In 1950 the first edition of a well known Dutch dog encyclopedia named “Onze Honden” (“Our dogs”), by PMC Toepoel, was given to my mother, Mrs. JCG Trésoor-Homan as a present. In it was a photograph of two dogs with a peculiar looking ridge on the back. They were two Rhodesian Ridgebacks which were imported into the Netherlands in 1948 by Mrs. Goedhart-Bakker: Induna and Ntombi Ingonyama, born in South Africa. Two litters were bred with those first Ridgebacks but because of lack of interest some of their offspring ended up in a pension in Losser (a small town in the east of the Netherlands) where her father found them several years later.
In 1953 my mother acquired her first Rhodesian Ridgeback Indoena van de Tafelbaai, a dog born out of the second litter bred by Mrs. Goedhart-Bakker. This dog became the first Dutch Champion in 1954 and, among other titles, obtained the “Winner” title (comparable to the “Crufts” title). Indoena died in 1960 and at the time there was no opportunity to get another dog because of her medical studies. In 1964 she imported Florin of Footpath, the first of a number of Ridgebacks from England bred by Mrs. E.R. Bailey of the well known Footpath kennels.After that arrived Fashionable of Footpath (1966), Flax of Footpath (1967), Fazant of Footpath (1968) and Footpath Faun (1978). Footpath Faun died in 1990, with her the last Ridgeback carrying the Footpath name died, in the Netherlands as well as in England.
In 1970 she bred her first litter with Flax of Footpath x Luti de Holi (imp SA, owner G. Uilenberg) with artificial insemination. This was the first successful A.I. attempt with frozen sperm in the Netherlands. Out of this combination Ntombi Afrika vir die Simba Safari was kept.
The head of this bitch is nowadays still used on stickers, mugs etc. and can be found in the seventh edition in the aforementioned dog encyclopedia “Onze Honden”.
In 1978 Mr. Remon Mersmanns asked my parents for help in founding the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Nederland, because of their experience with dog societies. Thus the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Nederland was founded in September 1978 by Mr. Remon Mersmann, Mrs.Broere, Mrs.Timmermans and Mr.and Mrs.Trésoor-Homan.
The drawing with three Ridgebacks that used to be on the cover of the club magazine, and still is the subject on the club flag, was made from an example of a photograph of our dogs.
In 1976 the author of this site, Mariëlle Trésoor, was born. At that time my parents owned 6 Rhodesian Ridgebacks; they can even be found on my birth announcement card!
During the years that I grew up the dogs were my playmates. At an early age I was involved in the breeding and showing. In 1985 Ntombi Nyoka vir die Simba Safari won the ticket for best bitch at the Championship Club Show and obtained the Dutch Championship at the same time. I was nine years old at the time. “Who learns young, forgets not when she’s old”
The litters always have names in an alphabetical order: in this way we can immediately tell the descent. In addition to this the bitches will get the prefix “ntombi” meaning girl, and the dogs “nduna” meaning commander-in-chief. We have bred several national and international Ridgeback champions. Since my eighteenth birthday we carry the affix Vir die Simba Safari together.
After her retirement my mother became a judge of the Rhodesian Ridgeback nationally as well as internationally.
Since then she gradually handed the kennel over to me. She passed away in 2022 and four Ridgebacks escorted her at her funeral. From 2009-2012 I have been a general committee member of the Dutch breed club: the RRCN. Our breeding is in accordance with the Club breeding rules in the Code of Ethics. Since 2014 I am a qualified Ridgeback FCI-judge as well.
Currently I have two Ridgebacks, a Bracco Italiano and a Dachshund but we don’t count that as a real dog. One male: Thokoza Rafiki by Lloyd and a bitch: Ringerike Pure Passion Villagedog.
Since 2017 we live in the Allier in France where we will continue our Ridgeback breeding.
It must be in my blood; I have become a committee member of the french breed club, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club de France, in 2020.
Ms. Mariëlle Trésoor
