Project Report
| Jul 8, 2013
Puppy day for Kiri's Litter
By Beth Fellenstein (Taken from face book post) | Constituent Relationship Manager
![Kiri's puppies]()
Kiri's puppies
Kiri's litter of eight Kangal puppies born on 31. It's almost time for CCF's puppies to be placed with Namibian farmers to begin their work as Livestock Guarding Dogs. Kiri's litter is getting ready for Puppy Day! On this day, farmers will receive their new guarding dog.
Farmers who receive a CCF dog must go through training to learn how to utilize the dog effectively with their herd, and we visit the dogs after placement to ensure that they are doing well in their new homes. The dogs and the farmers are usually very successful!
Over 100 Livestock Guarding Dogs currently working with Namibian Farmers. Farmers using a CCF dog see their predation rates go down from all predators by over 80 percent.
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Apr 9, 2013
The Next Generation of Protectors
By Liz Georges | Communications Coordinator
![A Very Special Birth]()
A Very Special Birth
The Next Generation of Protectors....
When one of our Livestock Guarding Dogs gives birth to a litter of puppies, it’s always a cause for celebration. Over the years we’ve placed over 400 Anatolian shepherd and Kangal dogs with Namibian farmers, and as they watch over their herds, they provide better livelihoods for these farmers, resulting in a significant reduction in the trapping and killing of cheetahs.
Every new puppy is another protector, another friend to the cheetah.
Our most recent litter, however, is special for another reason.
Cappuccino is an Anatolian shepherd. Around here we call her “Cheena.” In 2010, her mother, CCF’s Anatolian Uschi, was bred to an Anatolian male from the United States named Zor. Zor and Uschi never actually met, however. The breeding was accomplished via artificial insemination, and Cappuccino was one of the three puppies born from the breeding two and a half years ago.
Because Cappuccino’s bloodlines are so important, CCF wanted to make sure that she had a very special home. The U.S. Ambassador to Namibia, who had just lost a dog of her own prior to her arrival in Namibia, offered her home in Windhoek to Cappuccino. Cappuccino now lives with the Ambassador and her husband, serving as an ambassador in her own right for CCF’s Livestock Guarding Dogs.
Cappuccino gave birth to a litter of puppies -- four males and four females -- on 16 February 2013. She is the first dog ever in Namibia that as the product of an artificial insemination has successfully given birth to a litter of puppies.
Both mom and puppies are doing well. At a week old their eyes and ears are not yet open, and they depend on Cheena for her warmth and nutritious milk. They stay close to her throughout the day and soon they will be moved to CCF’s Conservation Education and Research Centre to begin their journey as Livestock Guarding Dogs.
While we are excited by the possibilities that this milestone represents from a breeding perspective, we are even more thrilled to welcome eight new little protectors to the ranks of our Livestock Guarding Dog Programme.
For cheetahs everywhere,
Dr. Laurie Marker
Founder and Executive Director
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Jan 11, 2013
Puppies on the Move
By Anja Bradley | Tourism and Education Manager
![Puppies Taking it Easy]()
Puppies Taking it Easy
On November 15th, our intrepid little explorers made their biggest move yet of their young lives. A day trip out into the large, enclosed grazing area next to the kraal! They weren’t too sure at first and didn’t even want to follow mom, Aleya. After much encouragement (and by that I mean having to carry them!), they were safely ensconced in their new environment. But they weren’t happy about being somewhere strange and, at first, tried to find a way out through the fence!
We left them for a while to settle in and to make friends with the dairy goats, and then all went quiet. Who needs a huge field when there’s a lovely spot of shade next to the water trough and under a lovely tree? These little guys aren’t stupid, that’s for sure.
They will spend every day for the next couple of weeks out here, getting used to a bigger area and being able to stretch those short, stumpy legs! Good training for when they go off to their new homes. We’ll keep you updated on their progress!
![Puppies Sleeping]()
Puppies Sleeping
![Puppy Chewing]()
Puppy Chewing
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