Wild pack of basenjis in rural Florida


  • Sorry, guess I was not supposed to have written anything about the shelter dogs, no one ever told any of us not to share any info. Sorry. The very last thing anyone would want is to compromise this case in any way.


  • MacPack, I appreciate the inforamtion, the correct informtion. Who said you shouldn't share it with us?


  • Ms. Sharron, when there is a criminal investigation in progress, the less information released to the public, the better. It's amazing how a tiny bit of information can compromise an entire investigation.

    A fine example of this was when the US was tracking Osama Bin Laden and information was released to the press that cel phone usage was being tracked. Until that point, Intelligence had a pretty good idea where he was. After this tidbit was printed and spouted all over the nightly news, Bin Laden changed his communication tactic and went further underground. We haven't found him yet.

    I'm not bringing this up to open a can of worms or start a political discussion. I am only illustrating how releasing the smallest detail can hinder law enforcement and military operations.

    I, too, appreciate the update, but can understand why the authorities want to keep any information close to the vest.

  • Houston

    MacPack, I like the updates as well..


  • Ms AJ, I understand what your saying. I am seeing that the BRAT person working with the shelter is posting information to several basenjis lists.
    She even asked for folk who wanted to help these b's be socialized, step forward.
    I will post that latest post next. I think the issue is what was wrongly written in the paper. THAT is the inforamation that is the issue. At least, that is my understanding.
    Pat wrote in her latest update….......
    Subject: BRAT BUSINESS: February 4 Update on Florida basenjis

    Here is the latest update on the confiscated basenjis in Florida from Pam
    Hamilton:

    Greetings,

    First, I would like to thank everyone for their support. I have had
    lots of positive feedback and offers of help. I wish I had time to
    thank everyone individually. I will contact offers of help as the need
    arises and as the timing fits. I will let everyone know when we reach
    a point that help needs change. Currently, we are working on
    socializing. We will hopefully soon need special foster homes,
    transportation, and approved adoptive homes, pending, of course, the outcome
    of custody hearings.

    Here is the latest update regarding the confiscated basenjis in
    Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties:

    SPCA: No news from officials at this time.

    HCAS: HCAS officials have been very satisfied with BRAT's assistance
    thus far. They would like to continue with me as their one point of
    contact for all communication. They are pleased with the progress
    they've seen in the dogs. This is the first time that they have allowed a
    rescue group to assist in this fashion. We would like to make
    sure that it is a success that will encourage use of breed rescues in
    the future at this facility. They have been extremely busy with a very
    full facility and a large number of confiscation investigations and
    relinquishing cases, as well as making sure that the dogs were
    sufficiently vetted to minimize spreading parasites, so it has taken a
    bit of time to get the process in motion. Please respect the rules and
    procedures that have been established to minimize the work for
    everyone involved.

    HCAS officials and I had another meeting yesterday. Procedures will
    continue to be tweaked as time progresses. Volunteers who have
    already been to our first orientation will need a mini-reorientation.
    Any other orientation sessions will include this material brought up
    in our latest meeting. I have a collection of material that I will be
    emailing to volunteers. I will also work on setting up schedules. We can
    plan on meeting on Saturday, February 6. We should soon be able to add
    Sundays to the schedule since the Shelter is making changes to maximize the
    use of volunteers. As part of the tweaking process, it has been determined
    that I should be there whenever BRAT-organized volunteers are there,
    at least until the project is well underway. Please be very sensitive
    to the fact that these dogs are part of a custody investigation. No
    pictures of or communications about the dogs are to be disseminated to
    anyone outside of the volunteer group unless it has been specifically
    approved by me. I check in with the investigation officer to make sure
    that anything that may be shared will not be damaging to their case.
    Please do not jeopardize the use of our rescue's assistance by
    violating this.

    The dogs are doing remarkably well given the stressful environment
    (barking poodles are hard to ignore). Reduction of parasite loads is
    starting to show as a healthier distribution of their weight. A couple
    have taken to the leash quickly. They know me quite well, whine when I
    leave and greet me with a wag when I return. Socialization has begun
    for many in their pens. The facility has a small park that is just for
    the use of the investigation dogs. We have begun to get some out to
    the park, in pairs or groups when appropriate. It is amazing how
    quickly they become "normal" once they are out in the park - and once
    they realize that the human has some good qualities. While most are
    man-shy, many will come up to the gate to greet volunteers who visit
    regularly with treats - bribes work! The ones that were most at risk due
    to health concerns are currently in foster care and are flourishing.
    The next step in determining their future is a custody hearing
    February 11, which will be followed by a 30 day hold for appeals,
    assuming custody is awarded to HCAS. Much of this was covered in an
    online, to-be-printed news article:
    http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/feb/02/animal-services-seeking-custody-basenjis/
    .

    If you would like to help with socialization and haven't yet been
    contacted, please respond to me at flbasenji@earthlink.net with the
    subject of "HCAS basenji socialization". I have been getting hundreds
    of emails - the subject will help me to find you quickly. I must use a
    form response when I can, given the number of emails I am receiving.
    If you have additional questions, please send me a separate email with
    the subject generally indicating what you need, if possible (ie,
    transport, fostering, adopting, etc.). Other routine BRAT activities
    in FL have greatly increased as the confiscation cases have been
    unfolding, so anything that you can do to help keep communication
    simple, efficient and quick is greatly appreciated.

    Thanks again for all of your support,

    Pam


    Pam Hamilton
    FL District Coordinator
    Advisory Director
    Basenji Rescue and Transport

    Debbi Johnson
    BRAT Treasurer & Director
    Germantown, TN
    debbijbasenjirescue@comcast.net


  • Thank you for the update, Ms. Sharron.


  • Oh, my unmet friend..your very welcome. I think the whole basenji community is very interested in how this works out for these dogs.
    Sigh. I wish they could make sure this fellow doesn't get any more dogs of ANY breed.
    Sigh.


  • From Pam Hamilton and Debbi Johnson:

    Greetings from not-so-sunny-or-warm Florida!

    As many of you are probably aware, the hearing was held Thursday, Feb. 11, to determine the custody of the basenjis confiscated by HCAS (Hillsborough County Animal Services). The owner did not show up for the custody hearing. The judge heard a brief review of the case, promptly awarded custody to HCAS, waived the 30 day appeal period and enjoined Mr. Holland from owning any animals in Hillsborough County. It will take a bit of time to finalize paperwork. It is currently the intention of HCAS to have BRAT take the basenjis and rehome them. More details on that process will follow soon. It will take time, money and manpower to get this unique batch of basenjis onto their new lives in real homes. Donations will be gratefully appreciated for this significant endeavor.

    Debbi has spent the week running around with Pam, taking care of basenjis young and old. Mr. Holland's basenjis have gone without vetting for so long that getting all of his basenjis parasite free and healthy has taken some time. Debbi's now had the chance to experience a bit of the nursemaid duties.

    I will provide a description of the characteristics and personalities that this line has. Adopters and fosters must be able to demonstrate that they will be able to meet the needs of these intense and high-level basenjis. They have neat personalities, but they are a bit like "Jolt" - a high-caffeine, high-sugar soda - lots of kick and energy.

    It has been a pleasure to work so closely with a shelter to help basenjis. I hope that more shelters will work with us in this fashion in the future.

    We have not yet had any news from the SPCA in Pinellas County.

    Thank you all for your continued support.

    Pam & Debbi


  • Great news!


  • Guess it's OK to talk about them now! We had 4 of the older pups, probably 5-6 months old, out together playing in a small dog run at the shelter today. What a difference, they ran, tussled, were full of joy. We sat beside the cages of some of the more fearful adults and just talked to them and tossed hot dog bits. Some of the males will take bites from hands, but they are the braver, more curious ones. Hopefully the pups will get adopted quickly so Pam and her volunteers can work more with the shy adults, they will be more of a challenge. It was way cool to see those 4 pups playing!


  • This is great news, thanks for the update.


  • in case you all didn't see this post.
    ----- Forwarded Message -----
    From: "Basenji Club of America, Inc"


  • Also, if you want to help these dogs, you will need to become a BRAT volunteer by completing the short form at: http://www.basenjirescue.org/Volunteer.htm


  • Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 12:20 PM
    To: BasenjiBreederRoundtable@yahoogroups.com; BRAT-L; B-List
    Subject: [BBR] Update on Florida basenjis

    It is so heartwarming to see the Basenji community pull together for these
    Basenjis. It may be towards the end of the week before I am able to start
    replying to the wonderful offers of help. We anticipated having 30 days
    after the court hearing on February 11 before the dogs could be released to
    Basenji Rescue and Transport (BRAT). The Appeals period was waived at the
    hearing, and ownership of the dogs is being transferred to BRAT. The
    Hillsborough County Animal Services (HCAS) will vet these dogs this week and
    possibly into the next week. So we need time to get our ducks in a row.

    I spent the last week with in Florida working with the dogs and attending
    the court hearing. Pam Hamilton, our Florida District Coordinator, is
    physically working with the dogs along with the help of local volunteers who
    have been helping to socialize them. I am fielding the offers of help.

    The Basenji Club of America (BCOA) has generously offered to provide crates.
    Carrie Jones is the liaison person for BCOA. I think it is wonderful that
    the Club and Rescue are cooperating to help the Basenjis. As you may know,
    BCOA is not a "hands-on" rescue organization, and does not actively
    participate in rescue. BCOA does, however, understand that every Basenji
    deserves a loving home and is in the midst of donating funds to help with
    the transition from rescue Basenji to beloved, well-adjusted pets. This
    transition is our goal. We are appreciate the help of BCOA.

    We have been receiving notes asking about donations. BRAT has already
    incurred significant vet expenses as we have had the mothers, mothers-to-be,
    and their pups in our possession for a while. The pups range from 2 days
    old to 5 or 6 weeks. We still have one mother who has not whelped. The
    mother who whelped on Saturday spent several days at the Emergency Hospital.
    We almost lost her.

    I have asked our webmaster to set up a link on our website so that donations
    may be made by PayPal, credit card through PayPal or by check. I hope to
    have that link up soon. Our web site is www.basenjirescue.org . Until we
    get the PayPal link set up, donations may be made by mail using a personal
    check or money order. Donations are tax-deductible. Our donation form
    includes the mailing address for BRAT and be found at
    http://www.basenjirescue.org/DonationForm.htm .

    Thanks for all your thoughts and concerns for these basenjis.

    Debbi Johnson
    BRAT Treasurer & Director
    Germantown, TN
    debbijbasenjirescue@comcast.net

  • Houston

    Wonderful and exciting news..I am so glad things are going in the right direction for these pups..
    I will send some money via paypal, any way I can help..I wish I was in Florida so I could help first hand, but I figure money is tight and any help at all is good…
    Keep us posted Sharron..


  • Funds are so helpful..foster homes are badly needed as well.
    I have heard of other things, not final yet, that might work for getting some dogs/puppies into other states, but again, just talk now.
    More as I can post it.
    So, maybe YOU can be a foster home for one of these dogs, puppies, or female b's healing from spaying. If you think you might want to be considered, please do go to the
    BRAT site and fill out the forms. No one will force a dog on anyone, but we need to have places for these b's to go!


  • Nice letter…...re the BRAT b's and BRAT's Pam Hamilton.
    They were feral when captured. They were brought to the kennel after freezing, and starving in a five acre pasture. They never had been held or touched or treated with kindness. They were terrified of humans. At Animal Services, they received veterinary medical care, food, water, shelter and warmth. They are thriving. I am proud to say the basenji population has increased from 33 to 40. One of the pregnant females gave birth to 7 puppies and there are 1 or 2 more litters anticipated in the near future. Mom and puppies are doing fine.
    The basenjis could not have been saved without the efforts of Pam Hamilton. Pam Hamilton has been instrumental in working with the dogs and socializing them. She has also worked with staff and volunteers and educated everyone on how to work with the basenjis.

    She is a dedicated asset to your organization. Thank you for all your efforts for these wonderful dogs. Jan
    Janet A. McDonald

    Senior Assistant County Attorney
    Hillsborough County Attorney's Office
    Health & Human Services Division


  • Greetings!

    Another week has flown by. Here is a summary/review of what has happened and
    what we expect to happen in the near future:

    Feb. 11 - Custody of the Wimauma basenjis was awarded to HCAS. The 30 day
    appeal period was waived by the judge. The scramble begins as we make
    arrangements to move dogs in a couple of weeks versus a bit more than a
    month. Terry and Jackie from out of town visited "the nursery" (our house,
    which is also a hospice…) to take pictures for posting.

    Feb. 13 - Kenyatta, the heartworm positive, anemic, emaciated, hypoglycemic,
    very sweet and cooperative, pregnant female went into labor early in the
    morning. By noon, she had her last viable pup. She finally delivered the
    last one, a stillborn, around 8 PM, after multiple doses of Oxytocin.
    Surgical removal was not an option without serious risks because her
    condition is so poor. Her body score out of 9 is just 2 (determined prior to
    delivery - without pups, she, of course, appears to be even thinner, perhaps
    just a 1). Tube feeding of her pups every two hours begins (the only "milk"
    Kenyatta has is a tiny amount of mastitis - and her body condition certainly
    cannot support nursing). Reasonable efforts are ongoing to help Kenyatta
    make a recovery. She has been to our regular vet, the emergency/critical
    care vet (through delivery), and HCAS (they are able to provide transfusions
    and injections that would have continued to accrue significant expenses at
    the ER/critical care vet's). Kenyatta and I, along with Debbi or my folks,
    have spent a lot of time together in the vehicle, running from one place to
    the next.

    Week of Feb. 15 - All basenjis currently located at HCAS are
    spayed/neutered/vaccinated. They are ready to leave HCAS as soon as we have
    all arrangements in place. Five of the older pups who are still at HCAS that
    have been doing quite well with socialization activities will first go into
    short-term foster homes. Potential applicants are invited to submit
    applications through BRAT to adopt them. There are approximately 10 others
    that will move to Pam's Basenji Town for a chill-out/evaluation period prior
    to being moved to longer-term foster homes. The nine pups in our nursery
    visited HCAS for boosters, more deworming and weighing - they are getting
    chunky! It is determined that they are about 8 weeks old and big enough to
    be spayed and neutered. These procedures will be done soon. They will be
    ready to move on to their new adoptive homes before long.

    Arrangements have been made with HCAS regarding vetting of the basenjis who
    are at Pam's nursery and no longer at the shelter. HCAS will
    spay/neuter/vaccinate all basenjis, including those still "in the oven" (one
    more mom-to-be has looked ready to pop any second for days...), so all pups
    will stay in the area until they are at least 8 weeks old.

    This "in-house vetting" is a huge help to BRAT. Our expenses for vetting
    these b-kids is already high. The stress from shelter and/or bad body
    condition took a couple over the Rainbow Bridge. We were able to snatch the
    rest back from the brink. We haven't even begun to consider other vetting
    expenses the older basenjis will need. Amazingly, there is only one who
    tests heartworm positive at this time. I have begun to check what other
    needs they may have; for example, one of the older moms has
    broken/tartar-covered teeth that may need some attention. Because of the
    condition of the mom during pregnancy, the pups currently being
    tube/bottle-fed every two hours
    have a very uncertain future. They may need additional vetting. Donations
    for these basenjis is greatly appreciated. A special link will be added to
    our website soon.

    Many people and groups have offered help throughout the past month. If you
    have not received a response, please accept our apologies. We have been a
    little busy... Given the abbreviated time that we have to get the basenjis
    out of HCAS, we are asking your help to reorganize more quickly. If you
    would like to help in some way, could you please send an email again,
    complying with the following:

    Please label the subject line with one of the following:

    a. FOSTER -<your name=""><your location="">
    b. TRANSPORT -<your name=""><your location="">
    c. ADOPT -<your name=""><your location="">
    d. OTHER -<your name=""><your location="">

    If you are able to help in multiple ways, please send multiple emails.

    If you are able to help with fostering or transporting , we ask that you
    become a BRAT member. Please note on the "Join BRAT" form you are joining
    to help with the Wimauma basenjis. If you wish, you can ask to drop your
    membership later. There is no membership fee to join BRAT.
    http://www.basenjirescue.org/Volunteer.htm .

    If you are interested in adopting one of the Wimauma basenjis, please submit
    an adoption application through BRAT's website.
    http://www.basenjirescue.org/ApplDB/AdoptForm.htm .
    Please note on your adoption application you are interested in the Wimauma
    basenjis.

    These basenjis are different from our "normal" rescue basenjis and are
    different from the puppy mill basenjis BRAT volunteers have met in the past.
    I have been saying this for a month to Debbi (though, to be completely
    honest, I've made my statements based on what I've heard about puppy mill
    basenjis - I've never had basenji that was an abused puppy mill breeder b).
    She has now had the opportunity to meet the basenjis down here - and agrees!
    (She confessed that she was dissin' my thoughts…). These basenjis
    generally need more exercise and are bigger, stronger, more energetic, more
    sensitive to body language, and more capable of "taking care of themselves"
    than most basenjis. It is neat to have the opportunity to see what their
    behavior is like having come from a natural, wild pack. One of the greatest
    benefits is that the adults seem to be almost house-broken from the first
    moment in
    a house, possibly because soiling the area near the den would attract
    predators. Though there may be exceptions, their desire to escape should be
    expected to be very high. They do like the creature comforts of a home,
    though, so they should accept being in a home if great care is taken to make
    sure that the introduction is nothing but pleasant.

    We have had basenjis from this line in the past, some as pups, some as
    adults. We have a fair amount of experience regarding what works for these
    basenjis and what doesn't work for them. Adults that have come into rescue
    have often been relinquished from individual owners because of behavioral
    problems. We have been able to rehabilitate them and provide their adoptive
    families with handling techniques to prevent the behaviors from resurfacing.
    Please realize that it is necessary
    to follow the advice and procedures that are recommended regarding these
    basenjis. These are really basenjis of a different color.

    Thank you again for your support!

    Pam Hamilton
    FL District Coordinator
    Advisory Director
    Basenji Rescue and Transport

    and

    Debbi Johnson
    BRAT Treasurer & Director
    Germantown, TN
    debbijbasenjirescue@comcast.net</your></your></your></your></your></your></your></your>


  • I saw some photos of the puppies on FaceBook. They're really cute and the chocolate and liver colorations are interesting. I hope they find good homes. At least the really young puppies never had to live in such poor conditions, or at least for very long.


  • Thank you for the update, it's good to hear.

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