ORC Silkenswift Dark Shadow LCM SC

Barnabas was #8 Lure Coursing Borzoi in 1993. He was the second male Borzoi to earn an Oval Track Racing Championship and was in the top 4 Borzoi in Oval racing for several years.

Barnabas and his 5 sisters were born when I returned from Florida after my mother died in 1990. Their mother Ishtar was due to have them a few days before I was supposed to return but she held off for me to come home. The puppies were a comfort in a difficult time.

Barnabas and most of his sisters were named after characters in the tv series 'Dark Shadows' which was about the adventures of a vampire named Barnabas Collins. Barnabas was supposed to registered as Silkenswift Dark Shadows but the AKC returned his name as Silkenswift Dark Shadown and after a lot of trouble on my part corrected it to Silkenswift Dark Shadow and I decided it was too much trouble to get them to set it completely right.

Barnabas, Hal & Ishtar's dark son, is very fast. He was raced before he was lure coursed and developed an excessive degree of "focus". This has involved him in some severe collisions, as a result he has invented a new coursing vice - he doesn't "cut" the course, he "expands" it - he runs so fast that he covers twice the ground as the other Borzoi but he runs wide - still he gets back to the finish with the rest of the hounds. However the severity of these collisions has caused me to retire him from Lure Coursing. He still oval races and is starting a new career in straight racing.

He is also pursued a show career and is pointed under Borzoi breeder Judge Dr Ronald Spritzer. He carries excellent coat and is an outgoing, confident Borzoi. In 1997 he had a severe injury that necesitated surgery and his foreleg feathering was completely shaved off. By the time he grew decent feathering back he was over 9 an I gave up an idea of finishing his conformation title. In 2000 he was best male veteran at the BCNCJ specialty and he won an award of Merit.

In Dec of 2000 he and two of his sisters, Ebony and Angelique, celebrated their 10th birthday.

In his youth Barnabas knew he was the son of the King, Hal. He was really obnoxious and engaged in a behavior that I had read about in essays on canid behavior from Wolf Park of Battleground, IN. These behaviors consisted of play solicites at the older dogs with a lot of muzzle licking and pawing. If the older dog would turn to discipline him he would go through an elaborate set of submissive gestures but would then immediately return to the pawing and muzzle licking behaviors. One day his uncle Anubis had enough and roaring, chased him the length of the dog yard and into a dog house. Barnabas was around a year old at that time and just going into puberty. He wouldn't voluntarily go into the dog yard for around 3 months after that.

Since Hal's death Barnabas' personality has undergone some maturing, he is beginning to carry himself with the aura of calm authority that his father had. roughly a year after Halbert died Barnabas assumed the mantel of being the king dog. He had to learn to walk like a king and give up his puppish obnoxious submission activities.

At six he was still active in racing and is learning obedience and agility.

Barnabas has sired four litters:

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