The Rhodesian Ridgeback
Its one thing to hear of all the protective qualities etc. of the Ridge-back, but to actually experience how they will fight and even die for what they believe is theirs is phenomenal.I don't want a dog that enjoys killing another dog or is so anti-social that sometimes you are not sure about the neighbors safety.
I have great respect for these level headed though highly intelligent dogs.
My neighbor (ex Rhodesian) told me how her grandfather used them for their courage while Lion hunting on the farm. Simply the best for a loyal farm dog.
Comments (6)
Speaking of Ridgebacks (Not Rhodesian) but nor was Percy Montgomery but anyways. I read a biography about Schalk Burger and his trials and tribulations (tri nations) and he's an absolute bloody legend esp from his car accident when he broke his neck. It's not a game of tiddlywinks
ps, we were still poisoned in '95 though
Nahhh more a case of weak stomachs. The local water supply needs getting used to. Decent man Burger is.
The Ridgebacks in the U.S. I've seen are fairly good natured. Most big game dog breeds I've seen excel in packs and don't get over 100 pds. Maybe the Boerboel is too big and slow for lions, I've noticed the American bulldogs that hunt boar are small Scott breeds usually and the guard dogs are Johnson types.
Also lines are important, some working lines don't make good pets and some pet lines don't hunt.
The Boerboel might not be as agile as the RR but then again one must remember that a lion cornered does not run but stands its ground.
Yes I can see by your comment that you know what you are talking about. Its like finding the right man (dog) to do the job. Its ok if you want consistent mongrel yapping when living suburban but while tracking, or laying in wait-ambush- etc you want silence and thats what the RR provides. The RR isn't a barker. Tnx for the input.
I agree with some of your claims, but its ancestors may be traced back to the Khoikhoi ridged hunting and guarding dogs, which were mixed with European dogs by the early colonists of southern Africa's Cape Colony. The Boers could leave home and knew the RR would defend wife and kids with its own life.
African country Ridgebacks still measure a comparatively rare breed with just a pair of 2,000 AKC registrations per annum, compared to over 50,000 for breeds like a Doberman and sheepdog etc. The Rhodesian Ridgeback breed is facing threats to its population due to interbreeding with other canines or a low birth rate.
As outcome, there are fewer purebred dogs of this breed now present. Its easily confused with the Thai Ridgeback.
If one has a specific job in mind a mongrel won't do the job, yapping and barking isn't in the RR's style.