I have become "weird!" (Become? Some say I already was!) "Weird" is how I formerly described people who put their dog's ashes in urns and kept them nearby. Well, my beautiful Belmont Lady's ashes are in a wooden box, with her photo framed on it, on a shelf next to my bed. Having her remains there, brings me comfort. Her "Good Canine Citizen" award sits next to it, along with her senior award and her Award of Merits won at the Nationals in her Senior years. If there was room on that Shelf, The Blanbeeridge Challenge Trophy that she retired with her BOW win at the National (when she was a mere 8 months old) would be sitting on that shelf too! She was an incredible Ridgeback and I was not prepared to say goodbye to her! (We never are!)

My pain was unbearable on that day, in 1986, when we humanely euthanized her grandmother, CH KWETU KOYA'S RUFFIAN, ROM, and when Art put the beautiful seven week old puppy bitch on my lap and said "here is a new one for you to give your heart to," it did not help ease my pain! But he was right! I, eventually, did unconditionally give her my heart!

I did not name her after the Belmont Stakes, as most people supposed. When we moved to Belmont Ave. in Chicago, it was a changing neighborhood. At night, the ladies of the street walked about and I named this puppy, "Belmont Lady," tongue in cheek, after these prostitutes. (However I did name her Produce after Belmont Stake Winners except for the litter that was whelped on Babe Ruth's birthdate! I named most of these pups using the many different nicknames of the Home Run King.)

I chose her over her sister, who in fact, bone for bone looked to be the more promising puppy. However this lovely puppy that I chose had a look about her that clearly said "I AM THE BEST!" Many other's saw this in her eyes, also, as among her conquests in the Conformation Ring were judges who awarded her ribbons for Best of Winners at the National Specialty when she was just eight months old, her championship the following day at a Specialty Satellite Show, and Best Bitch at the National Specialty the following year. She was not yet two years old! She won two Science Diet Senior Awards, and many Veteran Classes and even a Veteran Sweepstakes from the 9-11 year class. She also won several Awards Of Merit as a Veteran, dispelling the myth that if a dog matures early it will "fall apart" early! Belmont Lady never fell apart! She was lovely, till the very end.

The AKC chose her to represent correct side gait, in the AKC produced film "The Rhodesian Ridgeback." She was a good producing bitch. Among her 10 Champion Produce was a Winner's Bitch at a National Specialty, Ch Kwetu's Cosmo Girl (aka "Helen") and a Best Bitch at another National, Ch. Kwetu's Go & Go (aka "Taffy" or "Smoochie Poochie") and Ch Kwetu's Peace Chance, winner of Best Brood Bitch at the National (& dam of a Specialty WB.) and CH Kwetu's Xoxa in Denmark, Denmark's very first Liver Nosed Ridgeback Champion, and multiple Specialty Winner, Overseas.

She was a very proud bitch. She had a way of looking at you that made you feel inferior to her! I have never seen a lovelier head on any Ridgeback! She carried herself with a look of quality. (As if she knew she was that special!) She believed that we were on this Earth to supply her with her demands and proved this by barking orders at us!

As a watchdog she was interesting! Every morning she would go into the back yard and on general principal just emit one or two loud barks as if to tell all those possible lurking (in the alley) "bad guys" that she was on duty now. However, at night, her warning barks came from underneath the covers because that's where she was at night, most of the time, under the covers in my bed! Unless she decided it was too crowded with the other Kwetu dogs. And then, she had her own bedroom (formerly known as the "guest room" ) but would demand of any guests that they raise the blanket so she could share "her" bed with them and believe me, all of them did! One such guest was Melissa Carlin who arrived unbeknownst to Belmont Lady, who discovered her (a stranger!) in our back yard and horrors! Melissa was admiring the flower garden and Belmont Lady knew how sacred this garden was because none of the dogs were allowed to step foot in it so when she spotted Melissa bending over the flowers for a close look, she promptly nipped her in the butt!

She graduated first in her class at Obedience School! She would not do practice sessions. She would obey the command just once! If you asked her to sit she would do so but as soon as you praised her she would get up. If you told her "sit" again, she would look at you like you were stupid because she just did this! If you told her "sit" a third time she would simply walk away as if she was telling you "I do not want to play this game anymore." She was better at giving orders than taking them! (People loved to watch her bark orders at Art, in the ring when she felt he was not feeding her bait, quick enough!) This was part of her proud demeanor and I loved it!

In her Senior years she gave us other reasons to be proud of her, besides her continuing success at National Specialties. I was most proud, at the Chicagoland Rhodesian Ridgeback Club picnic, when we competed in the Canine Good Citizen Test, both of us in our Senior years! I am disabled due to a Stroke, several years ago and because of this, she had to adjust the pace of her walk to match mine. Very slowly and very carefully! She also won another award that day for being the oldest Ridgeback at the picnic. The award certificate had "Old Bitch" written on it and I hoped they awarded it to her and not me!!

When we took her to the park she let any dog who came near her know that she was the boss! She took the word "bitch" very seriously! But we never had to worry about her fighting with another dog. She was "all talk!" We were not prepared for her death at age eleven and ten months.

She went to the Specialty (her very favorite Dog Show) and she appeared to be suddenly lame! We thought perhaps the long auto trip caused it, perhaps she was arthritic? When we arrived home she was feeling no better and her gums were pale. She was eating but her bowels were not functioning. Her body just seemed to be shutting down. We put her on IV fluids for the day but the following morning when my vet came to the house we made the awful but necessary decision that instead of loading her up with steroids to try to keep her alive that we would let her go. I looked at her as she lay there and through my tears I could see that the proud look in her eyes was replaced with a look that said "I am so old and so tired, please let me sleep" so in our bed, in Art's and my arms we held her and whispered "goodbye, my lady" & kissed her goodbye as the shot was administered and perhaps one day, my tears will stop.