Here is Ana Farfan and her performing Pickle Hill dogs. I first met Ana while she and her family were performing with Ringling Brothers Circus. She knew I had Borzoi and she knew I would be hesitant to let my dogs go into circus life. She asked us to come down to the performance while they were in Oakland . We went back stage and met her family and the rest of the performers and their animals. We learned that Ana's husband, her two sons, and she herself were the leading trapeze act in the circus. Ana came from a family of animal trainers in the Balkans. At the time we met her she had Dobermans in her act. She wanted a more challenging breed and one that was more beautiful. The family showed us the motor home for their dogs and explained the way that they were cared for and fed. It seemed to us that the Borzoi would get plenty of attention (maybe even more than they got at our place) and excellent care. After all, as Ana put it, these animals help us earn our living we must give them our best!

That made sense to us. Ana bought two dogs from us at that time. Later , each year we went to the circus to watch our dogs and see Anna again.

About two years later Ana contacted us again she told us that her oldest son had missed a catch with his father in a Dallas performance. That fall, although into the net, resulted in a broken neck and they had to give up their contract with the circus while their son convalesced until he was able to return to work. Ana had leased her Borzoi act to Tina Williams (who is the daughter of Gunther Gable Williams).

After her son recovered,The Farfan family went back to work on the trapeze and Ana needed some more Borzoi for her act as well. For the first time The Farfans had a permanent home of their own in Reno area and a job that wasn't on the road again. The dogs lived in a home instead of a motor home and the Farfans were so happy in their very own home!

The pictures here are of Ana's act at Circus Circus with her Pickle Hill dogs.