Hurry up Mom! Get that air-conditioner fixed! Of course the year the pups were born had to be a really hot and dry one. In fact, three days after they were born we had our first 100 degree day. Yeap, that was April 18, 2006. The heat and dryness was something I had to contend with all through their youth. And their April birth was supposed to avoid the worst of the heat until the pups were older. So much for planning. Lightning is almost a month old in this photo. Isn't she cute with that beam of light running down her face?

Lightning's Pedigree

DOB: April 15, 2006

The second female born in the litter, Lightning was immediately recognizable by the pencil thin blaze that streaked down the middle of her face, hence her name. Unfortunately, she has lost most of the blaze, but she still has hints of it.

Initially, Lightning was one of the two puppies from the Celeritas B litter who showed very little interest in chasing the lure. But like her brother, Morpheus, Lightning eventually took an interest in chasing the plastic lure. At the October 14, 2007 lure practice in Hutto, Texas, Lightning decided to step off her divan and show everyone she could run. She sure surprised and thrilled me. Unfortunately, that elation only lasted long enough for Lightning to get her JC. When she was run with another dog for her certification to compete in ASFA trials, Lightning failed. She is definitely her mother's daughter. So, I have run her a few times in singles stakes, but other than that, lure trials are out.

While Lightning's running career is a bust, she is definitely a beauty queen. Ms. Lightning is a curvy, elegant girl with a sound, smooth gait. Add stunning angles, beautiful bite, gorgeous neck, and just an overall lovely presence and you have quite a lovely lady. To date, Lightning has been very successful in the conformation ring, finishing her conformation championship on January 29, 2012. But beauty is only skin deep, so Lightning adds depth to her looks with a quiet, sweet disposition. She nibbles your nose in the most endearing way earning her the nick name of Miss Nibble Nose. And when I am in the yard, she will poke me with her nose to let me know she is behind me and awaiting the attention she is due. Of course, this works every time.

My plan in the beginning was to keep only one female from this litter. My pick had been Hay Luz from the beginning. She had the athletic physicality I bred the litter for and our personalities just clicked. I never really planned to keep Lightning as I knew I would not be able to do her justice and I did not want to keep two bitches from the litter. Well, sometimes, plans remain plans but reality makes you follow a different path. Lightning stayed with me. Over time, it has become apparent that no matter how much I like Miss Lightning, she really needs another home. Her sister, Hay Luz loves to play with her. The only problem is that the way she plays is by grabbing Lightning by the neck and hauling her around. Lightning, being a refined lady, has never managed to tell her sister to bug off with enough emphasis to make Hay Luz believe her. I am afraid that this type of play will eventually lead to injury to Lightning, so she must find another home.

Lightning would make a wonderful pet for someone who was just starting in the breed and wanted to show and start a kennel. She is distantly linebred on Ch. Kristull Ggarland Bandit FCh and is a granddaughter of DC Teine Windmaster of Foxwood, SC and MBIF DC Silkenswift Blaze of Chaos MC LCM IV SGRC SORCII. Both of these sires were excellent producers and their legacies continue through multiple generations. Lightning's sister has produced two quality litters for Silkenswift Borzoi with puppies from the first litter taking exciting wins in the field and in the show ring. The second litter is just old enough to show in puppy classes at this time. Though she cannot compete in lure trials, Lightning does have the chase instinct needed for lure coursing. With careful breeding she could produce clean running dogs for someone interested in producing dogs who can compete in running events as well as conformation shows.

If you are interested in inquiring about Lightning, you may email me at celestialbz @ mac.com (push everything together so there are no spaces). Make sure to put "Interested in Lightning" or something similar so that I do not delete your email as spam.

Photo by Malinda Julien.

Photo by Malinda Julien.

Here is Lightning at six weeks. At this age the three bitches were very similar. I was not sure which I liked best. This is one of Margaret Strother's photos.

Little Miss Lightning's front and rear at six weeks of age.

Here is Lightning at her most gawky. Deena Sessums took this photo for me.

Some puppies never fall apart, but others do to varying degrees. Lightning was one of those dogs who really fell apart. In fact it was so bad I was beginning to think I was going to have to consult an orthopedic specialist. You can sort of see the effects in these photos of her front and rear. However, everything turned out just fine. Lightning grew out of the uglies all by herself. One should never panic when watching borzoi puppies grow (though I must admit that can be hard to do at times).

Lightning was five months old. She is finally coming out of the uglies, finally! Ignore the weird person in the background. Since we had to be in the shade of the tree due the heat, I am trying to keep a branch out of the way. Deena Sessums took this photo.

Here is Lightning from the front and rear at five months of age. Finally, she is beginning to look like the sound athletic borzoi girl she has turned out to be.

Lightning walking in the yard.

January seems to be a good month for great profile photos. I was able to snap this photo of Lightning's profile on January 31, 2008.

As you can see in this photo, her rear is quite nice now. I just love those wide parallel rears! Photo taken on June 28, 2007.