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Diamondridge Royal Gold - A Tribute to a Special RidgebackIn November 2009 had to say a fond farewell to Diamondridge Royal Gold (Flair) she was just one month short of her 14th birthday. Flair was born out of Voortrekker Lya Pompa of Diamondridge (Zeeta). When we brought in Zeeta as a puppy to mate to our Ch. Diamondridge Daredevil we felt we should have something special that would give us a new Foundation and our patience was rewarded, we were not disappointed. Flair had some white on her chest and one paw and although her ridge was long, well defined and crowns were large, they were marginally offset, so for some judges she was not correct. She was, however, ‘fit for purpose’. Her conformation and superb movement were what wanted.
From a young age Flair was very in touch with her natural instincts. This became evident when she was nine months old. Friends had called for help as their young bitch had been hit by a car and had run off. She was a long way from home and so there was no chance of her finding her way back. They had been searching for two days with no luck when we joined the search party. We took Flair and her mother who had done some tracking. Within a few hours Flair had located the bitch in thick undergrowth by a lake. This was in an area which had been searched many times before but the bitch had been so traumatised that she did not respond to her owners’ calls. One of Flair’s favourite games was following a lure attached to a fishing rod. She would never tire of weaving from side to side and pouncing backwards and forwards chasing the lure. In many ways she reminded us of a cat, perhaps they had to have that quality to survive in their role as a lion hunter. We filmed this and it was part of the SRRA Judging DVD which was presented at the World Congress 2000 and 2008 as well as various Judging Seminars. Many all-rounder judges were astounded by the fast changes of direction, speed, flexibility and agility achieved by a dog of her substance and bone. Many said that it gave them an insight as to the type of conformation required in a ridgeback.
For Flair’s first litter she was mated to Ch. Tukela Umgaza at Sofala where she produced Ch. Diamondridge Déjà vu. (right) Flair was the first ridgeback bitch to travel under the Pet Passport scheme to be mated.
Her second mating to Ch. Int. Nord. VDH. Ch. Aakemba Astor G’Fumo, produced Ch. Diamondridge Desperado JW, (left)
For her final litter we took her again to Scandinavia to be mated to Int. Nord. Ch. Ukukhanya Scout the Red Baron this produced Ch. Diamondridge Donatello JW (right)
and Diamondridge Debut at Voortrekker who has 1 CC. She was the top winning brood bitch in 2005. Her record of five champions and a CC winner makes her one of the top brood bitches of all time. Flair was an excellent mum with strong instincts and had her own views of raising a family. On one occasion she brought back a live rabbit and on another a live bird which she had disabled for the puppies to play with. Dealing with it was not something we appreciated but we had to appreciate her ability to care for herself and her puppies. She was a strict mother also; disputes between litter mates were settled by her and all the puppies were taught manners and respect from a very young age. She was the Matriarch of the pack; all of our seven dogs gave her respect, even when she was old.
We live in a fairly remote location. One night our Burglar Alarm along with the pack went off in the small hours of the morning and we let the dogs out. It was obvious that someone was there as soon at they were out Flair started air and ground scenting. She ran to the front garden where a young man was hiding behind our oil tank. Flair proceeded to hold him at bay but when he picked up a brick to threaten them, Flair went in closer until he dropped the brick. None of the dogs touched him but held him at bay until called off. We always felt safe when Flair was around. We miss her she was special and a challenge in her younger days but there will never be another like her. Kelvin and Lindsey Barnes
Lindsey Barnes© Click here to return to Breed Notes
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Int.
Nord. Ch. Diamondridge Diplomat Group Winner & Top Ridgeback in Denmark 2003
(Left). 
She
also appeared to think she was human; she took to sitting up at the Dining Room
table. If anyone left the table for a few minutes it was not unusual for her to
take their place, she never tried to steal food but listened to the conversation
looking disdainfully down her nose.
