In 1965 whilst
working at Barclays Bank in Sutton in Ashfield a customer came into
the branch with a very handsome dog which turned out to be a
Rhodesian Ridgeback (Simba Kali of Marshelf). We were determined to
own one of these magnificent dogs and in due time took delivery of
Matungi of Marshelf (Ben) a very handsome male dog. We had some
success in Local Open Shows, but, could never manage to get that
elusive first prize in a Championship Show due to the fact that Ben
was the son of Simba Kali of Marshelf who was a greyish silver
instead of the normal tan colour, not that Ben was the wrong colour.
On moving to Bletchley in early 1969, we gave up the prospect of
making a show champion of ben and concentrated on obedience training,
but, he was a willful dog and we were rather ignorant! :-) One of his
bad faults was that he was an escape artist from our back garden
(with a six food fence all round it). He would make a bee line for a
neighbouring street where one house used a black plastic bag instead
of a dustbin and unfortunately this was Ben's down fall. One day
after another of his escapes he came home frothing at the mouth and
it would appear that he had managed to eat a large quantity of rat
poison and unfortunately the kindest thing to do was to have him put
to sleep in about 1973.
For more than
three years, we were dog-less until being moved into Cheshire by
Barclays Bank. We lived in Buglawton and our teenage daughter Sonia
wanted a dog, but, we were not keen. However, she found in a local
kennel a small, young, German Shepherd who was due to be put to sleep
if a new owner couldn't be found to take him. She told the Kennels
that she would take him, even though she hadn't asked us. We made it
clear to her that we didn't want another dog and that she must tell
the kennels this. Being a rather crafty teenager, she went to the
kennels and told them "My Mum and Dad say I can't come to
collect the dog". They, therefore, very kindly delivered him!
Sonia promised to look after him, doing all the training and
exercising etc. and she named him Rip. However, her good intentions
soon began to slip due to mundane things like school, homework, boys,
motorcycles etc and it became my task to take Rip on. About this time
Felicity decided that she would like a Golden Retriever and we
acquired Rosie, whom we registered with Kennel Club as Merrywood
Amber. She wasn't a very good breed specimen although she had a very
loveable nature.