Modern Cyclist Magazine Issue 3, November 2014 | Page 13

And it was Eben’s son, Jason, who gave Fudge
one of his more endearing nicknames.
“One of Jason’s teddy bears has the exact
same texture and feel as Fudge’s ears, so at
home Jason calls him ‘Daddy’s Teddy’,” he
smiled.
And it’s this loveable “teddy” character which
shows if he decides that you are indeed the
“right sort”.
“Seriously though, he is not really aggressive. In
fact he is very even-tempered and will go up to
anyone just to ‘say hullo’,” Eben explained.
And, when no one is looking, Fudge will even
enjoy affection.
“That is also very funny, because when I’m
alone with him, he really loves a cuddle. But if
someone or one of the other dogs walks in, he
quickly gets up and it’s a ‘leave-me-alone’ kind
of thing. He doesn’t want to be seen receiving
affection, a bit like a teenager,” laughed Eben.

While at home, Fudge
can often be found
languishing in a water
feature in the garden.
Eight-year-old Fudge follows Eben around
constantly.
“You have no idea,” he laughed, “even if I get
out of bed at night I step on him. So he can be
a bit of a nuisance.”

Fudge is normally part of the
West Rand Cycles travelling
workshop at stage races
like the Joberg2C.

While at home, Fudge can often be found languishing in a water feature in
the garden.
“Being a water spaniel, he has a huge love for water,” explained Eben,
“and this led to one of my favourite stories about him. When he was a
puppy, we took him to Walkhaven in Muldersdrift where he took to the
water in a big way. Shame, he was freezing, but he loved the water so
much he only realised this when he got out.”

Fudge plays an important part of the West
Rand Cycles team when they attend stage
races to provide mechanical support. And
it’s at these events where Fudge receives
the most attention.
It seems that it isn’t always peaceful between Fudge and the other, fourlegged animals that share the property.
“He seems to have an issue with our blesbuck,” Eben said, “more
specifically the male one.”

If Fudge is
around, he will
steal your food.

This power struggle even ended up in Fudge receiving a nasty injury.
“The problem is, Fudge still thinks he is the head of security, even though
the blesbuck is much bigger than him. He went and caused trouble but,
because he can’t run as fast as our other dogs, he got a blesbuck horn in
his butt!”

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