Azawakh Dog! Dog! Dog! This blog is about preservation: of our right to own Azawakh, other dogs and animals; of the working character, the functionality, of dogs; of the Aidi Kel Tamasheq, dogs from the Sahel, archetypical dogs who come from the Tamasheq speaking people, the Aidi n'Ailluli - noble dogs of the free people, called Azawakh outside Africa; of spirituality; of health; and of beautiful things...
The Azawakh: Dogs From The Clan Of The Tamasheq Speaking People “The Azawakh of the Sahel arise as one of the world's last and rarest existences, in which an entire race of dog is still shaped by its historical purpose; an ancient form optimally adapted to its natural environment and surviving free of the genetic depletion brought about by selection according solely to aesthetic criteria. Those in the west who love the race share a unique opportunity to heed Xavier Przezdziecki's redemptive words: The belief held by all breed associations in "improvement" should not apply to the sighthound as it is almost perfectly formed by nature. Indeed, as they are a loan from nature, man is charged with their preservation." ~ Dr. Werner Röder, Honorary Member, The Azawakh Club
Tahatmellet means one of the kels (clans) of the Tamasheq. It means 'those of the white horses'. A very special dog. To me he is Africa. His eyes. His movement. His character. Bred by Daoud Abdullah Abdullah, out of Tamahan, desert bred, and Clarity Noowairah, who was sired by another very special dog, Al-Ifriqiya Kaisoon,
also bred by Daoud. For those who are getting multiple email notifications, I apologize. Blogger is giving me trouble; I think The Gremlin is at it again.
3 of the females from the May litter are shown in the first four photos. Thanks to DaNae Keys for the photo of Hamra. The next two are of Abaya - in motion night and day! Next is sister Safqa, followed by half brother Ayur-Ikmer, a young male out of Batna and Kidal from a previous breeding, and his litter brother, Amassakoul. All from Idiiyat-es-Sahel by Daoud Abdullah Abdullah.
All puppies look like fat bratwursts to me. I admire the breeders who are able to select that special one when the litter is born. My vision is different. But the record shows I've had my fair share of successes.
This blog came to be as an aftermath to California Assembly Bill 1634 and the November, 2008 election. Now we are on 13th version of the same, morphed into AB 241 and SB 250.
Preservation. Preservation of the rights bestowed upon us by our Constitution.To bear arms.
Preservation of our right to own property.
Angus vom Reisfeld
Hail Call All Dog Owners
This blog is also about the preservation of our right to breed animals without governmental intervention.
John Garcia & Grando
"We dog owners have buried our heads in the sand. We are the silent majority of America and our silence has furthered the interests of the tiny minority of animal rights fanatics. In every poll on dog ownership issues, we outnumber animal rights extremists five to one, yet our voices are not being heard. If we don’t stand up together and fight back now, all will be lost. In unity is strength. Divided, we lose. We either hang together or we're finished. Get it?"
Grando & Jim Dobbs
To the many of you who were shoulder to shoulder with me in the saga of AB 1634, and before that, Oakland, and before that, San Mateo: no more emails from me. You will have to visit this blog to stay on top. But remember, stay under cover.
It is also about the preservation of an exquisitely beautiful animal, the idi of Sahel, likely to become extinct without some effort on our part.
Known outside Africa as the Azawakh (perhaps even misnamed?), a limited number are being bred. Some are even shown in Europe, and somewhat in the United States. For in depth information about these aidi from the Tamasheq speaking people, however, please visit Idiiyat-es-Sahel. To learn more about the preservation movement of these dogs, please visit The Azawakh Club.
What I want to do is help, in a small way, preserve a wider base genepool of these incredible animals as they still exist in the Sahelian desert. Perhaps the distinction is semantics, perhaps not, but in my eyes, there appears to be a chasm between what it has become in the West, and what it is originally.
Biting controversy in the butt regards, as always, yours truly....
Iférouane
Iférouane
Iférouane Idiiyat-es-Sahel is the birth name of my taidit. In Tamasheq it means wings.
She is named after Iférouane, an oasis town in northern Niger, West Africa, about 1,000 km (620 miles) north of the Nigerian capital, Niamey. Just northwest of Arlit, capital of the Arlit Department in the Agadez Region, Iférouane is located in the Ighazar Valley of the sub Sahelian Ténéré desert, near the Tamgak Range. It is the gateway to the spectacular volcanic Aïr Massif mountains, which rises 2,000 meters from the desert floor.
Aïr Massif Mountains
Il Tomba Doucement
Il ne cria pas. Il tomba doucement comme tombe un arbre. Ça ne fit même pas de bruit, à cause du sable.
The excerpt from Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry has been archived to the January 11 blog post.