| Why the Ridgeback
Got Dermoid Sinus
by Elizabeth Akers, Rescue Coordinator
Many, many moons ago, when the land was filled
with wondrous life and vibrancy; Mantis looked about and surveyed
his kingdom. There were the colours of the land, the greens,
golds, pinks, blues and reds to enjoy. There were also the
breezes to inhale and waft about on the thermals, buffeted
from one to another like a piece of down. The rich smells
of the land and its inhabitants made Mantis quite giddy with
delight at what he had created. He loved his world.
Way down beneath where Mantis lived, roamed
a pack of dogs. They were red dogs and most of them had ridges
down their backs. They were a brave group of animals and their
pups were born with a fortitude that Mantis was especially
proud to have created. Some of the pups were daredevils, others
were rather homebodies, but nevertheless, willing and able
to protect their own with their lives.
One such pup, Jannie, did not always feel well
enough to play and roughhouse with his siblings. He hurt in
many places and was not very strong. He was much smaller than
the rest of his brothers and sisters. It was hard for him
to fight for his share of a meal. As a result he stayed by
himself a lot. He also spent time with not only his mother
who loved him dearly, but also his littlest sister, Susie.
Susie would lick his face and ears to make him feel better.
She would curl up beside him at naptime and give him the most
comfortable spot in the dry grass to sleep upon. She would
bring him bits and pieces of bracken, grass, a mouthful of
spider's silk or some downy feathers to try and make a softer
bed for him.
At meal times she would try and get the best
piece and run off to give it to Jannie. Her siblings soon
caught on to this and stopped her, demanding their share of
the best pieces of food. Susie reluctantly had to explain
to her brother that she was not strong enough to stand up
to the other pups. She was not about to let Jannie suffer,
however, and she taught herself to hunt for small delicacies
that she could take to him without her siblings catching her
and taking the food away from her. She hoped the extra food
would help him grow big and strong.
It was very difficult for her to do all the
extra chasing around; the fighting with her brothers and sisters
hurt her and some nights she did not get enough dinner either.
She and Jannie would curl up together and listen to each other's
tummies rumble with hunger. Susie would sometime shave a small
bit of Kudu stuck away buried for just such a time, when they
were both hungry. Jannie was so often hungry that she soon
used up her secret stock of meat. As the other pups grew bolder,
healthier and bigger, so Jannie grew sicker and sicker Susie
did not know what was wrong with him. She would whimper and
cry, then lick his face as he lay unmoving. She took pains
to see that he was comfortable, she foraged further afield
for food, just for him. She tackled nests to get more feathers
for him to lie upon.
Then one day, they both woke up to a strange
quiet around them. Susie rose and looked about, she saw none
of the usual pups playing, dogs, lying in the sun, her mother
washing a pup or perhaps chastising one of her brothers for
being rude. She and Jannie were all alone. Their family had
moved on to better hunting land. She cried and howled for
a longtime.
She felt so alone, then, she realized that she
and Jannie had been alone for many months already. They had
managed to survive so far, even though Jannie was still very
ill. She thought she was strong enough to take care of both
of them until Jannie was well enough to help her hunt and
find shelter. She settled down next to Jannie again, curling
up so that her body heat could warm his frail body.
For several weeks they managed to stay in one
place, but food was in short supply and Susie knew they would
have to move. Jannie was too weak to walk far and she found
herself going further out into the bush to find food. As the
days went by, Susie managed to find enough to barely keep
them alive. She did not want Jannie to die, he had to get
better and he would get strong and they would follow their
family. Susie did not know she was almost as thin as Jannie
now.
Susie was also in some pain and it was very
hard for her, but she did not tell Jannie that she hurt. She
also did not tell him that sometimes she missed getting dinner,
as she could not turn fast enough to catch the rabbit. She
found it more difficult to bend and turn these days. Her neck
was very sore.
Susie became too weak to go and hunt. Jannie
told her that they would go to the home of Mantis together,
but Susie did not want to die. She wanted Jannie to get better,
she thought she was just tired. After all she had nursed him
and looked after him for many moons now; she just needed some
rest. The next morning Jannie did not wake up and wag his
tail when she licked his face. She knew he was with Mantis.
She ached and hurt everywhere. She neck felt so very hot,
perhaps she was burning up. She lay down and dreamed that
she saw Mantis with Jannie.
Mantis was saying "Jannie, your sister has cared
for you, loved you, and sheltered you. In all that time, she
received no help from others, and yet she has been in pain
herself. She was born with my mark upon her. She has performed
her task of caring for her brother, you. She has shown you
unconditional love, affection and caring. She has pushed herself
beyond all of the limits she thought were in front of her.
She did all she could for her love of you, Jannie, her brother.
Susie is very special to you and so is she to Mantis. I will
call her to me soon. I want it known that because she is so
special, to me, the Creator, I shall henceforth mark those
Ridgebacks with the same sign that Susie carries. This shall
be in the neck, as is hers. These marked Ridgebacks will be
loved and favoured by me, Mantis. I shall not be long without
them some will come to me sooner than others. They will bear
my mark of love and I shall always treasure those dogs above
many others."
Today we call that mark a dermoid sinus.
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The Boetie Stories
Boetie is the creation of Elizabeth Akers.
He is a brave young ridgeback who is at wonder at the world
around him. He has many adventures and is the originator of
many ridgeback characterics. He and his siblings will show
you what ridgebacks are all about.
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