Rhodesian Ridgeback
History
The breed's long history dates back to early in the 18th
century when the first European settlers found with the
Khoisan tribes a domesticated dog with the hair on his
spine being turned forward. Later, to fill specific needs
of the big game hunters of the late 19th century for a
serviceable hunting dog, tough, resistant to disease, intelligent
enough to avoid crocodiles and snakes, with tick repellent
smooth coat, tight paw pads to protect against thorns and
rough terrain, brave enough to face a lion or any other
big game, but fast enough to stay out of harm's way of
horns, claws and teeth. The main person behind this development
was Cornelius Van Rooyen of Plumtree, Rhodesia.
The history of the breed is frustratingly murky. What
is commonly accepted is that Van Rooyen used two ridged,
rough-coated bitches from the Swellendam district brought
to him by the Rev. Charles Helm in 1879. Van Rooyen crossed
these bitches with members of his pack, noting that their
ridged progeny excelled at lion hunting.
It is likely that the Great Dane, bloodhound and deerhound
also contributed to the gene pool along the way.
The Breed Standard is based on that of the Dalmatian and
was first registered by the South African Kennel Club SAKU
(now KUSA) in 1924. At that time KUSA was the only Kennel
Club in the territory. The breed was first admitted into
the American Kennel Club in 1955 as a member of the Hound
Group.
As hunters,
Ridgebacks were sent out (in pairs at least, often in
larger packs), to wear a lion down by taunting
and goading it into confusion. The Ridgeback was acutely
aware of the danger played out during this drama. Nevertheless,
the tenacity of this devoted animal could be depended on
to corner or "bay" the lion while the human hunters
stepped in for the final kill. (The poor accuracy of the
rifles of this time in history required close proximity
to the beast to effect the objective) The dogs worked in
revolving groups to keep the lion occupied until the hunter
arrived; the dogs themselves did not usually kill lions,
but somehow over the years this fable began and still persists.
Female Ridgebacks were often used more than males, as the
females tended to be more agile. When not used for hunting,
these dogs were beloved family companions, guardians of
the family and property, and able cattle drovers.
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