dogs in my bed 3
Moderator: chowadmin
-
carolyn dewrance
- Rank 3
- Posts: 1106
- Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:20 am
- Location: Cape Town South Africa
- Contact:
dogs in my bed 3
continued;
MONTY
Monty is a Rottweiler that belongs to my boss, and this is the funniest story I have heard in a long time, This morning Neil awoke to Monty pushing his big head under the duvet into Neil's chest and panting and groaning, Neil quickly sat up and saw that Monty was behaving in rather a peculiar way, Heather he called, his wife, there is something very wrong with Month, he is all hunched up and he is peeing in little squirts, quickly call your Mom, Heather called her mother who is a registered nursing sister, she looked at the dog, and could not explain his weird behavior, I think we must get him to the Vet she said, he may have got a snake bite on his Winky, but call your father and ask him his opinion, Dave was called, and ambled into Heathers and Neil's bedroom, what's wrong now, "Well we think there is something wrong with Monty, he is squirting little bits of pee all over the floor, Dave bent down and felt Monty's penis, Yes he said, you are right something is wrong, but I think he has just become a man and is showing you all that he is not what you thought he was, He does not need a Vet, he needs a bitch, He is having an erection. Regardless to say every one was very much relieved, and Monty was patted on the head and. told to go out and play.
MELTARI DIXIE ANN
AFRICANIS
Dixie was a very tiny little puppy when she was found deserted in a school playground under a lunch wrap where she had crawled to seek shelter from the weather. The lady who found this tiny puppy took her to a Vet who examined her and said that all she needed was a lot of love good food and her inoculations; She was just three weeks old. Dixie came into my care when the lady who found her carried her into the shop I was working in at the time, I asked to see the tiny puppy, and she told me the story of how she was rescued and that they were looking for a good home for her as they were not allowed to keep her where they were living. I offered to take her and to give her a good home. Well they agreed and that afternoon I went home with this tiny little puppy tucked into my jersey, as the weather had turned very cold. I got her home and fed her and settled her down for the night on a pillow next to my bed, Now my little Maltese was going through a false pregnancy she sniffed the tiny puppy, then started to clean her, then she lay down next to her and low and behold she started to feed her. Within days Roxy had developed enough milk to feed a whole litter, and Dixie was now her puppy, she was protected by Roxy, loved by her, cleaned, and fed, Dixie could not have had a better mother. She soon started to grow, and we really did not know what breed she was, someone said that she was a Staffie, another said a bullmastiff, and then came along a man that said that she was an Africanis, Well no matter what she was we all loved this tiny scrap of nothing, Then as she grew a friend of my son's saw her one evening "that’s an Africanis" she said, well now I decided to check out the Web site and found the Africanis, Dixie was everything they said she was, a true dog of Africa, Today she is going on for 4 months old, and is now twice the size of her mother, they inseparable they sleep together and every now and again Dixie tries to muzzle in on the milk bar, which was weeks ago depleted. She is a delightful puppy, very strong willed, but also is learning to be obedient. She is a beautiful Red color, with four little white patches on her toes, I will be registering her with the Kennel Union of South Africa next month and I have been in touch with the Africanis association for more information on this lovely breed. So I will be writing more stories as I go along with my book.
Here are some messages I have received over the Internet from friends in America and around the world.
Hi Carolyn. From Blake,
I'm just getting caught up on the site and saw your post and wanted to say hello. Good luck with the pregnancy and I hope all is well. Keep us posted when the babes are born. Cheryl shared with me the pictures of all your Chows, I am amazed, bless you for taking care of them all.
Blake and Tess *my angel * too.
Climbing Chows.
From Claire
Our Chang used to be able to jump a 5-foot fence easily. After a St Bernard attacked him, my parents put up a chain link fence around the back yard to protect him. When he recovered, a 4-foot fence was no trouble (this was in the "old days" before leash laws) and he kept up his rounds. As he got older he eventually couldn't jump fences so he would climb them. Right up to his last day, at 13.5 years he was still escaping by climbing the fence.
Puppies on the roof?
From Susan
Your story about your climbing, jumping girl made me laugh - the thought of her doing it blimped out pregnant (I hope she doesn't) and having her litter on Top of the kennel! If she's like Lucy, if she gets it in her mind that's what she wants to do, she'll do it.
Lucy is a bit of a climber too, She has no kennel to climb on but when we go hiking and have to scramble up steep rocky inclines, she is very nimble and seems to really enjoy it.
This is a photo of Zena and Ringo on top of their kennels.
SPECKLES.
Speckles was born on the 23.12.99 He was one of 5 kittens. His mother was a Siamese female and his father was a neighbors Maine Coon. A very lovely big cat. Sadly three days after the kittens were born, one of my chows got into the bedroom and attacked two of them, killing them, there were three left Speckles his brother and a lovely ginger sister. I sold the female and kept the two males. When we had to move house in 2000, Sadly Colin could not settle down and kept disappearing, He would be gone for weeks, and then come home, as thin as a rake, I tried keeping him locked in the house
But the minute the door was opened he was gone. He just did not like the new house, and eventually he never came home again, I tried looking for him by advertising at the local Vet and the pet shop as well as the supermarket, but had no answers to my advert. Speckles grew and grew, into a stunning cat, with a wonder full nature, although he was not very fond of Chippie my older cat, he accepted all the other kittens I brought in to the house, and his favorite friend was Nelsin my little black female that I rescued from the building I was working in at the time, she was a wild kitten, but with the loving attention that Speckles gave to her she soon settled down. He loved her, he looked after her, and would never let her far from his side, there was a day when she vanished, and no amount of calling or searching could find her, I spoke to Speckles and told him to go and find her, He did, and at 7pm that evening I heard a little mew from a kitten coming up the drive, and there was my lovely big Cat with the tiny kitten walking next to his side. Where he had found her I don’t know but he brought her home. Then there was the episode with Archie my Male chow, Archie hates cats as most of the do, and he chased Speckles, eventually grabbing him by the tail, well I went out to rescue my cat, and not really realizing that he was in very little danger from Archie I got Archie to release him, and in turn Speckles bit my hand, biting right through the veins of my upper hand and arm a really bad bite, which made a fountain of blood all over Archie, I did not even realize that I had been bitten so badly and got Archie to his kennel, and went in search of my cat who was hiding under the bed, it was only then I saw the blood, thinking that Speckles had attacked Archie, I went out to examine him, Yes he was covered with blood, but I could not find any bite marks on him. Speckles was fine, just a bruised tail and I was the badly injured party this time. When Nellie had her first litter of kittens one of them got outside, and was attacked by the Dobermans, sadly this little kitten died, but not before Speckles Nellie and Chippie attacked the dogs, they threw themselves on the Dobermans back with all claws out and screamed, I really thought the cats were going to kill the dogs this time, but I sorted out the problem and took the cats inside. Speckles was a step father to a litter of puppies that I was raising for a friend, they had no mother, and he would climb into their box and keep the little puppies warm, he would clean them and cuddle them, and was always there for a free sip of milk when I was feeding them. He did not like men very much and was afraid of children, when he would run and hide under my duvet. He was a wonderful big cat and yesterday, he out lived his 9 lives, what he was doing on the road I don't know, but he got his by a car, and I found his body half way up the hill, as if he was trying to come home, where he knew he would have had help. I will miss this very special cat, and hopefully when my little Nellie has her litter there will be one just like his father.
Nellie.
THE STANDARD OF THE CHOW THROUGH THE EYES OF A "POET"
BY Johan Naude.
They say I am a snob
Of course! That's why I am at the top!
They say I have a scowl
Alas! I will only growl!
They say my hocks are straight
They're built to take the extra weight
They say my eyes are dark
I make very sure before I bark!
They say I have a very long coat,
It protected me to the UK on the boat!
They say in China I was used for food,
It's not the only thing for which I'm good
They say we fought the bear,
Beware! To those who dare!
They say Temples we had to guard,
Don't" intrude upon my yard!
They say on my back my tail is set,
To protect it from getting wet!
They say my ears are rounded at the tip,
Never a sound that they shall slip!
They say that catlike are my feet,
So as not to wake you while you sleep!
They say my tongue is blue,
At last they said something really true!
My true and only fear
Is from the map we'll disappear,
So please support us now,
AND FOREVER WILL LIVE THE CHOW.
CHAMPIONS MINTJOU KABUKIE AND TIAPAN.
CHOW'S OF THE YEARS 2000/2001/2002/2003/2004
BREEDER MRS JOY BOTES. Meltari Rambo
THE CHOW CHOW
In a remote mysterious period of evolution appeared the animal we now call a Chow Chow. Without a doubt is one of our most ancient breeds of dog. Historians have found chronicles dating as far back as the 11th century BC, which describe the "Tartar dog" or foreign Chow. Clearly showing that the unique characteristics were then present. The dogs are described as heavily built, with harsh bristly hair, absolutely straight back legs and blue tongues, Evolution and subsequent domestication had obviously taken place before that time.
In the genealogical tree of carnivores, the last to separate were the canines and the ursine. During the Miocene period, about 28 to 12 million years ago, there appeared a late descendent, the Hemicyon, which was an intermediate between dog and bear, moderate in size and in many respects very dog-like, its direct descendant was the simicyon, an animal which varied in size from a fox to a small bear. These animals inhabited the sub arctic regions and an advancing Ice Age drove them southwards towards Siberia, and Northern Mongolia. Apart from the Chow's obvious bear like features, it is interesting to note that the Chow shares with the small bears of Tibet and Manchuria the characteristic blue black tongue, the broad skull, short muzzle and square body. These are ursine rather than lupine features, final and conclusive proof is provided by the animal's dentition whereas the normal dog group has 42 teeth the Hemicyans and Simicyons have 44 to 46. The Chow also has 44 teeth, although they usually loose the extra two in their adult dentition.
The Chow or an ancestor very like it was probably established on the high cold steppes of Mongolia many, many years before the evolution of ape-man into homosapiens.
THE NAME CHOW CHOW.
It is very difficult to say how a breed as old as the Chow came by its name, One of its original names was Chao meaning a large primitive, extraordinary dog of great strength and the name which occurs in the 11th century BC, is probably the corruption of this, Also in the same century it is called Man Kou meaning dog of the barbarians or Tartar dog, By AD 100 it was variously referred to as Mang Chao (dog with much hair) (Dog of great strength) or Ti (red dog). Upon reaching the western world many centuries later it was called at first the foreign dog and then the Chinese Edible dog, but the people of the western world did not like to be reminded of its edible purpose and so adopted the name Chow Chow. This may have been because various commodities brought from China were known in Pidgin as chow chow or it may have been directly from the original Chao .
THE MATING OF LADY AND LEO
I wish to thank the following members who helped me in the very frustrating job of mating two very Novice Chow Chow's.
Many thanks to Andries and Lia Du Toit, Mr & Mrs Myburg and Mr and Mrs Zwang, for their offer to help as well. I think you are all very wonderful people and I don't know what I would have done without all of you.
I also wish to thank Mr Skidmore for allowing me to mate Lady Loretta with Leo, even though it took almost four hours, half a dozen beers and a few cigarettes. Oh what a night, I will never forget it.
Lady produced her first two gorgeous puppies, Midnight and Leo's son a lovely red and a lovely black.
MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS
Many of you "oldies" may remember the story of how Rick and I were so frustrated when we tried to mate our very first two sill Chow's, "Lady" and "Leo" and had to eventually call in the help of the Chow Club to get these two dogs together. It was only after the kind assistance of Coen Myburg and Andries du Toit that we made thing happen. Out of this union were born two male puppies "Leo's son" and "Midnight". We showed them at shows as puppies and Midnight was sold at the age of 5 months. "Sonny" as we called him was sold to a Mrs Annamarie Balmer. These puppies were born on the 17th April 1984. At the time of writing this story 10 years ago and to day "2nd May 1994" I received a very unexpected phone call. Annamarie Balmer phoned me at work, after getting my number from the Chow Club. What a wonderful surprise she had for me! "Sonny" now called "Leo" had just become a father for the first time to a young bitch they call "Kama". He sired a magnificent litter of 5 bitches and 3 dogs. All is doing very well. This was his very first mating and I really feel that this could be a record. I.e. his age and the number of puppies have born for his age!
I know that he is truly loved and cared for by the Balmers and I am so very proud to be a grandmother to his puppies! He was our very first.
BAXTERS MISS ADVENTURE
It was a cool morning; the sun was just rising over the sea. I was up and about before anyone else in the household. I allowed Baxter and Skye out of their kennels to have a run in the garden, before I left for work. But this morning was not going to be like other mornings. Skye ran joyfully around the garden, but Baxter took off, into the long grass, up the hill and no amount of calling and shouting at hem deterred his determined advance on up the hill. He disappeared through a hole in the fence. Will I thought he could not get far, and climbed the steep hill after him, as I was climbing the hill I heard a hell of a commotion and a women voice screaming for help, I dragged myself through the sharp strands of barbed right into the next property by saw no Baxter. I ran to the next property and flung my self over the fence; in the third yard down from our property lived a little old Lady with her 3 Pit Bull Terrier. "Oh my God", thought "Baxter", and ran as fast as I could. There was my lovely Baxter in a fierce battle with a Pit Bull, with only a Bonnex fence between them. Baxter was attempting to drag the Pit Bull through the fence. I hit him with a stick while the other poor woman turned the hose onto her Dogs Baxter Let go, he was covered in blood, but so was the other dog bleeding very heavily. I apologized to the woman who was shaking from shock. I could not get over the fence to help the, but she told me to get my dog home, and attend to his wounds. Baxter stumbled down the hill home and waited for me at the front door. Oh how I wish I had four legs and could move as fast as he could. I opened the door and Tick was sitting on the couch, looked up in astonishment "Why is he bleeding?" he asked. I was so out of breath by then, I ignored him, picked up Baxter and carried him through to the bathroom. Putting him in the bath, I turned the hand Shower onto him once the blood was washed off I saw that he had a few nasty bites in his cheek and one behind his ear. I washed him clean, applied antiseptic to his wounds and put him back into his kennel I gave him some Rescue Drops and Arnica Tablets, checked to see he was okay and then had to go to work. I was so shocked that at 10am my boss sent me home. On arrival home I looked Baxter over again, He was very sore and very sorry for himself. That night I had to hand feed him, as he was still very shocked. He couldn't even bend down to get a drink of water. I watched him for the next few days and although a very subdued dog, he has recovered. Until I get all the new fences up around the Yard Baxter and Skye will only be allowed out on their leads.
What made Baxter take off this morning and indulge in this awful fight I will never know. Maybe a bitch in season. He has never done anything like this before and he will never get the chance to do it again.
BAXTERS NEW FRIENDS
The morning of the Pietermaritzburg Show dawned lovely and warm The Judge was Mr S. Nolan for Australia, he has judged all over the world. But this little story is not about the show, which went off very well, but about some very special young people who fell in love with Baxter.
They were from the Pevensely Place home for Handicapped Adults. The Leader of the group was a young man named Mark Cameron and it was he who introduced his friends to Baxter. They had never seen a Chow Chow before and many questions were asked about the breed. They all thought he looked like a Teddy Bear and of course all wanted to pat him, which, thankfully he allowed.
He loved these young people, wagged his tail and even played with some of them. He even allowed young Mark to walk back to the car when we were ready to leave the Show. Baxter seemed to understand these special people. Even though some of them found it difficult to talk to him he never backed off once from the fondling hands, even the youngster in a wheelchair, who Baxter first of all sniffed his paralyzed legs than very gently licked the boys hands. The youngster beamed with pleasure.
It is really wonderful how an animal senses the difference between a normal human and a handicapped one and these young people with broad smiles on their faces were just as happy to be accepted by him. They showed him a love that cannot be shown by the normal person and all called in chorus "We Love you Baxter" as we got into the car to drive home. I still feel the tears in my eyes today as I write this again in my book. I know that my Baxter will be the talking point for many days to come and have promised to send them a photo of him, just so that they don't forget the first Chow Chow they ever met.
GOOD BYE BAXTER
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU MY DARLING BOY
IN MEMORY OF CHAMPION BAXTER OF MELTARI
CHOW CHOW OF THE YEAR 1995
1ST OCTOBER 1993 - 21ST JANUARY 1996
Baxter came to me as a lovely little puppy, from the moment I saw him I knew that he would be a Champion, As he grew like all puppies, he was full of the joys of life, and we were so proud of him when at 4 months old he won best puppy in group as well as best of breed and got a third place in the Best of Breed group at the P.M.B. open show. Beating five of my other dogs, I had taken to the show that day. As he grew the judges saw his potential, and he never failed to win best of breed at every show he went too. I was so proud of him when he was accepted to compete in the Natal top dog show; he and Skye were the first Natal chow’s to have ever been accepted. Although he did not win he behaved like a dream, and carried on winning at further championship shows and open shows in Natal. To once again be accepted this time along with his little son Sultan to compete in the Natal top dog show 1995,Baxter was my pride and joy and was not only loved by all of us at home, but everyone who came into contact with him, he was a friendly fellow and loved everyone he met. Of course he had some bad habits, and as you know of his fight with the Pit Bull, but he still came off best and this proved what a champion Dog he was.
On Sunday 21st January 1995, I had just let him and Skye out of their pen for morning exercise while I was cleaning up the garden, I went to empty the bucket, and had not turned my back on them for a matter of five minutes, They both disappeared without a trace, I searched the garden for them but they were nowhere to be seen, I then heard a hell of a commotion coming from the grounds of Ralun kennels, I opened the gate between our properties and forced my way through the bush down to the kennels, there was Skye and Baxter killing the chickens. How they knew there were chickens there I really don’t know and can only presume that they had spotted them through the fence. I shouted at them and asked the kennel boys to help but they just stood there while I tried to get them home through the dense bush, I chased them towards the gate, but lost track of them, I ran home and screamed for Robin and Rick to get out of bed and come and help me to get the dogs home as they had killed two chickens. Rick managed to find Skye and Robin and I searched the dense bush for Baxter. He was nowhere to be seen, we searched the bush for almost an hour, when my gardener called Robin saying he had found Baxter but he thought he was dead. As he could not get him up. We charged through the bush, and there he was lying exhausted from trying to find his way home. Robin and I and Ben carried him through the bush over the fence and back up our drive home. He appeared to be in coma at the time, When we got home I screamed for Rick who was still looking for him in the other direction, that we had found him an had to get him to a vet as soon as possible. On arrival at the Vet, he was diagnosed as having heat exhaustion and the Doctor put him on a drip and said that I must not worry, as he would like to keep him hospital over night. That afternoon Baxter started to vomit up sharp chicken bones and started to bleed internally, He passed away at 5 in the evening from internal hemorrhage caused by the Chicken he had eaten. I was heartbroken when I heard that he had died, this was such an unnecessary way to go. I shall always remember my darling boy and know that he will never be far from me. My heart bleeds every time I look at his photo on the wall, but I know he was loved and he knew it as well, We now hope and pray that everything goes well with Skye after her fright and that the puppies she is carrying from Baxter will hopefully bring him back to us.
Skye had 7 lovely puppies from that mating with Baxter 7 years ago. He is now but a wonderful memory never to be forgotten.
DOG HIKES 24 MILES TO CIVILISATION
Crater Lake, Oregon - a dog-named Bear apparently tumbled 40 m down a precipitous, snow-covered slope to the shore of Crater Lake without injury, and then hiked back to civilization a week later.
Bear's owner, Mr. Frank Miller, and friend Jeanette Papadopoulos visited the park, high in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon, on June 19.
Ms Papadopoulos let the 5-year-old black chow off its leash and Bear disappeared, apparently over the edge.
Rangers found no sign of Bear, other than a small avalanche.
"The impression was it had injuries and wouldn't survive very long, if it was even alive"' said Crater Lake national Park spokesman Jack Ramsden.
On Monday, bear was seen at the Park's rim Village tourist area begging for food. The dog had apparently made its way 29 km around the shore of the lake at the bottom of the crater to the only trail back up to the rim.
This shows you just how tough chow's can be.
THE HORRORS OF THE INFRARED LAMP
In May a few years ago, my Bitch Meltari Chrystal Gazer was expecting a litter from Meltari blue Denim. The weather was turning cooler and my heating pad I had used for years had finally packed up. All the books I have on puppy rearing suggest the use of the infrared lamp, saying this was the best way of keeping young puppies warm, so instead of buying another heating pad, I bought an infrared lamp from the chemist.
My bitch's litter of nine puppies was born but two died soon after birth. The rest survived and were kept warm under the infrared lamp. No, unknown to me, I sued a medicated infrared lamp, not knowing at the time you could buy a special lamp for keeping puppies or chickens warm. I left the lamp on all night and turned it on periodically during the day when the weather turned chilly - never knowing the damage I was causing my lovely puppies and their mother.
My puppies thrived and grew and soon their eyes were open. All of them had bright blue eyes and as they grew the blue did not fade away very much. Only two puppies' eyes eventually turned brown at six weeks of age. I took my bitch puppy Meltari Melushka to the vet and on careful examination he pronounced her blind in both eyes. The corneas were badly damaged and he suggested I put her down and it was possibly a genetic disability.
Well I went through my puppy's pedigrees to try to trace this blindness but all dogs on both sides were of sound bloodlines and there was no blindness. I did not destroy my puppy and today although she cannot see, she can find her way around like any Chow with sight.
I telephoned S.A. Phillips to get a replacement globe for my infrared lamp. The gentleman I spoke to was horrified when I told him what I wanted " You cannot use a medicated lamp on small puppies, you need an incubator lam" was what he said. Suddenly it struck me; Melushka's blindness was not a genetic fault by my fault for using an incorrect infrared lamp. I phoned my Vet and spoke to him about my discovery and he agreed immediately with me. It was the rays of the infrared lamp that had burned the corneas of the whole litter of puppies abut somehow my puppy received more than the others.
There were three puppies that developed white spots on their corneas, my blind puppy, only one had clear eyes and two were blind in one eye. This was terrible and all puppies were given away to people who wanted them. Their mother Chrystal, because of receiving such a large dose of infrared has lost all the hair on her chest and tummy.
I am horrified at the dangers of a medicated infrared lamp. Don't trust your chemist for providing the correct lamp. They may also not know the difference. Rather get professional advise on where to buy the correct item from S.A. Phillips or use a heating pad which is far safer for you precious litter.
MELTARI MELUSHKA
You all read about the devastating effect of the infrared lamp on my puppies. Now I am going to tell you about my blind chow, "Melushka".
She was the pick of the litter, a lovely sturdy puppy with good bone and a lovely head; only we did not know that she would never be able to see.
As a tiny puppy she won every one's heart. When we realized there was something very wrong with her sight, I took her to my vet who confirmed my fears and suggested that we put her down. She was then 8 Weeks old. Instead I asked him to inoculate her as I would be keeping her, blind or not she was a Chow and one of mine.
As the months went past, we watched her grow from a tiny puppy, which at first would stumble around the garden finding her feet, but soon learnt where every obstacle was that she might bump into. In her rush around the yard, she soon learned that her best friends were my three cats. She would gleefully sniff them out and the chase was on. She flew around the garden after them. Looking at her you would never think this lovely chow was totally blind. She has never seen the sun or the trees and really has no idea what the cats look like. Many a time, when the cats were well and truly cornered, they would jump over my garden fence. She was not perturbed by their actions and would stand with her two front paws balanced on the fence. She was not perturbed by their actions and would stand with her two front paws balance on the fence "looking" over to see if they were anywhere within reach. While she was still very young, I also got Charlie, a black Maltese Cross Toy Poodle to be her companion. She loved Charlie and when they are together, follows him around the garden. It's like having a guide dog for a blind dog. They have always got on very well together.
Two weeks ago Melushka had to have one of her eyes removed as she had developed glaucoma in it. It was unsightly to look at. I thought it would be better if it were not there at all. She sailed through the operation and although my Vet said it was a difficult operation as the eyeball itself was a big as a golf ball and full of fluid, he thought that infection might set in and that he would have to put her down. But again she proved him wrong and she healed very quickly and was soon getting around even better than before. Without the pain and the weight of a very bad eye, the cats are now even more aware of her. You would never think that she was blind unless you look at her eyes. She is a truly lovely young 18-month-old chow and so far she has coped extremely well with her disability. And I am sure she will cope very well with anything put in her way. On a sad ending note of Melushkas life
I had to put her down at the age of 8 years because she developed cancer in her throat.
MONTY
Monty is a Rottweiler that belongs to my boss, and this is the funniest story I have heard in a long time, This morning Neil awoke to Monty pushing his big head under the duvet into Neil's chest and panting and groaning, Neil quickly sat up and saw that Monty was behaving in rather a peculiar way, Heather he called, his wife, there is something very wrong with Month, he is all hunched up and he is peeing in little squirts, quickly call your Mom, Heather called her mother who is a registered nursing sister, she looked at the dog, and could not explain his weird behavior, I think we must get him to the Vet she said, he may have got a snake bite on his Winky, but call your father and ask him his opinion, Dave was called, and ambled into Heathers and Neil's bedroom, what's wrong now, "Well we think there is something wrong with Monty, he is squirting little bits of pee all over the floor, Dave bent down and felt Monty's penis, Yes he said, you are right something is wrong, but I think he has just become a man and is showing you all that he is not what you thought he was, He does not need a Vet, he needs a bitch, He is having an erection. Regardless to say every one was very much relieved, and Monty was patted on the head and. told to go out and play.
MELTARI DIXIE ANN
AFRICANIS
Dixie was a very tiny little puppy when she was found deserted in a school playground under a lunch wrap where she had crawled to seek shelter from the weather. The lady who found this tiny puppy took her to a Vet who examined her and said that all she needed was a lot of love good food and her inoculations; She was just three weeks old. Dixie came into my care when the lady who found her carried her into the shop I was working in at the time, I asked to see the tiny puppy, and she told me the story of how she was rescued and that they were looking for a good home for her as they were not allowed to keep her where they were living. I offered to take her and to give her a good home. Well they agreed and that afternoon I went home with this tiny little puppy tucked into my jersey, as the weather had turned very cold. I got her home and fed her and settled her down for the night on a pillow next to my bed, Now my little Maltese was going through a false pregnancy she sniffed the tiny puppy, then started to clean her, then she lay down next to her and low and behold she started to feed her. Within days Roxy had developed enough milk to feed a whole litter, and Dixie was now her puppy, she was protected by Roxy, loved by her, cleaned, and fed, Dixie could not have had a better mother. She soon started to grow, and we really did not know what breed she was, someone said that she was a Staffie, another said a bullmastiff, and then came along a man that said that she was an Africanis, Well no matter what she was we all loved this tiny scrap of nothing, Then as she grew a friend of my son's saw her one evening "that’s an Africanis" she said, well now I decided to check out the Web site and found the Africanis, Dixie was everything they said she was, a true dog of Africa, Today she is going on for 4 months old, and is now twice the size of her mother, they inseparable they sleep together and every now and again Dixie tries to muzzle in on the milk bar, which was weeks ago depleted. She is a delightful puppy, very strong willed, but also is learning to be obedient. She is a beautiful Red color, with four little white patches on her toes, I will be registering her with the Kennel Union of South Africa next month and I have been in touch with the Africanis association for more information on this lovely breed. So I will be writing more stories as I go along with my book.
Here are some messages I have received over the Internet from friends in America and around the world.
Hi Carolyn. From Blake,
I'm just getting caught up on the site and saw your post and wanted to say hello. Good luck with the pregnancy and I hope all is well. Keep us posted when the babes are born. Cheryl shared with me the pictures of all your Chows, I am amazed, bless you for taking care of them all.
Blake and Tess *my angel * too.
Climbing Chows.
From Claire
Our Chang used to be able to jump a 5-foot fence easily. After a St Bernard attacked him, my parents put up a chain link fence around the back yard to protect him. When he recovered, a 4-foot fence was no trouble (this was in the "old days" before leash laws) and he kept up his rounds. As he got older he eventually couldn't jump fences so he would climb them. Right up to his last day, at 13.5 years he was still escaping by climbing the fence.
Puppies on the roof?
From Susan
Your story about your climbing, jumping girl made me laugh - the thought of her doing it blimped out pregnant (I hope she doesn't) and having her litter on Top of the kennel! If she's like Lucy, if she gets it in her mind that's what she wants to do, she'll do it.
Lucy is a bit of a climber too, She has no kennel to climb on but when we go hiking and have to scramble up steep rocky inclines, she is very nimble and seems to really enjoy it.
This is a photo of Zena and Ringo on top of their kennels.
SPECKLES.
Speckles was born on the 23.12.99 He was one of 5 kittens. His mother was a Siamese female and his father was a neighbors Maine Coon. A very lovely big cat. Sadly three days after the kittens were born, one of my chows got into the bedroom and attacked two of them, killing them, there were three left Speckles his brother and a lovely ginger sister. I sold the female and kept the two males. When we had to move house in 2000, Sadly Colin could not settle down and kept disappearing, He would be gone for weeks, and then come home, as thin as a rake, I tried keeping him locked in the house
But the minute the door was opened he was gone. He just did not like the new house, and eventually he never came home again, I tried looking for him by advertising at the local Vet and the pet shop as well as the supermarket, but had no answers to my advert. Speckles grew and grew, into a stunning cat, with a wonder full nature, although he was not very fond of Chippie my older cat, he accepted all the other kittens I brought in to the house, and his favorite friend was Nelsin my little black female that I rescued from the building I was working in at the time, she was a wild kitten, but with the loving attention that Speckles gave to her she soon settled down. He loved her, he looked after her, and would never let her far from his side, there was a day when she vanished, and no amount of calling or searching could find her, I spoke to Speckles and told him to go and find her, He did, and at 7pm that evening I heard a little mew from a kitten coming up the drive, and there was my lovely big Cat with the tiny kitten walking next to his side. Where he had found her I don’t know but he brought her home. Then there was the episode with Archie my Male chow, Archie hates cats as most of the do, and he chased Speckles, eventually grabbing him by the tail, well I went out to rescue my cat, and not really realizing that he was in very little danger from Archie I got Archie to release him, and in turn Speckles bit my hand, biting right through the veins of my upper hand and arm a really bad bite, which made a fountain of blood all over Archie, I did not even realize that I had been bitten so badly and got Archie to his kennel, and went in search of my cat who was hiding under the bed, it was only then I saw the blood, thinking that Speckles had attacked Archie, I went out to examine him, Yes he was covered with blood, but I could not find any bite marks on him. Speckles was fine, just a bruised tail and I was the badly injured party this time. When Nellie had her first litter of kittens one of them got outside, and was attacked by the Dobermans, sadly this little kitten died, but not before Speckles Nellie and Chippie attacked the dogs, they threw themselves on the Dobermans back with all claws out and screamed, I really thought the cats were going to kill the dogs this time, but I sorted out the problem and took the cats inside. Speckles was a step father to a litter of puppies that I was raising for a friend, they had no mother, and he would climb into their box and keep the little puppies warm, he would clean them and cuddle them, and was always there for a free sip of milk when I was feeding them. He did not like men very much and was afraid of children, when he would run and hide under my duvet. He was a wonderful big cat and yesterday, he out lived his 9 lives, what he was doing on the road I don't know, but he got his by a car, and I found his body half way up the hill, as if he was trying to come home, where he knew he would have had help. I will miss this very special cat, and hopefully when my little Nellie has her litter there will be one just like his father.
Nellie.
THE STANDARD OF THE CHOW THROUGH THE EYES OF A "POET"
BY Johan Naude.
They say I am a snob
Of course! That's why I am at the top!
They say I have a scowl
Alas! I will only growl!
They say my hocks are straight
They're built to take the extra weight
They say my eyes are dark
I make very sure before I bark!
They say I have a very long coat,
It protected me to the UK on the boat!
They say in China I was used for food,
It's not the only thing for which I'm good
They say we fought the bear,
Beware! To those who dare!
They say Temples we had to guard,
Don't" intrude upon my yard!
They say on my back my tail is set,
To protect it from getting wet!
They say my ears are rounded at the tip,
Never a sound that they shall slip!
They say that catlike are my feet,
So as not to wake you while you sleep!
They say my tongue is blue,
At last they said something really true!
My true and only fear
Is from the map we'll disappear,
So please support us now,
AND FOREVER WILL LIVE THE CHOW.
CHAMPIONS MINTJOU KABUKIE AND TIAPAN.
CHOW'S OF THE YEARS 2000/2001/2002/2003/2004
BREEDER MRS JOY BOTES. Meltari Rambo
THE CHOW CHOW
In a remote mysterious period of evolution appeared the animal we now call a Chow Chow. Without a doubt is one of our most ancient breeds of dog. Historians have found chronicles dating as far back as the 11th century BC, which describe the "Tartar dog" or foreign Chow. Clearly showing that the unique characteristics were then present. The dogs are described as heavily built, with harsh bristly hair, absolutely straight back legs and blue tongues, Evolution and subsequent domestication had obviously taken place before that time.
In the genealogical tree of carnivores, the last to separate were the canines and the ursine. During the Miocene period, about 28 to 12 million years ago, there appeared a late descendent, the Hemicyon, which was an intermediate between dog and bear, moderate in size and in many respects very dog-like, its direct descendant was the simicyon, an animal which varied in size from a fox to a small bear. These animals inhabited the sub arctic regions and an advancing Ice Age drove them southwards towards Siberia, and Northern Mongolia. Apart from the Chow's obvious bear like features, it is interesting to note that the Chow shares with the small bears of Tibet and Manchuria the characteristic blue black tongue, the broad skull, short muzzle and square body. These are ursine rather than lupine features, final and conclusive proof is provided by the animal's dentition whereas the normal dog group has 42 teeth the Hemicyans and Simicyons have 44 to 46. The Chow also has 44 teeth, although they usually loose the extra two in their adult dentition.
The Chow or an ancestor very like it was probably established on the high cold steppes of Mongolia many, many years before the evolution of ape-man into homosapiens.
THE NAME CHOW CHOW.
It is very difficult to say how a breed as old as the Chow came by its name, One of its original names was Chao meaning a large primitive, extraordinary dog of great strength and the name which occurs in the 11th century BC, is probably the corruption of this, Also in the same century it is called Man Kou meaning dog of the barbarians or Tartar dog, By AD 100 it was variously referred to as Mang Chao (dog with much hair) (Dog of great strength) or Ti (red dog). Upon reaching the western world many centuries later it was called at first the foreign dog and then the Chinese Edible dog, but the people of the western world did not like to be reminded of its edible purpose and so adopted the name Chow Chow. This may have been because various commodities brought from China were known in Pidgin as chow chow or it may have been directly from the original Chao .
THE MATING OF LADY AND LEO
I wish to thank the following members who helped me in the very frustrating job of mating two very Novice Chow Chow's.
Many thanks to Andries and Lia Du Toit, Mr & Mrs Myburg and Mr and Mrs Zwang, for their offer to help as well. I think you are all very wonderful people and I don't know what I would have done without all of you.
I also wish to thank Mr Skidmore for allowing me to mate Lady Loretta with Leo, even though it took almost four hours, half a dozen beers and a few cigarettes. Oh what a night, I will never forget it.
Lady produced her first two gorgeous puppies, Midnight and Leo's son a lovely red and a lovely black.
MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS
Many of you "oldies" may remember the story of how Rick and I were so frustrated when we tried to mate our very first two sill Chow's, "Lady" and "Leo" and had to eventually call in the help of the Chow Club to get these two dogs together. It was only after the kind assistance of Coen Myburg and Andries du Toit that we made thing happen. Out of this union were born two male puppies "Leo's son" and "Midnight". We showed them at shows as puppies and Midnight was sold at the age of 5 months. "Sonny" as we called him was sold to a Mrs Annamarie Balmer. These puppies were born on the 17th April 1984. At the time of writing this story 10 years ago and to day "2nd May 1994" I received a very unexpected phone call. Annamarie Balmer phoned me at work, after getting my number from the Chow Club. What a wonderful surprise she had for me! "Sonny" now called "Leo" had just become a father for the first time to a young bitch they call "Kama". He sired a magnificent litter of 5 bitches and 3 dogs. All is doing very well. This was his very first mating and I really feel that this could be a record. I.e. his age and the number of puppies have born for his age!
I know that he is truly loved and cared for by the Balmers and I am so very proud to be a grandmother to his puppies! He was our very first.
BAXTERS MISS ADVENTURE
It was a cool morning; the sun was just rising over the sea. I was up and about before anyone else in the household. I allowed Baxter and Skye out of their kennels to have a run in the garden, before I left for work. But this morning was not going to be like other mornings. Skye ran joyfully around the garden, but Baxter took off, into the long grass, up the hill and no amount of calling and shouting at hem deterred his determined advance on up the hill. He disappeared through a hole in the fence. Will I thought he could not get far, and climbed the steep hill after him, as I was climbing the hill I heard a hell of a commotion and a women voice screaming for help, I dragged myself through the sharp strands of barbed right into the next property by saw no Baxter. I ran to the next property and flung my self over the fence; in the third yard down from our property lived a little old Lady with her 3 Pit Bull Terrier. "Oh my God", thought "Baxter", and ran as fast as I could. There was my lovely Baxter in a fierce battle with a Pit Bull, with only a Bonnex fence between them. Baxter was attempting to drag the Pit Bull through the fence. I hit him with a stick while the other poor woman turned the hose onto her Dogs Baxter Let go, he was covered in blood, but so was the other dog bleeding very heavily. I apologized to the woman who was shaking from shock. I could not get over the fence to help the, but she told me to get my dog home, and attend to his wounds. Baxter stumbled down the hill home and waited for me at the front door. Oh how I wish I had four legs and could move as fast as he could. I opened the door and Tick was sitting on the couch, looked up in astonishment "Why is he bleeding?" he asked. I was so out of breath by then, I ignored him, picked up Baxter and carried him through to the bathroom. Putting him in the bath, I turned the hand Shower onto him once the blood was washed off I saw that he had a few nasty bites in his cheek and one behind his ear. I washed him clean, applied antiseptic to his wounds and put him back into his kennel I gave him some Rescue Drops and Arnica Tablets, checked to see he was okay and then had to go to work. I was so shocked that at 10am my boss sent me home. On arrival home I looked Baxter over again, He was very sore and very sorry for himself. That night I had to hand feed him, as he was still very shocked. He couldn't even bend down to get a drink of water. I watched him for the next few days and although a very subdued dog, he has recovered. Until I get all the new fences up around the Yard Baxter and Skye will only be allowed out on their leads.
What made Baxter take off this morning and indulge in this awful fight I will never know. Maybe a bitch in season. He has never done anything like this before and he will never get the chance to do it again.
BAXTERS NEW FRIENDS
The morning of the Pietermaritzburg Show dawned lovely and warm The Judge was Mr S. Nolan for Australia, he has judged all over the world. But this little story is not about the show, which went off very well, but about some very special young people who fell in love with Baxter.
They were from the Pevensely Place home for Handicapped Adults. The Leader of the group was a young man named Mark Cameron and it was he who introduced his friends to Baxter. They had never seen a Chow Chow before and many questions were asked about the breed. They all thought he looked like a Teddy Bear and of course all wanted to pat him, which, thankfully he allowed.
He loved these young people, wagged his tail and even played with some of them. He even allowed young Mark to walk back to the car when we were ready to leave the Show. Baxter seemed to understand these special people. Even though some of them found it difficult to talk to him he never backed off once from the fondling hands, even the youngster in a wheelchair, who Baxter first of all sniffed his paralyzed legs than very gently licked the boys hands. The youngster beamed with pleasure.
It is really wonderful how an animal senses the difference between a normal human and a handicapped one and these young people with broad smiles on their faces were just as happy to be accepted by him. They showed him a love that cannot be shown by the normal person and all called in chorus "We Love you Baxter" as we got into the car to drive home. I still feel the tears in my eyes today as I write this again in my book. I know that my Baxter will be the talking point for many days to come and have promised to send them a photo of him, just so that they don't forget the first Chow Chow they ever met.
GOOD BYE BAXTER
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU MY DARLING BOY
IN MEMORY OF CHAMPION BAXTER OF MELTARI
CHOW CHOW OF THE YEAR 1995
1ST OCTOBER 1993 - 21ST JANUARY 1996
Baxter came to me as a lovely little puppy, from the moment I saw him I knew that he would be a Champion, As he grew like all puppies, he was full of the joys of life, and we were so proud of him when at 4 months old he won best puppy in group as well as best of breed and got a third place in the Best of Breed group at the P.M.B. open show. Beating five of my other dogs, I had taken to the show that day. As he grew the judges saw his potential, and he never failed to win best of breed at every show he went too. I was so proud of him when he was accepted to compete in the Natal top dog show; he and Skye were the first Natal chow’s to have ever been accepted. Although he did not win he behaved like a dream, and carried on winning at further championship shows and open shows in Natal. To once again be accepted this time along with his little son Sultan to compete in the Natal top dog show 1995,Baxter was my pride and joy and was not only loved by all of us at home, but everyone who came into contact with him, he was a friendly fellow and loved everyone he met. Of course he had some bad habits, and as you know of his fight with the Pit Bull, but he still came off best and this proved what a champion Dog he was.
On Sunday 21st January 1995, I had just let him and Skye out of their pen for morning exercise while I was cleaning up the garden, I went to empty the bucket, and had not turned my back on them for a matter of five minutes, They both disappeared without a trace, I searched the garden for them but they were nowhere to be seen, I then heard a hell of a commotion coming from the grounds of Ralun kennels, I opened the gate between our properties and forced my way through the bush down to the kennels, there was Skye and Baxter killing the chickens. How they knew there were chickens there I really don’t know and can only presume that they had spotted them through the fence. I shouted at them and asked the kennel boys to help but they just stood there while I tried to get them home through the dense bush, I chased them towards the gate, but lost track of them, I ran home and screamed for Robin and Rick to get out of bed and come and help me to get the dogs home as they had killed two chickens. Rick managed to find Skye and Robin and I searched the dense bush for Baxter. He was nowhere to be seen, we searched the bush for almost an hour, when my gardener called Robin saying he had found Baxter but he thought he was dead. As he could not get him up. We charged through the bush, and there he was lying exhausted from trying to find his way home. Robin and I and Ben carried him through the bush over the fence and back up our drive home. He appeared to be in coma at the time, When we got home I screamed for Rick who was still looking for him in the other direction, that we had found him an had to get him to a vet as soon as possible. On arrival at the Vet, he was diagnosed as having heat exhaustion and the Doctor put him on a drip and said that I must not worry, as he would like to keep him hospital over night. That afternoon Baxter started to vomit up sharp chicken bones and started to bleed internally, He passed away at 5 in the evening from internal hemorrhage caused by the Chicken he had eaten. I was heartbroken when I heard that he had died, this was such an unnecessary way to go. I shall always remember my darling boy and know that he will never be far from me. My heart bleeds every time I look at his photo on the wall, but I know he was loved and he knew it as well, We now hope and pray that everything goes well with Skye after her fright and that the puppies she is carrying from Baxter will hopefully bring him back to us.
Skye had 7 lovely puppies from that mating with Baxter 7 years ago. He is now but a wonderful memory never to be forgotten.
DOG HIKES 24 MILES TO CIVILISATION
Crater Lake, Oregon - a dog-named Bear apparently tumbled 40 m down a precipitous, snow-covered slope to the shore of Crater Lake without injury, and then hiked back to civilization a week later.
Bear's owner, Mr. Frank Miller, and friend Jeanette Papadopoulos visited the park, high in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon, on June 19.
Ms Papadopoulos let the 5-year-old black chow off its leash and Bear disappeared, apparently over the edge.
Rangers found no sign of Bear, other than a small avalanche.
"The impression was it had injuries and wouldn't survive very long, if it was even alive"' said Crater Lake national Park spokesman Jack Ramsden.
On Monday, bear was seen at the Park's rim Village tourist area begging for food. The dog had apparently made its way 29 km around the shore of the lake at the bottom of the crater to the only trail back up to the rim.
This shows you just how tough chow's can be.
THE HORRORS OF THE INFRARED LAMP
In May a few years ago, my Bitch Meltari Chrystal Gazer was expecting a litter from Meltari blue Denim. The weather was turning cooler and my heating pad I had used for years had finally packed up. All the books I have on puppy rearing suggest the use of the infrared lamp, saying this was the best way of keeping young puppies warm, so instead of buying another heating pad, I bought an infrared lamp from the chemist.
My bitch's litter of nine puppies was born but two died soon after birth. The rest survived and were kept warm under the infrared lamp. No, unknown to me, I sued a medicated infrared lamp, not knowing at the time you could buy a special lamp for keeping puppies or chickens warm. I left the lamp on all night and turned it on periodically during the day when the weather turned chilly - never knowing the damage I was causing my lovely puppies and their mother.
My puppies thrived and grew and soon their eyes were open. All of them had bright blue eyes and as they grew the blue did not fade away very much. Only two puppies' eyes eventually turned brown at six weeks of age. I took my bitch puppy Meltari Melushka to the vet and on careful examination he pronounced her blind in both eyes. The corneas were badly damaged and he suggested I put her down and it was possibly a genetic disability.
Well I went through my puppy's pedigrees to try to trace this blindness but all dogs on both sides were of sound bloodlines and there was no blindness. I did not destroy my puppy and today although she cannot see, she can find her way around like any Chow with sight.
I telephoned S.A. Phillips to get a replacement globe for my infrared lamp. The gentleman I spoke to was horrified when I told him what I wanted " You cannot use a medicated lamp on small puppies, you need an incubator lam" was what he said. Suddenly it struck me; Melushka's blindness was not a genetic fault by my fault for using an incorrect infrared lamp. I phoned my Vet and spoke to him about my discovery and he agreed immediately with me. It was the rays of the infrared lamp that had burned the corneas of the whole litter of puppies abut somehow my puppy received more than the others.
There were three puppies that developed white spots on their corneas, my blind puppy, only one had clear eyes and two were blind in one eye. This was terrible and all puppies were given away to people who wanted them. Their mother Chrystal, because of receiving such a large dose of infrared has lost all the hair on her chest and tummy.
I am horrified at the dangers of a medicated infrared lamp. Don't trust your chemist for providing the correct lamp. They may also not know the difference. Rather get professional advise on where to buy the correct item from S.A. Phillips or use a heating pad which is far safer for you precious litter.
MELTARI MELUSHKA
You all read about the devastating effect of the infrared lamp on my puppies. Now I am going to tell you about my blind chow, "Melushka".
She was the pick of the litter, a lovely sturdy puppy with good bone and a lovely head; only we did not know that she would never be able to see.
As a tiny puppy she won every one's heart. When we realized there was something very wrong with her sight, I took her to my vet who confirmed my fears and suggested that we put her down. She was then 8 Weeks old. Instead I asked him to inoculate her as I would be keeping her, blind or not she was a Chow and one of mine.
As the months went past, we watched her grow from a tiny puppy, which at first would stumble around the garden finding her feet, but soon learnt where every obstacle was that she might bump into. In her rush around the yard, she soon learned that her best friends were my three cats. She would gleefully sniff them out and the chase was on. She flew around the garden after them. Looking at her you would never think this lovely chow was totally blind. She has never seen the sun or the trees and really has no idea what the cats look like. Many a time, when the cats were well and truly cornered, they would jump over my garden fence. She was not perturbed by their actions and would stand with her two front paws balanced on the fence. She was not perturbed by their actions and would stand with her two front paws balance on the fence "looking" over to see if they were anywhere within reach. While she was still very young, I also got Charlie, a black Maltese Cross Toy Poodle to be her companion. She loved Charlie and when they are together, follows him around the garden. It's like having a guide dog for a blind dog. They have always got on very well together.
Two weeks ago Melushka had to have one of her eyes removed as she had developed glaucoma in it. It was unsightly to look at. I thought it would be better if it were not there at all. She sailed through the operation and although my Vet said it was a difficult operation as the eyeball itself was a big as a golf ball and full of fluid, he thought that infection might set in and that he would have to put her down. But again she proved him wrong and she healed very quickly and was soon getting around even better than before. Without the pain and the weight of a very bad eye, the cats are now even more aware of her. You would never think that she was blind unless you look at her eyes. She is a truly lovely young 18-month-old chow and so far she has coped extremely well with her disability. And I am sure she will cope very well with anything put in her way. On a sad ending note of Melushkas life
I had to put her down at the age of 8 years because she developed cancer in her throat.
Carolyn Dewrance
4 Fernwood Close
Richwood
Cape Town 7441
4 Fernwood Close
Richwood
Cape Town 7441