Meet Diesel. I met him in Old Compton Street, in Soho on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Diesel, with his lithe muscular body and a shiny coppery coloured coat, was very hard to miss indeed, as he was making his way through the crowds, tall and graceful with his two proud owners.
The owners warned me that Diesel, although perfectly polite, is not a fan of posing for photos, but I somehow coerced him into striking a good pose so I was more than pleased to get a good shot of him. This aloofness is a essential part of Ridgeback's character, as Rhodesian Ridgebacks are also known as African Lion Hound, were used for hunting lions. As such, they had to be agile, fearless but also extremely confident and composed. Diesel's formidable physique, paired with the ever so slightly aloof air of calm dignity has more than a lionesque quality to it. Just look at his pose - standing tall, and proud, with an air of quiet confidence about him, one can easily imagine him in an African grassland, rather than on a busy Soho street.
Even when presented with a treat, usually a sure way to any dog's heart, Diesel looked at me regally and turned his beautiful head away in a rather nonchalant way. Now, this gentleman has to be courted! Apparently, Diesel's proud exterior can be chipped with one thing and one thing only - chicken. No wonder a lowly treat was rejected!
It was such a pleasure to meet Diesel. He is a stunning dog with a true Ridgeback personality through and through. Although, next time I bump into him, I must make sure that I have a chicken drumstick at hand, to properly thank him for his contribution!
Ridgeback's name comes from a strip of hair on their back, which grows in a different direction giving it a ridge effect. Incidentally, an almighty row erupted between the animal charities and the Kennel Club,(following the BBC documentary about pedigree breeding standards), as it is apparently accepted to euthanise puppies born without the ridge as they do not confirm to the breed standard, while being perfectly healthy in all other aspects. While the Kennel Club and Ridgeback breeders refuted these accusations by saying that this approach was never actively encouraged and only used where ridgeless puppies could not be successfully homed, one cannot help but think that there is something deeply unsavoury and disturbing in even considering a destruction of a dog, whose only fault is to be born without a trait that is only breed defining rather than an actual health issue.
