dogs like beaches...

...a photo sent to me by Brian Reiter of his two Azawakh at the beach. On the left is a young bitch Brian purchased from me, Tawzalt (Aslam X Semteende), and to her right is Azelouan, bred by Gabi Valdez Valdez in Columbia, South America. Azelouan's dam is a bitch bred by Ricardo Wille, Mexico; We Wille's Dari. Azelouan was sired by a dog bred by Gabriele Meissen out of Gabriele's Nahalet and sired by my Kusaylah (1999-2009); Tombouktou's Qulood.

Eheren Agg Amaias...

...this is a photograph of Eheren, one of the four female puppies out of Christiane Thier-Rostaing's latest litter. Not only is Christiane a friend, but the puppies are grand-get of my Kusaylah (1997-2007). Photos of all nine puppies can be seen on Christiane's website.

Tadawelt and her puppies

Marya Morales (Azawakh ak Tinalchinan, NM, USA) sent this photo last night of Tadawelt and her four puppies. The sire of the litter is Alatokh. The combination of Tadawelt and Alatokh represents a strong line-breeding on Gabriele Meissen's (Tombouktou's Azawakh, Germany) desert bred Taytok, with less intense line-breeding to Jana and then to the desert bred Hatshepsut. This combination is very interesting for me...since all three of the dominant dam lines of my breeding program are strongly represented. Al hamdullilah.

another of the ah-Hadeeth ash-Shareef...

Narrated An-Nu'man bin Bashir:

I heard Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, saying, 'Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to stray into it.

Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things.

Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body; if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt.

That piece of flesh is the heart.

Tahatmellet...

...who is out of Clarity's Noowairah (bred by Kelly Daniels, VA) and sired by Tamahan, db (bred by Ayad ag Inachanan, Tin Akoff, Burkina Faso, Africa). He is now six months old, al hamdullilah. Thank you to Mimi Drake for the photos.

morning...

...mist above the creek that runs in front of the house...soon the sun will burn off the mystery...but for now there is just the singing of the birds...and coffee on the porch. The Red-Tailed Hawk that screams from atop the Hickory tree behind the house will take off soon on her morning hunt...life will continue in its timeless rhythm. I am glad to be alive...to be a part of it. Al hamdullilah. I miss my dogs. I miss Firdausi. Mash'Allah.

two puppies...

...from Christiane Thier-Rostaing's litter out of Tigidit Essamet X Tombouktou's Qutaybah. The puppies are pictured at eight days of age. Al hamdullilah.

I want to take an opportunity to thank those of you who have made Mimi and me aware of your support. We would both like to lay to rest the destructive gossip, and focus on what is really important: the dogs. But before we can do this we feel it is important to re-iterate a few facts;

1. My dogs and stallion are being cared for by my dear friend Mimi Drake until such time as I am re-established and ready to take them back.

2. The dogs continue to be in wonderful health thanks to Mimi's care.

3. Mimi and I are great friends and will continue to be. In fact we may be neighbors in the near future, as Mimi now owns a share of my property in New Mexico (compensation for her assistance in caring for the dogs and stallion until they are returned to me...hopefully sooner rather than later, Insh'Allah). At least there is already a house out there for one of us! OK, so its made of mud, but its a nice little house.

4. Our main focus is and always will be the preservation and well being of the Azawakh.

I am grateful for the kindness that Mimi has shown me. She is a very dear person and I consider myself fortunate to have her in my life.

I also want to thank those of you who responded to Mimi's request for assistance. Certainly caring for a large population of Azawakh, especially if you are not used to it!, can be a challenge.

Tadawelt Idiiyat-es-Sahel...

...just whelped her first litter today, al hamdullilah: two female puppies and two male puppies. Tadawelt is owned by Marya Morales, Azawakh ak Tinalchinan, who purchased her first Azawakh (Talempt Al-Ifriqiya [Takoba Al-Ifriqiya X Hatshepsut, db]) from me ten years ago. This is also the first litter bred by Marya. The sire of the litter is Alatokh. I could not be more excited for Marya. I've been encouraging her to breed her Azawakh for eight years! Pictured is Tadawelt's dam Imouyene (Alem'nemehal X Taytok, db) who is no longer with us. Mash'Allah.

two beautiful photos...

...sent to me by Terri Porthan, MN. The dog on the left is Amajar (Sheshonq X Afsoon, bred by Doug Koger, Domiko Sighthounds, FL) and the red bitch is Malalai (Fasiqqi X Tawinak, called Dassine by Terri). Amajar just turned one year and Malalai is ten months, if I am remembering correctly. A big thank you to Terri for the beautiful photographs of her Azawakh.

my Grandmother Moore...

...in the kitchen of my old farmhouse in GA before the tragic fire that claimed the lives of eleven of my hounds. She is holding little Hatshepsut in her lap. Hatshepsut was my first desert bred Azawakh. Her dam line is the second most prominent in my breeding program. She was bred by Ayad ag Inachanan, Tin Akoff, Burkina Faso. From the 2007 expedition I brought back Tamahan, another puppy bred by Ayad. Hatshepsut is a daughter of Taikoussou and Tamahan a grandson of Taikoussou. My Grandmother passed not long after this photograph was taken.

Grandmother Moore had a dog of her own...his name was Boy and he was invisible. Possessed of an intense wit, my Grandmother was very quick with a comeback. Once I asked her how Boy was doing. Her response: 'You know....he's been very quiet lately'. She was a wonderful Grandmother. Al hamdullilah. I miss her.

brothers...

...from the top: Amlal and Amaray, sons of Tawinak (co-bred with Gabriele Meissen) and Fasiqqi (bred by Alberto Rossi, Italy). Thank you to their respective owners Cheryl Wilson (TX) and Susan Sita McKay (GA) for sharing these photographs with me.

Bomboukou...

...owned by Skye Masson and Josh Bauermiester (Atlanta, GA). One of two parti-colored puppies from the litter out of the desert bred Tiraout (the litter was sired by Tigidit Fasiqqi, bred by Alberto Rossi, Italy). I will never lose the joyous feeling of seeing the two 'white' ones being born (Jess Ruffner and Brett Booth are the owners of his white sister Toumlilt). Bomboukou inherited the intensely expressive eyes of his dam. Al hamdullilah. Skye is a Board Member of The Azawakh Club. And Josh, Jess and Brett are members as well.

I can't remember...

...if I have posted this photograph of Choum before. He is one of three sons out of Illi Tin Hinan Batna (bred by Brigitte Washington of Reunion Island) and sired by Afalkou. Al hamdullilah. If its a repost...well, I like it enough to post it more than once. This mating represented the crossing of two basically unrelated but intensely linebred families. He has his faults...but an over-riding impression of balance and desert type more than compensate. Al hamdullilah.

a friend of the Tamasheq...

...Patricia Sorbier (Aix-en-Provence, France) contacted me several days ago to say that one of the photographs from ABIS's 2007 Expedition to the Sahel had inspired her most recent pastel. Any friend of the Tamasheq is a friend of mine. Also she just happened to choose one of my very favorite photographs. It is hard to put a label...was she an 'old woman', an 'elderly woman', a 'matriarch of a clan'? For me she was at once each of these and also something more...something elemental, primordial. Such humans exist in every culture. Al hamdullilah. She was in the encampement from which I was gifted Aisinda.

Thank you to Patricia for sharing these photographs with me. Here is a link to her online gallery. Proceeds from the sale of her artwork go to purchase goats (milking does) for Tamasheq families.