In 2004 - 2005 we lost two of our beloved dogs - Brittany and Rocky.  This page is dedicated to Brittany - our foundation dog and Queen of our household.

Brittany was a hard-headed, stubborn, intelligent Ridgeback.  Unrepentant when caught doing something she shouldn't and blatant about doing it in the first place.  She was so full of character and life.  She had the bad habit of eating paper - it started with toilet paper or Kleenex but progressed to paper towels, business cards, miscellaneous white paper and MONEY.  Paper handled by Jacques was her target more than any handled by me.  We figure she ate at least $80.  Twenties must have tasted better than ones.

Brittany could be very affectionate without being clingy.  She decided when and where to demonstrate this.  If you were sitting down she would jump up, put both front legs over your shoulders and around the back of your neck, keeping you in a head lock while she thoroughly kissed your face.   There was a danger of tipping backwards if this happened while you were sitting in a dining chair!  Her favorite scratching place was just to right of her tail.  She loved butt-scratches and would sidle back and forth with great enthusiasm while being scratched.  Her moods were very clear.  She did the best hang-dog I ever saw.  We dubbed it the "Brittany-sulk".  She had a special bark just for the cats that invaded her first home's yard.  She never caught one, but - boy - she tried.  She was very protective when necessary, and a good judge of character.  If you were her friend, you were in a privileged position and Brittany was friends with many people.

When she was just 13 weeks old we took her on her first camping trip with my mother and step-father.   She walked along fearlessly with us all.  She didn't like anyone to get too far ahead or lag behind and tried her best to keep us together.  She learned that the small creek we hiked once wasn't very deep and confidently splashed through the water - until she hopped in a pool that was actually a deep hole.  She came up with an expression of betrayal at the joke we played on her.  She was very unhappy when Jacques got out on a big rock in a deeper section and I had to physically restrain her from going after him.  She left us both covered in muddy water with her struggles.

She was an enthusiastic and remorseless competitor who took to Lure Coursing like second nature and if she hadn't learned so quickly how to cheat, would have had her Dual Championship long ago.  As it was, she won easily when we had the opportunities to compete (few and far between) and won Best In Field once and Best of Breed on more than one occasion.   She could drag Jacques to the line with such enthusiasm that he nearly dislocated his arms holding her back.  I still have this vision of when she dragged him down a slope and left grass stains all over his pants.  We have wonderful memories of her competing in Las Vegas at the Inaugural AKC National Coursing Championship in 1995.  While she didn't win, she came very close and the friendships made that weekend remain with us.

Brittany also excelled in the Conformation Ring, easily completing her championship and expertly handled by Mary Dukes.  Her personality and character made her an ideal showdog.  We decided not to special her to give her the chance to Lure Course - her favorite pastime.

Brittany started out as the only dog in our lives, but we found that you can't have just one Ridgeback.  Also, Ridgebacks thrive in a multiple-dog household.  When she was 9 months old we added 5-month old Charlie.  At first it was a rocky relationship as she would seek to dominate at every turn.  She continued to be the dominant dog but they were both into it and their Ridgeback battle play was something to see.  When Charlie left us at seven, she was lost without him for several months.  But the companionship of her kids Rocky and Sunny helped her get over her loss.

Brittany also produced two wonderful litters of puppies.  From those litters we have three champions, and two other dogs who received points.  Her grandpuppies are now leaving their footprints in the ring.  But none of the kids have shown her enthusiasm for coursing.  It looks like that skipped a generation.  The first grandpuppy got his JC in 2007, another has started with ASFA.  Others are sure to follow.  We hear frequently from people with her offspring and they love to pass on their happiness and pride with their Ridgeback.

Our habits changed after Brittany passed.