Chamba was born in Cameroon in 1992, where he lived until he was almost two. He then lived in Arizona for three years, before spending the rest of his life in Maryland. He lived to be twelve and a half years old, and was put to sleep on March 8, 2005 after a struggle with cancer.
Ted, my sincere condolences on the loss of your beloved friend, Chamba. The two of you must have had such a close-knit wonderful bond after all you went through together. He was a beautiful dog and you are an angel for saving him and bringing him all the way to the US.
So many people come and go from Pet Talk without staying to experience the site. It's full of love and hope and friends and some of the best people in the world.
Chamba was a very handsome dog!!! What a life he led! He will live on in your heart.
Oh Ted, I just got done looking at everything on Chamba's page. Wow, what a remarkable dog, a remarkable life. I watched the video, and read through his Dog of the Day tribute, but it was the slide show that dissolved me to tears. I have no words to express how deeply moved I am. You have really traveled so many miles together, been through so much together. I know there will never, ever be another love like your love with Chamba. Thank you so very much for sharing your beautiful boy with us. Your tribute to him is one of the most touching I have ever had the privilege of experiencing.
Dearest Chamba, smile on your dad from Heaven. Await him, for someday you will be reunited, never to be parted again.
Rest in peace, dear Chamba. :( What a wonderful companion you were.
Ted, I'm not sure if you decided to stay or not but I just wanted to let you know that I just seen this memorial to you beautiful Chamba.
I did visit your website, watched the video and looked at all the picutres you had collected and seen that Chamba was even one of our Dog of the Days.
At first I was reluctant to visit your site as there has been so much sorrow here on PT lately, but I can say I'm very glad I decided to check it out.
What wonderful times you and your boy had together. You both were quite the travelers and it looks like you gave him the life he'd never have without you.
Please accept my condolences on your loss, I understand the feeling after you loose them. It hurts more than most people can comprehend.
I hope you see this and know how sorry I truly am.
Yes, I'm still here. I read all the replies to my post, and the comments that people make on my Chamba Blog (http://www.tedjohnson.us/blog/chamba.php?potd). I've even read some of them aloud to friends on the phone (although it causes my voice to choke up.) They are very sweet, comforting, and appreciated.
Chamba had a good life. I think that's why the tribute Web site isn't depressing. (At least I don't think it is.) I still watch the video and slide show myself every day, and they make me smile.
The whole process has been a great antidote for the guilt and regrets that accompany grief.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts, and for visiting Chamba.
I am so very sorry for your loss, Ted. What a wonderful tribute you have made for your boy, Chamba and what a gorgeous boy he was. I am so glad that you posted here so that we could know what a great dog, Chamba was.
I am sorry to hear about your loss, Chamba is gorgeous. The slide show of your beautiful girl was amazing, i shed a few tears watching it. I know that Chamba left you with some amazing memories.
Chamba was a male, but that's a very common mistake. Many people assumed he was a girl because he was so pretty, plus his name ends in "a" which is assumed to be feminine in Spanish and some other languages.
On one camping trip, one of my fellow campers kept saying "she" and "her" when referring to Chamba. I couldn't get the idea out of her head, so I started calling him "Mr. Chamba" for the rest of the trip. It still didn't sink in.
He was a purebred Border collie, wasn't he??
Chamba was actually an African village mutt with an uncanny resemblance to a border collie. Many people have insisted over the years that Chamba must have had some border collie in him. I'm certain that there were no border collies anywhere in Bali-Nyonga. I would have been delighted if there were. ( See my picture of Laddie. (http://www.tedjohnson.us/blog/chamba.php?id=15) ) My mom's explanation of how a border collie was born in a remote African town to non-border-collie parents: reincarnation.
Chamba did not have the work ethic that border collies have either. Believe me, I was disappointed at first when he showed so little interest in fetching and catching. He learned how, but he preferred not to. One friend once remarked that, "Chamba is very much in touch with his inner cat."
I believe his personality traits were more like those of an African hunting dog: very independent; wanting to roam a wide radius rather than stick close to the alpha (assuming I was the alpha). Whenever we went hiking, I would have him wear an African hunting dog bell, so I could keep tabs on him when he was out of sight.
P.P.S. Laddie, our purebred border collie, also died of problems with his nervous system.
P.P.S. Laddie, our purebred border colle, also died of problems with his nervous system.
Thanks!;) Yea, BCs tend to get too active sometimes to hurt themselves like that.:( That's amazing that Chamba was not a border collie or even related to one!! He looks just like a BC!