Congratulations, Millbrook Kennels! Millbrook Rio Grande has earned the December Showdog Fever Dog of the Month award for his thirty-third ranking on the All-Time Top Borzois list, $5,422 in earnings, six Best in Show wins, 27,799 Total Dogs beaten, 304 Grand Champion points, twenty-one Best in Groups, a 2nd in Group at the October 2012 Showdog World Cup, several high placements on the current top Borzoi list, a Bronze Sire, a fifth place in the NSSD Challenge, and sixty Best in Breeds, in a ring as tough as the very competitive Borzoi ring! Wow! He's quite an accomplished dog!

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Q: How does it feel to have bred, shown, and currently own a dog with this many show wins, and many other accomplishments?

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It feels absolutely wonderful! I'm so, so proud to have bred such a fantastic dog.

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Q: When you had Rio entered in the NSSD Challenge, did you expect him to do as well as he did, earning a respectable fifth place out of the many dogs entered?

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I'm not sure what I expected. He was getting towards the end of his show career by the time the NSSD challenge started, and his results were beginning to decline as better dogs came along. I secretly hoped for a top fifth position, although I didn't necessarily expect it.

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Q: Is his pedigree anything special, or was he just a chance breeding that ended up with a surprise special dog?

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His pedigree is reasonably standard overall. His grandfather, Atsonbay Trade Secret, was very successful in his career, though.

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Q: When he was born, was his SOP anything special, or was he just an average SOP with nice traits?

When he was born, he was the top SOP in the breed - by quite a considerable margin, too! I think the combination of having a very high SOP, and nice traits, is what made him special.

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Q: What traits really make Rio Grande stand out over other Borzois, Hound Group dogs, and all other dogs in the shows he was entered in?

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I would say his 10.1 TBN, 10.2 Forequarter and 10.2 Gait. He also has a reasonably high head when compared to other Borzois that were showing at the time.

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Q: Wow! Six BIS wins! Congrats! Were BIS's new to you when you started showing Rio, or have you had lots of experience in the BIS ring?

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I've had a few BIS wins in the past. I've bred a couple of Golden Retrievers that each won a couple of BIS. I've never had a dog that has won on that scale, though!

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Q: Was it tough to nab 304 GCH points, beat 27,799 dogs, and earn as many breed, group, and show placements as you did, or did Rio Grande just pick up points in just about any show he was entered in? In other words, was it easy to get all of the points he earned?

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He picked up his GCH points with reasonable ease. He picked up points in about eighty percent of shows he was entered in, which was naturally very pleasing.

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Q: Were there any dogs at any point in Rio's career that put up a fight for placing in the show ring? If so, who?

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Oh yes, a few dogs gave him a run-for-his-money. GCH CH Ringside Wanna Be Famous was his biggest competitor in the Borzoi ring. Huge congratulations and well done to Ringside for breeding such a fantastic dog!

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Q: A Bronze Sire is quite an accomplishment, too! Was it tedious to get that many CH offspring, or did he produce well enough that it was easy?

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Well, the first nine came pretty easily. However, he reached one hundred fifteen days old and still only had nine. I envisaged on the day he was born that he'd become a bronze sire, so I was a little dissapointed. Then suddenly, at one hundred sixteen days old, he became a bronze sire!

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Q: What are some nice traits that Rio has passed along to his offspring, making them outstanding, just like him?

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Forequater and TBN seem to be the main traits that have passed down.

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Q: I see that you've retired and altered Rio. What led you to do that?

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I decided it was just his time. He reached one hundred twenty days, had had a fabulous show career, produced some great show dogs within his offspring and now it was his time to relax.