About Individual Pups

Arakao and Tadawelts puppies are growing fast!  In those first few weeks things seem to pass more slowly, they spend most of their time with their mama and they are cute and sleepy. Now they are ready to bust out and see the world! Explorations of the wider world at large, like the rest of the apartment  !  and the backyard  !   are big amazing steps full of wonder and surprise at every turn.
Here is the entire crowd below -

Rojo Negro or Rojo for short - is a male, the darkest in the litter with a bit of a black mask. He is lightening up as he gets bigger but will still be a nice red color

He didn't want to take many pics yesterday, kept running around with more important things to do. He is very sweet, likes to be picked up and get his lovings, cuddle and also enjoys playing and romping with the rest of the gang.

"The Girl" - I've named her Arabella - it just completely fits her!  She is super sweet and loving - she will just stand there with this look in her eyes, pleading to be picked up. Then when you do, she gives kisses and her tail starts going crazy. She also likes to explore and is very intelligent! She is always the first one to figure out how to get out of the play area and into the rest of the house. And she'll do it super stealth too! Intelligent and a real sweetheart.

The next male is Simeon, who is a balanced adjustable sort of guy. He seems very well rounded. He likes to do it all, likes attention, exploring and play but overall isn't too demanding either. He is a nice, flexible guy.

Then we have Seeker.  He is a male who seems more reserved about life in general. It's almost as if he was reincarnated in this puppy body and he knows it. He will sit and watch sometimes as all the other puppies play or just sit and observe the people and their activities - almost as if comparing mental notes from what he remembers. He also will just sit in our laps or next to us on the couch and be content to simply watch.

Aljeron is the third male with a white nose, the most white on his nose I think and a white blaze. He also has larger white socks on his front legs than any of the others.  He is very inquisitive and possesses an intelligence that leads him to try out new things. He likes to get attention and verbally seeks it out more often. He seems fairly outgoing and wants to check out his new world.

Then at last we have Sandman. He is a tannish sand colored male. He is very vibrant! Always full of energy and wanting to play and roughhouse several puppies at once. He also likes getting loads of attention from people. He is super enthusiastic and seems to really enjoy any interactions he can get.
My pictures don't do justice to what his personality really is like most of the time.

So that is the entire litter.  Please e-mail me if you are interested in a particular one. Some individuals may be in the process of being reserved so be in touch about which one might be the best fit for you!
marahye@mac.com

About Arakao

The Tadawelt x Arakao litter was born August 17/18, 2013.  Just last week! Making them all of one week old. Yet they look bigger already and their color and size start to take on a little bit more personalized appearance. This litter has 5 males and 1 female in it.  I find the balance of it interesting as I guess I would have expected more than one female. Tadawelts first litter had two boys and two girls - right down the middle. So it is interesting with a completely different father - Arakao, who is quite the village dog here. I am hoping this means they will take after him in that he is a very easy-going fellow. That doesn't mean he is not an Azawakh but he is a very open-minded, and very gentle, extremely tolerant and yes, friendly Azawakh. I see how there can be a range of naturally occurring temperments and I do think his is one of them. He is the "essential village dog". His personality is exactly what drew him to my boyfriend, Billy, who's dog Arakao actually is.Billy is used to owning a more typical American dog. He is able to pretty much take him everywhere and anywhere.Billy has gone to a jobsite (rural area here) and let Arakao out and just let him hang around and meander at will.Other dogs and people may stop by and Arakao will go greet them, check them out and get some petting or play and then go about his own thing - no worries. This is an intact male! We house-sat and Arakao would hang outside with the mans mixed breed and run around the land with the neighbors 3 dogs too. Here in town we go up to Billy's father place and Arakao hangs out with Roscoe the pitbull - another intact male by the way.
He is just a natural dog with no big attitude that gets along with everybody and pretty well fits in just like any other "Madrid mutt" that is more typically found around here. I don't think this is untypical Azawakh behavior. I think he actually does represent a lot of village dogs in Africa - being able to handle the flow of village life and is not high-strung or sharp. He could handle the village boys playing and rough-housing and if it got too much get up and leave. I think he also demonstrates just how well Azawakh can get along with other dogs and groups of dogs and how well males can get along with other males.  I truly hope the males in this litter will take after him and find loving homes where these traits will be cherished and appreciated.

About Tadawelt

Arakao x Tadawelt litter is still hatching in the oven. Certainly the day is growing closer now since her belly makes her look like one of the "regular" dogs that you see roaming around town all the time!  I think hers is quite distinctive though and no way can she just look like a regular pooch - - she's an Azawakh!   So this is her second litter. Tadawelt had her first litter about 4 years ago. I would say I'm very pleased with that litter overall. Two of that litter are very proficient coursers, the other two I think could be, just haven't had as much chance to take them out and give them a real go.
Tadawelt herself, I consider an exceptional courser. She has tremendous heart that drives her beyond her physical limitations.When she's in the field, she's both having fun and on her game. She usually has a burst of pure "free-for-all" when she first steps out, running in circles, leaping for joy, writhing on the ground. She is a very happy dog and she shows it! Then as I begin to work the field she is on her game, watching the people and other dogs in the field closely, moving in a circular fashion to cover the ground and not miss what anyone else might get up. She has had lots of opportunity to meet other dogs and people on her outings and I feel she presents a very balanced character. She is typically reserved and aloof, taking mild interest in new people. Way more interested in new dogs. Not acting scared of new people, and not going up to people to offer herself for petting either. Just rather blase about it all and more concerned with her interests than meeting new people. She goes for walks in the village here and is fine with all the comings and goings of town. In her home, she will certainly bark at the arrival of a visitor but will calm down and tolerate them to linger in our home. She will come over and smell them and depending she may just want to go lay down elsewhere or may lay in the room with the visitor. Usually if she can have a few times to meet someone, she will gradually relax more about having them in her home. On an outing, outside of home, she is less concerned with new people and barely notices them. She adjusts easily to new circumstances, taking her different places and around new things. She trusts her people very deeply, having absolute faith in those of us who have gotten to know her. I also feel she is very empathetic. She can see when someone may have a rough day and she comes over, very deliberately, to lay next to you and offer lovings, so as to help you feel better.    Her bloodlines include Hatshepsut, a desert-bred from Tin Akoff in Burkina Faso - Hatshepsut was a daughter of Taikousou. (This African Idi can be found on both sides of the pedigree of this Arakao x Tadawelt breeding.) (Hatshepsut was an important desert-bred in David Moore/Daoud Abdullah Abdullah's breeding program) Another very prominent desert-bred in Tadawelt's pedigree is Taytok, a desert-bred from Mali. Taytok was owned by Gabriele Meissen of Tombouktou's Azawakh. Taytok was racing and conformation champion there in Germany.
http://www.tombouktous-azawakhs.de/eTaytok.html
For this litter, Tadawelt has been bred to her longtime 'boyfriend' - Arakao. (She has always been very fond of him!)He, himself is a desert-bred from Tin Akoff in Burkina Faso. He was  brought back on the 2007 ABIS expedition. Not very long ago, within the last 6 months, I learned that all the dogs in that region of Tin Akoff died due to outbreak of disease. They did not have access to vaccines as we do here to keep them safe from such occurance. To me, learning that this area was essentialy wiped out meant a great loss to the Azawakh community. I feel that this breeding consolidates some of the genetics of that region, allowing them to continue and be available to the greater Azawakh community.
It is also a complete out-cross, with 0% inbreeding, bringing together new desert-bred lines that have never been combined before.  Tadawelt has always been a very healthy individual, showing no incidence of  any inherited diseases. She does not have epilepsy and has never shown any signs of it. She is at present 7 yrs old, turning 8 in October. Arakao, who turned 6 in Jan has also, so far been very healthy.  I hope to see their combined genetics prosper and keep alive a small piece of TinAkoff as well as provide greater genetic diversity for the Azawakh breed overall. I hope these puppies will see bountiful lives in loving, generous homes.

Well, I want to make the official announcement that the Tadawelt and Arakao breeding was definitely a success and Tadawelt is most certainly 'expecting'.... Her belly seems to swell with each passing day!   I expect her to deliver in a couple of weeks.  I am taking inquiries to puppy placements starting now, so if you are interested, please feel free to e-mail me:    marahye@mac.com   or contact me via facebook and we can discuss further details in private.

I expect the litter to be all a shade of "red" that ranges from tan to orangey, all with white markings on feet and tail.  Arakao, the father of the litter has more extensive white markings on his front legs, Tadawelt less extensive. Arakao is a desert bred from the 2007 ABIS expedition. He came on board our travels when we reached Tin Akoff in Burkina Faso. He is a descendant of Ayad's dogs on his fathers side (including Taikousou, his grandmother or greatgrandmother and Azul,her grandson.Azul was said to be Arakao's father).Arakao's mother is Caramel, whom Dr.Werner Roeder picked up on a previous expedition, but due to EU regulations at the time, he was unable to bring her back with him.
He left her at Ayads home in Tin Akoff, and there she still was when our 2007 expedition came through.

Arakao has always been the kind of dog that never received any extra special attention and yet somehow came out to be totally dependable, perfectly reliable and completely undemanding. He is the kind you almost take for granted because he doesn't cause any trouble. He takes cues from the people around him easily and adapts to each new situation with ease. He is down right outgoing and extremely friendly!!!!  It wasn't me that did it, that's just how he is.  He loves being a town dog. He goes out within the small village of Madrid here and enjoys saying hello to shop keepers and tourists.
New people come over to the house here and he loves hanging out, getting all kings of petting and attention. I have never done any hard work to get him to be like this so I feel it is genetic, his friendliness. I am confident his puppies will also have these wonderful traits.

Yesterday, Talem passed away. He was 12 years old, which does not seem terribly old yet he was no youngster anymore. He still had so much heart and will to live -his mind clear. But his body was failing him. Talem was diagnosed with Mysthenia Gravis about 7 years ago. When he was first diagnosed, it was a real battle to figure out what was going on with him. He presented symptoms of being unable to walk in his hind end and trouble swallowing. I remember it took a lot of vet visits, they checked for slipped discs and all the more common things first. They gave him a spinal tap even! Finally they got down to the rare things after ruling out almost everything else. The test for Mysthenia Gravis came back positive.
Talem was my mom's dog at the time. We had lost Inachanan, Lalo - not all that long ago, and while on a trip to GA, visiting David Moore, David made a gift of both Tadawelt and Talem to us. Tadawelt still lives with me and has become a constant companion through lifes journey. Talem lived with my mother and they were very close. When he first became ill, she refused to see him perish after spending too short a time with him. So she went all out to discover his diagnosis and we were able to special order the medication for him. Gradually my mom and I got him back to health,carrying him outside, feeding him special until he was gradually able to work his body again. With his health restored, he had many years of life as the couch king and master of the household.
When my mother passed away, my father and I continued his care. My father, who is a retired RN, gave great care to Talem and got him so healthy he was able to ween him off the Meds. Talem lived for these last 2 and 1/2 years with no medications and symptom free.
This past weekend though he began to suddenly and rapidly develop symptoms of a reccurence  of the Mysthenia Gravis. This time he was unable to move both his front end and his rear.His front paws were locked into a bent position, unable to put weight on his pawpads. He would try to walk on top of his wrists! His rear shook with weakness and tremors.He would try to eat, but could only manage while laying down. We all saw that it would be a tremendous struggle to come back from it this time. The level of intensive care needed would be too great, I could not offer that round the clock care and at 76 my father certainly could not.  I haven't had to 'let a dog go' in awhile. I always feel bad. It's not enough to pet those sweet tiger stripes one last time. His heart was so great, he was so full of life, just last week, bumping into me, snuggling and playfully bumping his head into my thigh - the big guy that he always was.
Talem n'emehal  Al-Ifriqiya     November 1, 2000 - June 25, 2013
He was loved.  He was happy, he had a good life.   I think he went well.

Well, I want to try and make a new post. I really find it hard to keep up with the online part of life quite often. It goes in cycles where I get on and catch up with things but then like some bit of housecleaning, I forget to maintain it. Kudos to all of you out there who are more organized than me in maintaining your blogs, websites and facebook entries. I chime in from time to time and endeavor to try once again to maintain it a bit more.   Here is a photo of Ananas  standing and Ultasila laying down after having a long run out on the land here. Both are available for adoption.
  Ananas is, in my opinion, excellent for breeding as she has both a good temperment and great hunting skills, as well as excellent phenotype and is a desert bred Azawakh from Mali.
I am working with an interested party already regarding Ananas, but want to make it more official and hopefully things will work and I can share about her new home.... hopefully.
  Ultasila is a great companion dog. She has been one of my father's main companions recently, but he is getting to be very old and caring for her may be just one too many as at this point it is for me.
I think she is a real sweetheart and she has trained extensively with me going to obedience classes and even a little agility and flyball!  She loves to "work", having done clicker training and learning 'targeting' with me. I think once she adapted to a new owner, which can and does take time with Azawakhs, that she would be very devoted and very receptive to participating in activities like agility or such things. She's been allowed to run on the land here and probably has chased her share of rabbits but she has not been handled as a serious hunting dog. I don't know if she would like lure coursing or not- haven't tried it. She is mostly a good companionable dog. The reason I have chosen to try and place her is because she has had some training and I think she would be a fine companion in a new home as well. There are a couple others I would like to place but they will take a commitment of more training and work as they are not as socialized as Ultasila is.
Breeding her is not a necessity to me. If someone may be interested in that, I am willing to consider it but mostly I think a good companion home is what I am hoping for her.
If you or someone you know may be interested in her or a couple other Azawakhs I am hoping to place, please feel free to contact me and I will try to answer your questions. Serious inquiries only please!    505-603-5830    Sometimes are better than others for talking, but you can send a text as a heads up and we will find a time to talk.   e-mail    marahye@mac.com    

Happy Velika

I've been wanting to post some pictures and an update on Velika the Hortaya Borzaya for awhile now but most days I am sewing or painting, drawing and sketching, gluing and assembling.... So by the time I get to thinking about pictures on the web, I am pretty well spent for the day.
I certainly do admire you all out there who get all your work done and find time to play hooky on the web. Guess I may always be a bit computer, social networking and who knows what else I'm behind on with the latest app - - illiterate. But I play catch up every now and then and do enjoy hearing from others with similar interests.
Right now I am literally waiting for the paint to dry on one of my pieces. So there's time to talk about Velika who now resides in beautiful Arizona!!! I am envious as they have way more beautiful cacti than around here and more warm weather. No I am not looking forward to winter! Even though it's wonderful today, about 80 degrees out. The cool nights say dismal cold is coming. Slightly cooler weather makes it great to get out with the dogs but wish it would just stay pleasant like this. Velika lives with CJ now and gets to go on fantastic, long hikes plus has been learning agility and trying out some lure-coursing as well!!! She certainly has the plush life now with so many toys to choose from and all the attention for herself. I am sooooo glad to see her sooooo very happy. And thanks to CJ for sharing these photos! (even though I am quite slow to finally post them)