Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Why no dog characters?

I've always read the stories of old and new africa adventures and wondered why there was never the faithful dog by his side.

I went on a re-read binge on my Capstick this spring and he alludes to it a little and it would appear to be a one word answer Leopards...

Any dog lovers have any factual knowledge on this topic?

I remember long ago a Cajun and I were talking dogs and ducks and he pointed out that they cant use them for ducks where he hunts as they seldom got the duck and would never have an old dog due to alligators. One of those things I would have never thought about until the "big swirl" appeared where my dog had been, I guess!

Read "Jock of the Bushveld" before making up your mind on this. (Staffordshire bull terrier, I believe.)

Dogs and horses were often used in Africa's settlement days. As to their utility, read the second chapter of James Corbett's Man-eaters of Kumaon.

Haven't hunted Africa myself, but even here on the forum I often see photos of little Jack Russell terriers in Africa. Tracking dogs I believe.

Guy

Rhodesian Ridgebacks anyone?

When I was there we hunted several different properties and they all had a few JR sized dogs, some mixed, they used for tracking. One helped find a Zebra I thought we had lost. They are pretty handy.

JA Hunter was tasked with killing a big bunch of lions in Kenya. He cleaned out the Nairobi pound and used the pack to rustle out the lions. As I recall, the terriers, specifically the Airedales, were the only dogs that survived for long.

Had one piss on my wife in 2012. She doesn't like losing...

There are several dog breeds from Africa, including Rhodesian Ridgeback, Basenji, Boerboel and Sloughi. And of course there's the African Hunting Dog.

My first PH had a Jack Russel terrier. Whenever I shot something it ran off 50--100 yards. If we were close to the bakke, the terrier was put on the trail and found it.

Plenty of dog stories; Fred Bartlett, Eric Rundgren, Jim sutherland, beryl Markham...the dogs might not have names like Lassie (although Markhams Buller is pretty damn good) but they are there.

EdM, what rifle it that in the photo. Stunning!

One of my PHs had tracking dogs. I didn't need them but the same dog was in one of Jack OConners writings about Namibia. He told Eleanor to shoot the Kudu in the big middle and that is what she did and hence the need for the tracking dog.. Bor Von Blitzen kept lion hounds which I imagine were Ridgebacks. Dogs are susceptible to many of the insect born diseases so I guess that limits where they will be ok. The bushmen hunt with dogs and their dogs look sort of like small dingos or a terrier/dingo cross. I bet they have some African hunting dog genes in them too. There were also native and Boer cattle dogs.

Never thought of the silent killers like bugs, I was thinking more of the toothy killers.

Thanks for some of the story suggestions fellas hopefully the library can order some of them in for me.

And that is a classic pissed off pissed on wife pic! And agreed that rifle is too pretty to carry in thorns.

I always loved reading of africa but never really saw the need to go besides buff and crocs... Kinda weird couple to lust after I know.

Now the 1800's stories are just un-real good.

Sir Samuel Baker kept hounds and wrote about them maybe more in Ceylon but some in Africa too. He killed a couple hundred Sambar and pigs with a knife. Good reading.

An excellent suggestion.

My hard cover copy was printed in 1922 and has pen & ink illustrations on the margins of every page, with a color print of "Jock."

A great story of the early days of hunting in South Africa for food, not for trophies.

L.W.

Snakes kill a lot of farm dogs. Mostly I have seen Jack Russell’s. Farmers in SA are keen on very large breeds for protection around the house. Of course with all the murders of white farmers, I can see why.....

Dogs are more prevalent in the hghl lands and desert due to the diseases being more prevalent in the low veldt and jungles.

Northern Limpopo Province in South Africa back in 2005.

Bob F.

Small terrier like Jack Russells are commonly used as tracking dogs in the RSA.

One farmer had a mastiff cross that likely wasn't going to work out. He was big enough that he could kill most any antelope, even healthy ones, himself. He seemed to lack discretion and freelance for himself. Had to be locked up. He put his paws on my shoulders and could look me in the eyes while I was standing. I'm six one, with boots on, six two or three? One big dog. .

Rhodesian Ridgeback: This African breed was bred to guard property and fight massive animals such as lions.

Don't forget the tsetse......

This german blood hound helped me find this wounded impala in Namibia in 2018. Very good dog: he took the air and run away, latter we hear the barking and he was fighting the impala. After I finished the animal we found two punctures in the right side of Voorgret (that´s his name) made by the impala horns! Nothing serious, luckily.

My first PH had several Rhodesian Ridgebacks, they didn't go out with us but were at camp. PH in Namibia last summer had a black lab