When my second Basenji, Lady, was seven years old, I got puppy fever. The result was bringing home a seven week old female pup, Tamu. Lady was less than impressed by her new companion, and the first couple of days her response to the new arrival was to growl and walk away, stiff legged. By day three, however, she decided to experiment and tentatively initiated play with the pup. I was fascinated to watch them together, as Lady proved to be a perfect substitute mother. She was appropriately gentle with the pup, even though she didn't yet fully accept her. Time brought them closer together, and they ended up being inseparable friends for life. Here are a few pictures from those early days. (I apologize for the quality. Cheap camera + scanned photos doesn't do the best job!)
Here are the two of them just after Tamu came home to us.
Tamu picked up leash walking quickly, with the example set for her.
Getting along happened fairly quickly.
I love this shot…..note Lady's closed eye on the "attack" side!
I was amazed by the patience Lady showed towards puppy antics.
Puppies can certainly try the patience of an older dog.
Sometimes Tamu was content with her own bone, although most of the time she wanted Lady's.
A tired pup after play.
A year later, on the dock. Lady is loose, Tamu is tied as a precaution.
And much, much later. Lady was showing her age, Tamu in her prime. They always slept together.
Tamu liked to be in the back. If she couldn't get there, on top would suffice!