RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE ISSUE 9/2022 by RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK MAGAZINE

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

any countries have finally started with shows again, much to the delight of the RR community (and all other breed communities, of course), and we wish to congratulate all the winners, as well as wish everybody all the best for the season ahead! And on the subject of shows; in this issue we have included a little section on the Crufts winner. There are also quite a few litters planned, or on the way, and here is wishing you all the best for the lovely times ahead. We are of course very proud of how much so many people stand together and help the needy in Ukraine. Our continued prayers are with the people of Ukraine, and their four-footed friends. If you, the reader, have a story to tell about your Ridgeback, please do send it to Snezka (preferably with a few photos), so that we can include it in our next issue of the magazine. Now, please make yourself comfortable and enjoy reading our magazine from cover to cover! You are in for a treat!

Your Assistant Editor Timmy U. Ralfe

R H O D E S I A N R I D G E B A C K E U M A G A Z I N E ISSUE 9 / MARCH 2022

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DEAR READERS

CONTENTS R H O D E S I A N

— THE HISTORICAL TOUR

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— DOGS AND ESSENTIAL OILS

— BELLOROSARIO BREEDER

— NORAH ORMEROD COFFEE WITH

R I D G E B A C K

E U

M A G A Z I N E

— ALLERGIES

— MAHLOMETELA DIARIES

— RAISING A CLEFT PALATE PUPPY

— LEWANIKA BREEDER

— SKIJORING SPORT

— GAEL MORISON AN INTERVIEW

— BAWABU BREEDER

102

— CRUFTS WINNER 2022 SHOW

114 — MBOM OLDY

122

— FOR THE LOVE OF BROWN NOSES

118

— PEDIGREE DATA BASE

130

— RIFF-RAFF’S ORDEAL AT

EDITOR MAGAZINE TEAM

AS S O C I AT E / T RA N S L AT I O N S AS S I S TA N T E D I TO R A N D T RA N S L ATO R TIMMY U. RALFE (SOUTH AFRICA) JUDGE AND AUTHOR.

L AYO U T D E S I G N & G R A P H I C S S N E Ž K A K U R A LT S TA R R D E S I G N ( S L O V E N I A )

144

— SEE THROUGH CAMERA LENS.....

172

— COVER DOG

SALES & PR Z H A N N A G O DJA J E VA ( L AT V I A ) AN ACTIVE STUD RR OWNER WHO LOVES TRAVELLING AROUND THE EUROPE SHOWING RR.

OFFICIAL DESIGNERS S N E Ž K A K U R A LT - S TA R R D E S I G N ( S LOV E N I A ) FC I J U D G E S P EC I A L I S T, RR OWNER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER

LICENCE OWNER S N E Ž K A K U R A LT

174

— RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDERS

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE ISSUE 9 / MARCH 2022

HISTORY

WR I T T EN BY SANDRA PISCEDDA

1997 THE HISTORICAL TOUR IN ZIMBABWE Account about the places where the people who established the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed lived.

PREFACE

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

February 2022 The year 2022 marks hundred years since the foundation of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Rhodesia, The Parent Club, and the establishment of the standard of Rhodesian Ridgeback breed, thanks to the initiative and efforts of Francis R. Barnes.

in other RR magazines. It is with great joy that I re-publish it in the RR Eu Mag in the very year of the centenary. I had the privilege to share the 4-day Historical tour with ten outstanding people. My genuine regret is that some of the people who were on the Historical tour are no longer with us. I would like to dedicate this article to them from my heart, in memory of these special persons.

I wish 2022 were going to be a year of celebrations for this hundredth anniversary!

THE TOUR

In the previous issue of the RR Eu Magazine, I published the account of 75th Anniversary RR Championship Show, the event organized by The Parent Club in 1997 in Harare, Zimbabwe, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the foundation of The Parent Club.

The Historical Tour is the subject of this article.

1997 was a very special year for Rhodesian Ridgeback world: it was the 75th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Zimbabwe, The Parent Club, which established the breed by drawing up the standard and by having the breed officially recognized. As part of the celebration, the Parent Club organized a special event in Zimbabwe: the 75th Anniversary Championship Show in Harare, and Linda Costa organized the Historical Tour to the places where the people who contributed to the development of our breed lived.

I first wrote the account of the Tour in 1997 for my website (no longer online), then published it

Being on this tour was an extraordinary experience I had the privilege to share with other 10

Following this event, Linda Costa had organized a second very special event, the Historical Tour to the places in Zimbabwe where the people who contributed to develop our breed lived.

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Eleven people on the historical tour. Photo taken under the Bulawayo Club porch.

people coming from different countries and great companions of travel. In the photo above, in the back row starting from left: George Withney (Zimbabwe), Steph Potgieter (RSA), Rosy BrookRisse (Germany), Jan Lloyd (Australia), Jack Selby (UK), Sandra Piscedda (Italy), Helle Lauridsen (Denmark), Amanda Bowen (Australia). Sitting on the floor from left: John Cassar (Australia), Linda Costa (Zimbabwe), Orit Nevo (Israel).

he had shown in Harare on the previous Sunday (the dogs were then dropped in Bulawayo by a friend). We headed to Bulawayo south-west of Harare, but since the Autovilla could not exceed 80Km/h, it took quite a long time to get to Bulawayo.

Special thanks are due to Linda Costa for her patient and enthusiastic researches, for tracing back peoples and places and for painstakingly arranging meetings and visits; but in particular for sharing all that with a group of enthusiastic Rhodesian Ridgeback passionate. An extraordinary experience that took me along the footprints of men and dogs of past times in a magnificent African environment. Wednesday, 20 August 1997

Bulawayo and its wide streets to allow ox wagon to make a full turn in pioneers’ days

“One of the noblest in his kind; unflinching companion and understanding friend.” Major Hawley The historical sites visited on the tour are located in Matabeleland, the region of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia), stretching north and south of the city of Bulawayo. After the middle of the nineteenth century, pioneers, hunters, traders, missionaries and Matabele people inhabited this region. The four-day tour started from Linda’s house in Harare. Helle, Orit, Jack and George in the Land Cruiser driven by Linda. Rosy, John and myself in the Mercedes driven by Amanda. Jan and Steph in Mr. Potgieter Autovilla (a sort of caravan) which was also pulling a cart with the two Ridgebacks

Denise’s restaurant

On arriving in Chivu, we stopped at Denise’s restaurant for lunch and it was worth it: we had a nice snack under a thatched roof gazebo on a wide green lawn with a zebra grazing just next to us, then back to our 80Km/h ride to Bulawayo!

In passing the town of Gwetu the Autovilla ran out of petrol and we spent some time there trying to get some fuel before resuming the journey. While in the car waiting for the petrol matter to be solved, I had the chance to admire a cluster of passengers loading fancy luggage on the roof of a bus just opposite. It was really a long journey to Bulawayo, where at the Bulawayo Club were we were going to have dinner and meet a special guest. The Bulawayo Club was founded in 1894, the first building was in papier-mache with an iron roof; later on the present building was erected at the intersection of Eighth Street and Fort Street.

Denise’s restaurant

The Club is in an impeccable British style, fascinating for the furniture, photos, letters, pictures, books and objects from the past times. The private rooms were very comfortable and in style. Orit and I shared room n.5.

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The bus roof being loaded

The palatial Bulawayo Club in 1997. In the right lower corner the Autovilla

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Bulawayo Club today - Google map

The stairs and the entrance to the Club

The Bulawayo Club library

The court inside

We managed to get to the Club just in time for a shower before meeting our guest Paddy at the Club bar. Paddy is a British woman who has been living in Zimbabwe for 50 years. She is a librarian and an honorary member of the Pioneers Society. After a formal dinner (Club dress code of skirt for women, tie for men), Paddy delighted us with stories about the life, of pioneers, hunters and missionaries of the times when our breed was about to take shape. The stories she told us embraced the stories of the companion dogs of those brave men, and Paddy did it in such a brilliant way focusing on the extraordinary bond those men had with their dogs. Not only did Paddy entertain us,

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Breakfast at Bulawayo Club

Mike Carnegie house

but she also instantly caught our hearts of dog lovers. Charming woman, enchanting storyteller, we listened to Paddy speechlessly until the end of her talk, holding our breath like children and, once in bed I was dreaming of those brave men and women with their dogs at their side! That was the lovely end of our first day on the tour! Thursday, 21st August 1997 “...I am convinced that anyone who has owned a Ridgeback...will not lightly want to be without one.” Major Hawley

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The second day looked like a very promising one (and it was indeed): we were going to visit Hope Fountain Mission, where Reverend Charles Helm probably had ridged dogs with him. Charles Helm had a great part in the origin of the breed. However, before that, and after a lovely breakfast at the Bulawayo Club, we were going to meet Mr. Mike Carnegie a descendent of one of the first missionaries at Hope Fountain and of one of the early pioneering family of Rhodesia. Mike drove us to his house: it was a lovely sunny day, and we stayed in his garden where he gave an interesting talk about the times when his grandfather David Carnegie moved from Scotland to Hope Fountain in 1882. It is so fascinating to listen to people who are so rooted in their past which, to some extent, is also the past of our breed. Suddenly the day fulfilled its promises; a swarm of bees was about to launch an attack! While Mr. Carnegie was speaking in the garden, a bee went buzzing around him, then slipped in his collar. Mr. Carnegie began waving his hands, trying to whack it: no hope, he was stung several times while a few of us were beating him with shawls or hands to help him. That was the signal for the whole swarm: they came rather angrily to back up the first bee. Everybody was then jumping, screaming, running, shaking heads, ruffling their hair where the bees seemed particularly eager to hide.

Mr. Carnegie’s painting of Hope Fountain Mission in 1880

The view of the Mission quite from the same point of view in 1997

Finally, we managed to make our miserable retreat into Mr. Carnegie’s house, a while after joined by Amanda and Helle who had found a safe shelter in the car. As they told us, it was somehow fun to watch all that mess around from a safe place...but they did not know the promising day was not at its peak yet! In the house, Mr. Carnegie offered ice cubes to the people stung (luckily, I wasn’t) and after recomposing himself he carried

Mike Carnegie Morris car

Hope Fountain Mission Station

on with his talk and showed us pictures of the old times. A painting of Hope Fountain was hanging on the wall, the mission station where his grandfather stayed. The caption on the picture says “The mission station at Hope Fountain mission as it looked in 1880“.

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Mike Carnegie’s speech set a very good background for our next visit at Hope Fountain Mission Station! We left the house peering out for the bees: they seemed to have gone so we ventured out! Poor us: they struck again with a perfect ambush technique! We ran as fast as possible into the cars and managed to get to safety, but poor Amanda and Helle got into the car WITH bees! It was their time to whack around and being stung. We were worried in case somebody was allergic but all went fine for everybody! Mr. Carnegie said the bees came from his neighbor, but he could not figure out why they were so angry on that day, apart from the fact that he had changed his hair lotion, grease, or perfume (I am not sure) on that very morning. I hope somebody strongly suggested Hope mission church

Hope Fountain Mission Station The church and the road down below

he should go back to his old one!

Hope Fountain Mission, established in 1869 with the Matabele King’s permission, is the second oldest mission in Zimbabwe. A fire destroyed the original building during the 1896 Matabele Rebellion. Therefore, what we saw at the time was not the original building, but apparently, Rev. Helm also stayed in the new one. I was overwhelmed with emotion, for my feet were stepping on the very ground where Rev. Helm had walked many years back, with his dogs at his side, possibly Lorna and Powder.

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Finally, in his Morris car from the ‘60s, Mr. Carnegie led us to Hope Fountain, about 20km south east of Bulawayo. This is the place where Rev. Charles Helm arrived in 1875 from Swellendam, South Africa, taking with him two dogs, maybe ridged, Lorna and Powder.

The church from the road

There is a church close to the mission building. Inside a number of memorial tablets hanging on the walls, commemorate the missionaries active in the region. Each tablet shows a brief bio sketch of the missionaries including Mr. and Mrs. Helm and Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie.

The Helms tablet

Inside the church

The Helms biosketch

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The mission rests on a high ground with a good view of the hilly surroundings and overlooking the mission cemetery down below where Mr. Carnegie led us: his family is buried there and there Mr. and Mrs. Helm rest. A touching encounter when reading the Helms names on their grave: they came to life in my heart. Hope Fountain Mission was an important crossroad and meeting station for hunters, travelers, visitors, and a place where many people used to rest or recover from fatigue or illness under the care of the Helms. Among the people visiting the Helms there was Cornelius “Nellis” van Rooyen who lived in Mangwe, about 90Km south of Hope Fountain. In 1879, Charles Helm officiated Cornelius van Rooyen and Margareta Bloemhof’s wedding.

The view over the hills from the church; down below the Cemetery

Soon it was time to go back to Bulawayo where we said a thankful good bye to Mr. Carnegie, ready to meet our next guest at lunch: Mr. Henry Sommer. Henry Sommer owns Eskdale Farm, located near Figtree, a village about 37 km south-west of Bulawayo. Francis R. Barnes, the man who in 1922 set the standard of the breed and founded the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club, was the former owner of Eskdale farm. Barnes used the name Eskdale for both his farm and his kennel. Francis R.

Hope Fountain Cemetery

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The memorial stele of the Helms in Hope Fountain Cemetery

The inscription on the Helms’ stele

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The sign at Eskdale Farm

Eskdale farm, the house

Barnes obtained his first “Lion dog” from Graham Stacey, who, in his turn, had it from van Rooyen. The breed owes Mr. Barnes a great debt for the huge effort he spent to have the breed recognized. Today, on the same farm, Henry Sommer “breeds” and “shows” cattle. We met Henry at the Bulawayo Club. I was in the car with him heading to Eskdale farm and well exceeding 100km/h (bye bye 80km/h!)! Once on the farm Henry drove me to the cattle where he had to check some work with his employees. The cows were gently forced along a path going down into a deep pool where they sunk up to the neck for an anti-parasite treatment, then emerged on the

other side. For a city woman it was an interesting procedure to watch. Hence, while the others were still on the road left behind at 80km/h, I had the privilege to visit Henry’s cattle with him and admire his gorgeous Zimbabwean Champion Bull! Then back to the house to reunite with the incoming tour companions. Barnes’ house is what I liked most on the tour. It is still a nice, somehow romantic house though slightly rundown. There is a verandah all around with a metal roof and a climbing plant on one side; this was a lovely place to rest in the shade on hot days, looking towards the hills far away. Inside there are some rooms mostly empty, I remember

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Eskdale house, the kitchen

Henry Sommer’s prize winning bull

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The verandah around the house

A romantic view of the verandah and its climbing plant

an L-shaped smoky kitchen, a room with a fireplace, and a small court inside where a nice breeze relieved us from the heat of the afternoon. It was so emotional to be there at the place where presumably, Barnes’ ridged dog Dingo used to stroll; maybe with that typical gait we are so fond of today!

I like to compare one picture of myself at Eskdale with the one in Mrs. Murrays’s book “The Rhodesian Ridgeback 1924-1974” page 191, showing Mrs. Mylda Arsenis and Eric Barnes (Francis’s son) standing in front of the stairs at Eskdale in 1967. The house very much looks the same 30 years later, though the brick wall has been repainted white, and iron rails added to the stairs, the same stairs I climbed up and down in that unforgettable afternoon with Francis Barnes at Eskdale Farm!

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The author on the Eskdale curved stair

Friday 22nd August “It can truthfully be said that van Rooyen did more to enhance the reputation of this breed that anyone else.” C. H. Edmonds We left Eskdale farm heading to Mangwe. The Mangwe area had a great strategic importance as the main natural route to enter Matabeleland from the south. Mangwe is the area where Cornelius Van Rooyen, one of the most famed hunters at the time, used to hunt and where he owned a farm. Cornelius had a pack of hunting dogs, and impressed by the (crested) dogs Helm brought with him to Matabeleland, he crossed them with his own dogs, producing hunting dogs, some ridged, that were soon known as “van Rooyen dogs”. Thus, the story of the breed began.

The scenery at LaBonka Lodge

We spent the night before visiting Mangwe at La Bonka Lodge, a lovely rustic camp all booked for us and quite comfortable “though in the bushes” as somebody pointed out! We had lovely and lively talks about RRs and other topics, watching the photographs

The author’s lodging at La Bonka

many of us had with them portraying their RR mainly, snacking on biltong and beer before dinner, and then having gorgeous food in a homey country style dining room with large game trophies hanging on the walls and a cozy blazing fireplace! In the morning we ventured on a photo safari in an open truck where I got my moment of glory: a piece of tree branch hit my face blown away by the truck (..wounded in Zimbabwe, on the 75th anniversary of the foundation of The Parent Club...). I was fine, just a bruise.

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In the afternoon, we met Mrs. Rosenfels, descendant of an early pioneering family and owner of La Bonka lodge. She led us to the Mangwe laager (fort), where Van Rooyen and other pioneers with their families (a large number of people), cattle, farm animals and dogs, took shelter for several weeks fearing an attack during the Matabele Rebellion in 1896. After Mangwe laager we headed to Lee’s house. John Lee was a pioneer and hunter, farmer and trader, a man of influence at the time. John Lee’s house became an important waypoint for hunters and travelers since 1863, when John Lee established his farm and house in Mangwe, after he obtained his grant of land from the Matabele King. John Lee used to go hunting with Cornelius van Rooyen, and he married Van Rooyen sister. Van Rooyen too had a farm in the Mangwe area (Weltevreden) and used to spend time with John Lee, going hunting also with John’s sons, Hans Lee, and for sure taking his dogs with him. The ruins of Lee’s house lay in a magnificent site between an affluent of the Mangwe river (dry at the time) and Lee’s Rock and Lee’s Castle, two rocky outcrops in the far background marking the skyline. The walk to the house was great, across a rocky plateau in the golden light of an approaching sunset. We climbed the side of the hill all the way up to the back of the

The author by the crackling fireplace

Dinner at La Bonka dining room

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The author on the photo safari

Mangwe laager

house where Hans Lee at a very young age seems to have shot dead at point-blank range a lion that was attacking the family cattle in the enclosure!

Walking uphill to Hans Lee’s house in Mangwe

A quick visit to the Mangwe cemetery (Van Rooyen is not buried there) then a fast drive to see Van Rooyen’s first farm, Weltevreden, before the night fell. There we met Mr. Rosenfels (Mrs. Rosenfels’ brother-inlaw) who guided us through thick bushes and rough terrain to what was left of van Rooyen’s farm: a pile of earth and bricks. Mr. Rosenfels could not believe

we all came from several countries in the world just to see that heap of debris! “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it!” he kept saying while shaking his head and beating the bricks with his walking stick! The way back to La Bonka in the dust of the car ahead and in the dark was a hard task for our driver, but Linda made it safely! Then we had good food, maybe not so good wine, but a very good time together, and a sound sleep to gain strength for our next day tour! Saturday 23rd August “...they give us companionship, devotion and loyalty in unstinted measure” Major Hawley On the 4th day we had an early start: at 7am, we were already at the Mangwe pass: the pass was the only way into Matabeleland from the South. There pioneers, hunters, traders, missionaries had to ask permission from the Matabele King for entering the country. There is a memorial erected in 1954 with a plaque

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The remains of Hans Lee’s house

Weltevreden area at dusk

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Debris from van Rooyen first farm at Weltevreden

remembering the role of Mangwe pass, the Gateway to Matabeleland, in the history of the country. The plaque reads “A hundred years ago the first of the missionaries, hunters and traders passed slowly and resoluted along this way – Honour their memory – they revealed to those who followed the bounties of a country they themselves might not enjoy”. A cast of concrete on the ground at the base of the memorial, has wagon wheel prints, oxen and boot prints embossed into it. They mark the direction of travel along the trail across two large rocks, the pass. However, there are no dog prints in the concrete as we noticed! The Mangwe pass in its striking scenery, is the second place I liked most! Back to La Bonka Lodge, where we had our breakfast and then off to Plumtree town, to visit Plumtree School, a boarding school that played a very important role in the history of the area. We visited the school museum where we browsed among photos, school records, books, copybooks, programs, assignments, discipline reports. Van Rooyen son, also named Cornelius, attended the Plumtree School. A photo in the

Rubble of van Rooyen farm in the foreground, brightened by the camera flashlight

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Mangwe pass, the Gate to Matabeleland

The Mangwe pass and the Memorial

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school museum portrays him seated on a school windowsill. We all bought a copy of the book “The Plumtree Papers” by Mary Clarke, about the history “of the Bulalima-Mangwe area, the growth of an education system, and life in Rhodesia up to the Referendum in 1922” as the cover flap reads. The book is very interesting and mentions van Rooyen and his role in the community of the time. At the school, we met Mr. Nigel Greef, a descendent of a pioneer family. Mr. Greef is the person who owns what was Van Rooyen second farm: Van Rooyen Rest and Belgravia. Before heading to the farm accompanied by Mr. Greef, we visited the Pioneers cemetery where Van Rooyen is buried. Unfortunately, it is unknown where his grave is, but I am sure that each of us in our hearts found the place where he rests. There we also saw the grave of Hans Lee, John Lee’s son. There seems to be little left of the original Van Rooyen Rest: they make bricks there today, but the name Van Rooyen is still

The Memorial

The cast of concrete and the prints marking the route

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View of the Pioneers’ cemetery

A good dirt road to Belgravia

there on a sign on the wall as the farm still carries his name (fortunately, it is difficult to change farms names, so Eskdale too is still Eskdale farm!) The house in Belgravia is still standing, once there was a huge fig tree no longer existing. Belgravia is that part of the Rest farm that van Rooyen gave to his daughter when she married. We were almost at the conclusion of our tour, but still an important place in the history of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed was to be visited: the Peard house in Bulawayo, 18 Pauling Road. In this house, in 1922 a group of enthusiast people attended a meeting organized by Francis R. Barnes and decided to form the Rhodesian Ridgeback

Club! We had no permission to visit the property, but we walked all around taking pictures from over the fence. A nice white house in the style of the houses there, with a shaded verandah. While we were walking along the house fences, in the place where the 1st RR club meeting was held, a big and small mongrel kept barking at us all the time! That was the very end of our tour. We went back to the Bulawayo club and celebrated the conclusion of our exciting historical tour with a good dinner, after which four intrepid women (Amanda, Helle, Orit and myself) ventured out for a brave night to remember!

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van Rooyens Abattoir

The day after the group split up: some back to Harare, some to Victoria Falls, some to somewhere else. I always feel sad when a very nice time is over and when I have to say good-bye to very nice companions. In this case, I did not feel so sad, for the great experience we shared will keep us together across continents bound by the thread of our love for Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Note. In December 1998 I learned from Linda Costa that the Peard house had been demolished. I feel thankful that Linda found it when she did, and was able to show it to other interested people before this happened. We are lucky that not all the footprints had disappeared when we went to visit them.

Belgravia

The Rest

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Peard house, a colonial style house with shaded verandah

Peard House and the barking dog

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ABOUT THE BOOK

he book is addressed to both owners and breeders. On 400 pages, you will find such topics as the breed history, its

character, puppy choice, dog care, upbringing and nutrition, health issues encountered in the breed. The breeding part includes discussing the breed standard, anatomical structure and its impact on dog movement, the basics of genetics. I discuss such issues as preparing for reproduction, pregnancy, childbirth and rearing puppies. The PDF file made available to readers includes the table of contents and an excerpt

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from the first chapter of the book. Enjoy!

A seven-week-old puppy.

rhodesian ridgeback PERFECT DOG Edyta Ossowska

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK by Edyta Ossowska

Autoimmune diseases are fairly rare disorders of the immune system, causing the production of antibodies attacking one’s own structures. A healthy immune system only attacks foreign antigens, while in these disorders, one’s own cells are recognized as “hostile” and attacked, and the organism begins to destroy its own tissues and organs. Allergies - incorrect response of the immune system, resulting in damage to our own tissues. With the occurrence of immune system problems, there are hypersensitivity reactions involving different cells. There are 4 types of hypersensitivity: type I - immediate, type II and III - intermediate and IV - late type. As a result of contact of the allergy-prone organism with an allergen (a protein or a glycoprotein), a whole series of reactions occur, including production of cytokine and a histamine burst, causing allergic symptoms. Anaphylactic shock is type I reaction in its extreme form. Division of allergic reactions according to Geli and Coombs. Reaction type

Mechanism

Symptoms and disorders

IgE-dependent reactions

U rticaria, anxiety, diarrhoea, vomiting, liver pain

IgG, IgM dependent cytotoxic reactions

Haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia, granulocytopenia

III

Reactions dependent on immune complexes

Fever, serum sickness, vasculitis, interstitial nephritis

T-cell dependent reactions

Blemishes, blisters, rashes

Atopic dermatitis (AD)

Non-seasonal allergens

Seasonal allergens

Dust mites

Grass pollen

Storage mites

Perennial polien (mugwort, nettle, dandelion ... )

Mould

Tree polien (ash, oak, hazel, poplar, birch.)

Chronic and incurable disease, characterized by severe itching. Its etiology remains the subject of research, though it is known that it is genetically conditioned. Research to <late has shown that in the development of the disease, IgE antibodies oppose environmental allergens that enter the body through the skin, although other inflammatory cells and interactions between them (eosinophil, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages) also play a considerable role. Symptoms of atopy can be seasonal or permanent, depending on the allergens. Inheritance of atopy is believed to be associated with the dominant gene, but other genes are responsible for clinical symptoms. The condition usually affects young dogs up to the age of four, the later onset of the disease is quite rare. The main symptom is erythema and itching, which causes intense scratching, licking, biting, muzzle rubbing against objects. Sometimes, there are additional symptoms such as behavioural changes, for instance, or aggression. What is characteristic of this disease is the location of the itch: the muzzle, around the eyes, and the inner side of the auricles, the groin, and feet. Itching causes scratching, which leads to scratches on the skin, skin damage and concurrent infections, growth of bacteria or fungi. If left untreated, it leads to chronic lesions, lichenification or hyperpigmentation of the skin. Atopy is often accompanied by otitis. The latest research shows that atopy is not so much a disease as a clinical syndrome. The dog must have a predisposition to atopy, and the symptoms appear after the causative factor such as parasite infection, bacterial or fungal (e.g. after bathing in a pond or puddle) or food intolerance (food antigen). In order to diagnose atopy, food allergy should be excluded (elimination diet),

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ALLERGIES

Location of the itch in atopy.

parasites checked (scrape test), and allergy tests performed to identify the allergen (or allergens) causing the disease. Two methods are used, i.e. intradermal tests, or checking serum IgE levels, although the latter can be false positive due to cross-reactions. At present (2019), the only tests that don’t give false results are Heska tests. If there is erythema in the auricle, a diascopy test should be performed (putting a glass slide to the ear at the site of erythema, if the erythema goes pale, there is a suspicion of atopy).

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The main steps in diagnosing atopy include: • Introduction of a new protein source, as a food antigen may be a triggering factor. The new protein should not come from a species that is taxonomically close to the species previously used (for min. 6-8 weeks). Cross-reactions ought to be taken into consideration. • Anti-inflammatory therapy for 14 days, then attempting to continue with the new diet without itching control (corticosteroids, antihistamines, cyclosporin, cytopoint). • Introduction of probiotics for a minimum of 4 weeks. • Avoiding allergens whenever possible. The most common home allergen is house dust mites, in this case, you can use acaricides on mattresses, rugs, dog lairs. • Strengthening the skin barrier through

proper diet and topical agents (shampoos, emulsions). • Specific immunotherapy. • Large doses of fatty acids (omega-3). Treatment of secondary bacterial or fungal infections and proactive therapy, which also applies to areas without current skin lesions. If lesions appear in the ear canals in the acute phase, ear preparations should be given also in the period of remission to avoid irreversible skin lesions. A cross-reaction occurs when an antibody reacts with two or three allergens. People allergic to birch pollen are also allergic to celery, cherries, and apples - this is the cross-reaction. Intensive research is being conducted regarding dogs, and the first results are already known. If your dog has an allergic reaction to one ingredient in a pair, it is also allergic to the other. If the factor causing atopy was deeding the dog chicken meat, then the acute phase of the disease will not go away if you swap chicken with fish. Atopic dermatitis has periods of worsening symptoms and remissions. Treatment is provided throughout the patient’s life and consists in preventing the chronic phase and substantially reducing the acute phase of the disease. Currently, Cytopointis considered to be the best in treating atopy. It is a targeted drug, blocking only a specific protein which causes itching, not affecting other functions of the immune system. It is given in the form of an injection once a month.

• Beef- lamb - milk, • Chicken - Pork, • Chicken - cod - salmon, • Corn - potatoes, • House dust mites nightshades (potato, sweet potato).

Food allergy Food allergy is a skin disease to which the Ridgebacks are predisposed as a breed. It is similar to atopic dermatitis, and symptoms may be the same. There are two types of negative food reactions: food intolerance and allergy. In tolerance is related to metabolism or may be the effect of food toxins (e.g. cereal mycotoxins in dry foods, the toxic component in chocolate, etc.), but it has no immune background. In allergies, there is a disorder of immune system processes, which leads to the development of the disease. In healthy dogs, the intestinal mucosa is impermeable to large protein molecules, while antigens are removed by IgA antibodies. However, if the intestines are not completely healthy and they let these protein molecules pass further into the bloodstream, the molecules should be stopped by the liver. In allergic dogs, they are not stopped and a hypersensitivity reaction occurs. In effect, intestinal infections, the presence of parasites, and a mal functioning liver all predispose to allergies. There are dogs suffering from both food allergies and atopy. It has recently been discovered that a food antigen may be the factor causing atopy. In most cases, glycoproteins from beef, soy, poultry, milk, corn, rice and other cereals, eggs, fish and potatoes are antigens responsible for an allergic reaction. Young dogs under the age of one year are usually affected by allergies. The main clinical symptom of allergy is itching, present all year round, without seasonal changes, which does not disappear after administration of glucocorticosteroids. Itching usually affects the head, ears, armpits, groin and posterior parts of limbs, as well as the skin between the toes. Skin eruption is also possible, in the form of pimples, erythema or even blistering and alopecia with discoloration of the skin. Oti tis externa is the usual coinfection, sometimes this is the first sign of an allergy. Also bacterial or yeast infections are a common secondary complication that occurs

Diagnosis of food allergies is difficult and usually takes very long. Diagnosing allergy using intradermal tests, which gives good results in the case of atopy, is not useful in food allergies. Very often, despite a clear response to a given type of food, tests do not show IgE antibodies. The opposite is often true: although tests show that the food will be allergic, the dog has no allergic symptoms. Patch tests give better results, but they also do not guarantee a 100% diagnosis. Food allergy diagnosis is only possible through an elimination diet. For four to eight weeks use food with one new type of protein that your dog is not allergic to, or a commercial diet based on a hydrolysed protein (low molecular weight which doesn’t cause an allergic reaction, although recent research says the response depends on the degree of hydrolysis). Upon health improvement, ingredients (proteins of one species) are introduced one by one, and we observe the dog. Symptoms of an allergy to a given ingredient usually appear up to forty-eight hours, but sometimes as late as after two weeks, so we need to wait two weeks before trying another ingredient to be sure of the effect. The treatment is based on not giving the dog the food to which it has allergic reaction. Unfortunately, such a diet may stop working after some tirne because some dogs eventually become allergic to other ingredients. In the case of atopy, cross-reactions should also be taken into consideration. My personal observations indicate that dogs have stronger allergy symptoms when they are given dry food than raw food. I had dogs with poultry allergy symptoms in my nutritional care, while raw poultry did not give such symptoms in the same dogs. At the tirne was no-one stressed the importance of cross-reactions. One of my first clients Iran ona RAW diet was a German Shepherd who was allergic to almost everything. The only type of protein that didn’t make it itch was horsemeat. After three months on raw horsemeat, we tried to feed it beef and succeeded. Every 3 months, we introduced another type of meat, while working on general body cleansing with herbs, especially the intestines and the liver. After 1. S years, the dog could eat everything without any allergic reactions. The improvement of the bowel condition also affected the dog’s overall immunity.

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Confirmed cross-reactions in dogs so far:

when the dog starts scratching the itchy spots. In addition to skin symptoms, diarrhoea or breathing problems may also occur.

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WR IT T EN BY R A L F K A LW A

MAHLOMETELA DIARIES

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THE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK – THE LION DOGS OF KRUGER!

ne of the privileges of ranger life in the Kruger National Park includes owning a dog. The purpose of owning a dog as a ranger varies. In some cases, rangers use the dogs to track wounded or snare-carrying animals or for protection during patrols and whilst camping in secluded sections of the Park performing wildlife management tasks. Furthermore, ranger gardens are large and in many cases off the beaten track. While the ranger is away on an anti-poaching exercise, the dog plays a vital role in protecting the families left at home in the rangers’ absence. Finally, the family dog has forewarned many ranger children of a snake nearby whilst playing in the yard.

When rangers get together around a camp fire at night the banter and stories shared amongst friends and colleagues often include references to which rifle calibre is best suited for ranger work, which 4x4 can handle the toughest terrain and what breed of dog can stand the challenges faced in bush work. I cannot recall that we ever found common ground on the latter issue.

THE LION DOG But when it came to choosing a breed to join our family in Malelane, I stuck to my principles of selecting the tried and tested Rhodesian Ridgeback, a true African descendent originating from the original Khoikhoi people in the Cape. The

My son, Dieter, and Dusty at a rhino carcass. The rhino died of natural causes. RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

Dusty as a young dog on the back of the bakkie learning to stay on top with the tailgate down and very thirsty after a patrol.

breed underwent many changes since then and in the late 1800s Cornelis van Rooyen (a hunter in the then Rhodesia) selectively bred his hunting dogs with two bitches owned by a local priest. Over a period of 35 years he bred a dog that had a natural ability to bay lions. The Rhodesian Ridgeback had arrived and has since affectionately been known as the ‘lion dog’ of Africa. Dusty arrived in the Kruger National Park sometime in 1996. I did not have any specific preferences as to the history of her pedigree or which breeder would provide the first lion dog for work in the Kruger. In fact, as it turned out Dusty was almost considered the runt of the litter. She was the last to leave her place of birth and was almost four months old when she arrived. Her grandmother had however shown extreme courage by defending the family home from a burglar, being stabbed 13 times with a screwdriver in defence of her ‘family pack’. This, I thought, had to count for something. Ridgebacks are pack dogs. They bay lions as part of a coordinated attack by four or five dogs darting in and out, pushing the prey into a tight spot from where the hunter can take a clean shot. When you only have one Ridgeback, the human

family substitutes as the pack and a Ridgeback will not leave your side come hell or high water. This describes Dusty very well and she joined me on daily patrols and excursions into the Kruger bush. To ensure her safety I had to teach her to never jump off the ranger vehicle (or bakkie as we call it) unless instructed. Jumping off at the wrong time could see her being killed when a pride of lions are lying in the road or an irate buffalo was nearby. The signal to jump off or on was the tailgate of the bakkie. Tailgate down meant she could get off or on. I can comfortably say that in the 14 000 km she spent on the bakkie, she never jumped off. We drove through many herds of elephant, all types of game and past many lion prides. At all times she remained calm and aware of the threats in her surroundings. If an animal approached the bakkie, she stood her ground emitting a guttural growl with the ridge standing up in typical fashion.

TRUST YOUR DOG During foot patrols in various sections of the southern Kruger, Dusty stayed next to me, never

venturing far ahead or lagging behind. I trusted her nose and I felt comfortable that we would be a good team if we ran into any form of danger. One thing she did teach me was to listen to her and acknowledge her change in behaviour. This was brought out early one morning near the Timfenheni loop. I had stopped the bakkie and dropped the tailgate. I commanded Dusty to get off and she refused, looking at me with a tilted head. I sat down on the tailgate, adjusted my boots and loaded the rifle. Getting up I instructed her again to jump off. She did, and then simply jumped back on. Irritated with this behaviour I raised my voice and she jumped off sheepishly glancing in my direction. We set off down a wide elephant path, Dusty hugging my side and not wanting to patrol. Well, she was correct. Within five minutes of us leaving the vehicle we walked into a pride of six lions lazily sleeping under a leadwood tree. We stopped dead in our tracks and I knew that any sudden reaction or movement would alert the pride and who knows what the outcome would be. We quietly backtracked and returned to the safety of the vehicle. Dusty had been warning me earlier not to patrol in this area, but I had ignored her, thinking I knew better. Lesson learnt – always trust your dog!

SNAKES BEWARE

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Oscar arrived 18 months later. He was a handsome, broad-chested, assertive dog somewhat larger than the standard for the breed. Dusty quickly showed Oscar the ropes and together they would charge for the bakkie once the tailgate was down, fully knowing that we were going on patrol. A year later Dusty had her first litter and once gain she proved her worth. Sitting in the office under a pile of paperwork I heard an unusual bark followed by a yelp coming from the kennel nearby. I rushed out and in the corner of my eye I saw Dusty slapping what looked like a thick piece of meat around. As I got closer my heart sank – Dusty had taken on a large puff adder that was on its way to the puppy whelping box a few metres away. The snake was dead, but it had left its mark; Dusty had been bitten under the jaw and was starting to swell quickly. I loaded her onto the bakkie and alerted the vets in Skukuza of my predicament. She had thirteen puppies, which were a few days old, and if she succumbed to this venom it would also mean the end of the road for the litter. I covered the 65 km in record time and as I drove into the parking lot near our Conservation offices, I was met by not one but two sterling vets of the highest calibre, Roy Bengis and Douw Grobler. They immediately set up a drip on the back of my bakkie and administered a cocktail of medication and fluids. After what seemed like an eternity they gave me

Dieter with the dead puff adder.

the all clear to take her home. Her face resembled that of a hippopotamus and she looked very sorry for herself. I was still concerned about the welfare of the litter as they were very small and had not been fed for the last five hours, but true to the nature of a Ridgeback, Dusty clambered off the bakkie and went straight to the box and fed the hungry souls. Dusty was indeed as tough as nails.

BERG AND DAL BABOONS Although every effort is made to keep animals out of the rest camps in the Kruger, it is inevitable that some will find their way into the confines of the camp. This happens especially with primates, who have the ability to jump over the fences from nearby trees and more so if they are fed or gain access to dustbins and other tit bits primarily in the camping areas. I would on occasion receive requests for assistance from the camp manager at Berg and Dal when a troop of baboons was raiding the caravan park.

Heading with him in their direction at a casual trot, would usually result in a speedy retreat and see the troop bundling over the camp fence in search of the safety of the bush. Up until that last minute I would keep him under control and release him when all was clear to give them a final fright as he confronted them in a fierce stance at the fence. This performance was often met by a loud applause from camp staff, who were relieved and grateful that they did not have to clean up any overturned dustbins.

Oscar and Dusty.

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Baboons were Oscar’s speciality. His stature, assertiveness and speed made for an imposing baboon chaser and in all my time I never had to revert to shooting a baboon. On arrival in the camp I would keep Oscar on a long leash and within seconds the baboon warning cries would alert the troop to Oscar’s presence.

Dusty with her swollen face after a puff adder bite, feeding her puppies.

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Wri tte n by

Lisa Reece,

DOGS AND ESSENTIAL OILS There seems to have been a lot of hype about essential oils lately, but they are not a fad or a new discovery. In fact, essential oils have been used for thousands of years for both physical and emotional ailments. They have been used for depression and anxiety, sleep, calming, energy, focus, for muscular aches and pains, headaches, cuts and scrapes, respiratory issues, digestive issues and so much more! Essential oils are a natural liquid, containing volatile chemical compounds extracted from plants using cold press or steam distillation. They are tiny molecules that can pass through pores and enter the bloodstream where they get to work. Because essential oil constituents are lipophilic (fat-loving or fat-soluble) they can pass through the cell membrane and the blood brain barrier. This is one of the reasons they work so fast.

Now let’s stop for a second and look at these facts. • It takes 22 seconds for the molecules to reach the brain • After just 2 minutes they are found in the bloodstream. • Within 20 minutes they affect every cell in the body. That’s pretty amazing, don’t you think? Essential oils can then be used in three ways: aromatically, topically and internally. Aromatic and Topical use are the most common. Aromatically is when we inhale the scent. Topically is when we apply them to the skin. Internally is when we ingest them.

SO, THE BIG QUESTION IS: IS IT SAFE TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS FOR OUR DOGS SO THEY TOO CAN ENJOY THE BENEFITS? Yes! It sure is! There are, however, some guidelines to follow to ensure safe usage. Most important is the quality of the essential oils you use. Always make sure they are 100% pure. Most bad reactions come from using inferior essential oils which contain fillers and synthetics. They

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Cer tif ied Animal Aromath erapy Specialist , Canin e Aromath erapy.

can be toxic to your dog. I always recommend doTERRA essential oils as I can be sure they are 100% pure, therefore 100% safe. Always dilute the essential oils appropriately in a carrier oil, like fractionated coconut oil, before applying topically. Never put in eyes, nose, mouth, ears or genitals. When diffusing only use a small amount and make sure the room is well ventilated and that your dog can leave the area if they wish to. There are a few essential oils to avoid using on or around your dogs. These are Tea Tree (Melaleuca), Wintergreen and Birch. It also pays to use caution when using hot oils like Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Cassia, Cinnamon and Clove. Dilute them more or use less than usual in the diffuser as they may cause irritation.

HOW CAN ESSENTIAL OILS BENEFIT YOUR DOG? IN SO MANY WAYS!! Firstly, just by replacing your chemical cleaning products with more natural products made with essential oils, you are reducing your dog’s toxic load. This in turn, strengthens their immune system, reduces respiratory and skin conditions, and puts them in the right direction to great health.

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You can use them to support your dog when they are injured or unwell. Of course, they aren’t meant to replace modern medicine, but can be used alongside it, or in some cases can reduce the need for it. They are great for a natural approach to first aid and healing. Some of the many uses include… skin support, allergy support, after surgery care, digestive support including travel sickness, calming, for stress and anxiety, sleep, urinary tract support, muscular support, cancer support, flea and tick prevention… the list goes on! There are just so many different ways essential oils can support your dog in a natural way.

One of my most used recipes is my Flea and Tick Repellent Spray. I use this instead of the chemical spot-ons or tablets which contain poisonous substances that can harm or even kill your dog. My natural spray contains nothing to harm the dog and is very effective in keeping the fleas and ticks at bay. Here is my recipe for you to try. It is quick and easy to make, works effectively and has the added benefit of being great for your dog’s skin and coat too. Just give your dog a spray every few days, or more often if there are many fleas and ticks around. It is still advisable to check over your dog with your hands to look for ticks, just like when using the commercial ones. Give it a try! Lastly, it needs to be said… it is not only safe to use essential oils for your dogs, it is beneficial to them! Buy pure, quality oils and follow the safety guidelines and watch your dog flourish! After all, natural is best and essential oils are nature’s finest gift. Happy oiling!

FLEA AND TICK DETERRENT SPRAY For a 300ml Spray bottle • • • • • • •

10 drops TerraArmour 10 drops Cedarwood 5 drops Lavender 5 drops Geranium 5 drops Peppermint l tsp fractionated coconut oil Top with water.

Add all ingredients to the 300ml Spray bottle. Shake well before each use. Lightly mist over your dog (being careful to avoid eyes, nose and in the ears) and rub into fur.

Homepage www.caninearomatherapy.com Instagram canine.aromatherapy Facebook caninearomatherapy

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Written by

Joy Carmichael

Raising a cleft palate puppy

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Oliver, a Rhodesian Ridgeback

aising a cleft palate puppy is in all honesty, not much different than any other special needs puppy. They have to be tube fed at birth. There is no way around this. They need to be fed around the clock every approximately 2-3 hours. Once they reach around three weeks, they can start eating small dry kibble. They tend to be smaller and have more medical needs. But their personalities and zest for life know no boundaries. Oliver, a Rhodesian Ridgeback born October 13, 2018 came to me at 8 weeks of age weighing only 7 lbs. Small, but oh... so mighty. A normal Rhodesian Ridgeback at this age usually weighs around 16-19 lbs. Oliver was less than half a normal sized puppy at 8 weeks of age. His structure and bone development were noticeably smaller than a nor-

mal ridgeback at this age. Although his structure was quite small, his motor skills were appropriate for his age and size. He was a normal, wild, larger than life, no fear of anything puppy. He learned at 3 weeks how to eat dry kibble and how to drink water. It is fascinating how well he adjusted and adapted to drinking by slurping up water, tilting his head back to let the water run down the back of his throat. Even now at 3 years old he still slurps up water tilts his head back and lets it roll down. Because of the way he has to drink he continues to have sinus infections. He has had many, many sinus infections throughout his life. There have been way too many to count. He also has had aspiration pneumonia twice since he has lived with me. He consistently has a yellow discharge from his nose. Every morning

BEFORE OPERATION

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when he wakes up, he clears his nose and cleft by sneezing and sending all the food and yellow mucus that is packed in there all over the floor. Unfortunately for him, and for us, this will be for the rest of his life. Some mornings because of the nasal drainage that he has, it makes his stomach upset. He does throw up yellow bile quite often. This will forever be an issue for him. We feed him a half a cup of food before bed time. We also feed him as soon as we wake up, this way his stomach isn’t empty and has less of a tendency to build up the acid and yellow bile. Oliver has had several surgeries to try to close the cleft palate up. His first surgery was on February 8, 2019. The Veterinarian was able to completely close his palate. After approximately 10 days the center opened back up. The back section of his cleft did stay closed. The plan was to wait and let his body create more tissue in order to have a larger amount of skin to try and close the hole again. His second surgery was March 12, 2019. This surgery was again quite extensive. Alongside of his teeth, where the cleft palate opening was, the vet made incisions to give the middle of his palate some expansion of tissue to try to pull together the center. We were able to close the cleft palate

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hole again. Within that second week it did open back up again. We waited till May 16, 2019 to go back in again and repeat the same procedure to try to expand the tissue again. The Vet made slits along his teeth gums and stretched the palate skin sewing it up in the middle again. Unfortunately, a small portion of his palate opened up again. On August 8,2019 we did another surgery, hoping that his palate would have enough tissue to close it permanently. With this procedure the palate stayed closed until August 22, 2019. We were so very hopeful that this was his last surgery. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. We decided to give his body some time to heal and for the little body to grow. We were so hopeful some granulation tissue would grow and be enough to get it closed. We did one last and final surgery on October 24, 2019 to try to close the cleft. This was a last ditch effort to see if we could close his palate opening. The vet decided to try to use his scrotum skin as a backing to help hold the incision and cleft hole closed. As with many cleft palate puppies the bone on the roof of their mouth was never formed and/or present. This is the case with Oliver, he has no bone where the cleft opening is, so it is very difficult to close the hole leading to his sinus cavity. With no foundation or structure to keep his tongue from pushing against the skin on the roof of his mouth, it just keeps opening back up. The only way we would be able to close his cleft is if we tried to do a bone graft. This surgery would cost around ten thousand dollars to try, with no guarantees it would even take. We have chosen not to do this type of surgery. He func-

tions very well the way he is now. Yes, he does get sinus infections, but not severe enough to warrant this kind of extensive surgery. He is able to clear his cleft with blowing it all out of his nose. He has adapted very well to clearing his sinus cavity. Other than an occasional serious sinus infection, he does over all, very well. With many midline cleft puppies there are also other abnormalities that come with this deformity. Oliver has a bone defect on his forehead between the eyes. He has two raised ridge bones in the center of his forehead that you can feel. In the center is a very deep crevice. The bones are fused together though. He also has a lower tail set than a normal dog. We have not had any x-rays or tests to see how the bones are formed or fused together. The way he walks we are pretty sure he does have hip dysplasia, but again, we haven’t had OFA’s and or x-rays taken. There hasn’t been a need as he is and never will be breed, and/or a show pup. Oliver does have sensory issues. The first one is that he gets overly excited when he is petted. Touching him even softly and calmly excites him. This over stimulation of touching him makes him hyper and anxious. He just can’t contain himself. His sense of smell seems to be ten times better than my other RR’s. He can pick up the scent of an animal or food so much quicker than any of them. He has very acute hearing. He does not sleep, hears every noise and barks at everything. We definitely do not have to worry about anyone entering the house unannounced.

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Overall, I can say Oliver is a wonderful pup. We are so happy to have him in our home and he is a wonderful addition to our pack. Oliver has a larger than life personality and energy that wears my other dogs out, including me. His sight is marvelously keen, his hearing is exceedingly acute and his sense of smell is wonderfully perfect. He is always ready to go and there is never a dull moment with him around.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH A JUDGE Greetings from UK

PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS. Hello everyone. I am Gael Morison of “Atlantis” Afghans and Shetland Sheepdogs. I have recently relocated from South Africa to the UK with my husband, Les. I am a Kennel Union of Southern Africa and FCI approved All Breeds Judge.

WHEN DID YOUR LOVE OF DOGS BEGIN? PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR PAST AND PRESENT DOGS. I am a second-generation dog person. My parents bred and exhibited Rough Collies under the “Clan Campbell” prefix. They were both Kennel Union of Southern Africa approved judges. I had a typical doggy childhood being exposed to and enjoying all facets of dogdom and dog showing. I got my first Afghan in 1973 and registered our ATLANTIS prefix with KUSA in 1976. Shetland Sheepdogs joined our kennel in1994. Through the years we had steady success with both breeds, imported and home-bred, as well as top winning dogs in both breeds. Our last Afghan and Sheltie passed on before we left South Africa. We do not have a dog at present: top of wish-list!

HOW DID YOU GET INTRODUCED TO THIS BREED? A contemporary of my parents imported one of the first Afghans into (Durban) South Africa. I was and still am fascinated by this amazing breed: my fate was sealed - I had to own an Afghan. (1973) I was very fortunate in starting off with excellent quality stock.

(1994) Wanting a smaller, more biddable breed for the future, our breed of choice was a Shetland Sheepdog. Again, we were blessed in getting superb dogs from the Grandgables kennel.

WHEN DID YOU START WITH JUDGE CAREER AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME A JUDGE? PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR JUDGES’ CARRIER AND YOUR HIGHLIGHTS. Judging was the next step in the process of learning more about the Afghan Hound and the Hound group. I first judged at Open Show level in 1978. My first Championship Show appointment for Afghans was in 1980 and my first Championship Hound appointment in 1982 I worked through the balance of the Groups (7 Groups in South Africa) and achieved All Breeds status in 1994. It is difficult to choose highlights. Every appointment holds excitement and anticipation. Assignments with big number entries and depth of quality are the “first prize”. The Australian Royals are a wonderful experience for judges. The Sighthound Festival in Donaueschingen is Sighthound heaven. Judging your chosen breed at a UK Championship Show (particularly pre Covid times) is indeed a highlight. Judging in many countries around the world has been an enormous privilege, honour and pleasure.

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GAEL MORISON

DID YOU EVER HAVE A MENTOR? ARE YOU MENTORING NEW COMERS? I had an incredibly knowledgeable and sharp mentor and looking back, I realise the huge importance of mentoring for newcomers in our hobby.

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In South Africa, as part of Judges Education/ Learning Programme, each Learner Judge is allocated a Mentor. I was Mentor to my allocated gang of keen Learner Judges. Here in the UK - if you want to listen, I will talk!

HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE TYPE? Type, so often bandied around. Impossible to describe, but there is such a thing. The “IT” factor that you see as a judge, denoting that the dog is of good type, strong type, lovely type. Pretty much that the dog comes up to standard and has no characteristics separating it or deviating from Type. Your gut will tell you.

IS THERE SOMETHING WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE IN THE BREED?

In regard to the Rhodesian Ridgeback, as an outsider looking in, I am not able to comment here.

EVERY BREED HAS SOME COMMON PROBLEMS. WHICH IS THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM IN RR This is a question for breeders and exhibitors and possibly judges that judge large entries of the breed regularly. In South Africa, there are very few Ridgebacks being exhibited and with Covid restrictions, I have not judged the breed overseas for almost 3 years. I am therefore not able to state what is the most common problem in Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT OF WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE A JUDGE OF THE BREED TO BE AWARE? The “package” = balance, type and soundness.

WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU ADMIRE MOST IN A JUDGE? Knowledge, decisiveness, courage, respect for exhibitors and dogs, good manners and politeness, giving every exhibit the same time and consideration, enjoyment of their appointment.

Ring management put to the test.

HOW HAS THE DOG SCENE CHANGED OVER THE LAST DECADES? Photo by Andrey Vesely

The greatest change is the decrease in numbers. We have had the Golden Age of many breeds, these breeds now attracting a handful of entries.

Rising costs of our hobby lead to lower entries. Lesser entries leave Clubs struggling to keep going. Fewer people willing to serve on committees. Well established kennels and older breeders calling it a day.

Dog showing has competition from many other easier hobbies, hobbies demanding less P.T. and tenacity. Not a lot of young people choosing to join the dog world.

WHAT CHARACTERISTICS MAKE A GOOD JUDGE IN YOUR OPINION? All of the above.

WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOU SEE IN THE JUDGES TODAY AS OPPOSED TO THOSE IN THE BEGINNING OF YOUR CAREER? Judges at the beginning of my career had served a longer “apprenticeship”. They were older and held in high esteem. They represented their renowned kennels and were totally committed to our hobby.

HAVE BREED STANDARDS CHANGED VERY MUCH SINCE YOU BEGAN YOUR JUDGING CAREER? DO YOU SEE ANY DIFFERENCE IN RR OF TODAY COMPARED TO RR OF 10 YEARS AGO? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES YOU SEE? There are minor changes to made to some breed standards. These are published by our governing bodies. Judges are notified of these changes by our national kennel clubs. Trends and styles do change but the standard is the true, constant guide.

Today, aspirant judges can use a myriad of programmes, courses and schemes to speed up qualifying as a judge.

I admire the Rhodesian Ridgeback and enjoy judging the breed. However, I am not able to honestly report on differences / biggest differences from 10 years ago.

Thereafter, it is up to the judge to garner knowledge, look & listen. Take advice and never stop learning. Hopefully many will do this to increase their knowledge base and confidence

WHAT IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO RR TODAY?

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS A JUDGE? Too many fabulous experiences to list or to choose just one.

Once again, I would need to consult with breeders and experienced Ridgeback exhibitors to ascertain what is the greatest threat to your breed.

IT’S INEVITABLE THAT BREEDS WILL EVOLVE AND CHANGE SOMEWHAT AS NEW

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A never to be forgotten situation as a judge that always makes me chuckle: 2 in the class. Exhibitors and dogs come into the ring. The lady exhibitor hands me a restraining order she has against the other exhibitor and asks me to make sure he stays 10 metres away from her at all times!!!

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GENERATIONS OF BREEDERS TAKE CHARGE. HOW CAN THE ESSENCE - OR TRUE BREED TYPE - BE MAINTAINED?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING? I am not a Rhodesian Ridgeback Breed Specialist so I was not able to answer your breed specific questions.

Styles / trends change but type remains constant. The Breed Standard is the guide for both breeders and judges. Breeding to and judging to the Standard is the only route to maintain true breed type. There is a post on the internet at present, wording much like this: “Breed up to the standard, do not amend/drop the standard to suit what you are showing at present.” Pure gold advice. This is a big responsibility for breeders AND judges, the onus on both to steadfastly uphold the Breed Standard.

WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGLE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO ALL SERIOUS YOUNG BREEDERS? Strive to breed the highest quality and maintain that high standard of quality throughout your breeding programme.

INFO Name Gael Morison Country UK Affix Atlantis www / email mwlesmo@iafrica.com

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BELLOROSARIO BREEDER

57 RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE N UCH Shavano’s Proud to be BellaRosaria and me

Our kennel and also dog-spa is our home, northern of Oslo, in Norway. I am the manager and spend my life with my family, where the dogs are a central part of it. I am currently elected head of the Rhodesian Ridgeback club in Norway. I run the Rhodesian Ridgeback Pedigree Database and I am passionate about our breed. One of my missions is to share information on genetics and health, and inspire my colleague’s breeders to keep testing and registering our dogs in the database so we can ensure the quality of the breed. In this way, we may be able to find and prevent serious diseases in order to develop strong and healthy individuals. In 2021, my good friend Britt Carina Horncastle and I translated Timmy Ralfe’s great book Ridgeback Revealed to Norwegian. It was an incredibly instructive process, and we are very pleased with the result.

ABOUT OUR KENNEL

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We started in 1994 with a small Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy named Karoline. She was a gift from what is today my best friend and husband.

My husband Sturla Ingebrigtsen and BelloRosario African Mia Sha-va-no

I always, as long as I can remember longed for a dog. I had no favorite breed, only a burning desire to own a dog. Since Karoline’s coat was too long to participate in shows, obedience and play became our passion. Karoline became a mother and my first litter was a reality. Yet it would be many years before my next litter of puppies would be born. After Karoline’s litter in 1996 I paused my plans as a breeder to be a full-time mother. Karoline’s passing left our family in a deep sorrow and we took some time to decide which breed to choose. A new Corgi was not a choice even if we all loved their look. We were looking for other qualities. I explored almost all breeds, but all the time I came back to the Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Their personality fascinated me, but the size scared me a bit.

N UCH Shavano’s Proud To Be BellaRosaria

Shavano’s Proud To Be Pinto (Pinto), N UCH Faira Iolanda Kirabo (Roma) N UCH Shavano’s Proud To Be BellaRosaria Bella)

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N UCH Faira Iolanda Kirabo and N UCH Shavano’s Proud To Be BellaRosaria

We went to dog shows in the local community and saw the breed in its splendor. I was convinced, but my husband was skeptical. We agreed to start with an adult dog and in 2006 Thelma (2 y/o) became a member of our family. Thelma was from a well-established breeder in Norway and it was a dream to work with her. In my eyes, she was the most beautiful dog in the world, even though she didn’t get the great merits at shows. Two years later, Lazy joined the family. We started early with training and she became a magnificent and wise dog and we loved her to bits. Thelma struggled with her health. At the age of 8, and after some epileptic seizures she had a small stroke that luckily was treated in time and she could come home, but died shortly afterwards of a major epilepsy attack. Our grief was immense and we immediately started to look for a new Ridgeback to complement our family. The choice fell on a lovely darker bitch imported from abroad. Busy was not like the Norwegian Ridgebacks I knew, she loved women, but she was uneasy with men. She had a hard time to adapt to the whole family even though I worked in-

N UCH Faira Iolanda Kirabo

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tensively with her. She became very dependent on me and unfortunately due to a very sad episode with our neighbor’s 5 y/o boy we had to let her go when she was only 2 years old. This extremely difficult experience helped me to remind myself about how much responsibility it is to have a dog. In 2010, a French Bulldog became a member of our family, and in 2013 we welcomed also a beautiful Welsh Corgi Pembroke. Now my passion and dream of being a breeder was near to become a reality. The first to give us a lovely litter was our French Bulldog and since then, we had several litters of this breed as well as some Welsh Corgi Pembroke litters. In 2013 we moved to a bigger place with fields and forests where the dogs could run and play. We could then welcome Bella. Bella is independent, confident, inquisitive and funny. She is a problem solver who would do everything on her own. We took tracking lessons and she loved it, we trained in obedience and we played. She is everything you could want from a Ridgeback. Bella was and still is today a great personality and something totally unique. We lost Lazy from a spleen condition at 9 years old. My life collapsed, and I felt like I’d lost an arm. Bella’s breeder had by now become a very good friend of mine and a mentor, she had been breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks for many years and suggested that we together could import a bitch and Roma became part of the family only 1 month after I had lost Lazy.

Åkerløkkas African Connection (Lazy) N UCH Shavano’s Proud To Be BellaRosaria (Bella)

N UCH Faira Iolanda Kirabo and N UCH Shavano’s Proud To Be BellaRosaria

In early 2020 it was time for Roma to give birth to our first litter, with 10 lovely puppies. One with a sinus that was successfully removed. At the end of 2021, Roma had a new litter, this time with 11 healthy puppies (and 1 stillborn). While writing these lines, I am preparing to receive our third litter from Mia, one of Roma’s daughters, and looking forward to spending the spring with happy and playful puppies around us.

N UCH Faira Iolanda Kirabo andN UCH Shavano’s Proud To Be BellaRosaria, BelloRosario Romelix Emma Shavano

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share my experience as a breeder in Norway. I hope we can soon meet at RRWC and be able to learn from all of you, around the globe! Cooperation across countries is central for the wellbeing and healthy development of our breed

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Bella did very well in shows and tests in all areas: mentally, physically and socially. She was DNA tested and free of diseases. So, after a date in Sweden and following her pregnancy closely, everything looked absolutely perfect. But then on day 47 there was blood in the bed and no puppies in Bella’s belly. I was terribly sad, but we tried again the year after, but she lost her puppies again. After this, she was sterilized, and we found benign tumors in her uterus.

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born 04.mars 2022. Father: ZA CH Nyaka Yesekani Of Cartouche and Mother: BelloRosario African Mia Sha-va-no 13 correct puppies, no sinus, 7 girls and 6 boys

INFO Name Lisbeth Endresen Country Norway Affix BelloRosario Facebook lisbeth.endresen

N UCH Shavano’s Proud To Be BellaRosaria (Bella), Me (Lisbeth), N UCH Faira Iolanda Kirabo (Roma)

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LEWANIKA BREEDER

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KENNEL LEWANIKA – A ROYAL HERITAGE

65 RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE DKCH Lewanika Ma-Libobo (MultiCH Villagedogs Our BelAmi x VetCH, RBM Lewanika Idanayi)

Any viable breeding program has a strong and lasting passion for something the chosen breed symbolizes. For some breeders it is the perfect exterior of the coat and muscle, for others it can be the mentality and what it tells about the breed heritage. I was 11 when I saw my first Ridgeback, in a book, as the breed had hardly made it to Denmark at that time – and it took almost 20 years before I first laid hands and eyes on a real live one: a ridgeless watch dog belonging to friends on the upper Zambezi. He, as all the other Ridgebacks I met in Africa was smart, and adept at surviving – his dense short coat only attracted a minimum of ticks, his hard paws didn’t crack or attract thorns and his aloofness to strangers made him difficult to steal or bribe with poisoned food. And despite being a friendly family dog, his sheer size (which was small compared to today’s show RRs) and absolute belief in his own powers easily scared trespassers away.

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At that time, we had already decided that our dog of choice in our Zambian home had to be a native of the land, we had heard too many stories of the short-livedness of Mukua (white peoples) dogs in the bush, they always seemed to catch something or eat something or indeed behave foolheartedly and get killed. So of course, never having forgotten the gorgeous golden dog of

My first real life RR

my childhood book, we had decided on getting a Ridgeback. Finding a purebred, good-quality Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy while living in the Zambian bush in pre-internet times with only unreliable telephone lines and even more unreliable postal services wasn’t easy. But a friend of a friend put me in contact with a very helpful but almost unintelligible Scottish lady in Harare (Margaret Wallace) and she, in turn, told me about a nice litter being planned by a new breeder. The breeder was Linda Costa, and we were allowed on her list for the first Sarula Litter Living in Africa isn’t predictable in any way, and at the time Zambia was heading into its first free elections since independence and tempers were rising – so much, that a state of emergency was implemented with curfew and travel ban. So instead of traveling to pick up a puppy, we waited, with the car packed with our belongings, ready to flee if necessary. When elections were over, the puppies had left for other homes and we decided to wait for the next litter but maybe get a local puppy. You would have thought that easy enough, with a population of free-roaming un-neutered dogs, but that early spring puppies were like gold dust, few and hard to find. I worked in the deep bush, where some villages had been settled by Angolan refugees

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bringing not only their families but also their dogs when they fled the civil war there. At one time I heard the rumor of a litter of puppies some way out of a village. We went there, found a traditional hut but no sign of any dogs – only when we called out to the owner and he invited us inside did we find a smallish (large Basinji sized) grey-brown bitch with 4 ridged puppies! The ridges were wonky and all over the place, but very clear. As the pups looked old enough I asked if I could buy one – and was told NO very clearly: if he sold to me for (good) money he would have enough for him and his family for maybe a few months, if he kept the pups and they grew into the same quality hunting dogs as their dam, he would have food on his table for years. That day, I learned the probably most valuable lesson ever about bush economy and why dogs are so important. I also learned that the ridge matters – that dogs, carrying those whorls, are

Sarula Fufuru

Witches LeCremes Trick

Lewanika Idanayi

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perceived as precious with special abilities for bringing food to the table. For several reasons we only got our beautiful Fufu – Sarula Fufuru after we had moved back to Denmark. For me, she embodied the beauty of the bush and the proud heritage of countless generations of dogs supporting hunters, farmers and settlers to survive in an inhospitable environment. She taught me about the breed, about how to show a dog and so much about the Ridgeback spirit – and finally in May 1998 about being a breeder – and a Ridgeback breeder with all the fun of ridgeless and DS in one small litter – and finally, when the puppies had just left home, about the unimaginable sorrow of loss when she slipped her leash one late night and got killed by a car, speeding in the wrong side of the road. Then, at the time, the still budding international Ridgeback community comforted me, and a kind lady Ann Garbarino from Canada told me her bitch had been bred at that time and offered me a puppy. I took a long time to come to terms with

in Zambia I lived in the Royal Village of Limulunga and worked for the Litunga (king) of Barotseland. His grandfather, King Lewanika, had given name to many things in the kingdom – I asked and was permitted to use this name for my own future business.

Lewanika N litter on the beach

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THE KENNEL NAME

my loss and in November 1998, Witches LeCremes Trick made his way across the Atlantic. He became my “heart” dog, too modern and “American” for the taste of the time to do well in the show ring, but an excellent working dog with both brains and intelligence to do well in all disciplines and a sire of 9 champions from 11 litters across Europe. He is still to be found in several lines from Finland over Germany to the Czech Republic

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At almost the same time we got Ikimba Puuma from Marianne Gellin in Finland, a strong-minded and happy bitch – who decided not to accept any other male than him, despite me spending 1000’s of Euros on insemination, travels to suitable sires etc….. these two made the foundation for my present lines and I still laugh when I recognize traits from one or the other in our puppies.

Lewanika Dumisani

Kukie - RBM Lewanika Kubuheha (MultiCh Mohagets Mister Masai x RBM Lewanika Idanayi)

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Our latest litter Ulwazi’s Born to Run Bowie x Lewanika Kubuheha

Ann Gabarinos first meeting with Rooi

Idas brood wins best progeny at DK Speciality 2021

Ida Rally

Lewanika Kubuheha

Kukie at Rally

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Co-breeder Sophie Lauridsen with Ikimba Puuma

Ida - Lewanika Idanayi after a successful RR specialty winning best veteran on both days as well as best club Veteran bitch of the year

RRWC2016 organisers from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway relaxing before the congress.

INFO Name Helle Lauridsen Country Denmark Affix Lewanika

Their daughter Sammy (Lewanika Dumisani) was bred to Tusani Big Ben and finally I was able to return the gift of friendship and love to Ann Garbarino, when Lewanika Great Witches Roux made it back to Canada to be co-owned between Ann and Leisa Temple, a well-known artist and owner of Yankee’s sire. Leisa helped her to her Canadian Championship and later she made it into the Top 20 of the Year show dogs in the USA. I kept a bitch from the next litter sired by Inanda Mellberg Edelrood and Lewanika Idanayi and her daughter Kukie (Lewanika Kubuheha) are now snoring on my couch, promising many more experiences and much more fun.

www / email www.lewanika.dk

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Kukie helping Ida with baby sister Musa

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BAWABU BREEDER

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I breed Rhodesian Ridgebacks in Finland under prefix Bawabu. While I was growing up my family always had dogs, my father was hunting and therefore we had a Norwegian Elkhound and two Shorthaired German Pointers. So I grew into loving dogs. When I lived in the USA in 1986-1987 I was introduced to the Rhodesian Ridgebacks as my host family had a young Rhodesian Ridgeback bitch Calico Ridge Valkyrie Maiden aka Gretchen. I would have loved to have taken her back to Finland with me as I left the USA, but of course that was not an option as the family did not want to part with her. While getting to know the breed in the USA I had fallen in love with it - the temperament, their wit and also the unexaggerated sporty hound-like exterior. Rhodesian Ridgebacks were and are the breed for me.

C.I.B. FI CH, SE CH, EE CH, EE JCH Bawabu Changuliwa Chaga

Once back in Finland, I started my search for a Ridgeback of my own and in 1990 I got a bitch puppy from Mrs. Päivi Rantasalo of Kennel Kingiza. The puppy was called Bali officially Kingiza Bawabu. Even though I never bred with Bali, it was clear that my kennel name would be after her. Bawabu is Swahili language and means “Gatekeeper”. After a long search and further study of the breed and breeding, in early 1996 I got a puppy from Ms. Maria Björkas. The brown nosed puppy was called Mbwasimba Murua Ruffini aka Fia and she became the foundation of my kennel. Fia finished her championship in 1999 after her first litter

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C.I.B. Nord CH, FI CH, SE CH, No CH, EE CH, LV CH, LT CH, Balt CH, Nord JW-13, FI JW-13, FI W-17 Bawabu Diabo Dinizulu (BISS)

C.I.B. Nord CH, FI CH, SE CH, DK CH, NO CH, EE CH, EE VCH, Balt W-03 Bawabu Runinura Rafiki

which was born in May 1998, the Bawabu M-litter was sired by SE CH, FI CH Djungelkattens Imbue Ridged Isak CV from Sweden. Bawabu Aziza Adamma

Over the years Fia had three litters and eleven of Fia´s offsprings made their Conformation Cham-

Bawabu Penye Pamuzinda, Tikru who also lived to be 14 years old.

FI CH, EE CHl LV CH Bawabu Sudi Shanguliwa

Since I had my first litter in 1998 I have bred 20 litters totaling to 148 Ridgebacks, the 20th litter was born 12th of March 2022. Fia is behind the dam of the Bawabu J-litter, Fia is in Faiza´s pedigree in the 4th descending generation. I breed one to three litters with a bitch, depending on what they produce and the timing of the litters. To produce the 20 litters, I have used 14 different bitches and 18 different males. Counting in the exported dogs, approx. 90 % of my breedings are x-rayed for hips and elbows, approx. 30 % officially for spine and since almost 20 years approx. a third have also been mentality tested/done mentality assessments. Roughly a third of my breedings are Conformation Champions, currently 43 Finnish Conformation Champions plus the exported dogs that are Champions of their new home countries. I have also bred five Finnish blood tracking champions and two Estonian Lure Coursing Champions and Finnish Lure Coursing Champions. On top of that there are many CC/CAC/CACIB winners in conformation, as well as dogs with winning results from agility, rally obedience, lure coursing. I

C.I.B. Nord CH, FI CH, SE CH, DK Ch, NO CH, EE CH, EE W-07, FI VW-12, FI VW-13, FI VW-14 Bawabu Tekeleza Taraja

FI CH, EE CH, LV CH, EE LC CH, ESTMM-06, DMV-07 Bawabu Tewelde Tau

pionships and three also finished Finnish Blood Tracking Championships and one also finished Estonian Lure Coursing Championship. The first Finnish bred RR triple Champion was Fia´s offspring (conformation, blood tracking & lure coursing) C.I.B. FI CH, SE CH, EE CH, FI JVA, EE KVA-M

FI CH, EE CH Bawabu Cato Cazembe

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My dogs are screened for hips, elbows, the whole spine (LTV, SP, VA) and also now we have started to screen shoulders in Finland. Important breeding tools are also general and breed specific gene tests. I also emphasize the importance of temperament testing to my puppy buyers.

have bred several Rhodesian Ridgeback SpeciaIty BOB/BOS winners; Bawabu Runinura Rafiki, Bawabu Wamoya Wamweru, Bawabu Efie Ezenma, Bawabu Emeka Enyinnaya, Bawabu Edo Eshe, Bawabu Diabo Dinizulu. I have exported dogs to Sweden, Norway, Island, the UK, Croatia and Germany. I have imported dogs from the UK, Sweden, Norway and used semen/stud dogs from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Croatia, Australia, the UK, USA. Over the years the litters I have bred have been outcrosses. In a small population I have wanted to do my share to improve and maintain the genetical diversity. My breeding has been built on a strong bitch line. I have used lines that produce a similar phenotype to mine but bring in diversity in genotype. It has worked well for me as I have mostly bred very uniform litters and my litters even though outcrosses, can easily be spotted as of my breeding. I study the bloodlines regarding temperament, health and conformation; what the bloodline has produced, what the individual dog has produced with different dams, what are the siblings and parents are like and what they have produced, what do they throw of themselves. I look for uniformity and what seems to be coming through and I mirror it against my own line and the bitch in question, what they need and what I want to improve and what I do not want to lose.

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I breed selectively, the most important factors are health and temperament. Balanced and healthy structure which is true to the breed and its original use as a dog of endurance, agility and strength. Self-confidence and intelligent temperament with a sense of humor makes the Rhode-

C.I.B. FI CH, SE CH, EE CH, EE W-17 Bawabu Emeka Enyinnaya

Bawabu Fayda Fumnagya

FI CH Bawabu Ezeocha Eze

sian Ridgeback stand out, I like to see my dogs with hunting instinct both by sight and scent, which also increases their general working ability in other dog sports. Bawabu Sudi Shanguliwa

I do not think in a manner of just one dog, I tend to think as wholes. I evaluate my breeding in litters

I strongly believe that the original functionality should be maintained. That is an important part of defining and explaining why conformation and temperament have been described in the standard as they have. If you take the original function out of the equation, the boundaries of the breed are altered and vice versa, you alter the structure and temperament, you also alter the dog´s functionality.

FI CH Edo Eshe (BISS) (photo by Kati Ketonen)

We like to attend conformation shows, but for me my dogs are so much more than that, they have working ability and I wish to maintain that in the breed and utilize it. I train and handle my dogs myself. I have been active with my dogs. My foundation bitch Fia and her offspring were the pioneers in Finland in oval track and lure coursing. I started coursing with Fia already in the summer of 1996 and ever since my dogs and breedings have

FI CH Bawabu Dunduza Dziko

as a whole, not solely in individuals. That is also how I evaluate the breeding individuals; males are more than just themselves I wish to advance my breeding with. What I aim for in my breeding, is the whole package – temperament, health, breed type, conformation, form for function and longevity.

Bawabu Tekeleza Taraja

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FI CH Bawabu Ezigbo Ezenwata

For me it is important that Ridgebacks carry themselves with grace and have a presence, intelligence and personality that can be felt. I like true to type Ridgebacks with power and elegance, good bone, strong expressive heads of good proportions which reflect gender, strong teeth. I like to see unexaggerated balanced conformation with effortless long powerful stride, a solid front assembly with well laid shoulder and long underarm, a long deep ribcage with good ribbing, short loin and good croup going down to wide thigh and balanced tibia-fibula and a well laid low hock. I love to see good toe angles and tight feet. I like Ridgebacks in good tight and sporty muscle condition. Excellent pigmentation is a must. I love a brown nose with dark chocolate pigmentation like my foundation bitch Fia and many of her offspring.

been keen coursers. I have done agility with all of them and also blood tracking, but not competed with everyone. Currently I have at home Chanda (C.I.B. FI CH, EE CH, EE JCH, FI VW-18 Bawabu Changuliwa Chaga VJ) and her daughter Faiza (FI CH, FI LC CH, EE CH, EE LC CH, LV LC CH, DVM-18, SVKLMM-18, CVM-19, CLW-19, RTK1, RTK2 Bawabu Faiza Fulathela). Chanda had her lure coursing career with a couple wins and two CACLs, she also did agility and blood tracking. Faiza is triple Lure Coursing Champion with many LC wins to her name, she also enjoys rally obedience with currently two working merits (RTK1, RTK2) as well as pack lure coursing CACL. She has also done agility, hoopers and nose work. Unfortunately, time is limited, we have no time to do all we want, so we have concentrated to sports that support one another. Faiza is one CACIB from abroad short of her C.I.B. title. Currently Faiza is concentrating on her motherly responsibilities but hopefully during the coming summer we are able to attend shows abroad and obtain the missing CACIB finishing her C.I.B.

C.I.B. FI CH, SE CH,m EE JW-11, TLNW-12, FI W-12, Nord W-13, TLNW-19, HE VW-19, FI VW-19 Bawabu Cheelwe Chiganu

My dogs live and puppies are raised as family members, they live active and safe lives. They have nice safe forest to run and explore, I am blessed that my dogs have opportunity to run free every day. I also do cycling and some running with them. They all have also their dog sports to attend (agility, lure coursing, blood tracking, rally obedience, hoopers). My dogs sleep on the couch and on my bed. The puppies spend first three weeks peacefully with their dam. Then after they get more freedom to explore the house and can get to know the other pack members. Only the

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FI CH, EE CH Bawabu Efie Ezenma (BISS)

C.I.B. FI CH, SE CH, EE CH, EE W-17 Bawabu Emeka Enyinnaya

Bawabu Chiumbo Chipo

time when no human is present to supervise the situation, they spend separated together with their dam. The puppies also go exploring the yard and also take car rides, sometimes they are also with me at the office, forest, beach or shopping mall. I think it is important to positively socialize the puppies and give them positive activity in a

FI CH, FI LC CH, EE CH, EE LC CH, LV LC CH, DVM-18, SVKLMM-18, CVM-19, CLW-19 RTK1, RTK2 Bawabu Faiza Fulathela

FI CH, SE CH, EUVW-06 Bawabu Mafuku Matunda

What I see as a growing problem in the breed is the immune system related illnesses, it worries me that allergies, atopy, autoimmune system diseases and cancers seem to have taken a strong foothold in the breed. These are illnesses that cannot be measured. Therefore, health problems that are concretely testable take focus from them. The way people think about eg. allergies/ atopy has changed, also the thinking on life expectancy seems to have shortened, I think this all is the most worrying. It seems that many people find it acceptable that the dog is atopic or has allergy. Maybe that is a reflection from the increasing number of immunological illnesses on people, but still. In my opinion we should aim for a healthy dog and only think of that as the normal, only healthy dogs without symptoms should be used for breeding and also then having in mind the whole, what is present in their siblings and close relatives. Every puppy buyer is entitled to have a potentially healthy family member with long life expectancy. Our big responsibility as breeders is to protect the healthy future of our breed. In my opinion, risk of today is that people might enter the breeding scene lightly, without proper studying of the breed and bloodlines, and with-

C.I.B. FI CH, SE CH, EE CH, FI TCH, EE LC CH Bawabu Penye Pamuzinda

controlled environment, this socialization already starts at my house. I think active life where dogs have hobbies with their owners, enhances both their quality of life. I have learned a great deal about the breed and the bloodlines from breeder of Fia, Ms. Maria Björ-

Bawabu Azima Ahadi at Tukela (Photo by Carina Dunn)

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kas. In the early days I spent countless days at her house looking at the pictures, videos, Ridgeback magazines and discussing the breed and bloodlines. When I lived in the UK, I had many long time Ridgeback breeder connections with whom I had interesting and educational discussions, discussions on conformation and reasoning the functionality that improved my further understanding of relations in conformation.

out understanding the responsibility breeding brings to the dogs and towards the breed, their owners and the future of the breed. Social media has changed the scene, it is easier to see/find dogs but at the same time the media presence of dogs distorts. It is a two bladed sword. It becomes even more important to search for options and information from varied sources. Ability to connect the dots, understanding of dependencies as well as of ability to be objective increases and demand for transparency. Nowadays in general it seems that we are heading towards a generic dog sometimes overlooking the breed specifics. Dogs are more popular than ever and modern society demands much from the dog, dog owner and also a breeder.

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There are so many special memories from the time I have been breeding, many friendships that carry over decades and probably a lifetime. It always warms my heart to see the level of cooperation, communication, and mutual understanding between and man and their dog. There are many special moments and special wins that are memorable, not because of the winning, but because of the puppy families and Ridgeback friends you share these moments of the joy with. Those are moments that are special and motivate me. My moto in breeding is - Learn and see as much as you can, be selective, objective and transparent, do not hurry and be humble. The value of a dog is not solely estimated in its merits. Every litter bred, should respect the standard and generate quality. Respect and protect the breed. Seek the true reasoning. Always do your best (and beyond), if you have doubt, do not settle. Stand behind your decisions and support your puppy families on their journey with their dog. Learn from your triumphs and failures. It is good to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect dog, they all have their imperfections and place for improvement, and that is what the breeding should do, generation to generation, to improve the breed by improving the individuals or at minimum try to maintain the achieved qualities.

Bawabu Deka Deka

AD, BH-VT Bawabu Gamada Gaidi (photo by Barbara Pötter-Lange)

INFO Name Satu Laakso Country Finland Affix BAWABU

www / email www.bawabu.fi

FI CH, EE CH, RTK1, RTK2 Bawabu Gahiji Gerisa

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CUP OF COFFEE WITH NORAH OF GLENAHOLM

itting here near Seattle, Washington State, USA I look at my 4 Glenaholm RRs and my heart sings at their beauty and I think of the long road I took from the 1st time I ever saw a RR in Rhodesia and then the 1st time I saw Rhd+SA Ch Glenaholm Strauss of Inkabusi at Glenaholm, the family home of Mrs McCarthy and her daughter Laurie, in the early ‘60s. I was born in South Africa but my family moved to Rhodesia in 1950. We travelled by train for 4 days as the roads were not very good at all. I went to a boarding school where children from nearby farms would go home over the weekends. There was hardly a time that I wasn’t invited to enjoy the country life with them. The farms were thousands of acres but only a small portion would be cultivated. There was no electricity. Some farms had generators but they were always turned off at about 9pm and we used hurricane lamps to read or would lie under our mosquito nets and watch the spiders, lizards and chameleons in the open thatch above us. These were just part of life and we were not scared of them at all. There were wood burning stoves to cook which made the kitchens terribly hot in the summers. Water was brought up from underground by windmills, pumped into big round concrete reservoirs and then gravity fed down to the house. These reservoirs were our swimming pools where we would breast stroke through the green slime that grew on the top of the water.

Main road from

Crossing a river

SA to Salisbury

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NORAH ORMEROD

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The lavatories were ‘long drops’ out the back down a path which was very scary to travel at night not knowing what was out there. I was always scared that a scorpion would come up and bite me on the bottom. We and the African children would wander the farm barefooted with the dogs tagging along with no one worrying about us.

RRS ON RHODESIAN FARM 1952

Rhodesia was the ‘land of milk and honey’ but still wild and living there was always full of adventure, whether it would be driving down a ‘strip’ road and suddenly jamming on the brakes to let a slow-moving herd of buffalos cross the road, or coming around a corner seeing an elephant coming up the hill towards us and throwing the car into reverse and backing away as fast as possible. Once we were one of 4 cars trapped between 2 rivers in flood and had to camp out for a few nights till the water receded. We took it all in stride and as someone had a gun with him, we were not short of meat. That was the 1st time I had warthog. It was very good. On a narrow farm road with tall grass on either side, a baby elephant ran out in front of us and then suddenly the mother was behind us with her ear flapping in alarm and trumpeting, but we could not get away from her as the baby was going slowly and looking back for its mother. At last, it entered the grass again and we could rush past with just a few feet before the mother caught up with us. My heart still thumps when I remember that. There always seemed to be RRs around. They knew every worker and their families but would give the alarm if a stranger arrived. These were good working dogs who slept outside to protect. One farmer would go out into the bush and hunt a buck from which the laborers took what meat they wanted, and the rest was left under the trees for the dogs to eat the carcass during the week. Flies and maggots didn’t seem to bother them at all. The RRs were never thought of as ‘special’ dogs. All Rhodesians who had been

RR Farm dogs.

One evening in 1963 while staying with some Africans in the Okavango and cooking bits of buck meat hanging from sticks over the flames, one man kept throwing bits to just one pup of 3 scruffy mongrel pups who were sniffing around. I admonished him for not giving to all the pups and he said, “That one is going to be a good hunter”. “Why?” I asked and he pointed to the ridge the pup had. These men had never been to civilization, never seen a car or knew how to turn a handle and had never heard of RRs but knew that dogs with ridges were good hunting dogs.

LIVING WITH THE AFRICANS WITH THE RIDGED DOG Hot water heater.

When the family returned to South Africa, I went to the University of Pietermaritzburg where I met Laurie McCarthy and spent time at Glenaholm, her family home, where her mother, Phyllis McCarthy had been breeding RRs since 1949. It was there that I really fell in love with these heart-stoppingly beautiful dogs and learnt of their true natures. Laurie later married Paul Venter and moved to Johannesburg with her Glenaholm dogs which she bred under the kennel name Chucklenook. We lived close to each other and I was soon a RR owner. In those days there were not many RRs in the show ring or being bred as the old breeders had retired and there weren’t many young ones coming up. I was fortunate I had Laurie to introduce me to all the now famous breeders who she had grown up and been in the ring with, and I listened intently as she discussed the merits and attributes, the character and conformation with the Bococks of Gazeley kennels, Major Hawley of De Holi, the Bertenshaws

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there for a generation or two had them while the newer immigrants would own dogs they knew in England before learning the benefits of the national dogs.

of Komkulu, and Barbara Yates of Isimangamanga.

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These old breeders had many stories of grand old dogs’ feats in the bush and hunting and also had conflicting ideas as to what the RR should look like. Jack Bocock said that he thought a great temperament went with a dog with white and I remember standing on the pavement outside Hawley’s house, while Laurie was still finishing her tea with his wife, and him telling me and using his hands to illustrate that it was important to have, but limit the white or it would ‘creep up the leg, melt down from the chest and crawl up the neck” and then the RRs would look like Boxers. Mrs McCarthy and other breeders who never used liver noses and had beautiful clean red coats didn’t agree with Hawley at all when he said one had to breed to a liver to keep the coat clear. We went into the veldt pretty often and in doing so would visit old farms. I remember an old Afrikaaner farmer, living by himself in his corrugated iron house with his pack of RR out in the sun. One old grey bitch had an unsightly bump on her neck which was obviously an infected DS but in spite of this she was lively and healthy. He told us that once she and he had woken a sleeping leopard in the kloof and dog and leopard leaped and locked on to

Rhodesian African village.

GLENAHOLM, The family home.

together and bred under the kennel name Lionhill.

Rhodesian African village.

People do not realize just how much Laurie did for the RRs at this time. There were just not any young breeders. From a high of 400 ridgebacks who had registered pups in 1947, in 1970 only about 50 dogs had pups that were registered with KUSA. In 1972 there were only 2 champions RRs made up in South Africa. Only 14 RRs from all the countries of southern Africa were given the title of Champion between ’71 and ’73. The 1st show I went to there were just 3 RRs – 2 Glenaholm and 1 Rockridge. Ridgebacks were a big part of Laurie’s life, they were in her blood, she had learnt about them from her mother’s knee, and by helping her mother with breeding plans, whelping and raising the pups, she already had 20 years’ experience. She couldn’t remember a time without them and certainly wasn’t going to let them fade away.

Laurie growing up with Glenaholm RRs.

each other for about 3 seconds and then both broke away and fled in opposite directions realizing that the fight would go badly for each. He said that he often came across leopards but apart from the dogs guarding him, they left each other alone. nfortunately, the genes of dogs like these were lost when years later the SA RR Club’s committee, without the knowledge of the members told KUSA not to register any litter of RRs unless both the parents were x-rayed and passed clear for HD. This was easy for the rich people who lived in the cities and showed their dogs. The poor farmers like the one mentioned above, probably only went shopping in their 30 year old trucks about once a month and had no hope of traveling hundreds of miles for x-rays. They loved and were proud of their dogs and even registering the pups was an effort. It was these bloodlines that Laurie did her best to save and gathered

Laurie was a bundle of energy, encouraging owners to show their dogs and to breed, she promoted x-raying for HD and good breeding habits, she even rounded up the local dogs and drove them the long way to the Vet School which in those days was the only place they could be done. We rallied everyone and had showing lessons at my home and tried to make showing the dogs a pleasant and happy occasion. We made every one of our pup owners a member of the RR Club and wrote articles. Mrs McCarthy bred egg laying chickens, studied genetics and used it to win the World Egg Laying Record, so Laurie was far in advance of most breeders in the genetic field and would suggest studs to get the best RRs in looks and temperaments. All these efforts were successful. New kennels were established – Shangara, Kyaphatsha, Ygdrasill

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In 1972 Mrs McCarthy retired from breeding and the Glenaholm name was passed on to Laurie and I.

Show training at Norah’s house in the early ‘70s

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The pack

and Rydgeway owned by Mrs Anne-Marie Jones Schleicher who took her Glenaholm dogs back to Holland with her and was very successful. In the years ’77 to ’78 there were 47 champions and the numbers went up from then. The number of dogs whose pups were registered went up to over 150 in 1980. Glenaholm made up 28 champions from ’74 to ’84. To me having a Ridgie was all fun and I have to admit that without Laurie’s enthusiasm I would never have learnt the finer points of our breed. What pleasure I had from my Glenaholm pack which ranged between 5 and 12 dogs. Sakaza taught my son to walk by letting him cling on to his neck skin and patiently taking one step at a time. The children rolled with them on the floor and dressed them up and

Norah and Glenaholm dogs in the early ‘70s

I had companions who came with me every day when I rode out into the veldt where I would watch them from the vantage point on the horse as they surrounded hares and would slowly reduce the circumference till it had no place to escape - at which stage I would call them off as I hated to see an animal killed. I would only let them kill the spitting cobras if they were close to the house. The RR has the instinct to know just how far these could spit and would dart in and out till one saw the opportunity to go in and grab the back of the neck, give one shake, kill it and then have no more interest in it. Once Glenaholm Cara killed one in a small whelping kennel and we

The RRs have a built in GPS or homing device as was demonstrated when we were out riding and were attacked by a pack of Rottweilers and I galloped off calling to the dogs. All followed but one was missing and after a long time waiting and calling I rode home in tears only to find him waiting on the patio for us. Another time I was deep in the woods and was lost for about 2 hours as it was overcast and now getting dark and I had no idea which direction home was. I mean really lost and really far from home. Suddenly I realized that the dogs were with me and I asked if they would like some “dinner”. The pricked their ears, cocked their heads, turned and ran straight for home stopping only at the tops of hills to look back as if to say “hurry up Norah, we are hungry”. The Ridgie is a natural tracker. I have never taught my dogs to “track” as such but when we were living adjacent to a couple of thousand acres of wooded conservation land, we played an extended version of “hide and seek”. I would leave the house and tell my husband to let the dogs out after half an hour and they always found me. Why half an hour? Because it is lonely walking in the woods without the pack :-) There were, however, times when he forgot to open the door and it was far longer. While out walking, I never wait for my dogs if they go off after something that interests them. They will always track back to me. Once I had friends who parked on my land to go hunting and asked me to keep the dogs in the house so they would not follow, which I did. I thought it was safe to let them out a few hours later, but Juba picked up their

Sleeping in South Africa

Glenaholm dogs asleep in the USA

scent, and followed them down the hill, over the river, back over again, up the ridge, over the hill etc. and found them about a mile from home as the crow flies. They weren’t amused. They have a great sense of smell and here in the US during deer hunting season, I have seen them lift their heads, sniff and take off. On these occasions I have found them camped out next to a dead deer which has unfortunately only been killed for its antlers and not removed. I learnt to be selective when praising the dogs. I saw Juma with something in his mouth with his lips all curled back and approaching him I saw that it was a curled up hedgehog. I gave him praise as I removed the little creature and put it back into the long grass. Well, he must have thought he had done something really good as just about every day after that, he presented me with a hedgehog. Who knows if it was the same one who would roll his eyes each time he saw Juma arrived and say “Oh no, not again” or if Juma was a good hedgehog tracker. I certainly never saw them in the veldt. At 3am one morning the dogs woke me because a truck drove onto the property. Of course, I could not find any shoes or a flash light but went out taking only Jade with me. After arguing with the

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had no idea how she managed it on her own without being bitten. I didn’t know whether to be proud or very upset when one day my neighbour came over to tell me that she had borrowed my dogs to dispatch a cobra who was curled up on her back step and she couldn’t get into the house.

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Laurie and the Glenaholm pack in about 2003

Glenaholm dogs enjoying the sun

gun bearing men that they could not hunt on my land and Jade’s barking and harassment of them getting more and more angry, they left and being so relieved I praised Jade all the way back to the house. It was the wrong thing to do as she woke barking at 3am for the next 2 weeks hoping that she was going to get the same praise. How different things are these days from 45 years ago. What we knew we learnt from word of mouth from other breeders. If we had a problem, we didn’t just Google for the answer.

There weren’t any dog books readily available. My vet was rather nice and he taught me how to sew up the dogs’ wounds, and how to look for billary, a killing disease carried by ticks and taught me how to inject if necessary. Once a week the poor dogs were put in a tin bath filled with a cold and stinking milky dip to kill the ticks. It wasn’t a good way of preventing ticks, just killing them once they were on the dogs. How many hours I sat and pulled big fat grey ones off the dogs’ necks and little flat red ones off their bellies. How little I knew. My first dog run was made of chicken wire!! Thinking back, it lasted a pretty long time considering what damage a RR can do. I knew nothing about training a dog. Our dogs knew the basic rules of the house and the little ones learnt from the elders. At about 6 months I would put on a choke chain and with a bit of yanking taught them enough lead work to take them to shows. I had never heard of using treats to train. Thankfully with that little training tool, my dogs now pick up dropped articles and close the doors behind themselves. Dogs who were going overseas, went by ocean liners. We did a great deal of writing snail mail letters. Cameras were only used for special occasions so we have many of holidays by the sea but few of daily life and our dogs. Every now and again we might get a bad photo of a dog from some foreign land with “Temba” written on the back which doesn’t help us years later when looking through a pile of saved photos. However, our pup owners have always become our friends, for example I sent a breeding pair to Sirimavo Bandaranaike in Ceylon (1st lady Prime Minister in the world) and when I visited her in 1974, I stayed with her and saw the elephants working on her farm. In ’81, I made a detour to Brazil on the way back from the States (where I had competed in the Hot Air Balloon World Championships) to see Glenaholm Setabela who had become the 1st Champion in that country.

and went to sleep feeling perfectly safe.

Well, we all know the joy of having pups and the delight for new owners – I was hooked once more. Later, Laurie and I communicated continually with Skype (until she died in 2013). It was just like the old days when we would sit and discuss the dogs, the potential studs, and the outcome of our litters.

Glenaholm Sasalela who went to Switzerland in the ‘70s

Let me impress on you that our dogs were not show dogs but members of our families who had a job of work to do. They were our guards and protectors. At night, we clapped our hands and they went outside and would alert us of anything unusual. Life for us and them was so different from the dogs of today in 1st world countries with their green lawns and beds by the fire. Going to dog shows was an adventure if it was far away. Hotels were few and far between and they certainly wouldn’t have welcomed us and 6 Ridgebacks, so we just went till we were tired and then drove into the veldt or a field, let our dogs out, put our sleeping bags down

We both still had the same picture of the perfect RR in our minds and breed to maintain that look and the wonderful temperaments of the RRs we knew in the ‘60s and ‘70s. We have often been asked how we have managed to breed for over 50 years and not lost the enthusiasm. It is the hope of breeding the perfect dog, the pleasure when someone comes back for their 4th Glenaholm dog, or when a 4th generation of a family comes to carry on the tradition of having a Glenaholm dog in the family. I asked Laurie if she had ever bred a perfect dog and she said “Yes, but by the time I realized it, he wasn’t in my name. I tried to duplicate him but couldn’t.” For sure there are lots of disappointments. Suddenly you realize that the lovely round dark eyes you always had have gone and it takes you another 2 generations to get them back. You find that a dog you used 3 generations ago is throwing his one bad point and you have to move away from that lineage. Mainly it is not giving up, not being disheartened by breeding mistakes and not listening to rumours and bad mouthing that mean and jealous people say about you.

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When we moved to the USA, it was all very strange and I thought that I would just enjoy my dogs and not breed or show again but when Laurie gave me the 2 beautiful sisters of Glenaholm Jolly Jinx who was sent to Germany, I just couldn’t resist taking them into the ring and then the requests for ‘dogs just like them’ urged me to have at least one litter.

Laurie said, “If I had to listen to what other people thought of my dogs, I would have stopped breeding years ago” It is even worse in this day and age with internet and online communication. Those without experience or those who have never bred a litter can make themselves out to be experts on dog breeding and behaviour. They can write most dreadful things about your dogs and your ethics. Just because something is in print, doesn’t make it correct and he who posts most is not always the most reliable person to believe. Yes, we have had some disasters but we pick ourselves up and try again. He who hasn’t a failure is either kennel blind or hasn’t bred for long. All breeders should breed to their image of a good dog. Have an idea where you want to take your kennel and not just breed to the most popular winning dog. Build on what you have, maintain the looks and temperament of our beloved breed and don’t try to change it.

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I consider myself successful when I look at a dog and he reminds me of one I bred 40 years ago.

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WRITTEN BY LAURA ANTTILA

SKIJORING

WITH RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

KIJORIng is one of winter sled dog sports. In skijoring skier and dog moves a certain distance in the skiing track. The skier is attached to the dog with pulling belt and flexible pulling leash. The dog is wearing a pulling harness which is the most important equipment in this sport. Competitions under Finnish Kennel Club have different race classes based on skier’s gender and dog breeds. Lengths of the races are between 5km to 15km. There are three different race classes A, B and C in skijoring for different breeds. The same kind of abilities are required in skijoring as in other sled dog sports. In an optimal situation the dog pulls during the entire race and especially helps skier going up hills. During the race there is sometimes the need to pass other dogs and skiers, which means that it is important to teach the dog to pass other dogs well and continue pulling after passing. In sled dog sports any kind of aggression towards other dogs is not allowed and for example muzzles are not allowed in races. Skijoring like all sled dog sports requires good physical condition from the dog. Racing is not recommended for untrained dogs. Ground work before racing should always be done thoroughly and it is also good to go a few times skiing without the dog if the skiing background is

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PHOTO BY JULIA MUUKKA

not so strong. Maximum speeds can be as fast as 40 km/h in skijoring and falling in this speed may hurt. With some training skijoring is still quite an easy and safe sport. It is a wonderful mutual activity with the dog, where both dog and the owner can challenge themselves physically.

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With Max (Kizimbi Muhimu Tofaa) we have been competing in sled dog competitions for almost a year. Skijoring is not our main sport but Max is as good at it as in dry land sled dog sports like canicross. During this winter Max attended three official skijoring races, and in every race he finished on a podium place: twice third and once second. Lengths of the races were 8km, 7km and 5km. Skijoring races are held in the same skiing tracks where professional skiers are training, which means that flat terrain is just a dream. I am more than happy with the results Max had during the winter and now we are starting to prepare ourselves for spring training season. Max is a dog who lives for running. I plan my training with Max on yearly level including basic endurance season, pre-competition season, competition season and transition period season which are following each other in cyclical way. Goal-oriented competing requires continuous training so I have planned and recorded all our training in my calendar on daily level. Building up the dog’s basic endurance requires several years and we are still developing Max’s basic endurance among other abilities. It is also important to secure enough rest for the dog to enable best possible development. High quality nutrition, required hydration and muscle care are an important part of Max’s life. To get the best possible outcome from the sport dog, it needs to be cared well. Pulling practices are within our training plan in every training season but the quantities of those vary between the seasons. Because of dog’s physics it is important to keep pulling

” Positive vibes with Laura and Max

practices in the schedule during the whole year to get the same type of stress to muscles, tendon and ligaments as in races. Max has maximum three and minimum one pulling practice in a week. We are training Max’s basic endurance, speed endurance and maximum endurance abilities in various ways like low intensity running, interval training, strength training, swimming, power walking and free running. Rhodesian Ridgebacks are fantastic buddies for sled dog sports. Their physics enable strong pulling and they are also able to maintain decent speeds. Quite often Rhodesian Ridgebacks also naturally like running. I think that goal-oriented training requires a little bit more commitment to training and motivating of the dog. Some of the dogs are just running for the joy of running, like my boy Max but sled dog sports are also a great hobby without the competition goals. This is a great sport and hobby together with the dog.

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Photo by Simone Luca

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CH. SAVUTI CHITONGA YARA BY GEORGE

CRUFTS WINNER 2022

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he incredible has happened on Friday, 11th March! Eva Lachats home bred Ch. SAVUTI CHITONGA YARA BY GEORGE, fabulous daughter of Ndoki Gentle George and Umlani Chobe Amali and handled by Petra Bossard, has won at CRUFTS 2022, becoming BOB BEST-OF-BREED under judge Mr TH Johnston. A dream come true was to run in the Main Arena with YARA and even making the cut and being on the shortlist amongst more than 2400 hounds on the day!

Photo by Michael Bossard

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YARAs owner and breeder Eva Lachat is also successfully breeding warmblood horses in their hometown Bellelay in the Bernese Jura in the northern part of Switzerland. So YARA and her ten siblings grew up in a very horsey environment. This must be the reason for her outstanding physique and her degree of excellent fitness. YARA is accompanying Eva daily when she and her staff are hacking out her horses after they have been worked in school.

Photo by Simone Luca

It was Hound group judge Gavin Robertson who appreciated YARAs happiness and so made the dream of a lifetime come true for the whole team. Owner and handler are humbled by the experience and would like to express their gratitude for all the lovely comments from around the world. «Our Ridgeback community is amazing – thank you all!», say Petra and Michael Bossard, who are not only the owners of YARAs father Ndoki Gentle George, but who also train and handle YARA at shows.

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Photo by Michael Bossard

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Her handler Petra Bossard tells us, that ever since the litter box, it was clear that YARA would be a very special girl. «She has had this extreme presence at any time», Petra tells. So it was always clear, that whenever Eva liked, she could give YARA into the hands of family Bossard, who would bring her to shows every now and then. Petra and Eva smile: «We didn’t do a lot of showing with her. She is so balanced and does things naturally well, it did only take a minimum amount of training to bring her to that level.» Eva is very happy with the situation, because she knows that without Bossards YARA would not have found her way into being shown at this level. And for Petra and Michael travelling with YARA feels 100% like a family trip. «We appreciate Eva’s trust in us so very much. YARA is best friends with our pack – and we could not wish for a more easy-going friend to take along», they say.

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IN AB U

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M BOM

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OUR OLDY

M A R K O

A N D

R I T A

L A A K K O N E N

P hotos by Ma r ko a nd Ri t a La a kko nen

MBOM OLDY

Before the magazine was published, our mbom went over the rainbow. Run free dear girl. FI CH Bawabu Zaidi Zainabu 11.07.2006 - 08.03.2022 (Multi CH Ceasar v.d. Jack Bulls Hoeve x FI CH, EE CH, LV CH Bawabu Sudi Shanguliwa)

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July 11, 2006 will forever remain a special day for us. That was the day on our honeymoon when we, perched on a viewing platform in Langoué Bai, Central Gabon, watched a magnificent silverback lead his 11-strong troop of western lowland gorillas from the dense jungle to the clearing to feed on the grasses and socialize. Suddenly there was a beep from my cell phone. My irritation quickly vanished with the happy news from our breeder in Finland: “Litter of 12 born today – you have a puppy”. We named her mBom, for a reason. When mBom, officially Bawabu Zaidi Zainabu, joined our then suburban household of two humans and domestic cat (the topdog in the family), she immediately became an integral part of our lives. Wherever we went, she was there, be it ringing osprey in the wilds of eastern Finland, visiting relatives, or trekking in the great outdoors. In 2009 we moved to the countryside on the Finnish south coast and mBom was introduced not only to our sheep and goats but also boating in the archipelago and skiing trips in the vast forests surrounding our little farmhouse. At the ripe old age of nine, she had to adjust to not being the only dog in the family and after a slow start, she and Pluto have become inseparable.

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At 15 years and seven months, our Grand Old Lady spends much of her day sleeping but still keeps a watchful eye at mealtimes and goes out a few times a day. With her time with us about to end, our hearts are filled with not only sorrow but also gladness, knowing that our trusted silverback has truly lived up to her name with a long, eventful and happy life.

Written Lisbeth Endresen

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

PEDIGREE DATABASE For many years I have collected pedigrees and health information on the population of Rhodesian Ridgeback I Norway. I have gathered information and complied it into statistics to find out why some lines carry certain diseases and characteristics. In the process of gathering this information, I noticed how useful it would be for us as breeders to know as much as possible when we are selecting a breeding pair. Over time, as traveling to other countries became less restricted and new technology emerged, it also

became so much easier to use dogs from different countries. What I saw was that we knew too little about these dogs and that made it difficult to make good breeding choices. Breeders are now more than ever choosing to DNA test their dogs. But what good is this information if it is kept hidden away? I thought it was important to have a common base where we can all share this information. For years, I have personally kept records and lots of information privately on my computer and I wanted to share this with others who

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PEDIGREE

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In 2016, I got in touch with a company in the Netherlands that helped me set up a site the way I envisioned. It was important to me that it was easy to use while at the same time being very functional. This site has now been operational for 5 years and currently has about 720 users from all over the world. The database already contains information on over 20,000 dogs and the pedigrees go all the way back to the first dogs in South Africa from around 1920 and continues on up until today. The database provides many options and features. First and foremost, you can enter your dog and all its necessary information (including photos). You can also enter various health information and results from dog shows. If you are a breeder, you can add whole litters so that you can compare, over time, health results and information. This helps the breeder get a clearer picture of what results a specific combination of two animals has produced. You can even scan in and save documents about your dog and make puppy ads.

The database calculates the Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI) and Ancestor loss coefficient (AVK) if the pedigree is 100% complete over 5 generations. Breeders can easily print pedigrees, do test matings, and analyze their results. You can test different pairs of animals to see what the chosen pair would produce and look for that perfect combination to fulfill your wishes. There is a section where breeders can introduce themselves and write about what they do. You can share which values are important for your breeding. In addition, it is possible to post your stud dog if you want to promote this across international borders.

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could also use it. So, this is where I got my idea of starting a database for the Rhodesian Ridgeback. The database would not only be for breeders but also for anyone else is interested in the breed.

As an ongoing and developing project, I am always seeking yearbooks or information from old club newsletters etc. to add dogs that are not yet in the database. So, if you have yearbooks or have access to any that you could share, please contact me. I would love to add them to this growing collection of information. It is also important to me that as many people as possible will join me in developing this tool. If someone finds that some health information in the database is incomplete, please just to tell me and I will add it.

DATABASE rhodesianridgeback.pedigreedatabaseonline.com

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W R I T T E N BY J A N E T WA N G PHOTO BY JANET WANG

ome people love them and some people hate them. I have been told by certain people that brown noses are oversexed and should be drowned at birth, amongst others inane comments. Whether they are loved or hated they have a very important place in our breed and that is to keep the coats clear, the colours bright and to keep that golden sheen in the coat. In my experience brown noses frequently tend to have more uniform, and often superior, conformation and the most delightful temperaments. Some people believe that they have very different temperaments than the black noses and all I can say is that they are incredibly sweet, goofy, clever and full of fun. In Major Tom Hawley’s book, The Origin, History and Standard printed in 1957 on page 48, number

7 it states: the nose should be black or BROWN (capitals are mine), in keeping with the colour of the dog. No other coloured nose is permissible. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by AMBER (my capitals) eyes. I also have an article dated 1922 that was printed in the Farmer’s Weekly which states a similar description of the nose and eye colour. Somehow through the years the word “brown” was replaced with the word “liver” and I think this change has been a disservice to the breed. Liver tends to encompass many different shades ranging from pink through red, which are not correct in this breed. So let’s examine the standards. Having said this, those colours are not a disqualifying fault and any dog should be judged on its merits but judges please be aware that pink and reds are not desirable in our breed.

WHAT THE BREED STANDARDS STATE: • THE KENNEL UNION OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (KUSA), South Africa and Zimbabwe being two of the countries of origin.

The nose should be black or brown. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by amber eyes. Eyes … their colour harmonizing with the colour of the coat.

• THE KENNEL CLUB (UK)

Nose black or brown in keeping with the colour of the dog. Black nose accompanied by brown eyes, brown nose by amber eyes. Eyes … their colour harmonizing with the colour of the coat”.

• FCI

The nose should be black or brown. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by amber eyes. Eyes … their colour harmonizing with the colour of the coat.

• ANKC (Australia)

The nose should be black or brown. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by amber eyes. Eyes … their colour harmonizing with the colour of the coat.

• NZKC (New Zealand)

Nose black or brown in keeping with the colour of the dog. No other coloured nose permissible. A Black nose should be accompanied by brown eyes, brown nose by amber eyes. Eyes … their colour harmonizing with the colour of the coat”.

• AKC (USA)

Nose – should be black or brown or liver in keeping with the color of the dog. No other colored nose permissible. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown or liver nose with amber eyes. Eyes … their color harmonizing with the color of the coat”.

From these standards we can see that the only country that uses the word liver is the USA.

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FOR THE LOVE OF BROWN NOSES

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As breeders, owners or judges we should acquaint ourselves with the standard of the countries of origin and the country in which we may be invited to judge in, or reside in, and disregard personal likes and dislikes. In Major Hawley’s book, also on page 48 it states “We suffer unwarranted defeats at the hands of some judges, I fancy more especially all-round judges, who would condemn an amber eye in a brown nosed ridgeback, irrespective of all its other qualities”. I have had to endure such defeats when, whilst showing a brown nose dog of mine in Zimbabwe, a highly respected All Breeds judge from the UK said to the handler “Lovely dog. Pity his pigment is fading”. His pigment wasn’t fading at all but the judge had obviously not bothered to acquaint himself with the standard in one of the countries of origin (or even his own country), and had clearly not seen a brown nose before. Rather a sad end to a 5000 kilometre round trip by

road from Cape Town. We also encountered this problem with another brown nosed dog, whose nose was such a dark brown that it looked almost black. The judge took the dog’s head in his hands and when he saw his very dark amber eyes he quickly pulled his hands away as if he was going to get bitten, because he also didn’t know what a brown nose was and assumed that his eyes were too light for a black nose. Also, at a very prestigious all breed event a brown nose Ridgeback with superb pigment, that had qualified for the show by being amongst the top seven Hounds in the country was entered and the judge later gave everyone a lecture on the importance of correct pigment. Everyone there knew that she was referring to the Ridgeback. Sadly, she too couldn’t recognize the correct pigment. Now let’s talk about the eye colour, amber. If you have dogs with an incorrect nose colour, the chances are good that the eyes will be too light

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in colour i.e. yellow instead of amber. Amber is a colour between dark orange and yellow and the preferred colour for RR is the dark amber. The eyes must still tone with the coat, which is why a dog with a black mask and yellow eyes has a harsh expression because yellow eyes don’t tone with the black mask and, probably, don’t tone with the rest of the coat. Black nosed dogs may have black masks but it is NOT a requirement. Similarly, brown nosed dogs can have a chocolate mask which is very attractive, but not usual. Eye colour is important because it changes the expression. I have had a bitch whose eyes were a bit too light but when she was about three years old her eyes darkened to an acceptable colour. I have never had this experience before in any of my dogs. When brown nose puppies’ eyes open they tend to be a turquoise colour which, within a few weeks, should start changing to the amber colour. I am not suggesting that you don’t breed from brown nosed dogs with lighter pigment but be aware of the lighter eye and try and choose a mate with darker pigment. A point to consider when breeding is whether the brown nose you have in mind has pigmentation around the eye rims. It is not a fault or disqualification in the standard but lack of pigmented eye rims does make

a significant impact on expression and is becoming more and more prevalent lately.

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The brown nose Ridgeback should not resemble a Viszla nor, in fact, any other breed in pigment. Way back, in 1990, Derek Martin (Tatsfield Stud) and I were privileged to be able to import a brown nose RR from the USA. At that stage a brown nose had not been shown in South Africa for about 20 years and I had personally never seen one in the flesh. We wanted to buy a black nose but the breeders refused to sell us a black nose because they thought that the brown noses were better. So we bought a brown nose and what a wonderful experience it was. He did very well in the show ring and went on to sire many beautiful dogs with delightful temperaments. He was a South African and Zimbabwean champion . He was also the sire of Riff-Raff who ended up being the No 1 dog (All Breeds) on the Animaltalk ratings. Riff-Raff was a South African, International and Zimbabwean Champion. In those days there was only one FCI show in the country per year. Riff-Raff sired Baxter, a South African and International champion), who was ranked as No 5 dog (All Breeds) on the Animaltalk ratings after just 8 shows. All three of these boys won multi KUSA NATIONAL RR awards as well. We also had a bitch, Gemma, who was the Hound Group winner on the KUSA ratings many years ago. There have been, and are, other brown nosed Ridgebacks who have done extremely well in the show ring both in this country and overseas. In conclusion, as we all know, there is no prefect dog (except

the ones we love) so keep loving your dogs unconditionally, but assess them critically when choosing to breed them. Brown nosed ridgebacks can and do do very well under enlightened judges so get out there and show your socks off. Judges please familiarize yourself with the breed standard because a lot of breeds are short changed by ignorance. Judges, we have an enormous responsibility to each and every breed we judge, we are equally responsible for the improvement or decline in quality of our breeds as are our breeders. Finally, if you are not already a convert, take your blinkers off and get a beautiful brown nosed Ridgeback without delay. They are just gorgeous.

Besides being a dedicated lover of brown nose RhodesianRidgebacks, I am also a breeder with 44 years experience, a RR International Specialist judge and a BIS judge licensed to judge 5 of our 7 groups.

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News snippet! Let’s remember and celebrate!

The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Zimbabwe The Parent Club, founded in 1922 To commemorate and celebrate the centenary of the foundation of the first Rhodesian Ridgeback club in the world, the Committee of the RR Club in Zimbabwe is planning a special day of celebrations on 13 August 2022.

This day will also celebrate the writing of the first official Breed Standard. For more details and information, please go to the RR Club of Zimbabwe Facebook page, The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club: The Parent Club - Founded 1922. All particulars will be published there, as they become available.

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facebook-square RhodesianRidgebacksZimbabwe

The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club- the Parent Club – Zimbabwe This year the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club – the Parent Club , celebrates its centenary of 100 years. Founded in 1922 at the home of Frances Barnes in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, we are the first, and oldest, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club. Since then this wonderful breed has spread throughout the world, and it remains extremely popular in its homeland. Myths and legends about the Ridgeback abound, most centered around its historical role as a fearless lion dog. It was indeed a fearless lion dog, but its role was to follow and harass the lion until the dogs owner could arrive. Casualties were many but its legendary stamina and courage made it ideal for its role. Only the best and finest were selected to get to this beautiful breed that we have today.

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As a club of Ridgeback lovers we will, on August 13th this year, be celebrating this history. In addition to the historical narrative we will be having a demonstration of the Ridgebacks tracking and anti- poaching ability from an anti- poaching unit based close to the Zambezi valley. We wish all Rhodesian Ridgeback lovers throughout the world the very best and hope you join us in celebrating this little bit of cherished history. To contact us please e-mail to fynn@zol.co.zw or contact us via our Facebook page The Rhodesian Club – the Parent Club

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PHOTO BY ARCHIVE JANET WANG

RIFF-RAFF’S ORDEAL AT

JOHANNESBURG AIRPORT

decided to send two of my Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Riff-Raff a livernose (aka CH Calibre Windsofchange of Nomvuyo) and Mona (aka CH Tamar Dawnsong of Nomvuyo) from Cape Town to Johannesburg (1400Km away) on Wednesday 1st October 1997 with the intention of giving them enough time to acclimatize to Johannesburg’s altitude before the shows scheduled to take place there ten days later. They were booked on a South African Airways (SAA) flight due to arrive at approximately 17h35. Riffy and Mona were despatched in separate IATA approved Vari kennels, specifically chosen for their strength.

cause, as I drove the same kind of van, she hoped that Riff-Raff would recognize it and come to her. Permission was denied. At 20h15 on 1st October, Linda phoned me from the airport and told me what had happened and then the SAA employee came on the line. He apologized profusely and said that there was no excuse for what had happened and that it was negligence. He felt sure that he would be able to catch Riff-Raff the next day. I told him that because of the nature of the breed, it was highly unlikely that Riff-Raff would approach him and that under no circumstances must they chase him.

All appeared to go well until my friend, Linda Thomas, arrived to fetch them at the airport. While she was waiting for the dogs to arrive a SAA employee came forward and asked if anyone had come to fetch dogs. Linda replied that she had and he proceeded to tell her that one of the dogs had “escaped” from its crate. She asked whether it was the male or female and they did not know so they took Linda onto the apron where she found Mona sitting in her crate on top of a truck, but no sight of 17 month old Riffy. It appears that the back of the truck was fitted with rollers to facilitate loading and unloading. Apparently, whoever was in charge omitted to close the tailgate so that when the truck picked up speed and turned a corner the one crate was catapulted off the truck and burst open on impact with the tarmac. As the crate broke Riff-Raff, obviously terrified, ran across the runway between the front and back wheels of a plane that was taking off and then just kept running.

Unfortunately, there were no more flights that night from Cape Town so on Thursday 2nd October I boarded a flight that arrived at Johannesburg International Airport at 9h00. I was met at the plane by another SAA cargo employee and Linda who took me to where they had last seen Riffy. Apparently Riff-Raff had been standing 50 metres from the runway when my plane landed. I had advised them to take Mona with them in the hope that Riffy would come to her. At this stage quite a few of the cargo employees had participated in the search and I was told that when they first saw Riff-Raff he was crawling on his belly towards them. Instead of sitting down and encouraging him, they chased him in an attempt to catch him and they then chased him a further three times despite both Linda and me telling them explicitly not to do this. They even told me “Your dog is very fast” and I asked how they knew this and they said “We chased him with the van and he was running at 45km per hour”. By this time his faith in humans was destroyed and he was so afraid that he would not approach anyone at all. Linda and her father and some of the cargo people spent most of the Thursday walking through the bush calling and whistling.

The airport is approximately 1600 hectares which includes very large areas of dense bush and trees. Linda and the cargo man started to search for him immediately. She asked for permission to bring her Isuzu diesel van into the property be-

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W R I T T E N BY J A N E T WA N G ( N O M V U YO R H O D ES I A N R I D G E BAC K S )

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On Thursday night I went to the area where he was last seen and spent the entire night sitting alone on the tailgate of the van calling and whistling continuously. No Riff-Raff. Linda had to go to work on Friday so I was on my own except for the cargo people who drove around from time to time. On Friday the search resumed with no luck until approximately 15h00 when the cargo people came to tell me that they had seen him in a smallish treed and bushy area so I immediately went there and took Mona out of the van. I could not see him so I told them to stay well back and direct me towards him which they did. I combed the area with Mona but regret to say that neither Mona nor I saw him. When Linda returned from work, we decided to pretend that we were having a wonderfully relaxed time and to have a barbeque at the area in the hopes that the smells would attract him. Just as evening was descending the peace was disrupted by the arrival of between six and eight

vans approaching us at high speed. They came to a halt in a cloud of dust and at least twelve very aggressive looking heavily armed men climbed out of the vans and approached us. I was amused that it took so many big strong men to apprehend two harmless, unarmed women sitting in the bush. One of them, who turned out to be the assistant Head of Security, wanted to know if we had permits to be in the area. I told him that as far as I knew our permits had been organized by the cargo division of SAA. He wanted to see the permits and the vehicle permit and when I told him that I did not have them on me and that the cargo people would have them he became extremely aggressive. At this stage I became very angry and explained to him very calmly that if I had a choice I would not be there but that the reason I was there was because SAA had negligently allowed my dog’s crate to roll of a truck, that he had escaped and that my job was to find him and take him home where he belongs. He then ex-

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plained to me that the property belongs to the Airports Company and not SAA as if this somehow changed things. He told me that I had to have insurance of ten MILLION Rand to be in that area “in case a plane landed on me” and I replied that if the Airport Company wanted me to have insurance, they must buy it. I then explained that I was not leaving the area until I found my dog. He then threatened me with arrest whereupon I told him to call the police but to be sure that they brought the army with them because I had no intention of going down without a fight. This entire conversation really angered me because I had already spoken to the Head of Security, and he had asked me what he could do to help me. At this stage I also explained that the presence of all these people and vehicles was, in fact, hindering my search for my dog. I told them that as long as they were around my chances of finding Riff-Raff were nil. They then moved a short distance away and held a long discussion amongst themselves. Then Mr Assistant Head of Security came and apologized to me but said that we HAD to have a “guard” for our own security. This, of course, was really bad news because I knew that a stranger hanging around, talking on his radio and driving up and down

At about 1a.m one of the men from cargo came driving up and said “Come quickly. I saw your dog right now at the other end of the airport”. We immediately followed him and our security guard must have been sleeping because it took him quite some time to start his van and follow us. Well, we got down to where Riff-Raff had last been seen but we couldn’t see him so we turned around and started driving slowly back. Suddenly I saw a pair of eyes gleaming in the distance looking at us and I knew it was Riff-Raff. I pulled over to the side of the road and let Mona out and started walking slowly towards him calling and whistling. All the time he was watching me and when we were about thirty metres away from him a security van came hurtling up the road. I turned around to wave them down and begged the driver to please stay

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would only hamper our search. But we decided to give it a try. I asked that the gent detailed to “look after” us park his vehicle as far away as possible, that he would keep his windows closed, refrain from smoking and that he make as little noise as possible. After about an hour another van came speeding down the road and pulled up in front of “our” security guard. They then had a loud conversation and after some time the second van drove off. After a further hour had elapsed, the second van returned and the same procedure took place. At this stage Linda walked over to them and asked them what the problem was. They replied that they had to check up on their employee to which Linda replied “If you’ve got to check up on him continuously then he can’t be the right man for the job”. To which they replied that they had to bring him food and she asked how many times a night he ate. After this a temporary peace descended and we continued with our barbeque even going so far as to cook dirty tripe hoping that this would be a very attractive smell to a hungry dog. We attracted four jackals but no Riff-Raff.

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still for a few moments until I caught my dog. By the time that I had turned back, Riff-Raff was gone. Nobody saw where he went to. He was just gone. I was so disappointed and when we got back to or “camping” site I phoned the head of the Airport Company and asked him how many YEARS he wanted me to stay at the airport. I explained that EVERY time I got close to my dog one of his security guards would drive up and ruin every-

thing. His concern was that we would drive on the runways. When I told him that I was not stupid and had no intention of driving under a plane he agreed to withdraw the security. A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH!!! On the morning of Saturday 4th October, I phoned my husband in Cape Town and asked him to send Riff-Raff’s favourite girlfriends, Fritter and Panda, on the next plane to Johannesburg in the vain hope that Riff-Raff would come to

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them. When the plane was due to arrive the cargo section escorted me onto the runway only to find that they hadn’t been loaded on that plane as they had said but would be on the next plane! They finally arrived safely and we immediately started walking through the bush so that we could leave our scent on everything and I played with Fritter and Panda trying to make an attractive family scene which may attract Riffy. No luck. At some stage I phoned John Faul, an animal be-

haviourist from Cape Town, to ask his advice and to tell him all the ideas we had tried to find RiffRaff. He was of the opinion that because Riff-Raff had been chased every time he had tried to make contact with people that he would be extremely suspicious and that our best bet was to try to get dogs to bark or howl at sunrise and sunset because Riffy would be strongly tempted at those times to join a pack with the intention of hunting. We had already put out food and his blankets and

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I had tied my dirty clothes to a tree hoping that he would smell them and come to them. Three Border Collie owners came to help us with four tracker dogs and two sheepdogs. The Border Collies tracked and howled and their owners trudged valiantly through the bush, but no RiffRaff. Then we tried two Ridgebacks that were trained to bark and howl on command but when they got into the bush they said nothing. We were then loaned a cheetah trap from de Wildt Wild-

life Park and I asked SAA to go and pick it up for me because I did not have a van large enough. Time went by and when the traps finally arrived I was told that they had five traps and I really thought that my luck had changed and that soon we would have Riff-Raff. However, when one of the traps had been unloaded, I noticed that they were not traps at all but LION holding cages with five solid metal sides and a door made of thick bars. Inside the cages was wood shavings saturat-

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ed with lion urine and these cages had not originated from de Wildt as I had organized but from the Johannesburg Zoo. I explained to them that Ridgebacks are bred to track and bay lions and that no self-respecting dog would walk into an ambush like that. The traps were immediately removed. Eventually two cheetah traps arrived from de Wildt and I camouflaged them with branches and baited them with steak. I had bitches in season that were (very kindly lent to me by oth-

er concerned owners) in wire crates, no wildlife of any description was seen that very cold, long night. I lost track of the days. They all just blended into one another. SAA organized for thirty men on foot to comb the bush with no success although one man was almost bitten by an extremely venomous snake. On the morning of Monday 6th October, I had a meeting with one of the heads of SAA’s cargo division and they asked me what my plan was

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and what they could do. I told them that I had no intention of leaving until my dog was found and I was adamant about this. They then explained that their hands were virtually tied by the Airports Company and they then phoned one of the top people at the Airports Company who, via the head of cargo, offered me money for my dog in a futile attempt to get rid of me, I pointed out that I did not want money, I didn’t want another dog, I wanted MY dog. A meeting with the head of the Airports Company was set up for a short while later. We discussed the matter at length and were told that the Airports Company had already expended a lot of money looking for my dog (how I’m not quite sure). I asked them if it would be possible to obtain a pair of night vision binoculars to aid me in my search and they agreed to acquire a pair but I regret to say that they never materialized. Unfortunately, I did not have a picture of Riff-Raff with me so I had a photo taken of Fritter and the Airports Company was going to have copies made to distribute to their security staff. They also undertook to leave food out permanently at two security gates where Riff-Raff had sometimes been seen but regretfully this promise was not fulfilled. I was threatened that if I went to the media then they would have to shoot Riff-Raff. I did not respond to this threat but noted it and thought to myself if you shoot my dog, I will teach you the meaning of the word “media”. At this stage I had not seen Riff-Raff’s eyes for almost three days and one of the security guards had reported seeing him OUTSIDE the airport grounds on the Jet Park side of the fence, trying to get back into the airport grounds but, of course, they didn’t open the gate to let him in because they were afraid. I was beginning to think that I was looking for a dog that didn’t exist as there had not been any positive sighting of him for a number of days. On the evening of Thursday 9th October, after I had checked the traps, I decided to go to Linda’s house as it was raining and very cold and I thought that it would be pointless watching for him. In all I had had about six hours of sleep since the saga started. I was beginning to see Ridgebacks in every leaf and behind every blade of grass. By now I had an eye infection and a nasty chest infection so I thought a good shower and sleep would do me good. The man at cargo assured me that they would keep looking for him and if they saw him, they would phone me immediately no matter what time it was. I had only been gone about 20 minutes when he phoned to say that HE had seen Riff-Raff and that there was absolutely no doubt that it was him (there had been continuous conflicting reports from the security guards about sightings but invariably they were referring to a German Shepherd that had been living at the airport for two months and who had also allegedly escaped from one of the airlines). I was ecstatic because now a RELIABLE source had seen Riffy. The next morning, I returned to the airport with new hope. Ariane Stock from France was in Johannesburg and she phoned me to say that

since I had tried everything else, she was going to come and help me and my luck would change. She was right about this!! I had only met her the week before for the first time. She joined me at about 18h00 on Friday 10th October and we drove around everywhere with no luck. At about 1h00 on Saturday 11th October I decided that I couldn’t expect Ariane to spend the whole night helping me look for my dog so I was about to take her to her hotel when I decided on impulse to check an area that we had checked about three hours earlier. We drove up to the security guards and I asked them if they had seen my dog and they hadn’t. Then I drove past a cheetah trap and checked it. Nothing. Then I rounded a bend in the road and as the van’s headlights swept around the corner, I saw a brown dog grabbing a plastic bag in the road and bolting into the bush. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that this was MY dog. Ariane immediately jumped out of the van and ran to the nearest gate in an attempt to shut it, thereby closing him in a +- 30 hectare area. However, he was faster than her and by the time she had reached the gate he was already through the gate and standing in the approach landing lights on the runway. I, in the meantime, was stumbling around in the bush with Fritter, calling and whistling. Fritter was rooting around in the bush on my right when suddenly I saw a brown dog on my left and I thought “There are TWO Ridgeback’s here!” Kneeling down in the mud, I extended my arm with my fingers held straight out and I called him. He made a large circle towards Fritter and then veered away from her and came fast but submissively towards me. The minute his nose touched my fingers he jumped clean into the air and landed on top of me. He was SO happy. Then he ran to Fritter who gave him hell for being in the bush so long but this seemed to please him and he ran back to me and after struggling with a happy, wriggling dog for some minutes I finally managed to hook his lead onto his collar and take him to the van. I then drove and fetched Ariane and we radioed the cargo section to tell them we had found Riff-Raff. We arrived at cargo to a hero’s welcome. Everyone who was on duty turned up to see and pat RiffRaff. Riffy sat on Ariane’s lap all the way to her hotel and when she got out, he tucked his head and shoulders behind my back and cried all the way to Linda’s home where I gave him a light meal and tucked him up in my bed. Later, on Saturday I took him to the vet who treated him with anti-inflammatories for total muscle inflammation of his entire body and gave him a tonic. He also had an eye infection, inflamed ears and the extensor and flexor tendons on his right front leg had been severely damaged when he was dropped by SAA and an encapsulated swelling had formed over his pastern. Luckily Linda told me to dip the dogs for ticks before they went up to Johannesburg because she said there was a massive tick problem there. I think this dipping saved his life because when he was found 10 days

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later he had over 60 ticks on him and those ticks were not yet engorged so the dip lasted at least a week. He was also covered in little cuts and scratches but he was ALIVE. Riff-Raff and Mona were not shown at the shows that they were entered for in Johannesburg and Riff-Raff was not shown again until mid-April 1998 and he did phenomenally well, finishing the year as the #1 AnimalTalk Top Dog (All Breeds) and the top South African bred dog for 1998. At the end of 1998 he was principally retired at the age of two and a half years except on special occasions. In 1999 he was shown only in competitions that he

had qualified for e.g. Dog of the Year, Golden Paw Challenge and Supreme Champion, which he won in October 1999. He was Kusa National Rhodesian Ridgeback in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and finished his show career as Multi BIS CH & CH (ZIM & FCI) Calibre Windsofchange of Nomvuyo. Not only did Riff-Raff recover from his ordeal but as a result of his rescue I was awarded a Special Presidential Citation by the President of Kennel Union of Southern Africa “in recognition of her outstanding devotion to dogs and memorable demonstration of the true meaning of responsible dog ownership”.

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We have asked some of our favourite photographers some question in regards to their work, read their stories.

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S EE THROU G H CAMERA LE NS.....

We are thrilled to introduce to you four brilliant photographers, they all have one thing in common....they see your dogs through their camera lens.

A “S

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OUR GOLDIES

ERVIN GASPIC AN INTERVIEW

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Republic of Ireland І Vision Studio І www.visionsstudio.org

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT BEING A DOG PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT? My name is Ervin Gaspic. I was born in Split, Croatia but since 2020 I live and work in Republic of Ireland. I’m in photography since childhood with some on and off periods. The most significant moment in my photography happened when my wife and I got our first show dog and started to photograph her at Croatian dog shows in 2012. In the beginning it was just for us and our presentation but very soon it snowballed onto what it is today.

HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORLD? DID YOU HAVE FORMAL TRAINING? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER? Officially I entered the dog photography world in 2012 when I photographed my first dog show (CAC

Bijelovar). Since then, until 2020 and Covid19 period I photographed more than 100 dog shows around Europe. I was published in the Official Croatian Kennel club magazine, Austrian kennel club official magazine and in a few Austrian newspapers. I did not have any formal training. All my training was done through YouTube and some books and of course a lot of practice and mostly learning from my own mistakes. Officially, by late March it will be 10 years.

WHAT OR WHO GOT YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS? Dog photography started in 2011 when I got my Alaskan malamute but my wife Franka is responsible for pushing me out of my comfort zone and made me take it on another level.

WHAT TYPE OF CAMERAS DO YOU SHOOT WITH? WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE LENS AND WHY? Until 2020 I was a Nikon shooter (Nikon d700 and D3s) but now I shoot with Sony a6500 and a6000

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WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION? Usually on Instagram and on Facebook. That is my morning routine to scroll Instagram and Facebook during morning coffee and I screen shot things that I like or inspire me.

DO YOU CONSIDER IT A CHALLENGING JOB? HOW DO YOU GET THE ANIMALS TO STAY AND “POSE” FOR YOU? It is a challenging job. Some days are more challenging than others. Some days you are laying on wet and muddy ground, sometimes you have untrained dogs or just dogs that are not having a good day and then you have owners that are never happy no matter what and how you do it.

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both APSC sensor cameras. Lenses that I use are Sigma 30mm f1.4 / Sigma 56mm f1.4 / Samyong 85mm f1.4 / Tamron 70-180 f2.8. My favorite lens is Samyang 85mm f1.4 (127mm on full frame camera) because it is sharp, auto focus is fast enough, bokeh is just amazing and it gives the dog and me some separation. I love to give animals space. I don’t like to put my lens right in their faces and make them uncomfortable.

Basically, lot of treats, squeaky toys and strange noises. Usually if its portrait shooting in studio or outside I prefer that the dog had his standard walk, especially if the dog doesn’t have any formal training, because that will keep the energy level down a bit and it will be easier to handle them, pose and keep them in pose.

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WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? AND THE MOST CHALLENGING? Best part is when everything falls into place after all research and preparation for every shoot. When you see a smile on owner’s or handlers face after the session and even more when you deliver the finished product. Most challenging are grumpy and impossible to satisfy owners.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL SESSION FOR US. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BEHIND THE CAMERA? My typical session starts long before actual session. Everything starts with client first contact. During the next few contacts with a client, I will go through their wishes and the possibilities. We will talk about the dog, what dog likes and doesn’t like. Will talk about location and I will ask them if they have pictures or something that prompt them or inspired them to have a shoot. When we have sorted all those details, I will scout locations and I will make few snapshots to show my client. My shoots are not time limited; we will stay until we have a shot. When I come to location, I already know what shots I need to take and I know the location for each

shoot. At that stage I just take care of pose and how the dog looks and the background (ensuring that I don’t have anything that sticks out of dogs head or body).

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flattering way. All dogs are beautiful in their own way. You just need to put them in their comfort zone and they will shine.

ARE THERE OTHER DOG PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT INSPIRE OR INFLUENCE YOU? IF NOT, WHO OR WHAT DOES? Dog photography is growing niche, there are lot of good photographers and even better photoshoppers. Jessica McGovern from “That photography spot” is very inspirational for me.

IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? There are a lot of things that I wish I knew straight away but that is called experience, and experience you will get with practice and work. So, my advice is practice, practice and then practice some more. Also take time to learn each breed that you are photographing and also learn about dog behavior.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS OF YOUR OWN? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL? I have three Alaskan malamutes. My favorite animal is ……. guess what: the dog of course.

WHICH BREED IN YOUR OPINION IS MOST PHOTOGENIC?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING?

There is no more or less photogenic breed. It is all about patience and posing the dog right and in a

I would like to thank you for this opportunity to present my work and myself.

JENNY JURNELIUS AN INTERVIEW

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Sweden І Jenny Jurnelius Photography І www.jennyjurnelius.com photo@jennyjurnelius.com

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT BEING A DOG PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT? I live outside Stockholm, Sweden, with my three dogs Vintra, Okra and Liva. I breed dogs on a small scale since 2017. I got my first own dog as a teenager. It was a Doberman who was a really fun dog. At that time, I met my first Ridgeback. There was something about that dog that I carried with me for many years. After that I was away from dogs for a few years while I studied at several art schools. When time came to get another dog, I wasn’t sure what breed. My sisters had German Shepherds and Rottweilers, which all were very lovely dogs. But for some reason I couldn’t get rid of the thought of a Ridgeback. So, after a lot of research and deciding what I wanted out of my dog life, I got my first Ridgeback in 2007. Her name was Vimla and I learned so much from her.

She had an injury and broke her leg as a puppy which started our journey of rehabilitation. Long story short, this led me to more studies to become a dog physiotherapist and today I run a fitness and rehab center for dogs, main focus being on using aqua-therapy in a pool. Jokingly, I call this my “bonus job” in the evening because I love to help to train and rehabilitate dogs.

HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORLD? DID YOU HAVE FORMAL TRAINING? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER? My dad had his own darkroom at home in the basement where he developed photos from film and I thought it was incredibly exciting to see how the pictures appeared on paper. I got my first camera when I was 9 years old. It was a pocket camera with regular film. When I was in my early teens I got my father’s old system camera, a Pen-

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I have studied at several art schools with a focus on fine art painting, sculpture and design. I was accepted to the Danish School of Design in Copenhagen where I studied product design for 5 years as well as visual arts, composition and also photography. Since then, I’ve worked professionally with image and form. So now I have the fancy title – “Master of fine art in Industrial design”. I graduated in 2005 and have since worked professionally with design and photography as a freelancer. As a photographer, I work mainly with dogs and motorcycles. Strange combo you might think, but they have a lot in common. A portrait of a motorcycle or a dog, it’s about finding the right angles, the right composition, the right light. Both of their bodies contain a lot of energy and speed. And both of them can be iconic. My customers represent large international companies such as BMW Motorrad and Indian Motorcyles for which I have photographed press photos for new model releases, as well as smaller companies, associations and of course everyday dog owners and breeders. As a dog photographer, I work for the Swedish Kennel Club where I do editorial assignments for articles in their members’ magazine. I take photos for their photo archive and I regularly attend dog shows as a ring photographer to eternalize the group and BIS winners.

The biggest job to date that I’ve done as a dog photographer was the job I did for PostNord (Swedish Post Authority) in 2020. The Swedish Kennel Club and PostNord had a competition where the winner had his dog portrayed on a stamp. And I was given the amazing assignment of taking these photographs, which later became stamps. Those were a few really memorable weeks, just when Covid hit Sweden and there were big discussions about lock down. Amidst it all I had to travel all over Sweden to meet these dogs who of course lived in different parts of Sweden, which is a geographically long country as you know. It was a surreal experience travelling 3500 km through Sweden and it was more or less empty everywhere. But it’s a job that I’m glad I did. One positive side effect of Covid, was that it opened some new doors. With limited contact and canceled jobs, Covid also opened the door to new digital meeting places. So, a year and a half ago, I started holding photography courses via Zoom. It’s among the most fun things I’ve ever done! It’s so incredibly rewarding to teach other people to take pictures and especially when it comes to dogs. To be able to follow their progress and see what they manage to achieve after just a few weeks of coursework, it’s an incredibly satisfying job!

WHAT OR WHO GOT YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS? I’ve photographed animals and nature all my life, but when I got my first Ridgeback in 2007, it

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tax with several lenses. When I grew up, I spent a lot of time in church since they had many youth activities and one of them was a photo group with camera laboratory and everything.

became like a drug. Not a day went by without her getting caught on film during those first few years. What type of cameras do you shoot with? Which is your favourite lens and why? Apart from my mobile camera I only work with DSLR cameras from Canon. My first-choice camera is a Canon 1dx Mark III and my back up is a Canon 5d mark III. My favorite lens is the Canon 85mm 1.2, but the choice of lens depends entirely on the assignment and the challenges that the assignment brings.

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WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION? Being a photographer means a lot of travelling. I find it extremely inspiring visiting new countries and other cultures. I get inspired by anything from nature, food to culture. Meeting different dog owners together with their beloved dogs, watching their relationship and the way they work together is so rewarding and inspiring whether they live in northern Sweden or southern Italy.

DO YOU CONSIDER IT A CHALLENGING JOB? HOW DO YOU GET THE ANIMALS TO STAY AND “POSE” FOR YOU?

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Yes, it can be very challenging! It’s all about training, timing and getting a good collaboration with the dog. The photoshoot is always on the dog’s terms and it’s my job to make sure that the dog likes what we do and is comfortable in the situation.

Taking pictures of my own dogs, it’s often just me and my dog, and then I have no one to help. When I grab the camera and a package of meatballs, my dogs go crazy and everyone wants to come along. They just love a photoshoot. I train a lot of balance training with my dogs; I begin at puppy stage. I generally train a lot with my dogs. Everything from obedience training and tricks to all kind of nose training such as field tracking and tracking people, nosework and scent work. Collaboration is the key word, it’s my job to make sure we have fun together, regardless of whether it’s a photoshoot or obedience training. And I only train using positive reinforcement. If I work with someone else’s dog, I always have the dog owner assisting. Then it’s often a matter of getting a collaboration with the owner so that she or he understands what I mean. Some dogs are completely untrained in everything but I still have to deliver a great picture. In those cases, it’s important for me to be able to read the dog and try to create a situation where the dog can cooperate. That was the case when I was going to photograph one of the “stamp dogs” mentioned earlier. One of these dogs was quite shy with a lot of integrity. It could not sit or lie down on command and there was a lot of prey drive in him, so he could barely be off leash. On top of all that there was a whole family where everyone had varying levels of stress over the photo shoot. My job was still to deliver the best pictures in the world. In those situations, it’s important not to get stressed but try to build a relationship with the

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One of the most basic things that I think works to get a dog to hold a position in most cases, is “reverse luring”. Many times, I’ll get the dog to understand that game in a short time, so we’re able to take some fantastic pictures. If you want to learn more about reverse luring I highly recommend The Dog Trainer Vicky Miles at VM. She has a bunch of great online training tips and courses. We made a course together named “Hold That Pose”, for dogs that have to perform in front of a camera. It’s only available in Swedish at the moment, but she’s releasing an English version this spring. www.vickymiles.com Or, sign up for one of my photo courses that are available both via Zoom or in real life - in Sweden or abroad when requested!

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dog in a short period of time and at the same time get the owners to relax so that they can do their best for their dog. Also, making sure the dog keeps it together and doesn’t get tired too quickly. In the end I got a series of great photos. But I’ll never forget that shoot – it was a challenge!

I love my job as a dog photographer, and I see every photo session as an opportunity to grow. I always want to get better at my profession. I have yet to take my best photograph.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? AND THE MOST CHALLENGING? The best part is that I have the best job in the world! I love shooting dogs and every dog meeting is unique. I work both as a fine art photographer and as a documentary photographer for editorial articles and for advertising assignments. When I work for a dog owner, I always try to find the best in that dog. To see the uniqueness in the dog that only a dog owner can see. To convey that feeling in a picture. The joy that photos of a dog can give their owner is priceless.

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It is also incredibly satisfying to have a dog do things that the owners didn’t think were possible. It can be anything from “my dog will never go out in the water”, or “it will never be able to sit still” to “it will never dare getting up on that thing” etc. There are many times I want to give a high five to the dog. When I work with editorial assignments or for a specific advertisement, it’s important that I’ve done my homework on the assignment before I get there. When I shoot for magazines, I usually work with a journalist. We meet the person that is to be interviewed together and I get a to build a rapport with the dog, understand the dog’s job and get a feeling for what ambience the photos need to relay. I’ve photographed a blood donor dog, and capturing the skills that that dog needs to do his job is different from capturing the skills of a scent-dog searching for drugs or weapons. When I work for veterinary clinics, I need to create a completely different feeling for those pictures. The dog owners who will visit the clinic need to gain

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When I work for breeders, I need to show off breed-typical presentations of their dogs. I remember a very challenging shoot a few years ago. I was at a dog show and I needed pictures of all the group winners. All of a sudden, a storm broke out and the rain was pouring down. The winner was about to run out from the ring and I had to shout out loud so she would hear me. I forced her to stay for a picture… The second after this picture, the tent with all the judges in it went up in air and it was all a bit of a panic. But I got my picture and it was great! The organizer has even used this image as an advertisement for their exhibition.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL SESSION FOR US. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BEHIND THE CAMERA? In my mind there is almost no “typical session in dog photography”;) But if, for example, I’m going to photograph a stud dog, then there are some typical pictures that most people want. These are standing/stacked pictures, portraits and the dog in motion, preferable while trotting, from the side so you can see the gait and stride. Then it’s important to get acquainted with the breed that I’m going to portray, I have to know about the breed standard, what’s desirable and what’s less desirable in this particular breed. I’m of the opinion that we don’t retouch this type of image! A photo of a stud dog or a brood bitch should represent the dog as it looks. It’s my job, along with the handler, to bring out the absolute best in that dog, to find the angle where the dog looks its best.

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confidence in the staff and their skills through the pictures presented on the website.

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If the dog, for example, has a weak back, it is important for me to find an angle that doesn’t exaggerate that weakness. If I find an angle where the weak back doesn’t become so prominent, it’s perfectly okay. But I must absolutely not go in and retouch the picture afterwards so that it looks like the dog has a strong back. In my mind, that’s both morally and ethically wrong!

Weimaraner is a breed that I really like and if I have to choose a breed that I equate to being photogenic (and not choose the Ridgeback) it would be Weimaraner. But they are very reminiscent of the ridgeback. They can be everything from very beautiful to just plain comical. One of my great idols in dog photography is William Wegman, if you have seen his pictures you will understand.

If the assignment is for an everyday dog owner that just wants some great pictures of their dog, then it’s pretty much up to the dog owner what they want. What does the owner look for in this picture? Do they have a request for a special location? Should it be bathing in a lake, pictures of a training session or just some fantastic pictures in nature or the dog with the children or the owner? In a photo shoot like that, the most important thing is to have a happy dog and a lot of treats with you. Preferably a thermos with coffee and some good cake, a true Swedish fika. Then it tends to be a good day.

ARE THERE OTHER DOG PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT INSPIRE OR INFLUENCE YOU? IF NOT, WHO OR WHAT DOES?

WHICH BREED IN YOUR OPINION IS MOST PHOTOGENIC? Well, here I am deeply biased. The Ridgeback has an obvious first place in my heart. But then it depends on what you mean by photogenic? All dog breeds have their own special character. I would say more that there are different photogenic individuals within all dog breeds. If you mean photogenic as aristocratic, then sighthounds are high on that list. If photogenic is sweetness, then there are many super cute small fluffy dogs and puppies. Some Ridgebacks are definitely not photogenic, but then they can have a quirkiness that is fun and nice to see in the picture.

As I mentioned earlier, William Wegman, he’s a great inspiration. If you see his pictures bear in mind that he doesn’t do re-touch. He teaches the dogs to do the tricks and then he takes the picture.

IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? Being a good photographer is to a certain extent dependent on the equipment you have, because if you have better equipment, you can produce better quality images. But at the end of the day, no amount of equipment can replace the innate ability to recognise what will make a great image and knowing how to capture it with the camera. When it comes to dog photography you need to know a lot about dogs. You need the skill to “read dogs”. Dogs are more than a just cute face, there’s

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a lot of right and wrong when it comes to the exterior of a purebred dog, its attitude and right state of mind when it comes to stress level and engagement, and so on. In today’s society with social media, it’s all about pictures. When I grew up, having to sit through a dinner party and looking at the host’s holiday snaps was the ultimate in a bad night out. Today you see everything from everybody’s life, all the time, often the second after it actually happened. In some way we all need to be better photographers today, compared to just 10-15 years ago. You have like a milli second to get people’s attention with your pictures before they’ve scrolled past your post. Being a photographer today isn’t easy. People have unreasonably high demands on themselves. They buy a camera and then expect to take amazing photos. But I say, you don’t become a bestselling author just because you bought a typewriter. And please bear in mind that a lot of the images you see on the internet are not necessarily great photos, they’re just images that have had a lot of retouching done to them. Comparing yourself to someone who is great at using photoshop while you’re still learning how to master your camera isn’t fair. I’m not saying that retouching an image is a bad thing, but if you want to be a great photographer you need to start by learning how to take great photos with your camera, learning to see what’s a great shot and what’s a great photoshop creation. Someday you might master both skills, but start with mastering photography. For all of you wanting to become a better photographer I have a tip. Practice, practice, practice, and have fun! Everybody can become a better photographer with practice. You need to take a whole bunch of bad photos to get that super picture! It’s not a failure to come home with +2000 pics in the camera and not be satisfied with a single one. If you had a great time with your dog, hopefully the dog is satisfied after some fresh air and training. And you just have to load up the camera again and look forward to the joy of doing it all over again.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS OF YOUR OWN? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL? Today I have 3 dogs at home. In my youth I was a “horse fanatic” so after dogs in the first place, a unicorn has to come in second place.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING? There’s no such thing as bad light or bad weather when it comes to photography. It’s just different light and different weather. Maybe not a desirable one, but that’s a whole different thing. Try to make the most of the situation you have!

KARIN LICHTENAUER AN INTERVIEW

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Austria І Hema Photography І www.fotocorner.eu

PLEASE, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT BEING A DOG PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT? I always liked to take pictures and when I met Ulrike and she introduced me to her dogs, I started to take pictures of dogs too. This is now more than 20 years ago. Combining photography and dogs just came naturally for me back then.

HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORLD? DID YOU HAVE FORMAL TRAINING? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER? I started with the old Canon Eos Camera of my father when I was around 14 years old. I never underwent formal training but I learned a lot from

my father in the beginning and then of pro photographers I came in contact with when I started with American football. These guys did a lot for me and always shared their gear and their experience.

WHAT OR WHO GOT YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS? Ulrike Lichtenauer, Kennel “of Ka Ul Li’s Ridges” and her dogs and when Hema of Ka Ul Li’s Ridges stormed into my life

WHAT TYPE OF CAMERAS DO YOU SHOOT WITH? WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LENS AND WHY? I use Canon Eos digital Cameras; my favourite is the 7d. My favourite lens is EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. I particularly like this lens because of its speed and rage when it comes to sports photography.

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WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?

DO YOU CONSIDER IT A CHALLENGING JOB? HOW DO YOU GET THE ANIMALS TO STAY AND “POSE” FOR YOU? It is very challenging for me, as I described before, I seldom do this classical shooting, but it is very rewarding when you get the pictures you have imagined in your head. I love to play with the animals and work with a lot of fun and joy and food or their favourite toy. I usually don’t demand a

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As I am focused on action and sports pictures I need to capture the moment. During a competition there is no time to think about inspiration or what to change. You only have one chance to get the picture you desire. You need to take care that you are in the best possible spot to get as much action possible without moving around and the settings of the camera must be spot on. If you miss the moment or simply mess it up, you won’t get the picture.

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pose but simply try to work what the dog is already showing anyway.

own joy when I was able to freeze the perfect moment.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER? AND THE MOST CHALLENGING?

The most challenging for me is standing a full day during an agility competition in the same ½ m² and it is raining cats and dogs or hot as hell and the light is anything but the way you would like to have it.

The best part for me is to see the joy that the dog owners have when they see the pictures and my

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DESCRIBE A TYPICAL SESSION FOR US. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BEHIND THE CAMERA? I will describe what I do when I take pictures at an agility competition: First of all, I will always check out the parcourse like I would run it myself, see the lines that hopefully most of the competitors will run, have a look on how the obstacles are set. Then I will search for a spot where I will be able to take pictures of the most obstacles without moving too much, I only can turn around or move 1 step in a direction. These dogs are incredibly fast and you do not have time to think or move much. Then I will check for the sun and if I am lucky, I will have it in my back – but if not, I have to take it as it is. Once the competition starts. I will focus on the team, on their rhythm and how the dog and owner move and try to get the best shoots possible in the short timeframe.

WHICH BREED IN YOUR OPINION IS MOST PHOTOGENIC? For sure I love to have a Ridgeback in front of the camera, their power during action shoots is incredible. When it comes to competition pictures, I am a big fan of long-haired breeds because they give a lot of movement in the pictures.

ARE THERE OTHER DOG PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT INSPIRE OR

INFLUENCE YOU? IF NOT, WHO OR WHAT DOES? Not a dog photographer but one of the professionals I got to know when I was taking pictures of American football games: Herbert Kratky – he is one of the best, if not the best American football photographer in Europe. I learned of lot about sports photography from him.

IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? Don’t give up, make your own mistakes and try everything you want to try no matter what others think of it. Don’t forget to do things you like and that are fun for you!

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS OF YOUR OWN? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL? We have 2 Rhodesian Ridgeback females – Zurimahali Fiona and African Mashumba Asha, 4 cats – Fraggle, Tabby, Spooky and Dina and 2 hamsters – so half a zoo. My favourite animal is a Longnose Hawkfish - I love these little critters and I am always happy when I see one during a dive.

KATJA PODGORŠEK AN INTERVIEW

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Slovenia І Stila І www.stila.si

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT BEING A DOG PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT? My name is Katja Podgoršek and I’m a mum of 2 sunshines (2 year old boy and 4 months baby girl) and to 3 doggie princesses. Together with my husband we share a passion for dogs, we love to be active with them and do different dog sports (we are active in obedience, agility, tracking, IGP). We also own a very small kennel, FCI registered “vom Weissen Unterberg”, breeding working type White Swiss Shepherd dogs. My official degree is a master of human resources, but my job is all about dogs. I’m a dog photographer and content creator and together with my husband we own a company and online shop with equipment for the safe transport of dogs. I’m also a dog trainer/instructor (puppy school and FCI obedience) and we do premium dog sitting.

HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORLD? DID YOU HAVE FORMAL TRAINING? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER? They say I was already born with a love for photography. My father is a big enthusiast and has been doing this wonderful hobby for all his life. As soon as I got to know the camera and the magical view through the lens as a youngster, I fell in love too. If my father chooses more static motifs and likes to photograph the landscape, I have always been attracted to a wide variety of animals. Already as a primary school student (I attended a photo club of course =D) it was a challenge for me to catch animals in motion and take a photo that catches the eye. That was also the first time that I achieved a bigger success with my photo of a pelican and received the 2nd prize in the National Geographic Junior photo competition.

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Already my first dog, a poodle named Lumpi, was often my model. But after Bela (our first WSS) came into my and my husband’s lives, I truly can say I have started working as a dog photographer more seriously. Firstly, I was attending dog shows, obedience & IGP competitions and later I started working with clients too.

WHAT TYPE OF CAMERAS DO YOU SHOOT WITH? WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LENS AND WHY? I have a Nikon D500 and my favourite lens is Sigma 70-200 which is perfect for action photos, which is my favourite genre of dog photography.

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION? I’m inspired by dogs and their owners. I love to observe their relationship, the special bond they have and to show their story in my photos. As well, I love nature, there is always some-

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WHAT OR WHO GOT YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS?

new locations, but on the other hand it is also interesting to discover hidden parts of Slovenia (and other countries).

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL SESSION FOR US. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BEHIND THE CAMERA? If it is a photo shooting for a client and the dog is just a model, who has to pose in different positions, I like to do a couple of easy poses first, to get to know the dog, learn what motivates him, how he behaves in different situations, in front of the camera. Later, we do the hardest poses (usually standing still) and for the end the most joyful one (running, jumping, catching the ball,...) that dog really enjoys and remembers the photo shooting as a great and playful experience.

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thing new, beautiful that has to be captured. I love to do outdoor photo shooting and to incorporate nature and surroundings in my photos.

DO YOU CONSIDER IT A CHALLENGING JOB? HOW DO YOU GET THE ANIMALS TO STAY AND “POSE” FOR YOU? I consider it an interesting, never boring job. No day is the same and that is the best, if you ask me. Every time I have a dog in front of my camera, I want to capture a unique moment and freeze it in a photo. When we look at the photo, our memories and emotions should take us right there, to that moment. I love to “work” with dogs. Even though our shootings are usually short, I like to develop a relationship with a dog I have in front of the camera. I love to discover what drives him/her. Is he/she more into food or toys? Most of the time I have a variety of food and toys available to see what he/she likes the most. But each dog is a story in itself, so I have to be ready to improvise during the photo shoot. “

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WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? AND THE MOST CHALLENGING? Definitely is great to meet many new people, get to know different dogs, and visit beautiful locations. The most challenging is to find

Otherwise, I like to start with a relaxed walk and spontaneous chat with the owner. That way I learn a lot about the relationship a person and his dog have, what they like to do together, what makes them happiest. And my goal is to show this in my photos.

WHICH BREED IN YOUR OPINION IS MOST PHOTOGENIC? For sure WSS, (little joke!), but yes - I have to admit, I like them a lot and I love to take photos of them. Every year I also do a wall calendar with WSS photos. To be honest all dogs, all beings are amazing, individual, photogenic.

ARE THERE OTHER DOG PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT INSPIRE OR INFLUENCE YOU? IF NOT, WHO OR WHAT DOES? I love to follow other photographers, I believe it is part of the job, to stay alive, to be up to date.

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IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? Just stay you, true to yourself.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS OF YOUR OWN? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL? Hehe, many! We have 6 dogs right now, who are our best friends and great part of our family. Dogs and horses. When I “grow up”, I hope to own a horse one day…

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CAN YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOUR COVER DOG FOR OUR READERS?

That’s how Shangani Xandor came to us. We have never seen such a willing and docile Ridgeback before. He loves to train but also to run and romp over the fields or just hang around in the sun or on the couch. Xandor is amazing! But for us it was clear that another girl should follow. And so it happened that in 2019 we were allowed to take another Shangani into our family. Our little whirlwind Shangani Pea Chaniya. This little bouncer is the exact opposite of Xandor. She is constantly under power and only wants to run and have fun. For her, training is just an annoying evil. But Chaniya, just like Xandor, would do anything for us and protect us at any price. We love our dogs more than anything. They are not just dogs, our Ridgebacks are family.

WHAT IS HIS/HER BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT? For us, every exhibition is an experience and a success. But as an inexperienced exhibitor, it was a special experience for us that Xandor took second place at his and our first show in Dortmund. In addition, he obtained the CAC (Germany). But Corona does not make it easy for any of us. What we are very proud of is that our Xandor passed his companion dog test during corona. Chaniya has already achieved the CAC (Germany) as well.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT SHOWING? For us, exhibition and title does not mean everything. For us an interesting pedigree is more important in breeding than any champion titles. Nevertheless, it is always nice to meet old friends and new people at shows. But we prefer to hike with our dogs in nature or watch them romping over the fields.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? We are looking forward to a great litter from our Chaniya and our Xandor. We hope that our dogs will have a long and full, healthy life. In addition, we would be very happy if in the future a little more normality without Corona would return, and we could meet the one or the other person again, gladly also at the one or the other exhibition. In the meantime we enjoy the time with our family...

FACTSHEET Name Shangani Oba Xkha Xandor Sire: Multi Ch. Shangani Eshe Yachter Dam: Multi Ch. Shangani Famous Bess Bulala Shangani Pea Chaniya Sire: Sanbona A’frican Soul Babatu Dam: Multi Ch. Shangani Lambarene Princess Pea Owned and loved by Sandra und Axel Bredemeier Whatsapp +49 176 43300137 Email bredemeier.axel@gmail.com

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

We have had ridgebacks in our lives for 15 years, since 2007. So it happened in 2018 that we got to know Dr. Christine and Wolfgang Blumberg and their Shanganis. We were immediately in love and a son of Yachter should from now on expand our family and enrich our lives.

Hannah Bohemia

Czech Republic

www.ridgeback-imari.cz

hannahbohemia.cz

hanka.serglova

hannahbohemia.cz

Usono

Shawdi

Germany

Sweden

www.usono-ridgebacks.de

www.shawdi.se

nadine.weixler

KennelShawdi

usono_ridgebacks

kennelshawdi

Kxoxo RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDERS 174

Imarion Queen

Lewanika

Finland

Denmark

www.kxoxo.net

www.lewanika.dk

kxoxoridgebacks

Kennel Lewanika

kxoxorr

kibutata

Shaona-Sumai

Godsent Muse

Germany

Latvia

www.shaona-sumai.de

www.godsentmuse.com

Shaona-Sumai

musinanatalja

shaonasumai

godsent_muse_kennel

175

Germany

Italy

www.nomawethu.de

www.rhodesianridgebackajabu.eu

NomawethuRidgebacks

elisabettag2

leaprusnat

bettagrande

Zawadi N’Zuri

African Uzuri

France

Germany

zawadi-nzuri.com

www.african-uzuri.de

teamzawadinzuri

tanja.maria.927

tanjamaria883

Maanhaar Primo-Creatus

Malkia-wa-Kiburi

Finland

Germany

www.maanhaar.com

www.malkia-wa-kiburi.de

maanhaarprimocreatus

MalkiaWaKiburi

rhodesian_ridgeback_kennel_fi

malkia_wa_kiburi

Umlani

BelloRosario

Switzerland

Norway

www.umlani.ch

www.bellorosario.com

Umlani Rhodesian Ridgeback

BelloRosarioRR

umlani_rhodesian_ridgeback

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDERS

Kizazi Ajabu RR

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

Nomawethu

Onyesha

France

Netherlands

www.matobohills.de

marike.geel@gmail.com

Matobohills

Rhodesian Ridgebacks Onyesha

matobo_hills_kennel

RidgeRules

Khoisan

Sweden

Slovenia

www.ridgerules.com

www.khoisan.si

Kennel RidgeRules

kuralt.snezka

RidgeRules

designbystarr

Redyland RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDERS 176

MatoboHills

Immermoed

Slovakia

The Netherlands

www.redyland.eu

immermoed-ridgebacks.com

redylandrrs

Immermoed Rhodesian Ridgebacks

redylandrrs

immermoed_rhodesian_ridgebacks

Malozi

Villagedogs

Finland

Belgium

malozirr@gmail.com

www.villagedogs.be

malozirr

Villagedogs RRs

villagedogs