About Bente

I was born in 1982, and grew up in Femundsmarka far away from most things, except fresh air and wild animals. We don’t even have a road to our farm. I grew up with dogs, since my father is a hunter and have had several different hunting dogs through the years. When I was a baby, I rolled off my blanket on the floor, so the dogs could use it instead. About the first sentence I said was “I can follow the dogs out”. As you probably understand, the dogs early became a big part of my life!

The most important dog in my life, except my first saluki Fant, was the white and red English setter, “Lady”. I was only four years old when she came to our home as a little puppy, and I can still remember how excited I was to get a new puppy, and I clearly remember the day she came. How my father carried her inside of his jacket up to the house. How full of life she was, actually she was so energetic that I got a little scared of her. She grew up to be the best friend to the whole family, and the best hunting dog my father ever had. She was, together with the grey elkhound Bella, a big part of my childhood, and I almost expected her to live forever. She died a couple of months before her 15th birthday, and I still cry when I think about it...

I always thought English setter was “my breed”, and I planned to get my own setter one day. That was until I started working for Lotta Brun and Jack Jackson at Kennel Caravan in Aurskog. They had a breed called “Saluki”, which I had never heard of before. I was very skeptic, because Saluki was a sighthound, and I didn’t like sighthounds. But that was before I got to know them. It only took a couple of weeks before Teefah, Blackie and Balder, the salukis Lotta had at that time, had captured my heart completely! I also met a lot of other Salukis during the year in Aurskog, and I even had company of Candy, Fant and Tia’s mother, a couple of months during the winter. Both Teefah and Candy had puppies in the summer 2005, and I had the best time playing and cuddling with them. When I left Aurskog in August 2005, I just HAD to bring with me a saluki puppy! My choice was Fant, Candy’s son, which I have never regretted. In 2008 he got accompanied by Egil, and I just love to watch how much they enjoy each other. The Saluki has come to stay with me!

About Linn

I was born in 1984 and the first six years of my life I lived in Hurdal. There I grew up whit the elkhound “Binna”. I often used to crawl in to Binna’s dog-house and lay down to sleep. My mom found me there a number of times! The interest in dogs has always been there. When I was six years old, I and my mother moved to Oslo, and since it is not suitable for a dog like Binna to live in a city, she stayed whit my grandparents in Hurdal. We lived in Oslo fore seven years before we moved to Lindeberg in Sørum. Now I live together whit my boyfriend in Nes. We bought a small farm there in the summer 2008, and have now renovated the house completely. I work in a company selling dog-food and other dog-supplies to animal-stores. I have also work in an animal-store fore some years.

I bought my firs own dog in the summer 2002, Trixie. I like to use my dogs to do agility, obedience, track, lure coursing and racing. Deep inside I’m actually a horse-girl. I got my first horse when I was 14, and have competed in both jumping and dressage. Now I don’t have the time any more, since the dogs take so much of my time. I sold my last horse in 2007, and I have been without since.

I started working for Lotta Brun and Jack Jackson when they owned Aurskog Hestesenter. That was the perfect job for me! I got to ride several really great horses every day, and then there was the kennel. Lotta had salukis, and that was where I got to know the breed. I would not have guessed before I started working there, how deeply fascinated I would become of the saluki. When I worked in Aurskog, Lotta had these four salukis in the kennel; Balder (Asayaad Jiruwan al Caravan), Blackie (Caravan Pan The Egyptian Princess), Teefah ( Caravan Qatiifah Bint Jabiya) and Candy (NCh Caravan Old Fashioned Candy) which is Tia’s mother. These dogs will always have a special place in my heart. In 2005 I could bring home my very own saluki-puppy, Tia! I have not even for a second regretted it. Two years later I borrowed Isis (Afking’s Isis al Caravan) from Lotta. Now Isis has become a part of our family, and she is going to stay with me. In February 2009 Isis gave birth to seven adorable puppies, and one of them is going to stay with me. And these are just the beginning, there are definitely more salukis to come. The saluki has come to stay in my heart!