12/30/09

I found these old photographs...



of my mother and father while looking through some boxes of 'stuff'. The image of my mother is from when she was at the University of Georgia...the one of my father, well, when he was playing with a cat. I found it difficult to find a photograph of my father where he is not playing with a cat. Or a photograph of my mother where she isn't the epitome of the classic sweet, southern 'young lady'. I will leave for New Mexico in less than a week. I find these last days difficult. They understand that I must return to my home in the desert. I am lucky to have been raised by these two wonderful humans. Al hamdullilah.

12/29/09

line drawing...


...of a sighthound running. I created several products using this design for The Azawakh Club Store. Is it an Azawakh? Well, certainly it was meant to be. But I don't know of any Azawakh with eight legs. And it just turned out to look more like an 'idea' of a running sighthound. So it could be just about 'any-sighthound'. All proceeds from the sale of items from the store go to support the mission of the The Azawakh Club.

little Ishnawan...


...was purchased from me by Alison Tyler (Xanadu Farms). He is the full brother of Gabriele Meissen's Takute, dam of her most recent litter (X Django, db). I keep finding all these photos...and well, its just hard for me to not publish them. Al hamdullilah.

Tamasheq encampement


I wish I could remember who sent me this image. I don't have their permission to publish it, but I doubt they would mind people seeing it. Al hamdullilah.

12/28/09

Choum...


...(Afalkou X Batna), brother of Tadaksahak (now owned by Guy Dupraz, France) and Mahdjoub. Al hamdullilah.

Marcus Aurelius said...

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”

Jana....to Afalkou



Afalkou is no longer with me; he died tragically last year, mash'Allah. But he lives on in his three sons out of Illi Tin Hinan Batna (bred by Brigitte Jacob Hamitouche, Reunion Island), al hamdullilah: Choum and Mahdjoub whom I retained for breeding, and Tadaksahak who was just exported to France to Corine Lundqvist. I ran acoss this photo of Afalkou and was struck at the resemblance to Jana. When I thought about his ancestry I realized there was no reason for my surprise. He carries five lines to Jana. Al hamdullilah.

Kidal redux

Dennis Pohmrehn...


...sent me this wonderful image of his Sahel in the surf. Dennis also owns Takamba. Both were bred by Gabriele Meissen. Al hamdullilah. Thank you to Dennis!

12/26/09

another wonderful photo...


of Tawzalt (Aslam X Semteende) and Azelouan (Tombouktou's Qulood [Kusaylah Al-Ifriqiya X Tombouktou's Nahalet] X We Wille Dari [bred by Ricardo Wille, Mexico]) from Brian Reiter.

Ran, directed by Akira Kurosawa

Tylalt and Bomboukou (the white one)




Tylalt and Bomboukou are visiting me but are owned by Skye and Josh Bauermeister. Al hamdullilah.

Elbeida el Hammada...


...was a very beautiful bitch (pure-in-the-strain Yugoslavian: Fes Haris al Sahra X Porga del Halekulani) owned by Monika Kessler, Azawakh Kel Dahoussahaq, Switzerland. Elbeida was the dam of Debakkar Kel Dahoussahaq, a male Azawakh I purchased from Monika when Debakkar was three months old. Debakkar was sired by the desert bred Atri ak Mansoufouga (gifted as a tiny puppy to Monika by a family in Mansoufouga, a small village near Tin Akoff, Burkina Faso). Atri, through his son Debakkar, founded one of the dominant sire lines of my breeding program. Al hamdullilah. Debakkar is one of the puppies on the bench behind Elbeida, though I couldn't tell you which one.

Tombouktou's Arakao...


...from Gabriele Meissen's most recent litter (Django, db [imported from the Sahel by Alberto Rossi] X Takute Al-Ifriqiya). Arakao is owned by Irena Zadinova (Czech Republic). Al hamdullilah.

Werner Roeder...


...with little Aisinda. This photograph was taken moments after she was gifted to me by a very nice Peuhl family in Niger. Al hamdullilah.

color and movement and light


...just an image I like...(created by photographing a human moving around wearing a special suit covered in lights), sent to me by a friend, from their friend Charran C.

12/25/09

I heard this quote...

...tonight while watching some crazy detective television show. I liked it and started to think about how it could apply to so many kinds of beliefs, faiths, certainties, etc:

For those who believe no proof is necessary.

For those who don't believe no proof is possible.


Well, anyway, it just made me think. Like I need to ponder any extra abstractions/distractions!

Tamazzalt


I want to thank Cara Wade for this nice image she sent to me today. Tamazzalt is one of seven daughters of Tittawen X Tigidit Fasiqqi. Al hamdullilah.

incredible performances, incredible film


Gabourey Sidibe in Precious.

12/24/09

12/23/09

photos from Corine...





...of Hawa and Tadaksahak at Corine's and Guy's home in France. Thanks to Corine for permission to publish the beautiful photos. It is so wonderful for me to see that they are thriving in their new home. Al hamdullilah.

12/22/09

looking through old files...


...I found this picture of Tezerift. From when we lived in NM. A storm was coming. Mash'Allah was al hamdullilah.

Brian Reiter's daughter Theodora with Tawzalt

Alatokh Idiiyat-es-Sahel...


...is the sire of Tadawelt Idiiyat-es-Sahel's puppies. The litter was bred by Marya Morales, her first of what I hope will be many, Insh'Allah. I was proud when I read the comment thread on Facebook regarding Tadawelt and the puppies, but disturbed to see no mention of the sire of the puppies. Sorry folks, but the puppies were not the result of an immaculate conception!

Maybe its just a 'male' thing, but I think it is correct that the sire be given his 'props': Alatokh was mated to Tadawelt after repeated attempts to mate her to Marya's first two choices (Kidal and Ailal [Alatokh's full brother]) proved unsuccessful. Maybe it was a 'third time's a charm' thing. From my perspective as a Muslim....mash'Allah wa al hamdullilah wa Allahu ul-Akbar.

The mating is interesting for me on a personal level because it represents a strong blending of three (out of five) of my dominant dam lines: Taytok, Lara, and Hatshepsut, as well as a balanced blending of New African/ABIS stock* with the 'Yugoslavian' and 'Old French' foundation lines. That the puppies are 'typical' for their race reinforces two strongly held beliefs: a. that the crossing of individual specimens (typically outbreeding) must be balanced by the crossing of distinct 'lines' (typically linebreeding or inbreeding), and b. my belief (in relation to the original Sahelian bred imports to Europe) in both the value and necessity of the perennial infusion of New African bloodstock into the foundation European bloodlines.

*Taytok (imported to Germany from the Sahel by Gabriele Meissen); Hatshepsut (my first Sahelian bred import, bred and generously gifted to me by Ayad ag Inachanan, Tin Akoff, Burkina Faso, and brought out for me by Monika Kessler); Atri ak Mansoufouga (imported to Switzerland from the Sahel by Monika Kessler); and C'Babasch, Ejeker, and Tekewelt (imported to France from the Sahel by Gervais Coppe)

Al hamdullilah.

Lao Tzu

When all the world sees beauty as beauty,
This in itself is ugliness.
When all the world sees good as good,
This in itself is evil.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore,
Act without doing,
Teach without speaking.
Things arise--let them come;
Things disappear--let them go.
Hold without possessing,
Act without expecting.
When your work is done, forget it:
Forgotten, it will last forever.

12/20/09

Tylalt and Bombokou (the white one)





Tombouktou's Umaymah...


..., now three years old, al hamdullilah, is from Gabriele Meissen's 'U' litter. I am always very proud to see the descendant's of any of my Azawakh (the dam of Umaymah is Qarqabu who is a daughter of Kusaylah [X Tombouktou's Nahalet]). Umaymah is owned by Viktor Havas of Hungary. Thank you to Gabriele for permission to publish this image.

Tawzalt with Theodora and Cassandra




Brian Reiter just sent me these nice photos of Tawzalt with his daughters Theodora and Cassandra. Apparently Tawzalt found the encircling love of young children more bearable than the horror of D.C.'s two feet of freshly fallen snow. Snow = water = no, not gonna like it. Of course I know some Azawakh might like snow. But well, Tawzalt descends from generations of water-haters. Al hamdullilah.

12/18/09

another image of Siqqi...my first Azawakh

Lao Tzu...

You desire to improve this world?
I don't think it can be done.

This world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
Tamper with it, you will ruin it.
Treat it like an object, you will lose it.

There is a time for being ahead,
For being behind;
For being in motion,
For being at rest;
For being vigorous,
For being exhausted;
For being safe,
For being in danger.

Wisdom sees things as they are
Without trying to control them;
Lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.
___________________________________________

a favorite image of Semteende as a young puppy

one of my favorite images...


...taken by photographer Manuel Vilches, of an old Bororo woman. Al hamdullilah.

Reckendahl's Isesi


...was my first Azawakh. Isesi was bred by Gisela Cook-Schmidt in Germany and imported in utero to California. He was born on Halloween, 1987, in the first litter of Azawakh born in the United States. He was an example of what I consider the 'golden cross' of the old Yugoslavian line and the Old French line, without the inclusion of the dogs imported by Coppe. I called him Siqqi. Al hamdullilah.

one still finds inspiration...al hamdullilah

Why I'm back on Facebook

Well, its like this: my sister called me several days ago to excitedly announce that she had created a Facebook page/profile/identity/whatever it is. She told me I could now add her as a 'friend'. I responded with "Sweetie, I'm not on Facebook anymore." Her response: "Well get back on there! I don't have any friends!!!"

So I reactivated my page. Unfortunately I have been unable to find my sister anywhere inside that place...and unable to reach her on the phone to find out how.

Returning to Facebook gave me a jolt. I was happy to see my real friends and to see how they had been faring. And unhappy to see the usual miscreants spreading their usual loads of mischief...misinformation and inanity at its finest.

I 'thumb upped' a couple of real friends and then quickly logged off, having been reminded once again that I'm just not made for Facebooking.

But I didn't deactivate my account: I await my sister's arrival.

12/13/09

Hatshepsut


Bred and gifted to me by Ayad ag Inachanan, Chieftan of the small village of Tin Akoff in the province of Oudalan, which is situated in the north-western corner of Burkina Faso, Africa. Hatshepsut was chosen for me by Monika Kessler, Azawakh Kel Dahoussahaq, Switzerland, from a litter out of the legendary Taikoussou, whose imported progeny and descendants have quietly but profoundly influenced the course of many western breeding programs. In 2007, I imported a grandson of Taikoussou: Tamahan ak Tin Akoff, another precious gift from Ayad. Al hamdullilah.

Hatshepsut is the foundress of my second most dominant dam line. In type, she was an enigma: bordering on rustic, but elegant, with noble undertones. She is old now and lives with my friends Matt and Mina in North Carolina, along with Debakkar Kel Dahoussahaq and Akhmedu, one of their sons. Al hamdullilah.

12/11/09

two unpublished images...



...at least here on this blog, of Kusaylah.

Al hamdullilah.

little Azenzer


Ok, so not very typical movement for an Azawakh...but hey, he is trying to get around in some pretty high grass! Unfortunately this type of movement is today bred for and then rewarded in the artificial environment of the show ring, thereby giving the false impression that such movement is 'correct'. If only logic could prevail! Desert animals are optimally designed for economy of movement. Like camels and desert bred horses, the dogs as well must move forward, raising their limbs only enough to facilitate such forward motion. No energy is wasted in lifting the limbs.

It is wonderful enough just to love and care for the dogs, but we are also charged with preserving what is most elemental in them. Movement that works best in a desert environment is one of these elements.

Al hamdullilah.

young Tawinak


Tawinak was born in a litter I co-bred with Gabriele Meissen. Al hamdullilah.

Gabriele Schröter's 2010 Azawakh Calendar

Please click on this link to find out more about Gabriele Schröter's wonderful new calendar. The link will take you to a recent post to Gudrun Büxe's wonderful blog Leben Mit Azawakh, a wonderful resource for all things Azawakh.

12/10/09

President Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize

The New York Times
Thu, December 10, 2009 -- 7:56 AM ET

Accepting Nobel Prize, Obama Evokes 'Just War'

Nine days after announcing a major escalation in the war in
Afghanistan, President Obama arrived at Norway's City Hall on
Thursday to formally accept the Nobel Peace Prize, evoking
the notion of a "just war" and robustly defending the use of
military force "on humanitarian grounds" and to preserve
peace.

excerpt:...the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Adhering to this law of love has always been the core struggle of human nature. For we are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best of intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us.

But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place."


Read Article

transcript of speech

The Sahel (short video clip courtesy of ABIS)

12/8/09

short film courtesy of ABIS of a taidit with her puppies in the Sahel

Werner Roeder...


...our dear friend, Azawakh breeder (Azawakh of Silverdale) and de facto leader of ABIS, has suggested this book (authored by Edith and Johan Gallant) to me and I am passing along his suggestion. Please click here for further information on the book (available for purchase on amazon.com).