Tag Archives: Zak

A family photo

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The Roberts bunch – Tia (left), Themba (centre) and Tara

Dear Zak,

I have to admit that it took a fair bit of doing to get them all together. Eventually Marianne had to go the bribery route as is appropriate for Zimbabwe. It took a biscuit and you can see Themba’s response. He’s our very own King of Drool!

Tara has settled down nicely, she no longer scratches compulsively. When we go walking at Komani she and Zak go running off together hoping to put up a francolin or guinea fowl. She’s fast, almost as fast as Themba though neither are as fast as you were. Yes, she lives up to her Goromonzi Greyhound “breed” description!

Tia has become and old dog. She still enjoys a gentle run but often just watches Themba and Tara race around. We lift her in and out of the truck now as she’s hurt her back a few times jumping in and out. Marianne says she’s becoming a bit fat. I think she’s exaggerating but anyway, she’s earned the right to a bit of comfort.

Now that the rains have started we are going out to Komani airstrip more often as the ART road can be very slippery even for a 4×4. It is a bit further but makes for more free running as there are no barbed wire fences for Themba to get gashed on.

We haven’t seen any reedbuck on ART for quite some time. I did hear from the manager that they’d caught a gang of poachers with dogs trying to do a bit of hunting on the farm. Do you remember the herds of reedbuck that you used to chase? Those were the days!

That’s all my beautiful boy. Miss you as always.

Bone Sunday

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Dear Zak,

Yes, it’s a traditional Sunday – a longer sleep in for us and bones for the dogs. Themba is not quite as obsessed with his bone as the others and will ask to get let back into the house before we are even fully dressed. Standards have definitely changed since your day – Marianne most certainly does NOT allow bones on the bed – so all bones must be left outside. Greeta will chew hers for a long time, Tia too but Themba is not that obsessed with his.

Everyone definitely knows that it’s Sunday and there’s often a bit of a false start when Greeta jumps up on the bed and Themba gets up to stretch. Marianne will ignore the hint and the culprits are told in no uncertain terms to go back to sleep. It only works once.

We are going away in September to the UK to see Duncan and friends and off to Italy for six days to see an old army buddy who made contact through my other blog. I have never been to Italy so am looking forward to seeing a new place – the house is in Cortona. We are hiring a dog-sitter to look after Themba, Tia and Greeta; yes he’s looked after them before and we are much happier with him than sending them out to a kennel.

It’s been a funny old winter – not very cold at all. We are still going out to ART farm early in the morning and it can be quite cold down in the vlei on the way there. On Monday it was 20C but by midday it was 28! The lands where we walk have had maize growing on them last season so the cattle have been put in to clean up the old stover. I’m not sure why they’d be interested in old, dry maize trash but they are and there’s a lot of dung around as a result. Themba and Tia love eating it! Why I cannot imagine, they get a VERY good diet at home and both Marianne and I find it infuriating. I don’t recall you ever being interested in dung but then my memory is not what it used to be which is one reason to keep going with this blog. One day I might need to rely on it and of course I’ll think of you and smile.

Love you.

Themba

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Themba

Dear Zak,
We picked Themba up from the airport a week ago. Not quite the same place that you arrived at but he’d also had a long day and was crying a lot so Marianne went to chat to him whilst I started the clearing process.

The customs official was a bit suspicious of the invoice I showed him that gave his value at $75 but he couldn’t really do much about it. The whole process took about 2 hours and this time we didn’t have to wait for their lunch break like I did for you. Luckily it wasn’t too hot and he slept on the back seat all the way home.

Marianne with Themba in his gay pride/rainbow nation harness

Tia was delighted with Themba, Roxy not. This was pretty much as we expected. Roxy wasted no time in letting him know that he was to keep his nose well clear of our bed – this was her territory. Themba was still learning the rules so there were a few tense moments and the occasional bout of yelping but no contact was made so no blood spilt.

By the end of the day he had chewed and gouged my forearm, humped it and demonstrated a bark to be noticed. My boy had arrived.

We did not get a lot of sleep the first night and Marianne got up at some silly hour to let him out for a potty break. She did it again the second night but now it’s easier to clean up in the morning. Themba has proven himself to be quite the Dump Monster but in his defence he is being fed four times a day and what goes in must eventually come out. I do recall, my boy, that you also took a while to house train and one night after a fruitless wait on the back lawn you came back into the house and left a deposit by the TV. I was unimpressed.

Roxy does play with Themba but she can be a bit rough, not like Kharma was with you. She does tend to swat him into the ground and the yelping follows.

On Sunday we were outside the back kitchen door doling out ice lolly treats of frozen chicken stock. You loved them and so did Themba. Then he went snuffling in the grass where Roxy had been eating hers. Big mistake. She made a lot of noise, Themba made a lot of noise, but once again – no blood.

Monday was not a good day. Roxy was defending her bed with formidable growls and Tia was telling him to get lost and not pull her tail. It was dreadfully hot too and I arrived home to a very tense household. I even got hold of Cheryl in South Africa and she said she’d take Themba back if we really couldn’t handle the situation. I decided to sleep on it.

The next day Roxy was playing with Themba as he tried to get onto her bed! He even snuggled onto her mattress on the floor reminiscent of you sharing Kharma’s chair with her. It’s been much easier since. Roxy plays, still a bit heavy pawed and Tia will play and Themba doesn’t go for her tail much. He’s not going back to Jo’burg.

He is a clever lad and responds to his name and my whistle when he feels like it. If there’s food in the offing he’s especially responsive. A lot like you my boy!

On the road watching the girls exercise

He came with us to the farm this morning and watched Marianne and the girls out in front on the road. He’s too small to do any decent walking but he’ll get there soon enough. Then I wonder what sort of adventures we’ll have?

One day I will be able to run fast like Zak!

Go softly into the night

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My first photo – already I am well posed!

You rubbed my ears.

Yes, I promised I would.

You loved me.

Of course, we still do.

You cried.

I never promised not to.

You gave me a wonderful life. All dogs should have a life like that.

Yes, they should.

Please give another dog the chance for a life like I had.

In time my boy, in time. Now I need the pain to ease which could take some time

How will you remember me?

Oh, lots of ways. Always ready to chase something. Your puppy-soft ears. Your amazing good looks – my beautiful boy.

Bliss is…getting my chest scratched

You loved having your chest scratched.

Yes, I did. You scratched it last night when you slept next to me. Just like old times when there was space for me on the bed.

And you looked at me in that special way by bending your head back to make eye contact.

To show you how much I loved you.

You did that in the mornings when you came onto Tia’s bed and waited for love and attention.

Of course, the best time of the day. Before breakfast.

You did always love your food.

Especially avocados and biltong in the evenings.

We could never get the avocados off you, unlike with Roxy.

With Roxy it’s always just a game, with me it was serious!

And of course you were a chaser.

Yes, I really could run! I loved racing against the car on the farm. 50 km per hour at a burst.

Now you can run all you like. Kharma is buried next to you.

Gentle Kharma, the substitute mother who kept me in my place.

Yes she did. And of course I have this blog, filled with memories. You are everywhere, on your bed when I look into the spare room that’s always got your name on it. Barking when I came home, barking when we were about to go for walks on the farm. A real Mr Barker at times. Regal on top of Rukotsu at Nyanga.

The world at his feet

I am so desperately sorry that it all had to end like this, we really thought you were on the road to another remission.

It was not to be, you did what you thought was best for me and it didn’t work. Now there’s no pain, I can breathe easy and there’s running to be done!

Run well my beautiful Zak, run free. Love you lots.

Love you too!

Selfie

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Me in the middle, the human on the right and June at the back

Me in the middle, the human on the right and June at the back

Hey, nice photo of me.

I thought you might be impressed.

Well, I am good looking.

Yes, if not the brightest crayon in the box.

You referring to me chasing the cows? Now that was fun!

Until they decided to chase you. Doing that at Nyanga is one thing but please don’t do it on the farm. That will get us both into a lot of trouble.

OK, OK but it’s in my nature. Anyway, you have to admit it was a fun weekend away.

Yes it certainly was a welcome break.

 

Politics of the bone (a very short play)

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The scene: It is early morning. Kharma is on the bed, a well loved marrow bone close to her paws – she is apparently ignoring it but in reality it is well attended to. Zak is sitting at the foot of the bed watching the bone which he regards as his.

Kharma, please?!

Kharma, please?!

Zak: Please! Please let me have my bone!

Kharma: No.

Zak: But you are not even chewing it! He makes a whine and moves towards the bone.

Kharma: Just try.

Zak backs off, sits and barks. The human enters through the door near the head of the bed.

Human: What’s wrong Zak, won’t she let you have your bone?

Zak, giving the human his most pleading look: No, how selfish is that?

Human: I can’t blame her, you should try being nice to her more often.

Zak: But I am, I am! Please help me!

Kharma, moves head fractionally towards the bone and raises her right eyebrow. Says nothing. Her tail is uncharacteristically quiet.

Human moves to cupboard to get camera. Zak agitates and barks again. Please Kharma!

Kharma. Go on. Test me.

Human sits on bed near the pillow and takes a photo.

Zak: Come on, help me here.

Human: No ways dude, this is your problem to fix. Kharma’s the boss here.

Zak circles to the top of the bed, jumps up and sitting down backs into the human, all the time intently focused on the bone: Come on dude, it’s a boy solidarity thing. Help me out, I need that bone!

Kharma says nothing.

Human (laughing): Dude, Kharma is just making her point, be patient and she will eventually let you have it.

Zak (jumping off the bed). Awww. You are no help at all. I need that bone now.

Sigh

Sigh

Human puts away the camera and leaves to get ready for work.

Author’s note: Variations on this theme play out every Sunday morning when the dogs get their bones. Kharma will devour hers first and then browbeat Zak off his just to show that she can.

My first Rhodesian Ridgeback, Kim, was an uncharacteristically unemotional dog but when she’d finished her bone (always in the same place on the front lawn) she’d play bow to it, tail wagging furiously, do a little dance around it and then pick it up and go and bury it. She was very self-conscious about all this and wouldn’t do it if she thought I was watching.

Jenni would always bury her bones, sometimes eaten, sometimes not. Again, if she thought I was watching she would go somewhere else. The bones did reappear from time to time but I was never sure if they ALL reappeared.

Before Zak, Kharma was relatively indifferent to her bone. I was never sure if it was going to be chewed or ignored – sometimes permanently. That has all changed and she devours her bones if she can. I think she has some hyena genes in her because sometimes the bones really are eaten and they are not insignificant bones!