russian term for various types of native sighthound. The Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya (Psovoi—the longhaired borzoi) is the breed we know as Borzoi. The system by which Russians over the ages named their sighthounds was a series of descriptive terms, not actual names, which makes the use of Borzoi for the Psovaya a mistake made by the first Western importers of the breed.

"Psovaya" means "longhaired", just as "Hortaya" (as in Hortaya Borzaya) means shorthaired. Other Russian sighthound breeds are e.g. "Stepnaya Borzaya" (from the steppe), called "Stepnoi" or "Krimskaya Borzaya" (from the Crimea), called "Krimskoi".

Borzoi
Borzoi by Sighthound

Borzoi are large Russian sight hounds, they look similar to a number of Middle-Asian breeds such as the Afghan hound and the Kyrgyz Taigan. Their fur is silky and flat, and wavy or slightly curly.

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