Camelot Rhodesian Ridgebacks

We bought our first Ridgeback, Ch Deer Ridge Morganna ROM, in February, 1988. Although we only wanted a family companion, we found that we enjoyed the company of other Rhodesian Ridgeback families and began attending weekend dog shows in our area. When Morganna finished her AKC Championship after only six shows, we were hooked on what has become a very engrossing activity.

Eventually, we became sufficiently interested in the breed that we decided to try breeding. In 1990, Morganna was bred to Ch Calico Ridge The Warlord ROM (Tamerlane). This breeding produced a very nice litter of puppies, of which three went on to AKC Championships: Am/SA/Zim Ch Camelot's Technical Knockout ROM (Bruiser), Ch Camelot Lightnin' (Boz), and Ch Camelot's Bonzai Bomber (Bomber).

From this beginning, we have become very active in conformation, breeding, and other Rhodesian Ridgeback activities. To date there have been more than 45 Camelot AKC conformation champions (plus conformation champions in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Zimbabwe). One of our puppies, Ch Camelot's the King (Elvis) finished his AKC conformation championship at the tender age of six months and seven days, which makes him one of the two youngest Rhodesian Ridgeback champions in AKC history (the other being a Lamardo Perro dog who finished at six months and seven days in 1958). In addition, four Camelot dogs have achieved field championships and six dogs that we owned or bred have been added to the RRCUS Register of Merit.

Our first real show dog, Bruiser was nationally ranked in the top three in 1992-94. In October of 1995, Bruiser went to spend 18 months for breeding and showing with Janet Wang, a Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder in Capetown, South Africa. While in Africa, Bruiser attained South African and Zimbabwean Championships. He returned to Camelot in April, 1997, and passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 15, 2001. To read a brief story about Bruiser's sojourn in Africa, click here. Bruiser was and continues to be an outstanding sire, in the United States but also in in South Africa and Europe. Several of his descendents have excelled in the show ring, and many others have excelled as good citizens of various families around the world. Bruiser's son Hunter was the #8 Rhodesian Ridgeback for 1995 and was #1 in 1996, earning more breed points (1346) than any Ridgeback up until that time except Ch Gitano of Raintree. His grandsons Mojave and Ruger ended 2005 in an unprecedented exact tie as the #1- and #2-ranked Ridgebacks with 2,025 breed points each (see top of page for details)--both have won Ridgeback specialty shows and both have won multiple all-breed Bests in Show.

In September of 2001 we had our most exciting show weekend to that time when Ch Camelot's Follow The Sun (Marley) won Best of Opposite Sex at the 70th RRCUS National Specialty and two days later took Best in Show at the Inland Empire Kennel Club all-breed show. Marley is only the 8th Rhodesian Ridgeback female to win Best in Show in an AKC all- breed show; click here to see the entire list. Click here to see photos from the Specialty and Inland Empire shows. Marley passed away on April 22, 2006. She left an awesome legacy for the breed. Three of her sons and daughters have won National Specialty shows (in Australia, the United States and Canada) and her sons Mojave and Ruger have been among the top three or four Rhodesian Ridgeback show dogs for several years.

For more information about Rhodesian Ridgebacks, visit the home page of RRCUS, the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States.

You might also want to read an essay entitled "The Care and Loving of Your New Rhodesian Ridgeback Puppy".

Download health record forms which other breeders are welcome to use as is or to adapt for their own purpose. We also include here an example of a completed health form for a puppy from one of our litters.

From time to time Rhodesian Ridgebacks are born without the ridge. Because the ridge is the hallmark of the breed, breeders remove these dogs from the gene pool. We have chosen to find homes for our ridgeless RRs with families who guarantee that they will have the dog spayed or neutered before eight months of age. Click here to see photos of the Camelot RRRs with their new families.

If you are considering buying a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, please read our essay entitled "Things to Know Before You Buy a Rhodesian Ridgeback". We strongly encourage you to deal with a reputable breeder, preferably one who belongs to a strong breed club such as the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States (RRCUS). The RRCUS Breeder's Directory will help you find a breeder in your geographic area. You might also consider adopting an older Ridgeback who needs a second home through Northern California Ridgeback Rescue. Just before Thanksgiving, 1999, we fostered Nana, a part-Ridgeback, part-Chesapeake Bay Retriever for Rescue; as it turned out, Nana insinuated herself into our hearts and found a permanent place in our pack. Click here to read Nana's story.

Camelot in the news:

• "Professor and his dogs have the right chemistry", 2003 article in the University of California weekly magazine, The Berkeleyan.
• Ad for a young Mojave in a 2003 issue of Dog News.
• Cover story, June 2005 issue of The Ridgeback Register; Mojave wins RRCUS National Specialty.
• "Sibling Revelry", a special four-page pullout section in the February 2006 issue of The Ridgeback Register; Mojave and Ruger end 2005 in an exact tie for #1.