My name is Gesina Köppen-Schomerus and I live with my family and my two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Amani and Kianga, in the sunny South of Spain, on the Costa de la Luz (nearly the southernmost point of the European continent).
From early childhood on animals have always been a very important part of my life. At the age of 7 years my parents fulfilled me my greatest wish - my first dog, beaglemix Nicky! It was love at first sight - Nicky and I were inseparable and she was over many years my loyal companion. She was a wonderful family dog, extremely patient and wonderful with people - especially with children. At the age of ten years Nicky sadly passed away due to an incurable cancer and with very heavy hearts we had to say our goodbyes. The house seemed empty and soulless - no more happy barks, friendly tail wagging and hand licking...
So it happened that after half a year a charming beagle puppy, with the posh name of “Woodcorner's Smart Christable” aka Smarty moved in with us. Two years after Smarty's arrival, I moved away to London because of my studies - this was to last for seven years to come. Apart from regularly visiting home in Germany, I had only very little to do with dogs at this point. During those years in London I kept on feeling, that something in my life was missing and my interest in dogs never faded.
With completion of my studies we broke camps in Germany and London in 2000 and made the move to Spain. After the initial settling in, the wish for another dog as a family member and companion started to grow (Smarty was enjoying life's comforts and luxuries as the "grand old dame"). Through a documentary I became aware of the breed Rhodesian Ridgeback and wanted to learn more about these remarkable dogs. I was fascinated and began to collect all the material about the breed that I could get hold of. After an extensive research and lengthy discussions the decision for a further dog was made - and this was to be a Rhodesian Ridgeback! In August 2003 the time had finally come and my first Rhodesian Ridgeback,Amani, moved in with us. Since then he has added to our lifes on a daily basis and we cannot imagine what it was like before his arrival. Amani was the beginning of a wonderful relationship, which has in the meantime progressed into a genuine passion. After going with Amani through his wild puppy time as well as various, adolescent "rocker"-stages, we both learnt from each other and grew. By this time, I was definitely and completely hooked by "the Ridgeback virus" and the desire for a second Ridgeback started to take shape. I got in touch with Anke van Wyk and asked her about her breeding plans. After one year of planning ahead and patient waiting the long wait ended - in February 2005 "Heshima ya Kimba Fayola Kianga" arrived from South Africa. Not only Amani was smitten by her - with her sweet, loving nature and her funny smile it did not take her long to find her way into all of our hearts. Meanwhile Kianga has transformed herself into a promising, beautiful young female and I have high hopes for her for the future. I feel very privileged that I can experience the unique breed Rhodesian Ridgeback on a daily basis through both of my dogs along with their many special characteristics and character-strong behaviour and learn more about and from them.

In March 2006 my kennel name "Manayakaya" was registered in the RSCE/FCI and protected internationally. With the registration of my kennel I am at the beginning of my longsome dream - breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

Now I am looking forward to the future and things to come - if everything keeps on going to plan, Kianga will have puppies for the first time in spring/early summer 2007 (more info on this can be found under litter plans).

I hope you'll enjoy surfing through my website and find some useful information here! If you have any questions or comments, I would be glad to hear from you - please feel free to contact me!