Adjusting to our new home (warning: pic heavy)
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Cody is adjusting well to our new home. He gets along great with Stimpy, the female dachshund, and is very tolerant of her overactive antics, and we've learned a few different ways of keeping him and Ren, the male chihuahua, apart. It took a while, but here are the pics:
"helping" me with homework
Not the greatest quality, but I love to watch him run!
Cody and Stimpy, his girlfriend
Hunting squirrels
You can see the rest of them at http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac265/basenjitales/New%20pics%20in%20a%20new%20home/
Also, I will be doing field work in the summer, which I'm extremely excited about, but I was starting to worry about what to do with Cody while I am away. I've had some offers of people willing to take care of him, but I'm not sure they know what they would be getting into, plus, I really don't like the idea of leaving him in someone else's care, too many things could happen and I've heard too many horror stories. I was originally going to be going out of the country, but an opportunity arose and I should be staying somewhere on the Atlantic coast of the US. I'm crossing my fingers, because if so, I will be able to take him with me, and he's always up for an adventure!
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Yay for a nice backyard! And I'm glad to hear that things are going smoother with the chihuahua. Like all good things, it just takes time…
I empathize with your need to find a good caretaker while you're away. In the past, I've had to be away for overseas research during summer months, but I'm lucky that the Doggy Daddy (my partner) is willing to stay behind. I think he's the only one that I would truly trust with the dogs, other than one other friend who unfortunately lives 10 hours away and already has a dog of her own. The other friends, eh, not so much. Even if they've grown up with dogs, none have ever lived with such a "difficult" breed.
So you're lucky that you at least have willing volunteers to start with! Since you're thinking in advance, perhaps you could screen/start "training" potential dogsitters. Invite them to spend as much time with you and Cody as you can possibly allow, so that they become just as familiar with, or at least aware of his quirks as you are, especially his potential to escape. I think, even if you prepare as thoroughly as you can, a little bit of worry still remains... I just try to remember that dogs are super adaptable, much more than humans sometimes. I would much rather leave my dogs in the care of a friend whom I trusted, rather than a "professional" kennel or dogsitter, because the stakes and sense of responsibility are different. And if you've done all you can beforehand, what else is there to do but worry? It'll work out...
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Loved the photos..thank you. Let us know what you decide re your b…
they can be great travel company! -
We got really lucky in finding a house with a fenced in back yard, and I think it has helped the transition a lot, both for him moving away from Moe and everything else he had gotten used to in the past year, and for me going back to school. I have to drive a little further to school than I would have liked, but it has been worth it. And it's hilarious to watch him play with Stimpy. She runs faster than I thought she would (with her short little legs, lol), but still can't keep up with him, so she'll scream if he gets too far ahead of her. In response, he'll slow down so she can catch up. Even when they play a little rough, he is careful not to hurt her. He's smitten!
BTW, I talked to my dad, and Moe has finally adjusted to not having Cody around. It was a little rough on him in the beginning, but he seems to be happy to be the center of attention again.
As for next summer, I can't/won't board him. For me, that's out of the question. My plan right now is to prepare for both the option of leaving him with a friend or family member and of taking him with me. Of course, I'd prefer to take him with me, and hopefully I will be able to. I think he'd have a blast!
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Adorable! Great pictures :)
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What great pictures Crystal. So happy to see that you and Cody have settled in nicely. Love all the pictures and I really like the dachshund girl friend…Stimpy..haha.
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Lovely pics of Cody and his friends.
I know what you mean about finding people you can trust with a Basenji. It's not easy to explain just what they're like in words. I think the main thing is the escape potential , and also the potential to eat something harmful .
With my last Basenji my parents were the only people we left him with.
I like curlytails suggestion of training potential volunteers to become Basenji savvy, that is if you can't take him with you.
