ASTANA — For 79-year-old Ramazan Yeseyov, the tazy is a family tradition stretching back generations. He began raising the dogs at six, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle. More than seven decades later, that tradition came full circle in Astana, where his tazy Eles won a specialized exhibition.
Photo credit: The Astana Times/ Fatima Kemelova The monobreed exhibition and breeding evaluation was held on Sept. 19 in Astana as part of an international all-breed dog exhibition. It brought together breeders, owners, cynologists and international judges, providing an opportunity to assess leading representatives in their country of origin.
79-year-old Ramazan Yeseyov with his tazy, Eles. Photo credit: The Astana Times/ Fatima Kemelova “My father and uncle kept tazy dogs. Seeing this tradition from childhood, I continued it. There were always tazy dogs in our home,” Yeseyov said. Over the years, Yeseyov has raised between 50 and 60 tazys, valuing them not only as skilled hunting dogs but also as loyal companions.
“The tazy is special to me. I enjoy going hunting with it. It is a true friend, not just a dog,” he said. His story reflects a longstanding connection between the tazy and the Kazakh way of life. Traditionally valued for hunting, the eastern sighthound is also considered an important part of the country’s historical and cultural heritage.
Today, preserving this heritage involves both generations of experience and professional international assessment. Natalia Drovosekova, an international all-rounder judge of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), assesses a Kazakh tazy during the competition.
Photo credit: The Astana Times/ Fatima Kemelova According to Natalia Drovosekova, an international all-rounder judge of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the Kazakh tazy shares characteristics with other eastern sighthounds while having its own distinctive features.
“One of the characteristics we look for in the tazy is a strong, solid bone structure compared with other sighthounds,” she said.