Because of the constant threat of large carnivorous animals, our fervor for mountainy exercise and our appreciation for dogs, both Ijigu and I were keen on the idea of getting one. Anyone that shared a couple beers with me this summer is well aware of my attempts to to locate a rescued Rottweiler pup to bring to Ethiopia with me. The breed is known and respected as loyal, caring, powerful and are great with children (especially female Rotts). For those reasons and numerous others I spent the first chunk of my summer working on finding one. Long story short, Rottweilers along with Pitts, Dobermans and even Bull Dogs are listed as "aggressive breeds" by Turkish Airlines. Unfortunately, that meant that Rotts are barred from flying with my usual carrier. Because my return trip was already booked, my Rotty dreams were dashed.
Ethiopia has more than its fare share of dogs. Packs of strays permanently roam the city streets, while a majority of middle class Ethiopians and above, keep at least one in their houses compound for security purposes. However, the dogs in Ethiopia are almost always smaller mixed breeds, not exactly the intimidating pup I was looking forward to raising. I figured I would still ask around while I was in Addis, I thought might get lucky, though I wasn't to hopeful.
Low and behold a friend of a friend in the city was a dog breeder that specialized in Pitts and Rotts. Pretty dang surprising. At the time of my inquiry he just had a litter of 7 Rott/ black lab mix. I was elated. Calls were made, a visit was was planned, puppies were played with, a choice was made, money was exchanged, an Ethiopian vet was found, vaccinations were given, and I am now the proud owner of a beautiful 5 1/2 week old female dog.
Her mother is the same mix and weighs in at over 50 kilos, while her father is nearly the same, and she is the biggest and most sturdy of her litter. So I am looking forward to plenty of wrestling and some speedy runs up Ethiopian mountains. But it will be a while before any of that; her 3 pound body wants nothing to do with anything but choosing down and staying nestled in my lap. Playing mom for the next few weeks will be a bit trying, but when anything is this cute its tough to be annoyed.
No name yet, I got to let her personality show before that life long decision is made.
Ethiopia has more than its fare share of dogs. Packs of strays permanently roam the city streets, while a majority of middle class Ethiopians and above, keep at least one in their houses compound for security purposes. However, the dogs in Ethiopia are almost always smaller mixed breeds, not exactly the intimidating pup I was looking forward to raising. I figured I would still ask around while I was in Addis, I thought might get lucky, though I wasn't to hopeful.
Low and behold a friend of a friend in the city was a dog breeder that specialized in Pitts and Rotts. Pretty dang surprising. At the time of my inquiry he just had a litter of 7 Rott/ black lab mix. I was elated. Calls were made, a visit was was planned, puppies were played with, a choice was made, money was exchanged, an Ethiopian vet was found, vaccinations were given, and I am now the proud owner of a beautiful 5 1/2 week old female dog.
Her mother is the same mix and weighs in at over 50 kilos, while her father is nearly the same, and she is the biggest and most sturdy of her litter. So I am looking forward to plenty of wrestling and some speedy runs up Ethiopian mountains. But it will be a while before any of that; her 3 pound body wants nothing to do with anything but choosing down and staying nestled in my lap. Playing mom for the next few weeks will be a bit trying, but when anything is this cute its tough to be annoyed.
No name yet, I got to let her personality show before that life long decision is made.
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| She is the same size as the old toy dog that barks three times then flips... kinda looks like it too. |
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| Usual sleeping position, we will see how long that lasts. |
Congrats on the dog. She looks fierce! :]
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