About us

My name is Mary Joshua, married to Ronnie and mother of two daughters.
As a child I grew up in the beautiful country-side of N. Ireland in a small village called Tassagh, situated about 15 kilometers from the Cathedral City of Armagh.
For as long as I can remember we always had dogs on our property, but they were outside dogs. No matter how much I pleaded with my parents to allow them indoors, their answer was always the same "a dogs place is in the yard ". This caused me a lot of sorrow..so I made a promise to myself that one day I would have my own house and dogs and they would all live indoors, they would be part of the family.
I had to wait almost 30 years before my dream came true. I met and married Ronnie and two weeks later we were the proud owners of an 8 week old unwanted crossbreed labrador pup. We called him "Shaka ". He became my faithful, loving companion, my soulmate for the next 14 years.
In 1977 we left N. Ireland and moved to the Netherlands. having lived and worked through the civil unrest of N. Ireland it was a welcome relief to settle in peaceful Drenthe.
Shaka played an important role in the meeting of new friends.
In 1978 and 1980 our two daughters were born. Shaka was there to welcome them into the world, he adored them and in return they loved him....unconditional love!
In 1983 we bought a farmhouse in the village of Dalen; now that we had more space in and around the house we could have more animals- cats, chickens, peacocks and Paddy the pony arrived. 26 years later Paddy is still with us and will celebrate his 40th. birthday this year. (2009 ).
Then along came "Banner " an old English Mastiff. He was13 weeks old and had rarely seen the light of day.
He was my first introduction to 'dog school '; I still have the painful memories of being pulled about like a ragdoll!!.
Next came "Rusky "a golden retriever, with him I did obedience training, level 1, 2 & 3.
Amy, his sister came to live with us after her owner died. When my beloved Shaka died we were all heartbroken. We paid a visit to the Dog Rescue Centre and came home with "Speedy "a crossbreed sheepdog, unfortunately he had epilepsy.
How time flies, it is 1993 and we only have Banner and Speedy left. I have successfully followed a course in Animal Behaviour ( Leidse Educational Institute ) and have started giving obedience training at our local dog club.
Time to fulfill another long desired wish - to own a Rhodesian Ridgeback. This magnificent breed had fascinated me for many many years, I felt the time was right. I joined the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club, talked to and visited breeders. My search ended the day I met "Rydgeway Copper Coin ".
Although I now had many years experience rearing and training different breeds, nothing prepares you for your first RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK.