I must agree that naive, first-time wanne-be owners need to do deep, extensive research. Basenjis are supremely unique and definitely not a good choice for a "beginner."
I adopted an 18-month old 3/4 Basenji (other 1/4 is Min Pin, yet another quirky little breed, with some "bad" similarities to B's). I was somewhat familiar with B's, but not even a little bit of "enough!!" Gosh, Izzy-Bella was a piperoo!! A little 18 pound bundle of energy, destruction, and escapism. BUT, I have always loved bad boys (9 years working in a high school), so a little bad girl was a sort of delight. But, again, it takes many years before these dogs mellow out and mature and maximize their amazing intelligence. Izzy is SO SO smart: her early unbridled destructiveness has pretty much ended, and now, at ten years old, she amazes us every day with her intelligence, innate understanding, observational skills, language acumen, and comedic skills. And at ten years old, she acts like a three year old! I hope this means she will live forever.
Once you have bonded with a Basenji, you are probably done and gone. But
first-timers REALLY need to do their research and homework.
Someone referred to entrusting their dog
to a family member. I would entrust my B to nobody except a bona fide Vet hospital/kennel, with big-time fences and enclosures, B's are exceptional diggers-under-fences and escape artists. And a Number One cause of
death for them is traffic. Their prey instinct sends them careening into
traffic. Dumber than deer.
But, bottom line: do your due diligence Basenji research, and understand early on that these dogs are singularly unique: indescribably destructive; escape artists; independent thinkers and behaviorists; smarter than you can even begin to imagine (I swear my Izzy understands everything I say and reads my mind!); and prepare to have lots of tissues on hand as auxiliary food, because apparently, Basenjis require wood pulp
projects to prosper!! I don't get it.
Tampa Area Meet Up
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Hi,
Where is the park located? Is there anyone who is expecting puppies anytime soon? I have been looking for a long time, for a puppy. I have a 5 y/o Male, Kyro, and I would like to get a female. Please contact me if you know of someone who may be able to point me in the direction of purchasing a Basenji.
Thanks,
Mike
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Hi Mike, all the basenjis in our 'extended family' pack are neutered, many are rescues or re-homed, none of us are breeders! There are a lot of basenji available via BRAT, though no puppies at this time. I know of a year old black and white male in Texas looking for a home, not sure if that interests you.
You are more than welcome to drop by and meet up with us. google Hillsborough County Parks, look for West Park dog park, it will give you directions and maps. It is north of Hillsborough avenue and West of Dale Mabry, If that helps.
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Chealsie508, sorry you don't have a group up there, maybe you can start one!
Our group has been meeting weekly for over 10 years, there are still 3 of us from the original meet-up. Some weeks we have 10 or 11 basenjis, on a 'big week' we have over 20. People move away, new folks find us, it is a flexible "event", no rules, no dues, just show up when you can for "dog church" on Sunday morning.
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Hi,
Where is the park located? Is there anyone who is expecting puppies anytime soon? I have been looking for a long time, for a puppy. I have a 5 y/o Male, Kyro, and I would like to get a female. Please contact me if you know of someone who may be able to point me in the direction of purchasing a Basenji.
Thanks,
Mike
Try going to www.basenji.org to find a responsible breeder near you… of course "near" you could require a bit of travel. I know that Robyn (Sherwood Basenjis) in GA had a litter, she is on the Forum... she also has an adult bitch that she would like to place.
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Does this group still meet? If so where? We have a female basenji that would love to meet some friends.
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Roobie: Yes, the group is still meeting - different dogs and people come and go, with a basic core group usually there at West Park anywhere from about 10:30 on - read the earlier posts in this thread for directions.
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Thanks for the info! We will try to attend soon.
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Hi Roobie, we love to meet new people and basenjis! In nice weather we are sometimes at the park from 10:30 till 3 or 4 in the afternoon, but in this heat we are usually gone by 1 or 1:30. The dogs are not very active, chase a few squirrels and then lie around, but we will all be delighted to meet you and your girl.
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Thank you for the info! We won't make it this week but will definitely try for the following Sunday. We are looking forward to it.
Sue
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We just got home from a great little meet-up with Kaiah and her humans! Kaiah is a little tri and had not played with basenjis before, so when she met our two tris and new black boy, she was smitten! It was all mutual, lots of sniff and wiggle, then she and Chip ran and chased for awhile, even Eddie got into the act. Kaiah's humans are delightful too, and it was a lovely dog park visit. Hopefully we can repeat it soon.
Love the Forum and it's connections.
