I must agree that naive, first-time wanne-be owners need to do deep, extensive research. Basenjis are supremely unique and definitely not a good choice for a "beginner."
I adopted an 18-month old 3/4 Basenji (other 1/4 is Min Pin, yet another quirky little breed, with some "bad" similarities to B's). I was somewhat familiar with B's, but not even a little bit of "enough!!" Gosh, Izzy-Bella was a piperoo!! A little 18 pound bundle of energy, destruction, and escapism. BUT, I have always loved bad boys (9 years working in a high school), so a little bad girl was a sort of delight. But, again, it takes many years before these dogs mellow out and mature and maximize their amazing intelligence. Izzy is SO SO smart: her early unbridled destructiveness has pretty much ended, and now, at ten years old, she amazes us every day with her intelligence, innate understanding, observational skills, language acumen, and comedic skills. And at ten years old, she acts like a three year old! I hope this means she will live forever.
Once you have bonded with a Basenji, you are probably done and gone. But
first-timers REALLY need to do their research and homework.
Someone referred to entrusting their dog
to a family member. I would entrust my B to nobody except a bona fide Vet hospital/kennel, with big-time fences and enclosures, B's are exceptional diggers-under-fences and escape artists. And a Number One cause of
death for them is traffic. Their prey instinct sends them careening into
traffic. Dumber than deer.
But, bottom line: do your due diligence Basenji research, and understand early on that these dogs are singularly unique: indescribably destructive; escape artists; independent thinkers and behaviorists; smarter than you can even begin to imagine (I swear my Izzy understands everything I say and reads my mind!); and prepare to have lots of tissues on hand as auxiliary food, because apparently, Basenjis require wood pulp
projects to prosper!! I don't get it.

Nice pictures. Great to finally see them!

@donc Oh my goodness the puppies in the cat tower!

@debradownsouth Yes, I love that pic! And thank you

@tanza said in Age of your basenji?:

@chrisf - That is not normal....sedation to take blood...

In fact - nor is muzzling ! Not is my experience anyway -

Exactly as it should be ! Happiness well deserved

Oh don't worry about it. I am with BRAT, we don't have volunteers in Mesquite.
But we do in Dallas, I got it sorted.
-Joanne

@wyldepaws - When I brought home my Franie (at 9wks from her co-breeder) she freaked when she heard the neighbors dog bark.... she had never heard dogs barking. The home she was born and raised in was in a selcluded area and no dogs around. Also it was in Chicago so with that weather, not too much outdoor time. Took her a bit to get used to it, each day was better and then she didn't care at all... good thing... LOL, she is a show dog so hears much barking at shows.

“Cinnamon isn't toxic for dogs, but nutmeg can be if consumed in large amounts,” says Dr. Ashley Hughes, DVM, at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, DC. In excessive amounts, nutmeg causes hallucinations and high heart rate in dogs.

Don't feed the trolls/spammers. Though usually here it doesn't matter, they hit and post and never return.

I’m way late to the conversation. Actually new to the forum. But I highly recommend getting a snuggle buddy for any pup. I got my basenji baby a week ago and he has slept through every night in his crate no problem. It’ll be a long time before he’s allowed in the bed. We are currently having a bad nipping stage and I prefer to not wake up bleeding. He does whine when he has to go out overnight and I let him out and he goes straight back to sleep. The snuggle buddy he only gets when in the crate. He does throw a fit in his crate without it. It has a real feel heartbeat so he feels like he’s with a littermate. They are cheapest on Amazon. I had also left a small stuffed toy with the breeder after I picked him out so by the time he came home it was saturated with their scent. That goes in the crate with him too. Hope that helps anyone who has crate issues in the future.

Being with BCOA isn't the only sign of a good breeder in the US, but it helps.

Sadly, puppymill breeders have learned to sound reputable. You can ask Sally privately about dogs if you have the akc registration numbers. Beware of US breeders who use other breed clubs but NOT AKC. Often dogs are sold on no breeding contracts, so they use those to still breed. Also, though not that strict, AKC does have requirements for breeders with higher litter numbers etc.

There is a lot more to health than Fanconi and PRA. Trust no one without verifying from other breeders. I was experienced (Rottweilers), and I took the word of a "friend" only to discover she lied about a bucket of things. Fortunately, she isn't breeding any longer. The internet is wonderful, you can now find out if Xbreeder is hiding/lying about health issues easier.

So to not go on and on, Pat (tanza) gave you an excellent link on screening breeders. Here is reading that will help and Virginia breeders. You need to get on breeders' lists now if you want a puppy next winter.

Basenji University: https://www.basenji.org/index.php/basenji-u

Link in case you reconsider surrounding states so you have a better chance of getting a puppy: https://www.basenji.org/index.php/about-basenjis/breeder-directory

Virginia https://www.basenji.org/index.php/virginia
Damara Bolté - Leesburg, Virginia
Julie Hartigan - Purcellville, Virginia <--- Marjani Basenjis
Lisa Corell Auerbach - Richmond, Virginia
Toni L Ackerman - King George, Virginia

What about this spring?

@tony_in_atx Once you are hooked, there is no going back. I could never make it through the withdrawal stage lol.

Having just lost my basenji boy to cars my heart goes out to you.

Obviously very well worth the wait !!!

@joan-duszka said in Does your dog have dementia?:

five wooden boxes

eyes tearing up