By 1873, greyhound owners were exclusively connoisseurs of this breed. At the same time, the so-called Imperial Association of Russian Greyhound fans was created. At the same time, the breeding of these dogs began in the royal kennels, from where they later came to America. This Association included Tsar Nikolai Nikolaevich himself, his uncle, as well as a wealthy landowner named Artem Boldyrev.