It’s 8pm in Niger, West Africa and Sheba, the Rhodesian ridgeback from Sweden, is in the mood to play… SHEBA: “Who’s with me?! I feel like chewing on someone and trying out my wrestling moves!” DENNIS [comfortably snoozing in Sheba's bed]: “Count me out. I’m way too old for that kind of puppy behaviour.” SHEBA: [...]

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Our old boy Dennis is (together with his half brothers Baghera and Baloo) turning twelve years old today!! Due to lack of reliable Internet connection, I will have to postpone my “Dennis post” until later! In the mean time, happy birthday old rascal! We’ve come to enjoy you a lot and (I never thought I [...]

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If find yourself hungry on a Saturday morning, Sheba knows exactly where to take you. Just cross the road from where we live, …and you come to our very own fast food service, where Salamatu is frying delicious beignets. Beignet is French for bean donuts, which are deep fried in peanut oil and served with [...]

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ESTHER: “OK guys, I’ve got some fresh goat milk here for you to share!” SHEBA: “Good! We’ve been waiting for ages, sitting so pretty over here!” SHEBA: “Hey! That’s not fair! Why does HE get the first sip??” ESTHER: Because Dennis needs to gain weight, while you’re the healthiest looking dog in town, Sheba! SHEBA: [...]

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Piroplasmosis is a tricky disease, and more common in the Zinder area today than ten years ago. All of our horses have had piroplasmosis at this point – with the fillies being treated during my absence in Sweden. Kalahari is looking great these days (round as a barrel) but I was wondering why Isolde took [...]

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When I stepped out of the office a few nights ago, I was met by a stunning display of colours and sky activity. It was too late for those fabulous shots, but not too late to enjoy. Wanting to give my dog some quality time, I took her to Aichatu’s to play with her new [...]

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After a few days in Zinder (settling in and adjusting to the heat & humidity), it’s time to look back at that first Saturday morning when we woke up at Ishtar’s Ark for the first time in three months! Sheba was still at the office (I didn’t want to pick her up late at night, [...]

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My last African Skywatch was in June. We were just a few days short of leaving for Sweden, and took the dogs out for one last long walk. Sheba loves skywatching as much as we do, which is probably because we love it so much. It’s always an excursion, and the show never ends until [...]

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Due to a past record of aggressive behavior, I don’t compliment our adopted Dennis Mugu (especially not after the Nefertiti Incident!) as often as our other pets. But in the light of fairness, I must give it to him to be a fabulous guard dog and a wonderful guinea fowl chaser (and he has improved [...]

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Our once-upon-a-time baby Rhodesian ridgeback puppy from Sweden, who flew with me to Niger, has grown! Sheba (Ridgebow’s Radiant Reya of Navy) is simply not a little girl anymore! Knowing we wouldn’t be there for her monthly birthday, we celebrated with some fresh goat milk. There are few things our dogs love as much as [...]

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Sheba’s heat season is finally over and Dennis Mugu is back at Ishtar’s Ark, after spending nearly two weeks with the lovely Donja, my brother’s dog. He was happy to be back and instantly made himself at home under our big jiga tree. For a dog that doesn’t like to bathe (and that would be [...]

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The first rain of the season offered a comfortable break from the humid heat that had been going on for the past two weeks, as well as a garden full of naturally showered animals! The critters themselves were happy with the change of temperature, but some of them (Dennis Mugu in particular) voiced their protest [...]

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Those of you who have been following this blog for quite some time now will most probably remember my fruitless efforts to adopt an abandoned kitten in my yard after rigidly having walked past six other kitten-cases that all ended tragically. Nefertiti DanMusa 2008 Despite the fact that I have never been a cat person, [...]

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