Tag Archives: Ridgeback

A runner in the making

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Themba at the end of run – enjoying it!

Dear Zak,

Themba is becoming a runner! I don’t think he will ever have the passion for it that you did and I certainly hope he doesn’t develop your habit of running at the front of the truck when I was being too slow.

We let him and Tia out on the road where we used to let you out but Themba is more interested in sorting her out than running. Tia, poor girl, was never a runner anyway but now she’s getting old, as you can see by the colour of her muzzle. It’s not really running weather either at it’s getting quite warm even at six in the morning. Having a long coat of hair doesn’t make it any easier. We are going to let Themba run the first section by himself on Monday and see how it goes. Who knows, we might have a runner in the making.

Love you as always.

Themba and Tia after a cooling dip in the night storage dam

Themba – the dog on a log

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A dog on the log – Themba’s training is bearing fruit

Dear Zak,

I really think all Themba’s training is starting to mean something! Yesterday I took him to work without Tia for the first time. He behaved, sort of, if one discounts peeing on my truck tyres, Fabian’s motorbike wheel (twice) and barking at people he knows. He did stay within 10 metres of me while I walked around the nursery and even went up and down the stairs all by himself. Yes, you learnt to do that while you were still a puppy but Themba is different in a very Ridgeback way. He even got into the cab of the truck without having to be bribed.

On the way out to Emerald Seedlings he sat in the back area behind the seats just like you used to do – looking out the windscreen to see what was going on. It didn’t last long but maybe in time he’ll get the idea.

Early morning walk at the Wag Zone. Marianne, Themba, Roxy and Tia rooting around in the grass.

Roxy, poor girl, is not well. The vet thinks she might have pancreatic cancer but he cannot be sure with the imaging equipment he has. Always on the chubby side now she is thin and struggling to keep the weight on. She still in good spirits though and enjoys outings to the Wag Zone twice a week. We haven’t been to ART Farm since I’ve been in hospital. One day, maybe, Themba will learn to run with the truck like you used to. I used to love watching you run.

Miss you as always…

Themba at six months

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The half birthday

Dear Zak,

Themba has gained his half birthday! No more midday meals, he gets what the others get now. That doesn’t mean that he’s slowed down growing. I used to think he wasn’t going to be a big dog and I still don’t think he will be as tall as you but I do think he’ll get to Roxy’s size. We have no idea how heavy he is but he has long ago surpassed Tia – mind you, she is not a heavy dog.

We got a trainer in this week as we were having difficulty getting him to jump into the back of the truck, which he can do easily enough when he feels like it, when we are going somewhere. Coming home is another story; he just sits and looks uninterested. I have taken him to work on two occasions and had to get Fabian to lift him into the cab when it was time to come home. He struggled with the stairs too. Did them once and never again. Not like you – you were so pleased with yourself for working it out (actually, it was Kharma who showed you how) that you kept going up and down them until I called you off.

Now we are using the upturned crate to get him into the truck that we used for both Kharma and you when your cancer got too bad. He’s got the idea and even got into the truck at the Wag Zone on Thursday morning. We’ll see if the trend continues as the trainer said that now he’s becoming a teenager he’s likely to get difficult. A Ridgeback difficult? Never!

Actually he’s pretty good. We had two long recalls at the Wag Zone which we were impressed with. Now I just have to get him used to the idea that not everything is his!

Are you sure those are not for me?

He had his first bone this morning. There’s no real reason we waited this long. We made sure Roxy was not around and Marianne said she did her usual drama queen act; carrying her bone around the house and whining until it was taken away. I did watch Themba in the garden in case he thought of going to see what Tia was up to (she’d have given him plenty of warning to push off) but he was engrossed in his and made a good job of sorting it out. Then we did a tour of the garden where I picked some mealies that he thought he’d like too (above).

Giving his first bone the attention it deserves.

We are coming to the end of the rains although there is a bit predicted for later in the day. The fence around the muddy corner of the garden has been taken down and the trees have grown well over your grave so it’s a really shady spot now.

Miss you as always.

Who’s a pretty boy then?

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There are  those on the internet who have seen this blog and think you are a pretty boy. They haven’t seen this photo.

Not always a pretty face...

Not always a pretty face…

Hey, that’s not fair! I AM good looking!

Well, most of the time yes. But if you’d just let me put fly smear on you, you at least wouldn’t have to put up with flies on the end of your nose.

But…

But what?

I don’t like it.

You’d get a biscuit for co-operation.

Nope. Not worth it.

You are just such, such a RIDGEBACK!

Yes!

Wuss.

Waking up the human

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Just pondering...

Just pondering…

It’s getting lighter earlier these days and I cannot see why my human should be asleep when I want to get up! Here are my tips on getting humans out of bed.

1. Yawn. Make it loud and theatrical. It’s a good subtle starter, not too extreme.

2. Lick. Anywhere will do – whatever works for you. Licking the other dog is OK too. Drives my human scatty.

3. Scratch. Most effective when you “miss” and thump your leg on the bed.

4. Get off the bed. A goodie this one as it creates a sense of panic – “He must be desperate, is he going to go in the passage?”. It works well in my bedroom as there is a trunk at the foot of the bed (to help me get onto the bed – thoughtful my human) and it makes a nice hollow thump as I get off.

5. Start a play fight with the other dog. The other dog likes to sleep in so this is not so effective for me.

6. Combine any or all of the above.

I usually start these tactics when the alarm goes off – hey, I like to help out where I can but this morning I started a good half  hour before that. Well, I’m a Ridgeback and we like to be a bit individual. I dont’ recommend this sort of thing on Sundays – it can provoke a bit of a “reaction” and Sundays are bone-days and we don’t want to compromise that do we?

I welcome feedback and any new ideas – so come on guys, lets collaborate on this one shall we?

The other dog

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One might think that as I have my own blog I must be the only dog around here. But there is another – Kharma. Oh boy is she BIG!

And gentle. She’s a schmuze katze!

A schmooze what?

A cuddly cat. That’s German for “cuddly cat”.

Do the Germans have Ridgebacks?

Oh, yes. They are popular everywhere.

But what’s the German for “friendly cuddly cat”?

I don’t know. Why?

Because she’s not very friendly towards me.

Give her time. Maybe she doesn’t know how to play with a puppy.

I hope we can be friends – you bleed too easily when we play!

I hope we can be friends

I hope we can be friends