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Bwana at 8 Weeks of age

Bwana's full name is Bwana Suaga Bur - a combination of Swahili and Mambila languages and roughly translated as "Mr Big Dog" but simply Bwana (Mr) for short.

The journey home with Bwana was pretty typical of him so far. He promptly curled up in our laps, behaving perfectly without a cry or a whimper...only to copiously vomit 10 minutes from our final destination. Perfectly behaved but always with a surprise in store if everything is going too well!

The first week was a matter of him getting to know the house and the surrounds. Steps terrified him. Grass fascinated him (as long as it wasn't damp, his high stepping antics kept us amused for days). And his kennel was an instant hit, somewhere to go and escape the new world that had been thrust upon him.

The first night he spent beside our bed and was punctuated with an occasional whimper, the next few nights he spent in his kennel in the kitchen and the laundry, and within 4 days he was happy to spend the night outside in his own new double insulated "home". Actually I think he has the warmest little room on the property.

That whole first week he always went to the door when he needed to relieve himself, he learnt "sit", modeled for the camera like a professional and slept a lot. Now that he knows the property he is definitely being a puppy. He has learnt "stay" and "down" and is eager to obey when food is the reward (at other times things like grass and insects are far more interesting). Lead training was not a favorite past-time but with patience he is slowly adjusting to the idea. Play biting seems to be the popular way to get attention around feeding time or when he is particularly excited, often resulting in a sulk when it is not allowed. And unfortunately after a perfect start to toilet training there have been a couple of "accidents" but he is only a puppy after all.

Bwana's loves:

· The female vet (literally) making his amorous intentions very clear at the tender age of 10 weeks and bringing a blush to our cheeks.
· His kennel.
· Running laps of the back yard and hurtling head first into the garden.

Bwana's hates:

· Getting used to being tied off on a lead (as you can probably tell from the photo).
· Marnie's big purple yoga ball - for some reason it terrifies him.
· Going to the toilet on the grass first thing in the morning....its all a bit cold and wet on the feet.

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Bwana at 9 Weeks of age

Bwana on 'Pride Rock' (contemplating the circle of life)	Bwana's new Kennel

Here's lookin at you kid

Bwana at 23 Weeks of age

Bwana and his owners Andrew and Marie cam and saw Us, his uncle Danny,
mother Sandy, his brothers Sinbad and Titan, and his Sister Marina this weekend
at the Sydney Kennel Club championship show at Erskine park.

Uncle Danny recognized him instantly and as with us must have liked what he saw
because he showed a lot of interest in him and they played together and Danny's
tail wagged harder and longer than i have seen in ages.

When Bwana and his owners left at the end of the day Danny got rather upset
and barked loudly as they walked off. There seemed to be a strong affinity between
them which is hard to explain in light of common beliefs as to memory and intelligence
limitations of dogs. It was obvious that they recognized and liked each other and that
some sort of strong imprinting had occurred during the 8 weeks of early life that
Danny and Bwana spent together.

Bwana visits his family the Ridgeback Specialty Show October 2004

Bwana visited his mother, uncle and siblings at the NSW Rhodesian Ridgeback Specialty Show October 2004

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Weight Chart