Meet Us

Welcome to Chilolo Ridgeback Country

I live with my partner Greg on 170 acres about 15 minutes north of Toowoomba which is about an hour west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The house, "Ivydale", was built by Greg's grandfather in about 1914 and the property has been in the family since then. It used to be a dairy farm but now Greg buys cattle, fattens them and sells them and we usually run around 100 head.
The dogs enjoy the huge house yard and they have yards to run in which are probably bigger than some people's house blocks!

My mother had spent her childhood in Rhodesia and she told me a lot about the dogs and their origin and temperament. Her family always had them on their farm. My relatives, the Hensmans, somehow manage to survive in Zimbabwe today and they still have Ridgebacks on their farm.

In 1973 in Australia, it was very difficult to find anyone who knew what a ridgeback was let alone find someone who bred them. After much searching, I eventually found Nina Bieberitz, Bulawayo Kennels, in Melbourne and as luck would have it, Nina had a 5 month old female who became my first ridgeback. Her name was Bulawayo Red Lady and I called her Sandy.

I then thought that it might be nice to have one litter `just for fun' (that is what I dread hearing from puppy buyers today!!) and I made contact with Jenny Arthur, LWillows Kennels, who suggested I use her dog, Aust Ch Lwillows Kalzim (Zim).
I was lucky to be able to buy Zim from Jenny a year or so later and he lived with me for the rest of his life.

I kept a puppy from that litter `just for fun'. Her name was Chilolo Karoo, later to become an Australian Champion and I gave her to Greg. He named her Fritz and he absolutely adored her until the day she died.

Jenny Arthur suggested I bring Fritz to the Rhodesian Ridgeback Specialty Show in Sydney in 1977. So, with great trepidation, I entered Fritz in the show and together we trekked off to Sydney.

Imagine my surprise when Fritz was awarded first place in the puppy bitch class, then went on to BEST PUPPY, RESERVE CHALLENGE BITCH and RUNNER UP BEST IN SHOW under NSW judge Bev Daines.
I was hooked from then on and, as they say, the rest is history!

In 1981, I bought second male from Anna Lane, Etosha Kennels, in Melbourne. I called him Broozer and he was a fantastic dog. He was consistently winning In Group and In Show awards against other breeds and was the first Ridgeback in Queensland to do this. He had a wonderful temperament and proved to be an excellent stud dog passing on his sound conformation and character.

In the early days of my involvement with this wonderful breed and in the days when I was young and fit, we used to occasionally take the dogs pig hunting. The dogs loved the hunt (they are after all a hunting dog) and luckily they never got hurt.

Ondo (Vishala Mitondo) was a 7 year old dog I leased for a year in 1985 and he had been used primarily for pig hunting all his life.
Never at any time did I have occasion to worry about his temperament with Emma around!
That is typical of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed.

My Philosophy on Ridgebacks

When I breed a litter, my first priority is soundness in mind and body. In other words, temperament is very important and both parents must be physically sound. As can be seen from some of the photos on my web site, my dogs (as do most RRs) thrive on being an integral part of the family. I spend a lot of time with my puppies and I encourage this interaction with people from the day they are born. My bitches whelp naturally and rarely need assistance although I am always present when they are whelping just in case.

All my dogs are x-rayed for hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia before they are bred. Copies of these certificates are included in the 'puppy information pack' for each puppy buyer. All puppies are registered, vaccinated at 6 weeks of age and wormed every two weeks from birth. They are also micro-chipped and they are happy and healthy when they go to their new homes.

I am particularly careful when selling potential show puppies. It takes more than a good ridge for a puppy to be successful in the ring. I assess my puppies very carefully and ensure only top quality puppies are sold to show homes. I would rather sell a show quality puppy to a pet home than have a puppy in the ring if it does not meet my personal standard of quality. I am always available with ongoing support and advice for people who buy Chilolo puppies, whether for show or just for the pure enjoyment of living with a ridgeback.
My daughter, Emma, has always had an affinity with animals and today, she is an outstanding handler. She has come a long way since I took these photos in 1985! She won the State of New South Wales Junior Handlers Competition in 2000. In 2001/2002 she spent a year with Don and Pat Rodgers in Seattle and learned a lot about presentation of dogs in the show ring.

CHILOLO RIDGEBACKS