No doubt today will be packed, As soon as the house awakes life will be breakneck speed.

We leave for the Rodeo in 4 days. We just got the RV back yesterday afternoon late. There are still a million things wrong and a million more to switch as far as our load goes.

Bob and I have a doctor's appointment this morning. I have to get Jasmine into the vet for a blood draw for the University of Cornell's Study. The others can wait a bit but with the news that her cancer has metastasized I have to get her info in now. I have to make contact with Elaine. That is a rough one.  I am accused of being on the phone or computer non stop,  maybe that is because I am trying to get discounts, donations and talk to the never ending puppy folk? Then I am fussed at because I have not spent hours talking to the lady who owns the crematorium. The 5-10 emails a week sent to check in on her and say HI don't count. I am to "chat". She is older and having a rough time of it. I get that. I happen to care about her a lot, but calling her when I am swamped is hard enough, add calling her because Jasmine's end is near and it is almost too hard ot get out of bed. The Greenes and Bushes only call when they have a dead dog, but that is okay, they are  busy people.... I do not get it. I guess I never will

My calves feel like I have ran a marathon, not sure why. I did wear a pair of flat sandles that I haven't worn in a long bit. maybe that is the problem? Or mayby it is just another manifestation of the Fibromyalgia? Who knows...

First up is fold the tent and repack it... then begin to pull the extras off the rv to reassure Bob I am not trying to enter a weight pulling contest.  Find all of my lists and begin marking off the to dos and already dids... I have to get the new kid's pool put up . I am stilll cleaning house. this place will not be clean until a fire of biblical proportions hits it and burns it to the slab.  My garden tub which comfortably fits 4 adults is filled beyond capacity with the kid's toys.  Right Bob you are "teaching " them to keep things clean ... they don't have anything so of course it looks like they are keeping things cleaner...

I have to color my hair... when I started coloring my hair I was only 17 grey comes early in my family. Now I must color since I have little natural color left and Bob is apparently not keen on living with a white haired woman.... but heck I have 4 whole days...

Bob must fuss at the Camping World which in my honest opinion has been a total joke. They broke the shower door on this last 3 +week trip into the shop... that is bad enough right??? But there is glass everywhere!! Last night I had breatherd a sigh of relief, at least it was home, Bob could go out and have his cacoon of silence and Jasmine and I could enjoy the tv shows I have recorded but can only watch sans kids and husband....he was out for 15 minutes then back in, the batteries have been so badly damaged the AC will not work. I want to really drive home the disgust, he wants me to be patient since he thinks this is the only way we will get the rig up and running.  Yeah that is going to happen.

Sigh.... I have been up quietly typing for a few hours. The dawn hasn't even started to break . I have the tv turned ot a satelitte radio station since the Hubs can not sleep with it "on" and we need a night light of sorts to prevent him from falling over one of the dogs. It is a channel called AudioVisions , all music nothing with words that can sneak into your brain and play itself over and over. Last week I had that sone Lola by the Kinks stuck in my head! How irritating ...

Yesterday I paid bill and picked up a few things for the Ridgeback Rodeo, Today I will pay more bills and get a dremel. I haven't a clue where mine vanished off to?  But I HAVE to work on dogs nails and continue working the puppy on basic obedience. He and the raptors are to try for their CGC at the Rodeo but if I can't get downs there is No point.  I also wanted to go for the ATTS. I do not remember them having to sit in that test.

Nemo is sleeping between Bob and I every now and then he reaches out and pats me or taps the laptop to assure himself I know he is there. He was a tired puppy, Everyone liked him yesterday and even Kota and Jazz took turns playing with him. He is going t o be one HUGE dog!

I do look forward to having the boys go home, since Kota's fight he is disagreeable with Zion and I would never want them to tangle !! But I miss the big pup. He has bonded hard with Bib due to the nights in the RV when the girls were in season. It's odd to have a dog who can't flop down and snore with me,  but he is so active and until Bob is in here he has trouble settling.

I worry that I have not followed what works with the dogs because of half thought out theories.  All of the ubber positive training I read about would never fly with the RRs but I have been reluctant to do  the settle etc that I have ALWAYS used. so now I have wild kids that I may have to adjust.  sigh  it is too early to be worried today .

It has taken me weeks to be able to settle down and write about this.  I now know what people who have been assualted or victimized must feel like.

The girls have been in season and were finally hitting the home stretch. They were of course only outside briefly and with supervison. Even with a 6 foot privacy fence I never want to chance an accidental mating.  I had just brought them in and put Kota and Nemo out. Walking to the kitchen from the back door I noticed the pack seemed agitated. I had almost made it down the hall to my room when All heck broke loose! The battleroars and challenge barks were frantic and intense. Running back to the dog room the 7 inside were going nuts, it took a moment to hear the battle raging out back.  With my daughter and grandson on my heels We raced outside, there to find Kota and a large grey brindle pit bull engaged in combat!  Little Nemo was trying to back up Kota so I grabbed him tossing him to my grandson Tristan who is 8 years old. He wrapped his arms around the pup's neck and held on for dear life !  The girls hearing the ruckus had opened the back door letting Zion out,  Who rushed to join the fray, great no two of my RRs are tangling with this grey intruder.  I managed to pull Zion off and my daughter dragged him barking furiously into the house. That left my New York Boy battling this Alabama Pit.

I am an admirer of Pit Bulls...IN the conformation ring. But Southern Pits tend to be on par with the junk yard dawg or drug dealer's line of defense... Most proudly claim to have Hanging Tree in them, that line produced baaaaaad fighting dogs since any dog without fight was hung ( it wasn't worth a bullet) the survivors were just mean and wild. This was one of thoes dogs. I had seen him walking through the neighborhood with an overweight teen, maybe 14 or 15 years old . One of the kids who try to be a thug when in reality they are just another redneck. The dog was always on a tow chain. 

But now in my back yard, where my grandchildren play and the raptors in season had just been out I was facing a horriffic fight and not sure what to do, water hose? ...not with this level of rage. I spotted a broom and began to wail away.... He had Kota by the top of the head making his own head an easy target.  Pounding on the dog and yelling I was finally able to drive him back to a corner on my yard, My daughter Bonita Amiee grabbed Kota and barely dragged his 83 pound frame towards the house, Kota was not finished with this fight and let her know it ! Fearing K Dog might break free I opened the gate and chased the pit out.  It ran on 3 legs bleeding badly.

With hands shaking so badly I could barely latch the gate I tried to steady my breathing. Knowing this dog lived around the block I called the sherriff on my way into the house.  Kota stood next to Bonita Aimee, heaving as he tried to see where his enemy had gone. His beautiful head was covered in blood and as I began to clean him up it was obvious he would need vet care. Calling Daved Dykes I informed them Bonita Amiee was on her way in, David had to wait . Then I waited for the sherriff to arrive, once at my home we went together to thehouse where we had seen the boy and the dog. A man was standing on the front porch with a broom sweeping water about... even the sherriff could spot the lingering blood stains being washed away.  I told him that his dog had just come in to my back yard and fought with my dogs, He looked me coldly in the face and said "We aint got no dog"  On my insistance the sherriff went throught the house and yard, finding only scars on a tree where "something" had been chained up.  Zero other sign the dog had ever lived there. Making a note of my complaint , the deputy tried to explain without proof they had a dog there was nothing they could do. The homes to either side of this house were snow bird homes so empty at this time of the year. Frustrated I returned to my home . Once home I check Zion and Nemo,  Zi had a bite on his upper arm , a simple puncture wound, Nemo a few stratches.  Now to wait to hear how Kota was ...

After a 2 hour surgery , 48 exterior stitches and 2-3 insde for each outside stitch he was resting .  David was able to mend the damage of this nearly scalped Ridgeback.

That evening I was manic high, unable to settle ,  fears about what could have happened had that been the kids in the yard?  Suddenly BSL did not seem so far fetched. I friend who works the animal shelter called me, saying Bonita it has been a long hard day.  I agreed, she went on to tell me about the number of pups and cats turned in that day , normally I am able to sympathize but still in shock I could only mumble monosylabic responses. "To top it off" she said " There must be a new dog fighting ring in the area"  I choked out a "Why?"   "Some Moron threw a pit out of the truck down by the dump box, it was so badly savaged we had to euth it straight away. The director is really upset she has never seen wounds this bad, if they hadn't had found him he would have bled out soon"   I heard myself ask"Was it a grey brindle? "    "yes?" she said with an obvious question attatched,  I explained what had happed in my yard, how my dog was simply defending himself and the puppy.  I did not expect to hear the relief in her voice when she said" Thank God , we were afraid some had built a killer pit !" My friend has met my dogs many times and knows the personality of each.  She later explained to the shelter director had tried to help me track the family involvement with this dog ,  we both were unable to prove ownership, the dog had never been to a local vet, was not on the lease and the family still relatively new to the neighborhood.

Kota is healing beautifully physically but what was once an unbreakable bond between he and Zion was gone. The behavorist I spoke with said he may not have been sure if Zi was helping or joining the pit.  They still give each other the evil eye from time to time. So no more wild playing in the yard and house.  Calling his Mom was once ot the worse things I have ever had to do. She trusted me to keep the boy safe from harm and I had failed.  Ranee would not allow me to accept the blame but that does not lift it from my shoulders. 27 years in Ridgebacks and now a second fight. 

When we go the the Rodeo this year we will have to leave Zion home.  Too much going on for two males who no longer trust the other.  Kota, Nemo , Dreamer and Caine will all be the focus of high training the rest of the month and until we leave for the Rodeo. My dream is to get the ATTS on the 3 older dogs and a CGC on Nemo...

BTW the family vacated the house a week after the fight....

We are soooo excited the new Dog House is nearly finished ! We ordered it a couple of weeks ago and the DH has followed it's progress like an expectant dad .  This will be our 6th and last RV. All bought primarily for the sport of dog showing hence the name Dog House. That was our CB handle when we got the first one and all of us traveled in packs to the shows.  We were all learning back then, how to show, how to rv... it was such great fun. Having a RV meant we could take the whole family and go across country to the Nationals.  Bob and I, two teen aged girls and both MILs...  the moms were a hoot. Both in wheel chairs , mine living with Altzhiemers , Bob's the world's first anorectic.  Travel in hotels and motles had been miserable. The moms were never comfortable. The dirls exposed to things we could not always control.  The dogs miserable at being shut up in rooms , not allowed to bark for fear the rooms next to us might complain. The hustle to get from rooms to show sites argh never again!  I became a wizard at cooking in the rooms bringing a hotplate and coolers, I know how to heat pizza with the hotel's iron and a piece of aluminum foil ... I admit you did learn many resourceful tricks.

But RVing was , for us freedom! We could swing to National Parks or shop, the girls and moms enjoying the on the road sattelite systems and reading. Never a frantic search for clean bathrooms. And meals on demand.  I loved it . The first few years we changed to a new and bigger RV about every two years.  Starting with a used but immaculate class C, we ended up with our current rig a 35 foot class A which we have had for 9 years.  The RV doubled as our escape route when Hurrcanes were approaching, it can be beyond hard to get a motel to take you and your 8 dogs !! It has been our guest rooms when company showed up unexpectedly, the house it's self is packed to the gills so having a place to provide shelter and security was great. When Bob was working out of state we were able to maximize the per dieum by using the RV instead of apartments or monthly hotel rooms.  But after 9 years it's time.  And he has had that look in his eye for a while now. Knowing that unless we hit an insane lottery this is our last coach we wanted something special. But having yet another young faily to raise we knew it would not be the diesle of his dreams. We opted for the Georgetown  40 foot class A gas pusher with 3 slides. It will give us about 500 sq feet of our own space when we travel. We had been shopping for a bit and Bob fell in love with this one. He made good friends with the design team and they allowed us to customize the coach beyond the norm.  The day he ordered it he was unable to sleep ! and now he chats almost daily checking on it's progress,  smiling like a buffon at times. I took over 200 photos of the prototype when it rolled out. He pulls the stack of carefully selected snaps out and flips through them... making notes and grinning like a little boy.  Tonight he and 3 of the grands went through them... talking about the differences and celebrating the almost Christmas feeling that is captivating the whole house. I have a clip board of lists, and Monday we begin packing up the old rig in earnest/ It is very much like moving houses.  So much to do and many things we don't want to carry on the new ride , things we will need to replace etc,,,

Got to admit it is contagious.... It will be a blast to drive to Ohio to pick it up.  Oh great now I'm grinning like a buffoon !

Ahhhhh Grass Hopper, This on my other list would be a Breeder's Tale.  Here it is a simple observation entered on my blog.....

Zen as I understand it is a higher understanding of yourself and the Universe.  Rhodesians bring about the same result if you are very , very lucky and you don't have to sit in a funny position chanting a silly noise.  Rhodies allow you to become very quiet in your heart and head. They can sit in the sun and reagally doze as the Autumn leaves begin to fall and the grass begins to turn.  You simply can't convince me that there is no greater thought process going on... no one can look that noble and that content if they did not know the Secret of the Universe.

Isn't it a Zen kind of thing for a sandwitch to vanish when no one is looking ? Sort of a Tree falling in the forrest .... at my house there is  a loud sound on the discovery of either !

Zen understands the way life changes and stays the same... so does my dog.  Zen knows everything changes ..yet nothing changes...so does my dog.  Zen allows me to know and love myself....  my dog has no problem with that.

I think I have been doubly blessed , in my life I have dabbled in Zen but been owned by  my Rhodesians !!

At 3:00 central time we will be at the vets to see if we can coax our favorite guy to take on a difficult case.  Our old girl has a huge tumor and has been given 3-6 months.  I have been doing a lot of research and hopefully have e plan of action for her tx.  I like him to do a debulking surgery (again) followed up with chemo. I promised her only the best quality of life and radiation would not fit into that promise. Trouble is David is not an Oncologist and may feel like he is not up to handling it.

She is gently snoring near me, my husband is echoing that night time purr.  I will let her go when sheis ready, I know that look all to well ..but thankfully she is not ready yet.

Keep your fingers crossed. My mind is racing with a million thoughts on the subject but for now I'm going to try to stay both brief and quiet ...

You would think with 5 grandkids living with me the dogs would get a break.... nah

You would think as they are a powerful, hunting hound they would get a break...nope

I confess I love to dress my dogs funny and take pictures!  This year is Kota's turn.  Kota is an 8 year old liver nose pup that I'm boarding for a year while his mom get's thier new life started and set up in New York City.  She was concerned he would suffer from the very long hours this first year would demand and asked me as his G;ma and breeder if He could come to Camp Bwana and stay. Of course!!  It so helps that the K man is a love. He has been lovingly and carefully socialized by his Momma so returning home to the chaos of a 7 dog pack was a piece of cake for him. He has lost weight from the non stop playing and took to the sleeping rotation as if he had always lived this way.

Most importantly Kota loves to play dress up and the kids think he is awesome. I put a few of the snaps of COO-COO Kota in my profile, we think they are a hoot. as long as there is a cookie reward he plays along and just thinks we are giant dorks.  All of my dogs get dressed up at some time in thier lives.  I printed out his snaps and sent them to his mom in his "camp diary"  I hope she thinks they are as fun as we do.

I know one thing, Kota may miss his Mom but he is not grieving,  he is just too busy to fret.  Plus being a well bred and well loved boy, he is too polite to let on if he isn't 100% happy.

Hope every one has a safe and happy Howl-o-ween!!

Bonita of Bwana

I often waake up in the middle of the night for a million reasons, Tonight it's the chorus of snores from the guys. I have to rotate who sleeps with us, 8 is just too many at one time. Jasmine ALWAYS sleeps with me and my husband. Tonight we have Kota and Zion. Kota is 7 and Zi is 7 months. Between the boys and my husband there is a Broadway musical of sorts going on... it makes me laugh as animators could not create a score like this, well may be Disney. OMG jazz just joined in and all of the rest stopped!! too funny, even in sleep she is a force to be reckoned with. Each snore is different and each is so very dear. What a wacko I have turned into...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzBonita of Bwana

Here is is, the wee hours of the morning and my girl Jasmine wakens me to take a quick potty break.  Standing on the porch , I soak in the gentle night air, I watch the stars as she wanders about, doing her thing.  I cherish these early moments. Life seems simple and unthreatening. Her tumor is not a glaring reality in the near dark and things are calm, routine as they have been for over a decade shared with my girl.

Upon our return to the bedroom we are greeted by Kota and Mtzee, the chosen ones who slept with us last night. My hubby and I agreed to limit the pack in our room   at night for a bit, rotating them to give everyone attention but to avoid overwhelming Jasmine. They nuzzle Jazz and bump me then resettle themselves in thier spots. Jasmine jumps back on to our bed as I watch to assure her success. That bed seems much higher than it used to some days. She curls up next to her Dad, as much as she adores me and there is zero question of that, I smile when I see her cuddle close to him. My restless legs won't allow her to reach a deep sleep and her Dad would cut his off before knowingly disturbing her. She quickly returns to sleep, gently snoring, I lay here with my lap top and think how lucky I am to have her one more day. She is like my other half. When hubby travels for work, Jasmine is still next to me. When we had a seperation, I cuddled to her.  You know how  older folk, when they lose thier spouse of many years, have trouble sleeping because the room is too quiet? It is Jazz' s breathing I tune into, it is her snores that lull me to my own slumber.

I try not to think 3-6 months, instead I think wow we have another hour to snooze then a busy day ahead.

Cruising this site I replied to a sweet person who had emailed me , and on her page she had a snap of her pup with fall decor on the porch. I guess this is supposed to be our last fall together, so in a few hours when the chaos of the house again reigns, I will make time to get some new snaps of  my Mina and I , the porch and pumpkins... poets wax on about the bittersweetness of the Fall,  my heart understands better now what they tried to share.  An old Don McClain song keeps playing in my head, ever heard Vincent?

"Now I understand, what you tried to say to me..."  it seems somehow Jasmine's snores keep the rythym of the song as she has kept the rythym of our years.

Hello and welcome to the random thoughts of a brand new blogger ! 

By way of introduction, we are Bob and Bonita Snodgrass of Bwana Kennel in Foley Alabama. (That's the Deep South ya'll!)  We have been in Rhodesian Ridgebacks for over 25 years. We breed rarely but with extreme care producing a wonderful quality in companions and champions.

I am a retired RN and Bob is a retired Engineer.  We are members in good standing of the National Club, (RRCUS).  We have a large family, in our home we have 4 ( sometimes 5 ) adults and 5 grandchildren, from 2 years to 8 ! We also have our hounds, currently 8 lovely Rhodesian Ridgebacks, 6 months to almost 13 years old! Some are retired show dogs, some up and comers, and some therapy dogs... but all beloved pets and companions. And all HOUSE dogs.

While my husband and I are both native Californians we haved lived in the South for nearly a quarter of a century and we love it here !  We travel a great deal in our motorhome with our dogs and sometimes grandchildren. Traveling to National Specialties and dog shows is a great retirement ! Bob and I enjoy visiting our Puppy Families and Dog Friends who are scattered all over the United States. You can contact me at bwana@gulftel.com or catch up with me on rr-folk@v2.listbox.com where I am a frequent poster.

Bonita of Bwana