The saga begins -- the tale of Sami and Maya and how two wonderful dogs have changed our lives. 
We start in September 2006...
Sami arrived today – a Delta flight from Louisiana to Seattle, WA. He’d left Louisiana in the morning and arrived here mid-afternoon. A little bitty male Rhodesian Ridgeback (RR) huddled in the corner of a small animal carrier. Red wheaten in color with a black muzzle and black “eyeliner” around each eye, dark expressive eyebrows and brown/amber eyes that don’t miss a thing. White chest and a couple of white toes. Born on June 20, 2006, he is now barely 10 weeks old. We brought the truck with us, so we carried him out to the parking garage and placed him in the bed of the truck. My husband climbed up with him and I shut the tailgate. We had brought water, a tiny water bowl and doggie treats, so I got those from the cab of the truck. Sami ventured out far enough for a couple of laps of water and a treat or two and then ran back to the carrier corner furthest from the door. I had intended to carry him home on my lap, but he wasn’t inclined to come out and we didn’t want to force the issue, so I carried the carrier on my lap. Years ago, our good neighbors had put speed bumps on our common street and the only time poor Sami made a noise was a whimper when we went over the speed bumps.
Although he doesn’t know it, Sami’s full AKC registered name is Scollard’s Samir Akida of Southwillow. Samir Akida roughly translates from Swahili into English as “true companion.” He was my gift to my husband as his 2006 birthday present – a buddy I hoped would keep him company while I was at work since my husband is retired. I had purchased Sami from a breeder in Louisiana over the internet. Our only correspondence was via email and I sent payments via PayPal. I had chosen this particular puppy because I was concerned about inbreeding and the health issues that can arise from the practice. Sami’s father’s parents were born in Africa and were, therefore, outside the US breeding gene pool, which is quite small compared to other common breeds. In addition, Sami’s father’s line included quite a few confirmation champions. The new family companion has a better pedigree than we do!
Why a RR? Several years before, we had rented a carriage house in Port Townsend over Thanksgiving. The owners had a RR and he was an amazingly calm dog who came up to check us out while we were checking in. He then ran down a path towards the beach. Later my husband would say that if he ever had another dog, he would get a RR. He had grown up with Weimarners, so this would be a change. On his 2006 birthday, I presented him with a folder containing pictures of Sami, his sire and his dam. Sami wouldn’t be old enough to ship until he was 10 weeks old, which was late August/early September, so we would have to wait until then.
We start in September 2006...Sami arrived today – a Delta flight from Louisiana to Seattle, WA. He’d left Louisiana in the morning and arrived here mid-afternoon. A little bitty male Rhodesian Ridgeback (RR) huddled in the corner of a small animal carrier. Red wheaten in color with a black muzzle and black “eyeliner” around each eye, dark expressive eyebrows and brown/amber eyes that don’t miss a thing. White chest and a couple of white toes. Born on June 20, 2006, he is now barely 10 weeks old. We brought the truck with us, so we carried him out to the parking garage and placed him in the bed of the truck. My husband climbed up with him and I shut the tailgate. We had brought water, a tiny water bowl and doggie treats, so I got those from the cab of the truck. Sami ventured out far enough for a couple of laps of water and a treat or two and then ran back to the carrier corner furthest from the door. I had intended to carry him home on my lap, but he wasn’t inclined to come out and we didn’t want to force the issue, so I carried the carrier on my lap. Years ago, our good neighbors had put speed bumps on our common street and the only time poor Sami made a noise was a whimper when we went over the speed bumps.
Although he doesn’t know it, Sami’s full AKC registered name is Scollard’s Samir Akida of Southwillow. Samir Akida roughly translates from Swahili into English as “true companion.” He was my gift to my husband as his 2006 birthday present – a buddy I hoped would keep him company while I was at work since my husband is retired. I had purchased Sami from a breeder in Louisiana over the internet. Our only correspondence was via email and I sent payments via PayPal. I had chosen this particular puppy because I was concerned about inbreeding and the health issues that can arise from the practice. Sami’s father’s parents were born in Africa and were, therefore, outside the US breeding gene pool, which is quite small compared to other common breeds. In addition, Sami’s father’s line included quite a few confirmation champions. The new family companion has a better pedigree than we do!
Why a RR? Several years before, we had rented a carriage house in Port Townsend over Thanksgiving. The owners had a RR and he was an amazingly calm dog who came up to check us out while we were checking in. He then ran down a path towards the beach. Later my husband would say that if he ever had another dog, he would get a RR. He had grown up with Weimarners, so this would be a change. On his 2006 birthday, I presented him with a folder containing pictures of Sami, his sire and his dam. Sami wouldn’t be old enough to ship until he was 10 weeks old, which was late August/early September, so we would have to wait until then.
