Subject: BRAT-CHAT: adopting a feral Basenji
Because of our experience with our Sana, I've been asked by a
few people to try and describe what it has been like to adopt a "feral"
Basenji. As many of you know, Sana was taken from the same man in
Florida who just lost custody of all his dogs. In the winter of 05/06,
Sana and one of her pups were turned over to BRAT. We think that she was
four at that time, and that the surviving pup was from her third litter.
Keiki, the pup, came to NH, and Sana was fostered by Dana Cole until we
adopted her in May of 2006. It was the start of one of the greatest
adventures of my life. I can honestly say that there were times that I
agonized over whether or not we were doing right by her, but I don't
think there were more than a very few minutes that I felt even a shred
of regret that we had added her to our family. I just never dreamed how
much work would be involved, or how long it would take to see her
progress.
Adopting a new dog is always a challenge, especially with dogs
as unique as our Basenjis. Adopting an extremely fearful dog was a
different challenge from every dog I've ever met. Dana Cole was
wonderfully, almost brutally honest about Sana's behaviour, and stressed
that progress with her would proceed in the tiniest of baby-steps. I was
confident about two things. The first was that Bill and I could offer
this wild little creature a safe, fairly quiet and routine home, and the
second was that we were committed to helping her discover that life
really was good. Our goal for her was that she become happy - simply
that - and that she be able to relax and enjoy life. Anything else would
be a bonus - we already had a dog who loved us, and Sana's life now
would be all about Sana. God knows she had already paid her dues, and
she deserved peace.
NOTE: because we were dealing with one feral dog in our own
home, we had the luxury of allowing her to set her own schedule and
develop at her own pace with as little pressure from us as possible. And
it IS a luxury - one that most foster homes may not be able to offer.
There are different methods that can be used, especially for dogs in
transition between their rescue and their forever homes that include a
shortened timetable and more intensive conditioning. In no way do I mean
to imply that there are not multiple roads to success. Everything else I
say is nothing more than generalities about ADULT feral dogs learned
directly from Sana and from all of the research I still do on the topic.
I am not an expert, except in terms of our one special dog. Each and
every dog will come with its own issues and own schedule of development!
Generalities:
A feral dog is hyper-sensitive to everything. Every tiny
movement, every change in tone of voice, every sound from another room,
EVERYTHING is a potential danger. With time, this eases, but I doubt
that it will ever go away because it is exactly what was needed for
sheer survival. It doesn't take long at all to learn that humans produce
food and supply warm, comfy beds. It does take a very long time for an
adult dog to learn broader concepts - that human touch is not only
non-harmful but can actually bring pleasure, that "home" is a real place
that will remain constant, that gentleness exists and will not go away
and (most importantly) that the good things will happen every day.
By "it will take time", I do not mean that after the customary
6-8 weeks of adjustment time, a feral/un-socialized dog necessarily will
be comfortable in their new home. The tiniest of baby steps are things
to be celebrated - eye contact, choosing to approach even when there's
no food, learning any basic obedience are huge signs of progress that
MIGHT very well take months - or even years - not days or weeks. Feral
animals truly are the closest things to visitors from another planet
that most of us will meet. Again, they lived in a totally different
world where every action and sound had to be instantly noted and
analyzed, because danger could return at any moment. After about a year
with us, we carefully began to refer to Sana as "extra-vigilant" rather
than "extremely fearful" not only because it was a more positive
description but because we were finally realizing that this was
something that would remain part of her character forever. This
characteristic also requires extra care in terms of protection. A feral
dog will react INSTANTLY to a perceived threat - usually by bolting. It
might be extremely difficult to retrieve a frightened, loose dog because
every one of their instincts will be telling them to run and hide, and
it's quite possible that no stranger without a net would be able to
catch them. We are fortunate that Sana, from the first day we had her,
is highly motivated to stay safely in the comforts of our home, and to
do her best to return there as soon as possible whenever stressed. It is
actually more likely that feral dogs will incline to get AWAY from
whatever frightened them, and to run, dig or climb if necessary. Bolting
out a door or ripping a leash out of a hand may be a constant threat, so
owners will need to be as "extra-vigilant" as their dogs to keep them
safe - always and forever.
Becoming adjusted to a human household will come in time, with
gentle routine being one of the best tools. Love, however, is an art
best learned when young, and it is not a natural concept for a feral
animal. Food can be a major motivation in learning the extra perks of
living with people - Sana's first true breakthrough came by way of
"pizza bones" - and here again time will be involved. These dogs CAN and
WILL learn to love, but they're starting very late in terms of
development, and it can feel like forever. After three and a half years,
Sana will now (almost always) come to me when she feels threatened, or
her leash is tangled around her legs, or she's hurt, etc. She always
sleeps pressed against me, fully expects to share any meal I eat, and in
the last few weeks has finally begun to come to me to ask for petting.
I know that she loves me, as well as relies on me and trusts me, and it
fills my heart in ways I can't even begin to describe.
Time - it all comes down to time and patience, and the desire to
do it both FOR and WITH the dog. These dogs will be a challenge to even
the most experienced of Basenji-folk, and many households will not be a
good match for them. We all want to help in this extraordinary rescue
situation, but unusual care will need to be taken in matching these
survivors with their forever homes. I can't wait to see how they'll all
be in five years or so!
I would be happy to discuss the details of our experience with
anyone who might be interested. I can be reached at: bcomvp@yahoo.com
or laura_whitney@harvard.edu or 781-643-5497.
Laura Whitney
Arlington, MA
P.S. Other than our usual Basenji resources, there are two sources of
help I would recommend VERY highly:
- There is a Yahoo-group called "Shy-K9s" that got me through
my most discouraged moments. It is a wonderful group, even if you only
read the archives. Only positive methods are discussed, the support is
tremendous, and reading about professionals who are willing to spend
YEARS helping dogs that they still cannot touch is humbling beyond
words. These people GET IT, and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
- Many people are not comfortable with the concept of using an
animal-communicator (I wasn't, at first) but I found that working with a
communicator could give us a huge boost. It was very beneficial in
interpreting Sana's reactions to situations and helping her to know what
changes and events (like travel) might be coming. I have worked with two
(whose names I would happily pass on to anyone interested!), and both
have been able to track physical and emotional changes at which I could
only guess. One was amazingly helpful when Sana once got lost. Anyone
interested should definitely get recommendations from someone they
trust, because there are frauds out there, but there also are people
with astonishing gifts that can be of tremendous assistance. Again, I'd
be happy to recommend the two with whom we've worked to anyone
interested.
Laura Whitney
Arlington, MA
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(3). Donations are tax-deductible to the
I will just pray that some people in the area help out those little angels.
