Hi from Indiana

[Nova]

Hello,

I have been reading on the Basenji as my husband and I just recently rescued a little girl that we both think she looks so much like a brindle basenji. My husband and I live in Indiana and have between 1-2 acres of property for our girls to run on in the country. We have been married for 38 years now. We rescued another little girl last year, Mya, who is a border collie/ rat terrier or jack russell cross. She has been an amazing dog so we thought we would rescue again to give her a companion. After being approved, dogs were given to younger people. We were actually looking for a border collie or border collie mix to keep up with Mya and how intelligent and energetic she is but that did not work out. It is very sad because I work full time at home and my husband is retired so we have plenty of time to give to our dogs and Mya has been very happy.

Our new girl now though is Nova. We thought she was around 3-1/2 months old but now found out she is more like 4-1/2 to 5 months as she has already lost 4 teeth. Nova is definitely a different girl. She is not much shorter than Mya already at around 17 inches (Mya is 24 pounds) but she only weighs 14 pounds. She is extremely tiny wearing an extra small collar and extra small harness. I doubt she would be full basenji because she does bark but she is otherwise very vocal too making some of the strangest sounds we have ever heard. I swear she yodels. My husband said when outside the bathroom door wanting it it sounds like she is gargling or something LOL. My husband wanted to get her off of a garage sale site from a guy who wanted to be rid of her. those dogs in Indiana a lot of times end up as bait dogs and he loved her immediately so he brought her home. That was July 3 and she was only 6 pounds then. She was a mess, flea infested, dehydrated, urinary tract infection, and we believe starving. The guy was giving her dog food big enough for a full size german shepherd. Her cage stunk so bad. She would eat and drink until she vomited. After getting the medical issues cleared up, she has been doing pretty good now. She is pretty well at potty training. Mya was a big help with that. We were told she was a husky mix but if this girl is husky she is the smallest one I have ever seen. the vet says now that medical issues are taken care of she has the best muscle tone and proportions to a dog he has ever seen. She loves to dig and definitely wants all the attention all the time. She is a fast runner because she is not much behind Mya at this young age already and Mya can easily catch a chipmunk or field mouse going across the yard. Mya and Nova have bounded together quickly. Mya pretty much acts like a surrogate mother to her. Nova is afraid of other dogs, at the vets she loves the people but if dogs are in there she pretty much clings to me until they leave.

Anyways, I have been checking out the Basenjis in case she is a mix with them to see if there is anything special I need to watch for with her. Having rescues is very rewarding but sometimes it is hard not knowing what medical issues to watch for or what to expect size wise. We thought we would have 2 medium sized girls and we are ending up with 2 medium sized girls in small packages my husband says which he loves. They are not little divas for sure.