Our family is looking for a Basenji puppy in the New York area. We are willing to travel outside to neighboring states to come look. We would like the puppy to be the following :
1. Male
2. Red/Brown with white or cream
3. Registered, microchipped and with all necessary vaccinations.
We love this breed as one of our family members if a bit allergic to dogs and cats.
Any advice or response would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I don't know about many litters you're going to find now (not really the right season)…...but there's a Facebook page called "Basenji puppies for sale"....the people on there have the potential to be helpful, most of them are legit good breeders. Sometimes they will have puppies "leftover" that they were holding for show for too long. There's an eclectic mix of international breeders and US breeders so you may have to look through a bit. But, at any rate, upcoming litters are sometimes advertised.
Petfinder. There are a lot of bad breeders on there, but there might be rescues as well. There are good breeders too but you have to know what you're looking for.
Basenji Club of America breeder referral. You have to do your homework and be willing to call them up or look on their websites - if they have one. A lot of e-mailing if you go this route; and not all of the breeders will answer e-mails. But, safe to say that this is the best way to go if you're looking for a good breeder.
Basenji Rescue and Transport; this is going to be your least helpful route (if you're looking for a puppy). They do have rescues, but I don't believe they ship so options are limited, and the wait lists can be long. They don't always advertise all of the potential adoptions. Never hurts to ask though....
Remember that these dogs do shed/do have dander, therefore while better than some with people with allergies, not always the case.
Go to the Basenji Club of America (www.basenji.org) and then to breeder referral to find a responsible breeder near you. Keep in mind, likely you will have to travel a bit. Breeders are now making their breeding plans for this fall as Basenji usually only come in season in Sept/Oct, so pups are born usually Nov/Dec. Breeders are now also taking reservations for their planned breedings.
Be sure that they (sire and dam) are health tested and that you check out those results for yourself.
I took a look at the Basenji Puppies (for sale). I was happy to see that health testing and other things are requested, but really most the dogs are not even in the USA. Like Pat said, please go to the Basenji Club first. There are also breeders with older dogs (ie not puppies) that might need homes and rescue. The one.. and it is a biggie.. concern is that any dog you get– be it breeder or rescue, if they do not have Fanconi testing, don't get the animal unless they test. If you find a breeder or dog, please let us know so we can help you verify actual testing if you need help.
Now the really bad news. Basenji are not hypoallergenic. NO DOG IS. It is a bunch of hooey spread by people without real information or breeders pushing their dogs. While lower shedding dogs do help with dander, that isn't the same thing. You might actually see about fostering a basenji for rescue and see how your family reacts allergy wise.
Now for the really really really bad news. Allergy concerns are minuscule part of breed selection, especially with a basenji. Sorry but they are not the dog for most people and they most certainly are not the dog for someone not familiar with them that is just looking for a less allergy inducing breed. There are continuous growing hair type dogs that shed less and have far nicer temperaments. Please manage to actually spend time with and around the dogs before you move forward.
It would also be a good idea to visit an event with basenjis, dog show, basenji club meetup, breeder etc, to ensure that allergies are not an issue. I had one person visit me three times to make sure allergies were not an issue, and they were.
My biggest concern with basenjis is that they dart out the door and get killed often, you have to live in a household where the door is always securely shut and the dog is crated when people are coming in and out. Children often leave a door ajar and the dog is lost, has happened dozens of times this year alone. When my inlaws visit my dogs stay crated because they are unable to not stand in the open doorway talking, they are just not trainable, the inlaws that is:)
Lisa
Amen Lisa about "in-laws"… LOL... or any family member that is not Basenji wise....
