Chamba - Dog Ambassador from Cameroon

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.

To see more pictures and video of this special dog, go to: http://www.tedjohnson.us/chamba/

http://www.tedjohnson.us/chamba/potd...mba-199209.jpg
September 1992
Bali-Nyonga, Cameroon

http://www.tedjohnson.us/chamba/potd...mba-200404.jpg
April 2004
Takoma Park, Maryland

Dear Ted

Thank you so very much for sharing your beautiful Chamba with us. What a pure and beautiful spirit. Your Chamba was obviously blessed with a life filled with great adventure, happy times and most importantly, love. I'm still crying after having watched your video tribute. Bless you, dear Chamba. You may have slipped the bounds of your earthly existence, but your spirit lives on in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing you and graces the heavens above. God Bless Chamba, Dog Ambassador from Cameroon. Much love and heartfelt condolences on your great loss. Sandra

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.
Godspeed Chamba.

Ted, I just wanted to say to you that perhaps you might want to stick around Pet Talk for a little while. I know it is hard for you. But there are so many wonderful people here who can help you through this time. People here understand what you are going through, unlike the rest of the world sometimes....
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.

If you have the time, stay. If it's too painful for you, don't. You're welcome, with or with out a pet. Chamba became a member as soon as we saw that handsome face. (A former DOTD, he's a celebrity!!!!) He will be missed here because he loved you and you loved him. Just wanted to let you know....
:)

Chamba was a very handsome dog!!! What a life he led! He will live on in your heart.
Hugs.

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.

We are so very sorry on the loss of your Chamba,, he was obviously loved beyond measure......

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.

RIP Chamba

Yes, I'm still here. I read all the replies to my post, and the comments that people make on my Chamba Blog. 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.

In an article I wrote yesterday, I discuss the other sweet dogs I've lost and grieved in my life, and how Chamba's life was, in a way, a gift from them. (See: The Day I Met Chamba)

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.

Ted

RIP sweet Chamba. You sound like you were a very
special dog and friend.

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.

RIP Chamba

My deepest sympathies....Robin

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.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by CagneyDog
The slide show of your beautiful girl was amazing...

---

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.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Ted

Oh, Chamba was a GORGEOUS dog!!!:( He was a purebred Border collie, wasn't he?? I also have a Border collie, and I know how you feel...before Blaze, I had another Border collie, Bandit, that we had to put down after he damaged his nervous system...it was SO hard, I still cry for him, even 3 years after his passing. I am so sorry Ted, what a loss! Chamba was such a handsome dog, and I know you'll never forget him. My warmest wishes to you~~:(

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Buddy Blaze Lover
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. ) 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.

Ted

P.S. Blaze is adorable.
P.P.S. Laddie, our purebred border collie, also died of problems with his nervous system.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Ted
P.S. Blaze is adorable.
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!

I am so sorry for your loss:( ****hugs*****