Kuyu is the ultimate silly, goofy Ridgeback.  Couple that with being very photogenic and almost posing for photos and you get a treasure trove of funny photos of some of his antics.  Kuyu makes everyone who knows him laugh out loud regularly.  He loves to roll on his back and also tilt his head.  Those are pretty regular RR antics.  But what about carrying his dinner bowl into every room and then refusing to release it while going potty?  And then there is his need to walk every wall that he can reach and jump onto every picnic table he finds on a walk.  Or, there is the time I found him in the shower licking the water off the shower walls.  But my favorite is the time his buddy Justin came to visit.  Justin was not paying enough attention, so little Kuyu, just about 6 months old flew through the air and landed on the breakfast bar to Justin’s great surprise.  Justin glibly commented, “Wow!  We don’t let our guys do that”.  Well….neither does Kuyu’s mom….There was no warning, he just wanted to be in the middle of the conversation and height was no barrier…. More proof that he is a Goofy Kuyu.  And the most important part of it all is, he is the best mood elevator ever.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

For some ‘Goofy Kuyu’ photos Click Here

Kuyu has followed in his father Kanzu’s footsteps and is now busy  working to earn his official Therapy Dog Certification. His favorite site to visit was also his Daddy Kanzu’s favorite, an Alternative School in San Bernardino. This year, Kuyu and his friend Misty along with Chris from The Enlighten Dog Therapy Dog team visited the school. The Easter Dogs delivered candy-filled Easter Eggs that were hidden for an Easter Egg hunt. One egg held a photo of Kanzu as the Easter Dog last year and the boy who found that egg won a gift card. The festivities included an Easter egg hunt for Kuyu and Misty who searched for plastic eggs filled with dog treats. The kids cheered them on rooting for their pick as winner. Kids and K-9s all had a great time!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kuyu earned his AKC Lure Coursing Field Championship on March 21, 2015.  Like his mom Kayta, his dad Kanzu and his littermate sister Kaia he is an intense lure courser.  He loves nothing more than to chase the bunnies.  His intensity and enthusiasm make him well-known (dare I say infamous) among the human lure coursing community here in southern California as it can take more than one experienced handler to get Kuyu to the line and off the bags.  Many thanks are owed to all the friends who have helped get Kuyu to and from the line so this title was possible.  With this new FC title combined with his AKC Conformation title (CH), Kuyu becomes an AKC Dual Champion (DC). SoCalCoursing awards a lovely medallion for a new FC.  This medallion was especially sentimental and meaningful for us since one of the 3 dogs on the medallion is Kuyu’s dad, Kanzu running back in his prime.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Last year at the first day of the Sequoia Kennel Club conformation show in Hanford CA, Kuyu went Best of Breed (BOB) with Linda as his unexpected handler. We were very grateful that day to Geri Griffin who stepped in and took Kuyu into the Hound Group. Kuyu then took a year’s break from the show ring. This year he returned to the conformation ring at the Hanford show weekend with Geri Griffin handling him. And the first day of the Sequoia Kennel Club shows seems to be especially lucky for Kuyu who took another BOB win.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kuyu earned his Rally Novice (RN) title in January 2015.  The jump from competition in the Novice Class to the Advanced Class is a big one.  In Novice, the dog works on lead and most of the exercises are in motion.  In the Advanced Class the dog is off lead and many of the signs do not allow the handler to move while directing the dog to make a movement.  Just 2 weeks after earning his RN title Kuyu and Linda made the big step to competing toward his Rally Advanced (RA) title at the Silverbay shows in Del Mar.  It wasn’t necessarily pretty and Kuyu continued to entertain while he sniffed his way around the rings.  But at each sign he was a great teammate and earned 3 qualifying legs and his RA title in 3 days of competition.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kuyu and Linda have been working together for some time preparing to compete in Rally and Obedience.  Qualifying in Rally and Obedience are no easy tasks for Ridgebacks (especially the boys who like to sniff their way around a course).  Three qualifying scores are needed to earn a title in each of these events.  Kuyu earned 2 legs in Rally Novice and his first leg in Beginner Novice Obedience in the spring of 2014.  Titles seemed just around the corner when Linda was seriously injured.  Several months went by before ‘Team Kuyu’ could compete again.  And then there was the need to get back in practice.  Kuyu and Linda re-entered the Rally and Obedience rings in January 2015 in Fresno, CA.   In two days of competing Kuyu earned his last leg in Rally Novice, earning his RN title and he earned two legs in Beginner Novice Obedience capturing his (BN) title.  Once again, Kuyu offered lots of entertainment while he sniffed much of the way around the courses.  The best part of the trip was that Kanzu got to meet his daughter Quinn (Kanzu x Smyth) for the very first time.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ask a group of Ridgeback owners about the breed’s  reaction to water and swimming and a lively conversation will ensue. Most Ridgeback owners will tell you that their Ridgebacks view water as ‘acid’. There will be a host of humorous stories about how their dogs were walking on the beach and as a wave came in and touched them they jumped as if they had received an electric shock. Others will tell you how hard they tried to get their Ridgeback to swim and the dog rebelled with all the stubbornness the breed has to offer. But on the other hand, a few owners will tell stories of how much their Ridgeback loves to swim. Some will say that if a Ridgeback is exposed to water early in its development and in a positive playful manner they will be more likely to swim. Short of some sort of social experiment, we have no way of knowing what percentage of the breed are innately  happy to swim. I have had both types. But I discovered quite by accident that Kuyu is a swimming machine and Kanzu is happy to be in there as well although more to please his mom than because of any natural affinity.  I originally took Kanzu to swim when he was actively competing in agility in order to get exercise that would not add additional stress to his back. But Kuyu who came along for some exercise as well, stole the show and showed how much he thinks he is a Labrador Retriever. Below are some photos and videos of the first few sessions that Kanzu and Kuyu had in the water. Some of the videos included in this post were taken in the summer of 2013 when Kuyu and Kanzu began swimming with Chelsea Conway who at the time did K-9 water therapy. We will always be grateful to Chelsea for introducing swimming to Kanzu and Kuyu and making it so fun for them.

 

Click Here for video sequence of Kuyu as he learns to swim

Click Here for videos sequence of Kanzu as he learns to swim

Click Here for videos of Kuyu and Kanzu swimming summer 2014

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The 2014 Rose City Cluster of dog shows in Portland Oregon was the opportunity for several of the Kanzu x Kayta litter to come together for the first Dragon Litter Family Reunion.  Five of the Kanzu x Kayta offspring showed in the 4 days of conformation shows.  On Thursday Jan 16th Logan, Bakari’s Logan Msaka was first in the Open Class.  On Friday Jan 17 Pilot, Bakari’s Lucky Dragon Flight was 1st in a large Bred By Exhibitor Class and Reserve Winners Dog.  On Saturday the 18th, Kanzu won Best Veteran in Sweepstakes and daughter Kaia, Bakari’s Fabled Treasure Kaia was Select Bitch.  Finally on Sunday, Pilot again won the Bred By Exhibitor class and Kaia earned her Grand Championship with a best of Opposite Sex.  Kara, Bakari’s Firestar Karisma and Kuyu, Bakari Tigris African Legacy both did some lovely showing and made us all proud.  After the formal showing there was time for some family photos.  It was a very, very special opportunity to see Kanzu and Kayta’s get all together and to renew K-9 and human connections.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Like his dad before him, Kuyu and Linda have been practicing  to compete in Rally and Obedience. Qualifying legs in Rally and Obedience are no easy tasks for Ridgebacks (especially the boys who like to sniff their way around a course).  Three qualifying scores are needed to earn a title in each of these events.  Kuyu made his debut in Rally Novice and Beginner Novice Obedience at the Orange Coast Rhodesian Club Specialty in April 2014 where he earned a leg in Rally.  He was busy guarding and watching the judge in the obedience ring and just missed a Q when it took 3 signals to urge him to return to mom.  At the Bahia Sur Kennel Club Show in Chula Vista in June 2014 he earned his second leg in Rally and his first leg and a 4^th place in Beginner Novice Obedience.  While the Qs were welcome, they were extremely humorous as Kuyu was more interested in sniffing the bunny droppings on the course than lifting his head when he walked the course with Linda.  He has just one more leg to go in Rally for his Rally Novice (RN) title and 2 more legs to go in Beginner Novice Obedience for his BN title.  And, the best part was that after the Bahia Sur shows Kuyu and Kanzu got to celebrate at the Lazy Dog Café in San Diego.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The Ridgeback, Issue 2 – 2014
2013 RRCUS Top Performers Issue

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kuyu made his debut in Canada in January 2013 at the Ladies Kennel Club of BC in Cloverdale, BC. He showed for 3 days with handlers Don Rodgers and Emma Marshall. In December 2013 Kuyu met up again with handler Don Rogers in Canada at the Auld Lang Syne Dog Association shows in Chillawack, BC. In these 3 December shows Kuyu earned his Canadian Championship, two Best of Breeds, and a Group 2 and a Group 3 placement in the Hound Group on successive days.   Kuyu’s performance in Canada in these 2 weekends of showing in 2014 led to his conformation ranking as the #11 Rhodesian Ridgeback in Canada for 2014.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A nightmare for many owners of dogs who compete in conformation is standing nervously ringside with their dog waiting for the professional handler who never shows up. This is just what happened on March 6 at the Sequoia Kennel Club the first day of the Hanford Shows. With the Best of Breed (BOB) class going into the ring and no handler available, Linda rapidly got Kuyu’s armband, slapped it on and ran into the ring completely unprepared. For those of you who may have no frame of reference, going in the show ring in jeans is like wearing brown shoes with a tux. It is horribly awkward and uncomfortable. The ring steward and Judge Lisa Warren were as gracious as possible and encouraging. Kuyu thought this was highly irregular and lots of fun to be out in the ring with mom. Thank you judge Lisa Warren for overlooking the lack of handling skills and judging the dog and awarding Kuyu Best of Breed. Thanks too to Geri Griffin who graciously showed Kuyu in the Hound Group making a lovely showing. It was quite the day to remember.

 
 
 
 

The Western Washington Cluster in Puyallup, WA has been a very lucky series for Kanzu and Kuyu. This cluster of shows has special meaning for us as Kanzu earned a BOS and BOB at the Puyallup shows in 2012 with Breeder-Co-owner Mike Patterson, earning his Grand Championship there. Kuyu was entered in the shows in 2013 and earned a Best Opposite RR Puppy in Sweeps and Best RR Puppy in Sweeps with handler Emma Marshall. In 2014 Kuyu made an unexpected return to Puyallup. Kuyu finished his AKC Championship in October 2013 at the Idaho Capital City Kennel Club show in Boise Idaho. Unexpectedly, in January 2013 after the Championship certificate was awarded and registered by AKC an error was noted and it was determined that Kuyu was one point short of completing his AKC Championship. So, off to WA and OR he went with handler Don Rogers. On Day 3 of the Puyallup shows Kuyu earned a 5 point major under judge Dee Hyde with handler Alex Carter to finish up his AKC championship Xs 2. The Puyallup shows are indeed a very lucky show for our African Treasures.

 
 
 

The American Kennel Club (AKC) conformation championship is the much sought-after (must-have) title for a pure bred dog. However, there are other organizations that offer championships. One such CH title that is popular for many Americans is the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) Championship. The process for achieving a CH title from the CKC is similar to the AKC process. A dog must compete with other dogs of the same breed and is judged against the standard for the breed. For the CKC championship title a dog must earn 10 points under 3 judges and at least one win must be 2 points or more.

Kuyu made his debut in CKC shows in January 2013 at the Ladies Kennel Club of BC in Cloverdale, BC. He showed for 3 days with handlers Don Rodgers and Emma Marshall. Kuyu earned 4 of the 10 points needed for his Canadian Championship. In December 2013 Linda, Kanzu and Kuyu made the long drive to Chilliwack, BC for Kuyu to meet up with handler Don Rogers at the Auld Lang Syne Dog Association shows. On Day 1of the show Kuyu won Winner’s Dog and Best of Winners for 3 points. On Day 2 under judge Mrs. Darle Heck he took Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Breed. This led to a lovely and very competitive Group 2 placement in the Hound Group. On Day 3 he moved up to the Specials ring and again won BOB and again, a very competitive Group 3 placement in the Hound Group under judge Mr. Walter Pinsker.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Like his sire and dam, Kuyu continues to show intense interest in lure coursing. Given his parents intense interest in ‘chasing the bunny’ it seemed a sure thing that Kuyu would share this passion. It has turned out to be more than any of us expected. He is exceptionally insistent on coursing. Unfortunately he seems to wear himself out screaming to get to his turn. By the time he gets to the field he is exhausted from howling and jumping and trying to find any possible way out of this crate to get to the field when other dogs are running. Gradually he is learning that when his lure coursing jersey is put on it means it is time to run. He has also learned now that when he gets to the line he doesn’t have to jump and lurch to try to get to the lure. With experience he is learning that going to the line means that the bunny will move soon and if he just waits fixed on them they will move soon and he will certainly be released so he can chase them. These leanings have made Kuyu easier to handle and get to the line. Next he had to learn to run with 2 other dogs and to not be intimidated by other dogs on the field at the same time with him. He also has had to have some ‘doggie manners training’ to shape his behavior for when he comes back in to the lures at the end of the run. It is hard with the young dogs to give them some behavior shaping without dampening their enthusiasm. One year ago he completed his first AKC lure coursing title, the Junior Courser (JC). This year we have focused on conformation and so Kuyu has only had the opportunity to enter 4 days of lure coursing. It has been a formative year giving him experiences designed to expand and shape his lure coursing skills and behaviors.This year at the annual So Cal Turkey Run he finished up the requirements for his Senior Courser title (SC). In order for a sighthound to earn this title they must compete in 4 lure coursing trials and receive qualifying scores of at least half the available points. In all 4 of these SC trials Kuyu has won points or tied for significant placements only to loose the run-offs to the lighter weight and hence faster girls. But watch out now ladies. Kuyu is more experienced and is no longer intimidated by group running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where does the time go? The Kanzu x Kayta litter turned 2 in November 2013. Kuyu (Lime green boy-Spyro) who is the ultimate clown got a clown bow tie to facilitate his birthday celebration!

The highlight of this birthday was hearing from several of Kuyu’s littermates about how they are doing. Kaia (, Rainbow girl -Kaya) lives with Julie and Sheri the litter’s breeders and she is busy taking care of her human baby sister Ayla. She is working toward her AKC Grand Championship after she so rapidly earned her AKC championship. Toby (Red boy- Mushu) lives in WA and shares Kuyu’s love of heights reportedly climbing on every available picnic table. (What is it that brings out this height seeking behavior in some of our Ridgebacks?) Saphira (Purple Girl) lives in Colorado and when visiting her ranch house there she is busy caring for her 10 year old Basenji housemate. Brother Gatsby (Orange boy- Rinjin) appears to have the same propensity for frequent kisses. His humans describe him saying his ‘kiss’ consists of bumping you with his nose, like a dolphin. We call it a “boop!” he’s gotta “boop” everyone with his nose!” (DITTO for Kuyu!….his nose-kiss is priceless! As is his killer head tilt that he got from his momma Kayta).  Logan (Green Boy-Norbert) and Kara (Yellow Girl Gaia) continue to live in Oregon and are very close to their AKC championships with lots of very nice wins for each of them. Apparently Kara shares the ‘nose booper’ gene. Kara’s human mom says that her favorite Kara habit is the way she always runs to pick up a toy or bone – whatever is handy – to greet her. She does this every morning when her human mom comes down the stairs, or every time she comes home. This story was so touching because this behavior is exactly what daddy Kanzu’s aunt Hermani has done since she was a puppy and still now at 11 years old. We call it “Toy Mouth” and it is the most endearing habit that has won a special place in our hearts. To learn of it in one of Kanzu’s kids was so very touching. Bomani, (Silver boy- Laydon) lives near Kuyu in Southern Califonia and they get to see one another every two or three months. Bomani lives with his whippet brother Skyler (bred by our special friends Justin Dannenbring and Curtis Freeling) and his 3 year old human brother Noah who is his very best friend. Bo is very handsome and gentle and Kuyu and Bo remember each other and want nothing more than to plan together with great enthusiasm when they see each other. All of the puppy families who we have been in touch with report back how gentle and loving the puppies are and above all what great companions and family dogs they are. It was a special 2 year birthday and we wish all of the Dragon Litter a very happy birthday and many more wonderful happy years ahead.