Cwazi

About Cwazi

Anyone who’s ever had to say a final goodbye to a beloved dog will recognize the feeling. That deep grief over a dear friend. And when there’s no other dog left at home—no one who needs your love and attention, no reason to go outside, no companion for walks, no one to cry into, no wagging tail waiting every time you walk back into the room… the emptiness hits like a sledgehammer.

Everyone copes in their own way. Lieven withdrew, played music, and watched the handful of (terrible) photos and videos we had of Mischa. I scoured the internet, searching for breeders, stories, puppies, rescues…

That’s when I came across a kennel in Belgium that had just had a litter. The sire (Jockular Kamau) reminded me of our Mischa, and the dam (Heshima ya Kimba Chiva) looked like a female version of Quito. I wrote them a long email, telling them about us, about Quito and Mischa. I asked if there were still any puppies available, but I also wrote that I wasn’t even sure why I was asking… that I was writing because I was heartbroken and just needed to let it out.

They replied with a lovely message. All puppies were spoken for, but we were more than welcome to come visit and cuddle them once they were four weeks old or older—or just to go for a walk together and get to know each other.

I thanked them warmly and wrote back that we’d love to visit once our tears had dried a little.

Two weeks later, another email came in: “Please don’t feel obligated in any way, but one couple has backed out. If you’re interested in a correct female pup, we’d love to meet you.”

We didn’t have to think about it. At the first opportunity, we drove to Buggenhout, Belgium. We instantly clicked with the breeders, Ilse and Johan, and after a sunny afternoon among the pups—full of tears, laughter, Belgian beer, and tasty snacks—the choice became easy. Among these lovely little ones lay our future girl.

From that day on, we drove to Belgium every week until we were finally allowed to bring her home. Mwenyezi Mtawala Cwazi, the little girl with the blue and yellow collar. Born on April 10th, 2003—just eight days before Mischa passed away.

I had forgotten so much about Mischa’s puppyhood, and we only had a handful of photos. That wasn’t going to happen again. We bought a digital camera and I cobbled together a website to keep an online diary. Through a Yahoo group for Dutch ridgeback lovers, we met many kindred spirits and stayed closely in touch with the breeder and the owners of Cwazi’s littermates.

Thanks to Remy, the owner of Kamau—Cwazi’s father—I learned about angulation, tail carriage, movement, and the Ridgeback standard in general. He had a beautiful way of explaining things. We had put a lot of effort into Mischa’s socialization, but with Cwazi we went even further. I took hundreds of photos and kept Cwazi’s diary religiously up to date.

It felt so good to have a dog again. Cwazi went everywhere with us, and we poured a lot of time into her socialization. She came along in the canoe, on holidays, out to restaurants…

We also still visited Quito now and then to take him to the woods or the beach. Having two ridgebacks… that was something special. 😉 And so, in the fall of 2004, Daico—Cwazi’s half-brother—joined our family.

Cwazi was over the moon with Daico’s arrival. From the very first moment, he was allowed to cuddle up with her, and she rolled onto her back to play with him. Despite the extensive socialization, she gradually developed an aversion to other dogs. At first, she would avoid larger, tougher dogs, and from the moment Daico started lifting his leg to pee, she became more assertive—especially with nervous, insecure dogs.

Just her nature? A side effect of being spayed? Things we overlooked or mishandled in her early years? Probably a mix of it all—who knows.

She loved long walks, car rides, cycling, us, Daico, and food. In October 2007, we moved from Soest to Friesland, where the chickens, ducklings, and new cats were accepted without any fuss as part of the family.

Cwazi lived just shy of 11 years. We had to let her go unexpectedly only the weeks after the arrival of Cara due of a malignant tumor in her spleen, which had already spread to her liver.🙁