Eheren Agg Amaias

Skye gives birth!

I am so excited to share the news of the birth of Skye and Josh Bauermeister's first child Nathaniel, al hamdullilah. Click here to visit their blog where you can see pictures of little Nathaniel as well as video footage!

little Tombouktou's Atakor

I have struggled...

...with the question of whether it is ethical for me to use my blog as a forum to promote the work of The Azawakh Club of America. I've decided it is. I am the President of the Club. I worked closely with Brian Reiter (the Club's first Secretary) in 2008 to resurrect the club from its dormant state. The club was established by Corine Lundqvist in 1998 but had lain dormant since Corine's return to her homeland of France. As can be seen on the Club website, we currently have six Board Members. Each has contributed significantly towards the club's reformation. The mission of the Club is the preservation, welfare and advancement of the sighthounds of Africa's Sahel (Azawakh). Our first Journal was published on June 1st of this year. Though I encourage anyone interested in the Azawakh to purchase the Journal (the proceeds from sales help to further the primary mission of the Club), I believe the information has an importance that transcends the limitations of a printed Journal. We strongly believe the information should be available to everyone. For this reason we have started to publish the contents of the Journal to our website. To date two articles have been published. I hope you will check back often as we will continue to publish more articles and sections of the Journal. The Azawakh Club welcomes feedback at letters@theazawakhclub.com.

mom and dad's...

...except for the turning leaves of the maple tree everything here is GREEN. How I long for the so-called desolation of the desert of my home in NM. The buzzard came for a dead squirrel. The ambitious cat came for the buzzard. The buzzard flew off when I started taking photos and the cat moved in. The cat then moved off with the dead squirrel. Call PETA! A squirrel for dinner! Kill the buzzard and the cat!!! But then PETA doesn't care about squirrels. What a shame. I'm sure it was a very nice squirrel.

a photo of Yubai...

...which I admired very much from the posting of the photograph to his owner's page on facebook. My thanks to Carlos Balestra, Yubai's owner in Mexico City, who gave me his permission to repost the photograph on my blog.

Mental Illness

As many of your know, I was born with a mental illness: Bi-polar Disorder. Though I have no desire to be the 'poster child' for mental illness, I think it is important to share my issue with others. For the mentally ill, aside from the primary challenge of living in a world that stigmatizes those with mental illness, there are the added challenges of diagnosis (or misdiagnosis) and treatment (with the always present side-effects of medicinal treatments).

Actress Glenn Close, along with others, has launched a portal to increase understanding and acceptance of persons with mental illness. I applaud their initiative wholeheartedly. The more we learn the more likely we are to understand and accept the mentally ill. Insh'Allah.

The following is a quote from the new website:

"1 in 6 adults and almost 1 in 10 children suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. Yet, for many, the stigma associated with the illness, can be as great a challenge as the disease itself. This is where the misconceptions stop. This is where bias comes to an end. This is where we change lives. Because this is where we Bring Change 2 Mind."

Insh'Allah.

new sighthound design...

The Azawakh Club has also added products with a new design to its store at zazzle.com. Check it out!

links

The Azawakh Club has published one of the articles from its inaugural issue of Aidi n'Tafuk, the official Journal of the Azawakh Club, on its website. The article, Back From the Precipice, by Dr. Gabriele Meissen, outlines the history of the Azawakh since their introduction to the west. Dr. Meissen, through documentation and observations at once convincing and startling, helps to clarify and reinforce the continuing need for and benefits of the utilization of desert-bred (Sahelian) Azawakh in western breeding programs.

Tombouktou's Zegueren...

...at seventeen weeks old. He was bred by Gabriele Meissen and is owned by Pirjo Miilunpohja (Finland). My thanks to Kerttu Haaslahti for permission to publish the beautiful photograph. Click here for the ancestry.

a new image...

...from Gabriele of Takute with her litter. Al hamdullilah.

...al hamdullilah...

...I am very excited to post that Gabriele Meissen's Takute Al-Ifriqiya whelped a litter of one female and five male puppies last night. The sire of the litter is the desert bred Django, a young male Azawakh brought back from the 2007 ABIS expedition to the Sahel by Alberto Rossi (Tigidit Azawakh). Simply scroll down this page for further information about this litter.

My appreciation to Gabriele for permission to publish the photo.

more of Tawzalt...

...this time with Brian Reiter's youngest daughter Cassandra. I am always thankful for Brian's photos. Click here for the ancestry of Tawzalt. Al hamdullilah.

Tombouktou's Yeki...

...is another grandson of Kusaylah bred by Gabriele Meissen (Tombouktou's Azawakh), pictured here at eleven months old, al hamdullilah. Yeki (Bahran Idi n'Ilelli X Taletmot Idiiyat-es-Sahel) is owned by Gudrun Buxe, Germany. A big thank you to Gudrun for allowing me to publish the photo.

Amaray...

was brought by yesterday to visit. His owner Susan Sita McCay lives in GA. Amaray was born in the desert in Texas, al hamdullilah...on Oct. 13 he will be one year old, Insh'Allah. He reminded me very much of Isesi, my first Azawakh. To say that I was delighted would be an egregious understatement. It was difficult to take photos of Amaray since he never stopped moving!

Azelouan...

with Theodora, the eldest daughter of Brian Reiter. Azelouan was bred by Gabi Valdez Valdez in Columbia, South America. The sire was bred by Gabriele Meissen in Germany and the dam was bred by Ricardo Wille in Mexico. Click here for the ancestry. Brian and his family also own Tawzalt, a young bitch they purchased from me. Tawzalt was born in the desert in New Mexico. Al hamdullilah. Thanks to Brian for his permission to publish this photo to my blog.