At Home in North Carolina
We're the Niemans. By the numbers, we're one happy couple, three growing boys, four gorgeous Ridgebacks, two Flemish Giant bunnies, and a baker's dozen chickens; all living together in NC's Piedmont Region.
The Farm
Est. 2020 - Zebulon, North Carolina
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
Arthur Ashe
The farm exists in a space somewhere between our imagination and a pretty patch of fertile dirt on an old country road outside of Raleigh. Our goal remains simple; build a home for our boys with grandparents close. The possibilities are caffeinating. And the gravity of big skies pulled us away from suburbia, so our man cubs and fur babies can float like dandelion seeds.
Rhodesian Ridgebacks
Est. 1922 - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
"Beautiful things don't ask for attention."
James Thurber
We're crazy dog people, and always have been. Between the two of us, we've loved Weimaraners, Walker Coon Hounds, Standard Poodles, and the scrappiest of American Mutts, our wagging accomplices. Some purebreds. Some rescues. All furry and coy. But in 2014 we found our breed when we brought home Jack, a red wheaten Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy.
"He was her ideal of how a man should be, brave, gentle, comic, never losing his temper, never bragging, never complaining except in a joke, tolerant, understanding, intelligent... and, to her eyes, very handsome."
Ernest Hemmingway
Jack was the best dog we had known; scary smart and completely in tune with our family. You never had to tell him anything thrice; a rare trait in headstrong by design African Lion Hounds. He was friendly to all, but kept a stoic watchfulness about him with eyes ever on the boys. He was tender in rare moments with his favorite people, but never gushing with affection. He was to teach his ways to the pups surely to come, but was taken by cancer unexpectedly in 2019.
Unser Mädels
"Our Girls"
"If you mess with the older sister, there is a younger, crazier sister behind her.
That's who you don't want to mess with."
Rick Mercer
The duct tape we used to put ourselves back together was a gorgeous, all Rock 'n Roll, girl named Bianca ("GCH MillaBella Under My Thumb"), who jumped head first into the conformation show ring with her besties in 2021, and won her Champion and Grand Champion titles with minimal showing. We have since been entrusted with Bianca's younger half-sister, Kadi ("MillaBella Queen of Hearts"), Bianca's daughter, Sienna ("MillaBella Get Off My Cloud"), and Bianca's son, Ajax ("MillaBella Street Fighting Man"). And we're smitten.
Joining the fun in the ring is our eldest son, Rhys, who under the loving care and patient guidance of Boo Donoho and Giselle Engleka, finished 6th in the 2022 Junior Breed national rankings. We're squeezing every ounce of joy out of watching him compete and grow alongside of his brothers and furry partners in crime.
Most folks experienced with the breed will argue that Rhodesian Ridgebacks are far from the right dog for every owner and home. If you are trying to decode if you are a good fit for a Ridgeback, we recommend visiting The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States and The American Kennel Club as respectable reads to begin your exploration with. But more importantly, connect with experienced owners, trainers, and Breeders of Merit in your state or region, meet their dogs, listen first, and be prepared to answers a ton of questions openly and honestly. If you're not grilled by them, odds are you're talking to the wrong folks.
Our gurus, Giselle and Millard Engleka, the tornados of good behind MillaBella Rhodesian Ridgebacks, find the time to know and track the progress of every dog in their bloodlines. They coach painstakingly picked co-owners while steering a World Class breeding program. And they still find the time to keep their site info-packed and Instagram rocking. They make us feel lazy, but also worthy and equipped.
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A Man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.
John Barrymore
