Karnataka: Pet lover adds a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog to family

UDUPI: A local canine club member has added a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog from South Africa to his family of nine dogs. The breed represents a medium-built, strong, muscular, and active hound and is symmetrical and balanced in outline.
The dog christened Rocky has become the talk of the town, after Vishwanath Kamath, joint secretary, Karavali Canine Club, who loves aggressive breeds, got it from Chennai about ten days ago, after paying over Rs 1 lakh. The dog is capable of great endurance with a good amount of speed. The peculiarity of this breed is the ridge on the back. However, since Liea, his American Bully, was not happy about the new member joining the family and started attacking the puppy, Rocky had to be shifted to his cousin's house in Bhatkal for the time being.
Kamath said: "The puppy has been bought with the authorisation certificate from the Kennel Club of India. There is a belief that aggressive breeds cannot be looked after at home. However, I already have an American Bully that has the reputation of being aggressive, but it is always seen playing with my cats." "So, I decided to go for a Rhodesian, who are fearless and also known as lion dogs. A few countries after knowing the popularity of the dog have issued stamps on it," said Kamath who owns about four international stamps on Rhodesian Ridgeback out of a collection 2,500 thematic stamps on dogs in his kitty.
Kamath said his love for dogs began with Brownie, a Doberman, whom he brought home in 1998. However, it was Bond who started winning shows and was the first Indian champion from coastal Karnataka in the Doberman breed. As a tribute to Bond, Kamath has tattooed his picture on his hand and at present, also has Bond's grandson Bosco.
"We already have Bond, Bosco, Maya, Bailey and Coco. When I was looking for breeds, a friend gave me an American Bully," he said.