Hal aka Halbert

Oval Racing Champion Slknswft Elandris Van Halen Lure Courser of Merit 2, Senior Courser

Personal Statistics

Career Accomplishments

  • Because he had been given as a puppy to Kim Cheimis who owned bred his mother, 'Star', Hal was not available to lure course until he was 2 1/2 years old.

    First coursed in 1989, Hal was the #4 ASFA Borzoi in 1990, now in 1995 he is a bit too course wise to campaign for the AKC FC, but is still athletic and finished his Oval Racing Championship in spring of 1994 at 8 years of age.

    The most spectacular single thing he he ever did coursing occured at his first ASFA trial. Hal is a medium large Borzoi (85 pounds) and very heavily coated. At his first trial he was so eager to get at the lure that he jumped completely over a dog that had cut infront of him at the finish line, he then flipped sideways to grab the lure so that he hit flat on his side. The fact that all of the wind was knocked out of him did not keep him from holding on to the plastic bag! The sight of this enormous mass of black Borzoi fur charging up and leaping over another dog was awe inspiring!

    Hal's most notable coursing acomplishment is that all 6 pups from his only litter (out of ORC Silkenswift Howff Ishtar LCM3 CnFCh SC) are performance titled. In one year (1992) we had the #1 ASFA Borzoi, the #1 AKC Borzoi, the #2 NOTRA Borzoi and the #3 Canadian Lure Coursing Borzoi and the #2 Lure Coursing Borzoi. These Borzoi, bred by Bonnie Dalzell, belonged to and were coursed by different owners against a variety of competitors, not just winning over dogs from our own kennel. Two of them were in the ASFA Top 10 in 1993.

    As of Jan of 1995 these 6 pups hold 3 Oval Racing Championships, 1 Can FCh, 5 ASFA FCh, 5 LCM's, and 2 AKC FCh.

    Hal has an excellent personality. You can take him anywhere, he is kind to children and puppies, civil around other dogs and he does "grinnies" for cookies. He is the king dog in our home, but he is a benign king ruling with a level head.Hal also works at the University of Pennsylvania vet school where he works as a "touch and feel and listen to my heart" dog for the first year vet students.

    Hal passed away suddenly in 1996. He was leaping up and down at the gate in anticipation for coming in the house for the evening. He collapsed and died while leaping.

    All of the other dogs in the dog yard lay down in a large circle. It was very strange. Hal had been the king dog, ruling his domain wisely, preventing fights, teaching the younger dogs what dog society was like. In the year after he died the social order in our Borzoi family was chaotic. Banner was interim alpha dog as neither Moscow nor Hal's younger brother Anubis seemed to want the title. Around a year after Hal's death his son Barnabas who had matured emotionally at 5 years took on the king dog position without any obvious fights. Up until then Barnabas had lacked to social skills to growl in the deep rumble of the king dog and carry his tail as the scepter of authority but he learned to do this and became the new ruler.

    Despite the many dogs we have the king dog position has passed linearly from within one male lineage over 5 generations. Grendle, Falcon (Grendel's son) Rocky (a sib to Falcon), Hal, Rocky's son, and now Barnabas. Barnabas' son Osiris seems to be waiting in the wings.

    Several of the 'king males' have lived to be rather old and have been feeble towards the end. We have never had any sort of displacement battle. Perhaps because the old dogs are only out in the pen when people are out there. Most of the successors have moved into their positions while the old king was still alive and have deferred to the old king, while on the otherhand, being the true source of order in the group. Thus the change in top dog has generally been a slow process. Hal was active and apparently vigorous when he died, this was only our second sudden change of leadership.

    Grendel lived to be 12, Falcon died at 8, Rocky lived to be 14.5, Hal lived to be 9. 

    
                                                +Am Ch Kristull Ggarland Bandit, FCh
                                                |
                        +Am Ch Kristull Llively Go Grendel
 Sire>                  |                       |
 -----                  |                       + Kristull Ddesertina, LCM
  Silkenswift Rhyolite, LCM (1-87)
 HC633925
 rd sbl, blk mas
 09/19/78               |                       +Lasakov Tobolskoi, FCh
                        |                       |
                        +Silkenswift's Koroleva Sasha (12-78)
                                                |
                                                +(Pntd) Valyet's Zolotaya Zaria
 ORC Slknswft Elandris van Halen, LCM2 SC SOR
 HD410882
 dominant blk            {M}
 08/17/86                                       +Bramblewood My Earl Warren
                                                |
                        +Bramblewood Anwyn D'Willowyn (10-84)
 Dam >                   |                      |
 -----                   |                      +Bramblewood's Smokey Tobore
 Elandrs Silksnswft Wyndstar
                         |                       +Jowag's Mr Zed
                         |                      |
                         +Jowag's Sweet Nancy
                                                |
                                                +Marber's O'Tiffany of Loral
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