OUR BEGINNING
Once upon a time, (great beginning, huh?) a man was landscaping a home in the country and saw two large dogs meander around the house, take a place in the sun and lay down. Quiet, never barking and seemingly looking for a sleeping spot, the dogs found a nice sunny area and gracefully lay down. The sun gleamed on their mahogany coats making for a truly beautiful site.

The dogs never approached the man but kept him and his crew in site which was apparent because whenever the crew moved to a new area in the yard, the dogs silently got up and moved then lay back down within site of the crew.

Catching the rays, the dogs lay quiet each day the landscape crew came and followed them around the house as they worked. When curiosity got the better of the man he tried to approach the dogs to pet them but they just got up and ambled away staying out of reach. Finally the man asked the owner, "Just what kind of dogs are those?"

"Rhodesian Ridgebacks," the owner replied.

The dream of owning such a beautiful dog stuck in this man’s head and in sometime later he mentioned it to his wife saying, "that’s the only kinda dog I’ll ever own."

Without answering, his wife thought, "Sure. I’m terrified of dogs and he wants a big one. It’ll never happen."
As years went by, the man developed some health problems and his wife wondered what she could do to get his mind off the problems and focused on something positive that might be fun. In the back of her mind, she thought of his comment about the Ridgeback but she remembered the many times she had seen dogs along her walk home from school and the various paths she would take through neighbor’s yards to avoid them. Even going blocks out of the way to get home avoiding the dogs. Each time she picked up the phone (no internet back then) to ask questions about Ridgebacks, she hung up until finally, FINALLY, she talked with Carol Mueller, a Ridgeback breeder and hesitatingly put down $50 on a puppy soon to be born.
At last the call came about picking up the puppy and the wife told her husband of the purchase. He was excited and happy but every minute his wife became more nervous.

Preparations were made to pick the puppy up, warm blanket, little treats and a lot of RULES.

The puppy would live in the back hallway. Never in the house. Not allowed in the kitchen. No people food. It’s your dog, you take it to the vet. Be home to let it out. Train it …

WELCOME SHANNON (Movourneen Cailin of Kali),
this is going to be your new home.
 

I won’t tell you of the wife’s experience at the Mueller home with so many Ridgebacks living as family members.

 

 

FEAR might be a very mild term for it especially when all the dogs were interested in the new people, especially the woman, who kept herself plastered against a wall hands tight to her sides, as her husband played with puppies and big dogs.

 

ANYway, during the drive home (the wife drove), the conversation consisted of: remember the rules!

  

Don’t let her jump at me ‘cause we’ll get in an accident.  She’ll go for my jugular won’t she?

If she bites, she’s outta here. . .
Well, Shannon wasn’t ‘outta here’.  She got to move up to kitchen rank, living room privileges, sleeping in bed and loving the husband.

And, reading Snoopy in the comics first.
The wife grew jealous and when even tempting Shannon with a T-bone steak couldn’t get her a kiss,

she said, "I want my own Ridgeback!"

You can see from the these pictures and the links to the left what happened.
MOVOURNEEN RIDGEBACKS
                                   His Shan                                                                   My Fan      

Joe and Shannon

Chris and Fan