Some 10 years ago we decided to move away from the bustling city-life of central Stockholm . After a good while of searching we found our sanctuary about 30 km north-east from the capital. Close to the famous archipelago of Stockholm and just a stone's throw from a small lake, our old house nests embedded by dense forests almost as if designed for long dog walks.
By the time the decision was made to move away from Stockholm our plans did not include dogs at all. I had had dogs since I was eight years old. However the combination of keeping dogs and building a career got harder and harder over the years, so by the year 1993 I had to give up my fine Pharaohound. By the age of eight he went back to his former owner where he lived happily till the age of 13.
Now it was me, my dear life companion Bo and my lovely son Rasmus, now 17 years old who lived in our dream house - but no dogs! This had to change! So I quit my career-job and started my own business in order to be able to own a dog again. No one else but I now decide how many dogs there can be in the office and the people I employ all have dogs. I also have moved the office very close to where we live so it is a piece of cake to drive home over lunch if the dogs stay at home instead of coming with me to the office.
Why then Sloughi? Well some 25 years ago I went to Morocco with a friend and on our way from Agadir to Marrakech we stopped for a brake in a small village in the Atlas mountains. We sat in the sun outside a small local café and drank that horrible tooth paste tasting tea they serve. Then my friend all of a sudden said: look at that poor skinny dog over there! Why don't they feed him properly? (Needless to say but he knows nothing about dogs and sighthounds in particular!) A sand coloured male sighthound with black mask and very dark eyes had just come around the corner of the café. He looked at us very briefly and then turned away his head, almost as if he couldn't care less about two stupid strangers out there in the middle of nowhere and on his turf on top of everything. Then he suddenly turned his head back and looked me in the eye for about an eternity. I drowned, I flew, I got dizzy and most of all I got absolutely taken. I can, with out any problem, still see those eyes before me. That dog left an impression so strong, I'll never forget it.
By the time this happened I had no idea I had seen my first Sloughi and it would take me far too many years to realize.
1994 at a dog show in Stockholm I saw Him again, well not the same dog but his alike. Then my search started, in Sweden, Italy, Germany and France. I also started to think about how to rearrange my life so I could fit in a dog.
We now live with three aduls Sloughis, one male (our first) bred by Ingela Näslund his name is Yassir. Our second male came from Germany and from Mr and Mrs Schritt his name is Fazli. Our latest import and our spoiled princess named Uadi was born in France and bred by Mr and Mrs Gouzy. We now also have two bitch puppies from our litter born in 2006 out of Uadi.
Our garden is all fenced-in and about 7000 sq metres large. Our dogs stay in the house with us and share most of our lives. We do not keep our dogs in separate dog houses or cages. Any one dog friendly and curious to come to see us are most welcome, our home is always open to old and new friends.
The photo below shows some of the spectacular scenery we and our dogs enjoy during the winters.
