Jasmine & Jean-Michel Hoppe

Since 1987, Jean-Michel and I are a good playing and best complementing team, who always approach with the necessary vision and appropriate commitment to the challenges of the life. So when we decided to build our future home close to the nature reserve area of Boppelsen. In regard of having kids and a dog that should realize the nature in this world we created ourselves an ideal place in rural idyll, in order to live with our dogs together, surrounded by forests, meadows and rivers and something heighted.  2004 came our first Rhodesian Ridgeback, M A K A L O N G A ' S   B A N T U   to us, changing our entire life in a flash. With him we enjoy until today many beautiful and experience-rich moments. One year later in 2005 we got further new blood: we became parents of our son Sidney. It was a challenging task to familiarize the two and to set limits to an infant and a young dog. Today they are big friends and demand themselves mutually.  We completed various education courses with Bantu and train with him also still every day. We visited also various dog shows with him. The desire to use Bantu to breed unfortunately became not realistic. However this does not do any abort to our passion for him, because he has long ago his firm place in our hearts. As our first Ridgeback Bantu will be always someone very special for us. Bantu is concrete a very masculine male, sensitive, reserved Ridgeback, my loved, calm pole in my life.  The demand for a second Rhodesian Ridgeback began at the beginning of 2007 and continued to increase. I began to interest myself more intensively for the race and in addition in the dog breeding. I run further education courses, supported and engaged myself for the RRCS particularly as ring personnel. With these engagements I learned a lot and met many interesting exhibitors and dogs. On 24 December 2007 we got our Christmas present by mail: from the FCI our registration arrived for our kennel name „of muna ya kusini„ which is Swahili and means: „hope of the south “. We have chosen this name in regard of our second adopted region in the Ticino close to the Italian border, where we spend much time with our dogs in our house in Molinazzo di Monteggio. We had a dream, which should become true in August 2008. At many dog shows we admired the proud, nature-firm, typical race representative:MCH Bukuru of Sambesi Waters.

What a picture of a dog! Like many of his admirers we are impressed about his beauty, sovereignty and last but not least by his owners, who share the same values with us as: pleasure and respect to the dog, as well as an unrestricted, lifelong, kind-fair obligation opposite it.   We were absolutely convinced that Bukuru should be the father of our second Rhodesian Ridgeback. We had to apply for some patience until we found also the suitable female and the correct moment had come to obtain the best match as possible. We found it in the beautiful, Belgian breeding female Atiya van de Biswetering, who has a very interesting, international blood line.

From this breeding, to which we were invited as wedding guests and even we got first choice in choosing our puppy, we decided us for

H I D A Y A  V A N  D E  E Y S S E L    H O E V E

who since end of August 2008 enriches our life. Her name means as much how: „precious gift“, which she is also indeed from the first moment. Hidaya has the correct temperament of a Ridgeback, is a very affectionate and elegant, feminine dog. She has undisputed the personality of her mother, her beauty is unmistakably from her father. The fact that she became with 16 weeks at the IHA in Lausanne already “Best Puppy” exceeded all our expectations. Now we look with a lot of expectations on her into the future and are strained on the common experiences. If everything goes well, we plan to take our Hidaya into the breed. Since it is conscious to us that on this way exists a few hurdles, we rely completely simply on „the hope of the south “, which will already take the right decision. We are pleased, about all which will along-pursue the development of Hidaya. Why breed? – is a good question. Thought like: development of the race, passion to the Rhodesian Ridgebacks play reliably a large role or simply the luck which we share with our dogs and we want to give to the correct further individuals. Our requirements in the breed go far beyond standard. Ethics in the breeding nature, health, efficiency and beauty are only a few requirements, which we committed ourselves. We attach besides importance on activity, mental occupation of the dogs as well as when the suitability is given, also promotion in the show ring and of course family fitness. From our future owners of our puppies we wish to be as long as possible in a cordial relationship and the obligation according to the dog to be a willful and reliable life partner, not only in good but also in bad days. For the Rhodesian Ridgeback well being also to sake of own needs and not to abuse him for self- absorbed needs, indeed  is a true love commitment to him. In order to guarantee this, we stand for you and „our“ Rhodesian's also at any time with good advice and action to the side. We are very proud, with Sidney, Bantu, Hidaya and further following Rhodesian Ridgebacks who will follow us, to discover such a beautiful, exciting, happy and content life.  Yours sincerely,

Jasmine & Jean-Michel Hoppe