Nala

2 years old today!!

2009-02-23T21:00:00.007+01:00

Happy Birthday to Nala and all of your brothers and sisters!!

Here is our beautiful girl...

"Cousins"

2008-10-11T12:17:00.017+02:00

Mikael's sister and her family came on holidays from Australia in August. Nala doesn't usually get much exposure to kids and is generally unsure in their presence, but now she had no choice.

Emma (3 months) didn't pose much of a threat and was not phased when Nala stuck her nose in to smell or lick a foot or face.

Marcus (3½) was just as unsure of Nala in the beginning as she was of him. Who wouldn't be unsure when a curious dog who is just as big as you approaches, or a loud little whirlwind boy runs around you. But they did warm up to each other in the end, except when Nala tried to steal Marcus' dinosaurs and fluffy shark.

But in the end we don't know who tires each other out the most.

Fatboy doggie lounge

2008-10-09T21:06:00.006+02:00

How did it get to be the 9th of September all of a sudden?

Nala is now over 1½ years old. She grew up and went on heat for the first time (and the crazy phantom pregnancy that followed), she had a fun weekend when we babysat her sister and looks forward to next time, she was in a number of shows during the summer (without success) including World Dog Show in Stockholm, we went on a camping adventure in Dalsland/Värmland/Dalarna in a tent, Mikael's sister and family came to visit in August whereby she got lots of exposure to children, she has started training in agility which she loves, and Mikael's company g.u.l.o has merged with Radar so there are all sorts of new things that have happened in the last 5 months of her life.

The newest thing is the Fatboy doggie lounge. Now matte & husse should have checked out the ratings of this on the net before they went and spent a lot of money on Nala but they can't help themselves. So now Nala has a gigantic, very good looking new cushion, that didn't turn out to be quite as comfortable as anticipated. We had to empty 2 bags of beans and it is still stiff, it makes a lot of noise, and the surface is slippery. Hopefully Nala will get used to it though.

Congratulations!!!!

2008-04-22T12:02:00.003+02:00

Congratulations to daddy Cai Ranua who was awarded Bir with Cert & Cacib on Saturday and therefore claims the title Intuch! Nala is very proud :D

Congratulations also to "aunty" Kamba Anatulinda's Fuzu Yazza who was awarded 2nd best bitch with Cert & rescacib and earned the title Nuch!

At work with husse...

2008-04-20T09:48:00.024+02:00

Nala goes to work with husse nearly every day. Husse's office is a shopfront on Kungshöjd so there is always lots to look at through the windows.

Most often she is sitting and waiting for her friends to play. There are lots of dogs on the street and they all go and play in the park at the end. Sesam and Fidou are her best friends. The appear to play quite rough but they love each other.

Sometimes we even meet relatives. This is Kewa from Minjimba's A-litter (we met her on Marstrand too) who happened to pass by.

If there are no friends to play with, husse takes Nala for a long walk at lunchtime, along the river, through Nordstan, and back to the office.

It is important to be at the office when the mail arrives, otherwise there can be an accident.

But the best times are when it becomes doggy daycare and Fidou comes to visit. Fidou is Nala's best friend and is very well behaved. Nala adores her and can't leave here alone but Fidou doesn't always want her constant attention.

And when nothing is happening, it is time to sleep...

A lot happens in 1½ months

2008-04-19T21:02:00.058+02:00

Oj...we don't get around to blogging so much so all of a sudden it is the middle of april and there is lots to tell. Since the end of February winter has come and gone, daddy Cai has fathered new puppies, "mormor" Anna has had a baby, husse & matte brought a new sofa, and we have explored new parts of Göteborg.

One day we happened to be walking home from town and they were holding ski- and snowboard jumping at Chalmers. There was no snow anywhere else but they had transported some here and built this long ramp and jump. There were bleachers and music and lots of people. We stood amongst the crowd for a while, Nala between matte's legs (as she often does while waiting for something), and watched all the action.

We went for a walk in Änggårdsberget beyond where we have ventured before. It is ridiculous that we have not done this before because it is so close and so beautiful but this was the first of what will be many visits.

Nala got another sore in her side. She has to take it a bit easier when she meets her best friend Fidou because we have come to the conclusion that it is Fidou's teeth that cause the injuries upon their initial meeting. This time she didn't have to get stitches but she still had to wear her very fashionable t-shirt?!?

We visited Anna, John and the new puppies but the puppies were all really sick. In case it was contagious, Nala could not play with the other dogs. She had to go for a walk by herself instead. At this stage one can wonder if Nala did catch something....or otherwise we would like a refund for this freak with 3 legs, only one correct ear, and a bullet-hole in the side....just kidding, we love her even in this state.

Here are the puppies that Nala missed seeing.

... and Grace

... and Buzu

Then, all of a sudden the winter we never thought we'd see, decided to present itself. Easter weekend bought with it beautiful winter weather and we made the most of it. On Easter sunday we chose to explore Lackarebäcksfjället. Going was tough....at least for husse & matte. Nala just thinks the snow is great fun. It was lucky for us that the ground was frozen or we'd have been up our necks in mud. A lack of paths didn't make things easier but the weather was fantastic and we eventually made it to the top for a great view. After all the hard work it is always nice to get back to the comfort of the boot of the car.

Our promenade on Easter Monday was more local, around Annedal, where we found a fantastic lookout from a very special water tower that looks nothing like a water tower.

Easter saturday we had been at Joakim & Karin's. It is the first time Nala has been tired out. She was great with the kids and vice versa. They are used to large dogs even if Nala is not used to kids. Emmy was following Nala around and calling her and giving her repetitive commands in her cute little girl voice. They were however commands that the other dogs understand and not Nala...at least not in that tone. But Emmy tried hard until Nala needed to avoid her and lay down under the dinnertable to rest. It was very amusing.

After the Easter weekend, to our surprise, it just kept on snowing. Not even the shoots on the trees and flowers that had blossomed could stand against this. Nala got to go to work with matte on the day it snowed most and we walked in the forest by Delsjön at lunch.

We've also made the most of the old sofa before it disappeared.

And then the new one came and Nala loves it.

... so does matte :)

Nala also enjoys the Corbusier chaiselounge and uses it as her lookout post to see out the window.

Then we got a new mat too. Matte and husse weren't so sure it was the right choice but Nala made up their minds pretty quickly.

And finally, our latest adventure... a trip two weeks ago to visit Anna, John and the dogs again, as well as their beautiful new baby, 3 week old Malin.

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-02-23T15:07:00.007+01:00

1 year today! Happy birthday to Nala and all her brothers and sisters.
Did she really look like this once upon a time?!

Playing rough

2008-02-18T21:17:00.010+01:00

Well...Nala plays rough and has a hard head.

We've know that for a while. About six months ago Nala gave matte a blood nose whilst playing. That was quite a shock for both of us. Matte had never had a blood nose before, and found herself kneeling on the floor with her hands cupped under her chin rapidly filling with blood and it oozing between the fingers and dropping all over the floor whilst Nala stood by looking stunned and confused by all the commotion.

On Friday, Matte took her next battle wound when Nala headbutted her in the eye. Today it does not look pretty at all.

And then today, she hurt herself while playing with all of her friends that she usually plays with everyday. We don't even know what happened. Husse was there at the time and only discovered the wound when it was time to stop playing. So...a visit to the vet followed, and sedatives and stitches, and now she is wearing an old t-shirt and lying in bed beside matte feeling sorry for herself...or is she feeling very pleased with herself because she is not usually allowed on the bed.

Here she is at the vet's before the sedative wore off entirely.

And here is the wound complete with 3 stitches.

Not so impressed with her new style!

It's a small world

2008-02-17T20:31:00.012+01:00

On January the 27th we tagged along to Marstrand with Gunilla and walked around the whole island. The weather was really nice and it was Nala's first visit to the island. She was kind of crazy, pulling all over the place and darting here and there. She would have had so much fun if we could have let her off the leash but she is so unpredictable....no, make that predictable....she will run off. We were not the only ones who had the bright idea to visit Marstrand on this day. There were a lot of other people and a lot of other dogs. When we got to the oak forest, we happened to meet another ridgeback coming in the opposite direction. It is such a small world. The first question upon meeting another ridgeback is always what kennel it comes from. It turned out that this one was Kewa from Minjimba Ridges A-litter. She was so calm and walked off leash. Nala went hysterical and wanted to play. Kewa didn't even want to say hello to Nala and tried to avoid her. It is hard to imagine they are the same breed let alone have the same mother. Apparently Kewa was quite a challenge up until her second heat though, then she calmed down. Just one more year to go....

Christmas present

2008-02-17T20:11:00.005+01:00

We didn't get to spend Christmas with Nala but she got a present from Grant & Kathy. It is now one of her favourite toys but she can only play with it for small moments at a time because she tries to pull it to pieces. But she is really good when it is time to take it away. She is not at all overprotective of her toys. She just looks acceptingly at you and then does something else. Here she is with husse's Christmas present too...the scarf that is.

Where have we been?

2008-02-13T19:51:00.021+01:00

No we haven't fallen off the planet....we just went to the other side for a little while.

Matte went to Argentina to work in the first week of December, and then both matte and husse went on holidays to Japan and Australia for a month. Poor Nala didn't get to go. Instead she went to Minjimba Ridge for a holiday and lived it up with her brothers and sisters and friends. Thankyou so much to Anna and John for taking care of her during this time. We missed Nala heaps. It worried us that she would have such a good time and therefore not remember us when we got back, and even if she would remember us, she would forget all we had taught her. How wrong we were.

We arrived home late on the Friday January 5. My Dog was underway at Svenska Mässan and Nala was registered to be shown on Saturday the 6th. We met John and Nala on the roof of the Focus carpark and Nala was so happy to see us that she peed herself. She did not perform well at the dog show but that wasn't just her own fault...matte was jetlagged and it turned out that Nala needed a week to recover from her holiday too. She even lay down on the mat at the edge of the ring whilst waiting for her turn. Her critique was not so great so we'll have to practice a bit more...and be a bit more alert next time.

Favourite sleeping positions

2007-11-29T07:54:00.000+01:00

Here is Nala at her best ;-) We have been documenting some of her different sleeping positions over the last week..... in her bed, on her cushion, on the sofa, and at work with Kristen.

Fun with friends

2007-11-28T06:49:00.000+01:00

Wow, things are getting stressful. Nala doesn't seem to sense that we are going away yet, despite all the piles of packing in the spare room and her now being forbidden to enter.

We haven't managed to blog for a while, so now is time. Here comes a few images from the weekend before last. We visited Anna, John & all the dogs at Minjimba Ridge again. Nero (formerly known as Kungen) was also visiting so Nala enjoyed catching up with her brother too, as well as sister Buzu and pappa Cai. We went walking in the forest again. There are no pictures of Nala, she was not very photogenic on this particular day. This was Yazza's day to be photogenic as she hopped up on stumps and rocks and posed on command. The first three photos are of Yazza. She comes from the same kennel as Grace.

Here we have Buzu, Grace and Nala on the run, and then all the hungry dogs waiting in line for a treat. That is Nala sitting....such a good patient girl (NOT!....first she jumped, then she sat).

This last one is a beautiful shot of Yazza, Nero & Grace.

Coffee at Bar Centro

2007-11-17T18:43:00.000+01:00

Today Nala went shopping in the city. She is such a good girl when there are crowds of people and there certainly were today. She is on her very best behaviour when we are in Nordstan. She sits and waits patiently outside the shops while Husse goes in to buy something. Many people stop to look at her and admire her with Matte standing proudly beside.
She doesn't like Åhléns much though. It is pretty amazing that you can actually take a dog in there but there is something that troubles her when inside the store. Maybe it is the noise that the escalator and lifts make, or the strange flooring, and she just is not a happy dog. But then we met Idegun in Åhléns. Idegun is the mother of one of our best friends and Nala loves her (and vice versa) so it was necessary to leave the store to say hello.
After that we were all very hungry so we went to our favourite café, Bar Centro, for a coffee and foccacia....and a few photos. Nala is popular with the owner there too who comes out to admire her if possible 'cause he likes ridgebacks.

Afraid of the vet? - not me!

2007-11-14T06:58:00.001+01:00

We went to the vet a week ago to take a blood test and see that Nala has developed the antibodies since her Rabies injection. She is so funny. You see dogs on the Dog Whisperer and other shows, and even dogs at the vet, that obviously don't want to be there.
Nala, on the other hand, makes a beeline for the door with me flying behind holding the leash. Then I have to keep her in check inside. There are so many other dogs inside and she wants to play and say hello to everyone. And then comes the vet who Nala rushes up to when her name is called, and licks him or her all over the face whilst being a good girl and standing so well on the table for her examination.
It does not seem to matter that she gets a big needle stuck in her leg and blood is taken. She will be just as eager to go back next time.

And she is a winner!!

2007-11-04T20:22:00.000+01:00

Nala wins a goose at Lindome Archery Club's quiz walk with 31 points. What a clever girl! . . . . . But she will have to give it to Matte. "Grandma" also won a goose with 30 points. What a day!

Lindome Archery Club's quiz walk

2007-11-04T16:56:00.000+01:00

Today was the annual Lindome Bågskytteklubbs Gåsajakt Poängpromenad (Archery Club's goosehunt quiz walk). The weather was perfect and now Nala is worn out after a 3 hr walk, 20 questions, 5 activities, guessing the amount of liquid in a hose, and enthusiastically greeting every person she met.

Here she is taking Matte for a walk and having a coffee break,

and with Husse & "Grandma", and finally answering a question

(or is that waiting patiently for a piece meatball).

Nala's Halloween special

2007-11-03T15:19:00.000+01:00

We were out in the forest last weekend with Anna (Nala's breeder) & John, pappa Cai, friend Grace & sister Buzu. Husse took som photos that look really spooky and ferocious so they are featured here as Nala's Halloween special.
I must point out however that the dogs are anything but ferocious.

My very first post

2007-11-03T10:45:00.000+01:00

Well we've jumped on the blogging bandwagon so here comes Nalas very first post. It is actually a nice day here in Gothenburg so Nala is trying to get as many of those valuable rays of sun as possible while Matte* writes the first blog. Maybe she too knows that the sun will soon disappear and the cold rainy slushy slippery dark days will take over. This dog just loves the sun. I wonder how she will cope.

*this is a great Swedish word for a dog's female owner (that is me....Kristen)....there is no equivalent in english as far as I know so now I am going to use Matte and Husse (male equivalent....that would be Mikael) to describe us, even in english.