Whatever she is, she's a lovely girl and extremely lucky to have landed up with you. Why worry what she is, just love her to pieces !

I would think the majority of her is Basenji and that anything else is extremely dilute. I've always understand that mixes will bark. Does she clean herself, cat-like ?

Doggy odour is absent in Basenjis, even when they have been out and become soaked. I have had a conga-line of 8 in the kitchen, each cleaning the dog in front.

She is beautiful!!!!

Omg, I think I have you darling's sister

So we just adopted a "Basenji Mix" from a local shelter this week; (last night was our first night together). We were worried (like all first parents) about the whole thing; but after the first half day/night together we couldn't be happier. She definitely has some Basenji traits, but I'm convinced she is mixed (maybe some pit and/or some lab).

But anyway! We named her Finley, she just turned 8months old, and hails from the Tampa Bay area!

Her temperament is fantastic, extremely gentle (even when playing); she has the Basenji ADD I've read tons about, but always regains focus when called. Her intelligence is insane, and its so exciting to watch her explore and "learn".

Ok so first cute story: She is extremely curious; after a few hours at our house I went up stairs to grab something (The stairs in our town-home are really steep); she tried to follow but only made it half way up before kinda freezing because of the height. I came back down and step by step we went down together. No more then 5 minutes later she started going up and down the stairs. She started with 3 steps up, then back down, then 5 up and 5 down, then half way, then all the way to the top. Once she reached the top, she went up and down the full length a few times before returning to me and my girlfriend for some love. Now she goes up and down them like a champ.

Here are some pictures if anyone has any idea what she might be mixed with based on looks, (or if she looks basenji at all). I'll be sharing more as we get to know her, thanks everyone!

When we first got her home

Finley loves to walk! She rarely pulls and constantly looks back to make sure we are still with her.

Finley loves her bed and new blankie.... along with the pants I picked her up from the shelter in. She is really insecure, so I guess she likes to be close to the smells? I'll give it a few days and slowly move em away.

Thanks for reading! Please share any advice or feedback!!

Seems like there is a lot of sensible advice. I'll second the question of how much does he weigh. Also, does he look healthy? Emaciated? Makes a difference. Also note that his growth may be slowing down so he may not need as much food as he did a month or two ago.

Have you tried a petcam? You could watch what he's doing on your phone and see if he settles down after a while. It's possible he quietens down and naps when he knows you're gone and starts crying again when he hears you returning. You can find monitors that allow you to talk to your boy or dispense treats, but the basic ones do the job!

@senjisilly Thank you Lynn. I’ll check into that Basenji group!

Our happy b family has hit a snag- our youngest b’s- sisters- have decided, after 4 years of smooth sailing, that they hate each other. While my husband insists the aggression is one sided, I see the looks both girls shoot at each other... as a girl, if my sister shot me a look like that, it would be game on too... so I disagree with him.
Our vet has given them a clear bill of health... and recommended spaying for all the girls- which I am against because she insists it must be all the girls and our eldest is 12 years old. I just don’t feel right putting an elderly dog through that.
Currently doing the double pack thing with the ladies taking turns in their “caves” but am not sure that this is feasible for the rest of their lives.
A behaviourist was also recommended- Does doggie therapy really work?
Looking for help from the experienced experts.

Zande’s recommendation is spot on for a healthy dog who is simply picky. I cried myself to sleep many times over one of my dogs. I was convinced he was going to die! He’d like a food a few days and then stop. I mixed everything into it, tried raw (he hates it), tried every protein, every type of food, etc etc. Same results!!

The only thing that worked was finding a food he liked and I felt comfortable feeding and stuck with it. Yes he’d skip some meals but at 5 years old he now eats his food with very little issue. You REALLY have to practice tough love and sick to it. If your dog is healthy it WILL work!

For the record, I feed Fromm and rotate flavors. He does not do grain free as the good carbs help keep weight on him.

@Destiny-Galimore - Glad to hear that you will do the DNA test, sooner the better for your peace of mind. These two tests are 65.00 each, well worth the price. And you just order the test and since it is a cheek swab you do it yourself and then just send it back. On the OFA homepage (www.offa.org) there is a link "order OFA DNA tests". Then select Fanconi Syndrome and Basenji PRA. Good luck and I hope that your boy is at worst a Carrier. A Carrier will never get Fanconi or go blind from DNA.

@tanza said in Help with getting started.:

@debradownsouth and @mshilo - Please take your "private war" private.... both of you have hijacked this thread and I am sure that the person that started it has left never to return, so we all missed an opportunity to educate a possible new Basenji person

Scroll up and read... this person attacks everyone, nonstop.

Sadly the person wanted easy and when Mshilo told him to join a board for buying dogs, off he went.

Do I need to ignore him? Not when he spouts abuse against me or gives bad info. But I'll try. Note that whether I do or don't, he attacks others because he NEEDS attention. So be it.

Some judges are might not be happy about it but missing a toenail is not at all something a dog should be not placed for. If it comes down to “I like both dogs and have to pick” it could be a deciding factor. No dog is perfect!

Like Pat said, the basenji standard has no DQs.

Hi Tasia. I see that it has been a couple of years since you posted but we are in the Lehigh Valley and have a Basenji mix who would love a play date. He is only 3 years old though, so you know.

@gwen I still choke up when I think about my Meg (American Bulldog, lost to cancer in 2013). Just try to shift to happy memories when she comes to your mind. I'm right there with you!

@giza1

Colorado is too far for me and I want to be able to pick up the Basenji instead of having someone else transport him/her. Thanks for the info though.

Just so you know, this forum is also on facebook. Good luck with your group.