Our puppy, Tammi, arrived at our home in the summer and turned out to be a very loyal and faithful addition to our family. She followed the kids everywhere and if they were outside playing, she would be, too. Indoors she was a true “couch potato” and would also hide under our covers in bed. You wouldn't know she was there except for the snoring. We decided at that time that our queen size was not big enough and it was time to invest in a king-size bed.

After many, many loving years, that heart-breaking time came to make the very hard decision to let her pass away with dignity. I have never done this before and it was almost too much to bear. I held and cradled her head as she took her last breath and her head fell heavy in my lap. Bill and I cried all the way home from the vet's office. I walked around for several days trying to continue with my everyday chores but found that I just could not function without my Rhodesian Ridgeback. With tears in my eyes I told Bill that we had to get another one immediately and he agreed. I called our breeder with the hopes that she just might have a litter available. But she did not. What she did have was a 4-month old show-quality female puppy that she would be willing to have us purchase. Bill and I decided to take the trip and look at her.

When this nameless puppy bounced out and ran to us, Bill and I looked in her face and immediately fell in love. She nestled in my lap and licked our faces. This little gem was our introduction to the dog show circuit with our breeder agreeing to show her for us when she became of age. We traveled back home with this new addition and as I looked out the window at the passing scenery, her new name popped into my head on the way. Her name from now on was Margo.

At three years of age our breeder bred Margo to another one of her dogs, Taylor. When she saw Margo jump out of our van, our breeder immediately saw that she had big-time show potential. After her litter was born, Margo was introduced to the show ring and on her way to becoming a champion. Our breeder showed her twice but Margo was distracted and kept looking for me. With her encouragement, our breeder had me take Margo and run around the ring for practice. What she saw was that Margo shined in the ring when she was with me so that is when the team of “Char and Margo” was born. I had a lot to learn as I had never shown a dog before but we learned it together and enjoyed every minute of it. Margo became a champion in January of 2007 among the cheers of everyone standing ring side. I have never felt more proud of her in my life and we have been in the ring pretty much every weekend since. She bugs the heck out of me if there isn't a show to go to as she loves it so much. When we are at the shows, she attracts so much attention that you would think she was a movie star. And you can ask anyone, she has got that “give me a goodie” stare down pat.

We also have another female Ridgeback named Dyna who we kept from Margo's first litter. Together they are a busy mother-daughter team wrestling and running outside while also lounging together indoors as the sun shines in our front door.

You can find more information on both of them as we have pages dedicated to each. I hope you enjoy the pictures. We travel everywhere with them as you will notice on our vacation page. Bill and I are members of RRCUS in which I participate in the Owner/Handler Awards program and RRCOW. We will be planning another litter with Margo in the spring of 2009. Margo will be bred to AKC/UKC CH. Calico Ridge Red Letter Day (Tucker).  Before we made our decision, we had several stud dogs coming to us offering their services. That says a lot for what Margo has to offer. She is a wonderful mother and her youthful appearance is ageless.