ABOUT MELVIN
HD: A, EA: A = Excellent, no cataract, excellent mentality-test
HEIGHT 69CM, WEIGHT 45KG
It was a summer night in 2001 and the hole family was at home. We were waiting for the phone-call from Hege Dufseth (kennel Exgate),
and when she finally called, the news were good and bad; Melvin was born that evening along with 7 other little darlings, but unfortunately
four of them had Dermoid Sinus. Chewy was left with two male puppies, Melvin and Manu, and two females, Madame and Mira.
We wanted to wait until the puppies were a little older before we travelled way up to Ilseng, so we were a pest on the phone instead! One
day we just couldn't take it any more, and on our trip from Tønsberg to Ilseng we must have broken all the speed limits. We were soooo anxious!
What if we didn't like the ones we saw?? We were determined to get a male puppy and there were only two males to choose from!!!
Full of excitement we stepped into the puppy-room where Chewy proudly introduced us to her darling pups. And there, in the middle of the room,
sat this little guy whith the most gorgeous face and it was love at first sight. Whithin the end of the day we loved everything about this little
man; he was beautiful and fun to watch. While the other three charged at the food, he found that checking out what was under a bush more interesting.
He wanted to explore everything and he also liked to be cuddled in our lap.
The journey back home was long. The next weeks took for ever. On the very day, eight weeks after they were born, we drove back to fetch our little
miracle. Eva whom is Chewy's "foster-mother" had a tear in her eye as we put Melvin in the car to bring him home. But what a good job she had done
in introducing them all to different elements they would all meet in their future life! As Melvin had been in a car several times before, he slept
all the way! Home at last and Melvin checked out the garden whith great delight and then sped indoors to check the house out as well.
All the kids in the neighbourhood loved him and he loved them back. Our walks in the woods were often accompanied whith several children. All this
resulted in Melvin being calm when small people are around and he lets them do all the strange things they do!
Melvin has taken us to lots of dog training classes We chose the method by Turid Rugaas as this goes best for all of us. Some agillity and also some
field-tracking has been part of out weekly routine.
What he loves the most is running free in the woods with Shacko walking behind in his easy pace. To this day, Melvin has no idea that he is supposed
to be an adult dog. If there is a more puppy-like four year old dog out there, we have yet to meet him! To Melvin life is just one big "yee-hah!".
In 2004 Melvin went through a Mentality Test with great results. He has also gained his championship title though he really doesn't like the show-ring.
It's such a bore.
Being quite objective here, I must say that Melvin is quite simply the best Rhodesian Ridgeback there is. It's just a matter of fact.