Our Story
On September 15, 2001, I married this wonderful man. The poor guy didn't know what he was getting into. Our circumstances led us to having children of the four-legged variety. Here's the little guy that started it all:
Thunder
As you can see, he is a great post-hole digger and gardener.
We adopted Thunder from the local animal shelter. My husband had read about Rhodesian Ridgebacks and once I saw their picture, I fell in love with them too. I saw this little guy's photo on the shelter's web page, and since it said that he is part ridgeback, we knew we had to have him. (Thunder's prior owner returned him to the shelter after she came home from work to find that he'd eaten her furniture. I guess he decided that he didn't like apartment life and he wanted to live on lots of acreage instead.)
As this little one grew, it became apparent that mommy and daddy were not going to be able to provide all the companionship that he deserved. So, we went to the pound to adopt a playmate for Thunder. Unfortunately, my husband and I fell in love with two different puppies. Since Thunder was my dog, we brought home the dog that my husband liked. (Okay, I liked him too. How could I not like that little fur ball?)
Dodger and Buddy
Though Thunder and Dodger became fast friends, I still couldn't help but think about that cute little black puppy back at the pound. Being the smart man that my husband is, he soon realized that he'd have to hear for the rest of his life about "how much I loved that little black dog" and "how much I wish we had gotten him too." So, he sent me back to the pound to get Buddy.
Having brothers made Thunder very happy. At first, when one of the puppies would "yelp" it was a toss up as to who made it to the puppy's side first, me or Thunder. He is an absolute wonderful older brother.
After a few weeks, Thunder became VERY TIRED. Though, the puppies weren't always "pouncing" Thunder, he nevertheless felt "obligated" to referee and make sure both puppies were behaving. It was nice to see that Thunder had companionship even if it meant that he wasn't running up to greet me when I came home. Instead, he gave me a look that said, "oh good, you're home. Now, you can watch over the puppies and I can get some sleep."
While we just adore all of our boys, there's something special about Thunder. He exhibits a lot of the wonderful ridgeback traits that we have read about. And, since all of our boys are neutered, we were saddened by the fact that we would never have little Dodgers, Buddies, or Thunders running around.
After extensive research on dog behavior and the various dog breeds, we realized that indeed, the Rhodesian Ridgeback was for us. We contacted breeders and the various ridgeback associations and decided to purchase a full-blooded ridgeback and we named her Malia (it's Swahili for "Queen").
Our Rhodesian Ridgebacks
Malia at 9-weeks-old (April 2006).
Yes, yet another puppy for Thunder to have to watch over just as his brothers turn one year old.
As luck would have it, we came across a two-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback (who just had puppies) and we were able to add her to the family a few weeks after Malia arrived. It sure was wonderful to have a "mommy" for Malia (and I'm sure Thunder appreciates the help).
Tawny and Malia bonded quickly. I had no idea how helpful it would be to have a "mother" figure for the puppy. Tawny was able to teach Malia how to play properly and before we knew it, Malia stopped "mouthing" us (which saved our poor little fingers).
Larkin joined the family on May 6, 2006. Like our other babies, Larkin is a wonderful, well-mannered dog and a great playmate for Malia (who is just 7 weeks older). While the other dogs enjoy their mid-day naps, the puppies pounce each other (sometimes rolling into one of their older siblings).
On July 29, 2006, we added more Ridgebacks to our family- an adult male and two more female ridgebacks. You can review their information and photos on our Dams and Sires pages. Fortunately for us, they are all sweet, well-mannered dogs.
I was a bit worried about having so many dogs. However, I worried for nothing. In fact, the "pack" has become much more calm and happy. Even the older dogs are now playing more. There is more mental stimulation and none of them seem quite as bored now. It's like dog behavior books say, dogs need physical exercise and mental stimulation (along with rules, boundaries, and limitations).
Where we live currently, we are able to socialize the dogs with cats, cattle, and horses. We want to have well-socialized companions. In the future, we hope to add to the list of animals that our dogs are exposed to.
In September 2005 we purchased larger acreage for our family. We just adore our babies and are anxious to add a variety of animals to our "pack." We moved onto our farm in January of 2008 and Thunder and his siblings have fifty-four acres and several ponds to play in. The babies' grandparents relocated with us. After all, there are a lot of bellies that need to be rubbed and backs that need to be scratched.
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