Let me tell you a little about us and our Ridgebacks.  We became acquainted with Ridgebacks in 2000, through our 14 year old daughter, Heather.  Her dad had told her that she could get a dog, with only one stipulation…. it had to be a “little” dog.  She spent a solid month that summer researching different breeds on the Internet.  In September, we attended a dog show to take a look at the breeds that she was interested in.  There, she found her “dream” dog – a Rhodesian Ridgeback – not one of the breeds that we had gone to see.  In fact, not even a breed that we had ever heard of before.  Heather came home from that show and researched some more – this time with her focus strictly on Ridgebacks.  Shortly after that, we put a deposit on a puppy and were placed on a waiting list – hopefully for a puppy to be born that December. 

     A month later, our lives were shattered when Heather, and her sister, Shannon (20), were killed by a drunk driver.  Within the next few weeks, one of the first questions my husband had was, “what about Heather’s dog?”  No question in my mind.  It was Heather’s dog.  We were getting her!  Between breedings that didn’t take, missed cycles, and being moved from one waiting list to another, finally, after 21 months, we purchased our Ridgeback from a wonderful lady in New Jersey.  We were ecstatic!  I actually cried, knowing that we were finally getting Heather’s dog.

     Lexi (Heather’s Impossible Dream) was such a nice addition, that at some point, we decided to breed her in hopes of turning out more Ridgebacks like herself.  With much mentoring from other Ridgeback breeders, the necessary tests done at Michigan State, and armed with permission from Lexi’s breeder, we set out to find a stud that would compliment and improve the traits we saw in Lexi.  We found that dog in Chicago – Champion Kwetu’s Morus.  Our first litter of nine was born in the spring of 2005.  We were delighted with the results and kept a show puppy, Lailah (Heatheridge Legacy by Kwetu).  That was the start of, what I call, Heather’s Legacy.  I do this for the love of Heather; for the love of Ridgebacks.