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History of Cynara              

Rowdy, an AKC registered Rottweiler was our first show dog.  He did very well at some local match shows and Rottweiler fun events.  Sadly, he was stolen in 1999 before we could win any titles or certificates. 

Meeting "dog" people at the shows was so enjoyable we decided to purchase a show quality Ridgeback just in case we wanted to participate in more events.  After an exhaustive search for the perfect Ridgeback, we picked Hunter in 2001 from Red Earth Ridgebacks in Oklahoma.  Hunter became the first Cynara Ridgeback to earn a Junior Courser, Senior Courser and Championship title and a Canine Good Citizen certificate.

Chisum joined our family in 2003 from the New York/New Jersey area.  While trying to decide on a registered name for Chisum we decided it would be fun to pick out a kennel name even though we had no intention of ever breeding a litter. "Cynara" was selected because of my love for Gone With The Wind.  "Cynara" is credited as the first poem to use the phrase "gone with the wind".  It is an odd little poem but the name Cynara resonated with me so it was selected and thus Cynara Ridgebacks was born.

Wild and crazy Dozer sold by his breeder as a surprise Christmas present.  The "surprise" wasn't well received by the wife and after several weeks they decided to return him. Our house was one of the relay stops along the route back to his breeder in early 2004. Another male Ridgeback was the last thing we needed but once we laid eyes on him it was easy to see his potential. Needless to say, he never made it back to his breeder. 

Finally it dawned on us that if we were going to stay in Ridgebacks we needed a foundation bitch.  Jendaya Ridgebacks in Mass. had a lovely litter with a combination of show, obedience, and performance bloodlines.  We were very pleased to add Katie to the Cynara gang in 2005.  It was a truly a dream come true to be able to purchase such an incredible Ridgeback to be the dam of our first litter.  Katie was bred in November 2007 to BIF DC Tandiwe's Intrigue'n Mission, SC HIC TDI CGC (Apollo). 

Cynara's first litter of 7 pups was born on January 23, 2008.  The pick of the litter is our gorgeous girl, Trouble.  Our second litter of 10 pups was born on August 26, 2009.

With very limited showing Cynara Ridgebacks have earned several AKC titles and certificates:

1 Dual Championship "DC" (Astra)
6 Show Championships "CH" (Hunter, Dozer, Katie, Stella, Trouble, Astra)
1 Companion Dog "CD" title (Katie)
1 Field Champion "FC" (Astra)
6 Junior Coursing "JC" titles (Hunter, Dozer, Scuba, Trouble, Lucas, Astra)
3 Senior Coursing "SC" titles (Hunter, Dozer, Astra)
8 Canine Good Citizens certificates "CGC" (Hunter, Chisum, Dozer, Katie, Trouble, Astra, Lucas, Titan)
5 Rally Novice titles "RN" (Chisum, Dozer, Katie, Trouble, Astra)
3 Rally Advanced titles "RA" (Chisum, Katie, Trouble)
1 Rally Excellent title "RE" (Katie)

Multiple Best of Breed awards and 1 Group placement.  We are located in central Oklahoma where it is hot, windy and dry. Perfect weather for a South African dog--however be warned--they have adapted quite well to air conditioning and enjoy it very much. All of our Ridgebacks are registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC).  We have been a member of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States (RRCUS) since 2002.

We attended the first RRCUS National Specialty held in Texas in September 2004.  Dozer placed in this class and made the cut in the Best Ridge contest.  Our second Specialty was held in Mason, Ohio in May 2007 which was about a 13 hour drive from Oklahoma.  Katie along with her dam, Gemma and her sister, Maia competed for Best Brood Bitch.  Our team made the first cut.  Katie and Gemma also made 1st cut in the Best of Breed competition.  The trip was well worth it. 

History of Ridgebacks

I'm just starting this section of the web page but I wanted to share some photos I purchased of Ridgebacks when the breed was just getting started.  Looking at the early Ridgebacks it is easy to see how little modern Ridgebacks have changed.  In the US Ridgeback heads have gotten prettier, toplines straighter, necks longer, bodies are sleeker & taller with less bone and less white on the legs and neck.  Australian and English Ridgebacks are still fairly heavy with longer loins.

Puppies from champion parents at the Manscross Kennel in Essex, England sold for 12 Guineas and higher in 1958.  Manscross Ridgebacks started in 1938 by Dr. & Mrs. K.C. Mackenzie.  Their Ridgebacks won Best of Breed at the Cruft's dog show in 1953, 1955, 1956 & 1957.

Owlsmoor Kennel of Berks, England was owned by Mrs. C Hick.  She had the joy of owning Ch. Lutoto of Owlsmoor who in 1957 became the first Ridgeback to win Best in Show at an all-breed show after World War II.  Lutoto was a daughter of Ch. Melantho of Manscross who won Cruft's in 1956.  Owlsmoor showed they were a progressive kennel by importing Owlsmoor Sandown Hustler from South Africa in 1957.  Hustler was 27" in height at the withers and had a beautiful long ridge.

Ulaka of the Heightfinder - Born 1933 (note: photo says Heightfinden but I believe the kennel is Heightfinder)

Viking Leo of Avondale - Born 1928 (note: sorry for the poor quality of this photo but it was taped on the back of Ulaka's picture)

Past Cynara News Stories

June 28, 2008 - NEW TITLE.  Dozer earned his Rally Novice title today with a score of 91 to earn his 3rd and final leg.  Lucas, one of Trouble's brothers came up from Texas for a short visit.  He went to his first dog show -- not to show but to have his eyes tested.  Both eyes were perfectly normal and he became the 3rd puppy from Katie's first litter to pass their CERF eye exam.

June 14, 2008 - Trouble entered her first show today.  It was the K9 Squares Fun Match held at the Okla. City Fairgrounds.  Trouble is only 4 3/4 months old so she was entered in the 3-6 Puppy Conformation Class.  Scuba and Astra couldn't make it to the show to compete against their sister so Trouble easily won Puppy Best of Breed (BOB) for Rhodesian Ridgebacks.  The competition stiffened when she went up against the BOB from the other Hound breeds attending the match.  A very nice slightly older Plott Hound puppy almost beat us but Trouble stacked and moved so nicely the judge pointed to the her for Hound Puppy Group 1.  Trouble and I were both getting tired by the time we finally hit the mats for Best in Match.  She wasn't holding her stack for as long and I wasn't paying as much attention to the judge's instructions as I should have so it was quite a surprise when the Judge announced the Ridgeback was Best Puppy in Match.   Later the judge told me Trouble had very nice conformation, even though she was a bit high in the rear, but it was her breath-taking side gait that made it impossible for the judge to pass her by.

May 25, 2008 Dozer turned in a great performance at the lure coursing trial today.  He tied for 2nd place and had to run a 3rd heat to decide who earned the points.  Dozer won the run-off and earned another point toward his Field Championship.  Dozer now has 9 of the 15 points needed.

May 24, 2008 - Astra & Trouble were both examined for any eye problems or diseases (CERF eye test).  Both girls passed with flying colors and were determined to be normal in both eyes.  The results of the exam are being mailed to CERF and should be posted on the CERF web site soon.

May 24, 2008 Several of Kuno's kids and grandkids ran in the AKC lure coursing trial held in Shawnee, OK.  Miles (grandson) earned his Junior Courser title in the morning & then bolted to 1st place in the trial for a 4pt major.  Dozer (son) grabbed 3rd place for 1 point.  Riva (granddaughter) who also earned her JC in the AM was 4th & Zoi (daughter) was 5th out of 8 Ridgebacks entered in the open class.  We all missed seeing the mighty Kuno run this year and certainly are hoping he recovers from his ruptured disk.

April 29, 2008 Cynara's Africa's King of the Titans "Titan" became Katie's first puppy to graduate from Puppy Preschool.  The instructor stated, "Titan is an awesome dog and they are a great team!" Debbie and Titan are now moving on to a regular obedience class.  We are very proud of the work Debbie has already put in this puppy. 

April 16, 2008  The puppies turn 12 weeks old today.  All owners are having some success with housebreaking and basic obedience like sit and down.  Commands getting lots of practice are "no bite" and "leave it".    Titan and Debbie in Idaho won an award in puppy class for meeting the most people -- over 100.  It only took a few weeks for homes with older Ridgebacks to report that they had accepted the puppy and were even starting to play.  Chisum, our rather serious Ridgeback, seems to be Trouble's favorite.  He is very patient and even wags his tail when she gives him puppy kisses.

January 27, 2008 - Katie has been such a wonderful mom that it has made caring for her and the puppies much easier.  Many breeders swear good dams come from good dams.  Katie's dam, Gemma was wonderful and took great care of her babies.  The 7 puppies are 3 1/2 days old and moving around the whelping box surprising fast. 

Weight at 2 1/2 days: Pink 1lb 9 oz – Blue 1 lb 7 ¾ oz – Cool White 1 lb 7 ¾ oz – Red 1lb 4 1/8 oz – Orange 1lb 5 3/4 oz – Purple 1lb 5 ¾ oz – Green 1lb 3 ½ oz

January 23, 2008 - Wow, what a day.  Katie had her puppies 3 days early and almost caught us off guard.  My wonderful team of co-whelpers showed up and together we delivered 8 puppies.  Unfortunately, one was stillborn but we have 4 feisty females and 3 handsome male puppies.  At this time, all of the puppies are spoken for and have people anxiously awaiting their arrival.

January 19, 2008 - Katie is 8 weeks pregnant.  Only 1 week to go until we have puppies!!  X-rays to count puppies are scheduled for January 21, 2008.

January 13, 2008 - Only about 2 weeks to go.  The whelping box is built and set up in the library.  Everyone I know is saving newspapers to line the bottom of the box.  Several people have volunteered to be whelping assistants so hopefully regardless of what time of the day or night labor starts, a few of them will be available.  Katie has gone from 2 cups of dry food a day to 4 1/2 cups plus one can of Evo per day.  She is eating 3 times per day and will soon be fed 4 times per day because her stomach can't hold as much because of the puppies.

December 29, 2007 - Katie had an ultrasound to try and confirm if she is pregnant.  The vet thought she saw several puppies but just to confirm her finding we decided to run a canine pregnancy test even though Katie wasn't as far along as recommended for optimum accuracy.  After 10 long minutes of watching the little white strip it finally changed color.  Katie is pregnant!!!  Due date January 26, 2007.  

November 27, 2007  The long awaited breeding between Apollo {Best In Field Dual Champion Tandiwe's Intrigue'n Mission, SC HIC TDI CGC} and Katie {CH Jendaya's Mint Julep of Cynara, RE CGC} took place on November 24, 2007. Due date will be very close to January 26, 2008.  Apollo is strong, muscular and very macho looking.  He will give the puppies lots of bone, substance and gusto for lure coursing and other performance sports.  Katie is highly intelligent with a beautiful coat and expression.  Both dogs have long gorgeous ridges. Puppies are the sum of their ancestors.  Photos of Katie, Apollo and many of their relatives have been gathered to show potential owners what to expect from this litter.   Apollo   Katie 

October 6-7, 2007  The 2007 AKC National Lure Coursing Championship was held in North Carolina.  Each day 102 of the very best lure coursing hounds competed.  The 11 breeds of hounds entered were Afghan Hounds, Basenjis, Borzois, Greyhounds, Ibizan Hounds, Wolfhounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Salukis, Scottish Deerhounds and Whippets.  After two days of coursing, the three highest scoring dogs in each breed competed for the Championship.  Apollo [DC Tandiwe's Intrigue'n Mission] was the 2nd best coursing Ridgeback losing only to Ariel who won Best of Breed.  We were so pleased to have selected Apollo to be the sire of Cynara's first litter of puppies.

9/18/07  What a fun weekend!  A friend of mine celebrated the grand opening of her new dog training center - the Canine Sports Academy.  One of the activities to educate the many visitors was demos showing how to run a rally course and some of the moves dogs can learn to do in agility class.  Guess who got to show off the many hours of training?  That's right...Katie & I were selected to be one of the demo teams.  We did the rally course several times, both on and off leash and Katie impressed the crowds by hurtling thru the tunnel and over several jumps.  The Canine Sports Academy is located 10 minutes south of Norman, OK and will be starting classes on October 1, 2007.

8/25/07 All of Katie's health tests have been posted to the OFA online database.  Anyone interested in buying a dog should spend time studying the information available for their breed and especially on the parents, grandparents and siblings of any puppy BEFORE making a purchase.  Both Katie and Apollo have had their hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid and hearts tested for any abnormalities.  Our #1 goal is to do everything in our power to produce a healthy long-lived litter of puppies.  Katie's Test Results  Apollo's Test Results

8/5/07 Today is a wonderful day.  It is my mother's 84th birthday for which I am very thankful.  The other great news is that Katie's sister, Maia got her last point today going WB/BOW/BOS under Judge P. Levi Marsman for her championship :-)  She is now Ch Jendaya's National Treasure SC CGC.  Maia only needs 5 single points in Lure Coursing for a Dual Championship.

7/30/07 Let's celebrate!!  In the morning mail the radiologists reports on Katie's elbows and hips xrays arrived.  Elbows showed no sign of dysplasia and were ruled NORMAL.  Hips also showed no sign of dysplasia and were rated EXCELLENT - A1.  We are thrilled to have all four of our Ridgebacks rate an Excellent on their hip xrays.  Now we are ready to think about having our first litter of puppies.

7/8/07 It turned out that 7/7/07 was not a lucky day for Cynara.  We played the lottery but only managed to pick two of the 6 numbers needed to win $27 million.  A much luckier day was 7/5/07.  Katie's hips and elbows were x-rayed to check for signs of displasia or other health problems.  Our vet was quite pleased with what he saw and anticipates the official evaluation from the panel of 3 radiologists will be a "good" rating.  My nails will be bitten to the quick while waiting the two or three weeks to receive the results from OFA.  This rating is very important to the future of Cynara.  The RRCUS Code of Ethics states: 

There are several Ridgeback breeders who don't worry about breeding dogs and bitches with a "fair" hip rating.  Cynara's mission is to strive for excellence in health of our puppies.  Cynara will NOT breed any Ridgeback with fair hips, autoimmune thyroiditis or serious eye problems.  We neutered our first champion Ridgeback male because of allergies and autoimmune thyroiditis even though he is gorgeous and easily finished his championship.  The odds of passing down these health problems are much higher than ever winning the lottery so why take chances?  Are you willing to gamble on the health of a dog purchased from someone who hasn't tested the sire and dam for health problems?

6/30/07  Katie's Show Record
1 point 4/15/06 Judge James R White
3 point major 6/29/06 Judge Charles Olvis
Canine Good Citizen certificate 6/30/06
2 points 9/16/06 Judge Loraine Boutwell
1st leg of Junior Courser 9/23/06
SG-1 Rating (SG-1 is the highest rating a puppy can receive) Junghund class 10/7/06 Judge Bud Haverstock(Canada) plus Puppy Group 2 at the IABCA show
SG-1 Rating Junghund class 10/7/06 Judge Nelson Huber plus Puppy Group 1 IABCA show
National JHA title - SG-1 Rating Junghund class 10/8/06 Judge Richard Samide plus Puppy Group 1 IABCA show
International JHA title - SG-1 Rating Junghund class 10/8/06 Judge Pat Huber plus Puppy Group 1 at the IABCA show
1st leg Rally Novice 10/14/06 - 2nd leg RN 10/15/06 - 3rd leg & Rally Novice title 11/3/06
1st leg Rally Advanced 11/4/06 - 2nd leg RA 2/19/07 - 3rd leg & Rally Advanced title 4/1/07
2 points 3/4/07 Judge Dr. Robert Berndt
1 point 3/5/07 Judge Roger Hartinger
4 point major 3/24/07 Judge Dr. Richard Meen
1st leg Rally Excellent 4/1/07 - 2nd leg RE & 3rd place 5/22/07 at Ridgeback Nat'l - 3rd leg & Rally Excellent title 6/30/07
4 point major 4/7/07 Judge Joe C Walton - AKC Champion

7/2/07 Katie and Dozer had a great show in Oklahoma City at the end of June.  Katie was awarded a Best of Opposite Sex award and earned a Rally Excellent (RE) title.  Dozer earned two legs toward his Rally Novice title with scores of 92 and 88 out of 100.  Dozer also had his eyes and heart tested for abnormalities.  Katie only had her eyes tested since she just recently had her heart checked.  All health results have been submitted to CERF and OFA and should appear soon on the OFA database.

5/26/07 We recently returned from the 2007 Ridgeback National Specialty dog show held in Ohio.  It was a fun trip where we met many of Katie's relatives, including her dam, sire, sister, two grandsires, great grandsire sire and several other assorted relations.  The real purpose of attending the Specialty was to scout out potential sires for Katie and let the owners admire Katie's great potential as a performance dog and a dam.  It was simply icing on the cake when Katie earned 3rd place in the Rally Excellent A trial for her 2nd leg.  Later in the week our joy increased when Katie, Gemma (dam) & Maia (sister) made the cut for Best Brood Bitch.  The last day there were 92 dogs and 71 bitches entered in the Best of Breed competition.  The very talented Helen McCune showed Gemma, Katie & Sheikh (grandsire) in the class.  The wonderful toplines, expression and side-gait of these Ridgebacks were shown to perfection and all three made the first cut.  What a way to end!  The long drive home just flew by.

Contact Cynara

Cynara Rhodesian Ridgebacks *  Elaine Hudson, Nicoma Park, Oklahoma -  405-514-0394  *  For more information about Cynara, purchasing a puppy or older dog, or for other Ridgeback
related questions, e-mail us at CynaraOKrrs@gmail.com  Member of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States and the Tulsa Sighthound Association.