Why Ridgebacks?

 The dogs made a run for freedom and decided to play "catch-me-if-you-can" on the runway. Flights were delayed while airport personnel tried to coral the two devils. Eventually the dogs were captured, re-crated and put back on the plane to Kelowna where I was residing.

  On a fine summer day (several hours later) the dogs and my mother arrived on my doorstep in one piece. The minute that I opened the door the two dogs, so eager to investigate their new vacation home, burst into the house like a rush of hot air! Satin headed straight for the living room and immediately seized on the opportunity to snatch my African Grey parrot who was minding his own business in his cage with the cage door open. In the blink of an eye Satin had her quarry and took off out the door - the bird in her mouth!

  I was so shocked that I started to scream and panic and run after Satin like a crazy woman. Mandy thought that all this bizarre behavior was the cue to start what I like to call a Ridgeback "circle-sprint" and she bolted outside as well, not really to get in on the action but to run furiously around it.

  While Mandy sprinted around on the lawn in circles I managed to tackle Satin who still had the parrot in her mouth. To my shock and relief the bird was unharmed except for the thick blanket of slobber on his feathers. His affliction was nothing that a good four days of constant preening couldn't fix.

  To add to the complications my sister had entrusted to me the care of her four month old Doberman puppy who had only arrived a week earlier after a cross Canada flight on his own. In addition to the new comers I had my own dog to deal with. It was without question a very difficult initiation for us all. Fortunately the drama and theatrics of our first meeting was not repeated during their stay and we all managed to get to know one another and had what I know think back on as a very memorable summer.

  I knew at the end of those three months that my next dog would be a Rhodesian Ridgeback. I thought that the dog was a compete package. She was friendly and loving not only to my mother but to everyone that was interested in receiving it.

Mandy was athletic, fast, strong and yet incredibly quite. She was enthusiastic and yet reserved. And to top it off she had short hair and enjoyed lying around whenever possible. What more could one want in a dog.

Little did I know that I would move residences six times, move continents once, get married and have two children before we would welcome our first Ridgeback into our home. We now have two Ridgebacks to call our own and yes, they are everything that I thought they would be.