Cara

Over Cara

When visiting Ilse and Johan — Cwazi and Daico’s breeders — to see Daico and his littermates, we also got to know Karoskloof TT Simply Red’s owner, Michael. He and his girlfriend had chosen puppy Bordeaux as the foundation bitch for their own kennel, Bongani’s.

In the years that followed, a friendship developed, and I (Bonnie) was often consulted when they were planning litters or receiving stud dog requests. I helped with translations and reviewed pedigree combinations, as by then I had become quite the pedigree nerd.
The true highlights, though, were being present at several matings — and at the birth of every Bongani litter.

For their first litter, we travelled to Scotland to meet the beautiful stud, Sonstraal Baron Samedi. From that litter, Bongani’s Amila stayed with Michael and his partner — and I absolutely adored her. So, when Amila was expecting her second litter, sired by a male I really liked, I was seriously tempted. 😉

By then, Cwazi and Daico — almost 11 and 9 years old — were still going strong, though definitely starting to show their age.
Karoskloof TT Simply Red, Daico’s sire, had passed away on November 21st the year before — the exact date of his birth.
And then, on that same special date in 2013, Bongani’s C-litter was born. Amila did wonderfully again, and the litter arrived without complications.

By the time the puppies were four weeks old, Lieven came along to visit them — and within the first minute, one girl stood out:
Little Miss Orange, with a small kink at the tip of her tail.

We weren’t officially on the waiting list, but a few puppies were still available — and no one had shown special interest in Miss Orange. Lucky us.
We named her Bongani’s Caramba, or Cara. By the time we brought her home, we had already nicknamed her Caramel — which, honestly, would have made a much better pedigree name than Caramba. 😉

Cara turned out to be the easiest Ridgeback we’d ever raised. She never destroyed anything, potty training was a breeze, and she was — and still is — extremely cuddly.

On our camping trips, we can let her off-leash around the camper without worry. She won’t bother anything or anyone.
(Unlike Emoji, who would happily sniff out the entire campsite, claiming it as her own!)

Cara is happiest in a quiet, sunny spot with the two of us close by.
She’s an incredibly sensitive dog — so much so that I sometimes suspect she can read auras. Especially mine. She knows I’m getting irritated long before I do, soaking up everyone’s emotions like a sponge.

She also loves doing things her own way (as long as we’re still within sight). On walks, she often picks her own little path just a few meters away, slipping between trees. And I kid you not — whenever we turn around and pretend not to see her, her eyes start to sparkle with mischief. She’ll break cover, tail wagging like mad.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Nederland (RRCN) organizes lure coursing events, where we volunteer and camp with the other helpers.
While Emoji preferred playing with the other Ridgebacks, Cara usually retreated to her campervan — watching the world go by through the window, barely lifting her head.

At age 8 — shortly after we had to say goodbye to Emoji and welcomed @Hello — Cara was diagnosed with spondylosis.
Thankfully, pain medication helps enough to keep her playful and content. She still joins us on daily walks and even comes along to lure coursing training. Though now, we only let her do a straight run — just enough to give her that adrenaline rush without putting too much strain on her.