• My wife and I are looking for a female Basenji Puppy!

    Hopefully near the Houston, TX area so we can visit her…but since that may be hard to find, we may be willing to ship the beautiful girl from a quality breeder that is able to send videos and provide accurate details on temperament & medical records (especially a Fanconi clear test result).

    We have never owned a Basenji, but have fallen in love with all of the pics/videos we have seen online. We currently do not have any children or pets, but we have both owned dogs in the past, and can't wait to have a new addition to our family in the form of a beautiful Basenji girl!

    We prefer a brindle or tri-color female, but they are all beautiful, so if you have reds or blacks please contact me as well!

    We are in the market for any pups that are currently available to ship, or will be within the next 6 weeks (hopefully)...so if you, or a reputable breeder you know of, have any female pups that age please contact me!

    Thank you very much, I look forward to hearing from you!

    David


  • Here is a link to the Basenji Club of America. https://www.basenji.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=111&Itemid=94

    Hi David - check out the left hand side of the page for breeders in Texas. However, that is only the first step.

    When we got Kipawa, we researched breeders for a full year. We went to dog shows and basenji specialty shows to meet breeders, see their dogs and also to arrange visits their homes to see their breeding facility. You learn a lot this way, and even though we wound up waiting a year, I believe it was all worth it. Also, I educated myself to the point where I was aware of breeders who had basenjis that wound up being rescued, a sign of non-commitment to their dogs, as most quality breeders will take their pups/dogs back for ANY REASON.

    Then there is also a need to ask yourself some very specific questions about what you are prepared to do to have a happy dog live with you. Vet bills, 2 good sized walks a day, not crating your dog for too long each day (do you both work?), sleeping arrangements - many of us have basenjis that sleep in the bedroom with us in a crate. Some of us let them sleep on the bed or in it with us. As for health, you are on the right track regarding Fanconi. You want to look at breeders who have responsibly tested their dogs.

    Also, stick around here, because I can tell you that I learned TONS from asking questions and reading, reading, reading!

    Good luck in your hunt! Put the time in now and you will have a wonderful basenji with you for many years to come.


  • We are in Montgomery, near Lake Conroe. You are more than welcome to come visit us and our fur kids! You could meet the Basenjis and hopefully get a better idea if this is truly the breed for you.
    You can PM me for further info.

    Terry


  • I would suggest that instead of shipping that you plan a trip to pick up a puppy in person. I do not ship and anyone interested would have to personally come to get their puppy. I am just not comfortable throwing a baby puppy in a crate and then into the belly of a plane. If you pick him/her up yourself, then they can fly back as carry-on.

    And I would also highly recommend that you take Terry up on her offer to visit. While you can read lots about the breed, there is nothing like a personal visit to really be sure this is the right breed for you.


  • Welcome! And I agree with Tanza, actually meeting basenjis is important, especially if you are planning on getting a puppy. (Often, getting an adult as a first-basenji is a good thing)

    We have had potential BRAT adopter change her mind after meeting a bunch of nice, well mannered basenjis at our dog park…they were just so much more active and larger than she had visualized, even after reading lots about them. Meeting them first is a good thing!


  • To the OP - take Terry up on her offer and go for a visit. The breed is much different in person than what you read about. I've gone to a breeder's house when people are doing their first visit with basenjis and have, more than once, seen a person change their minds - basenjis might not be their perfect dog after all. They definitely aren't for everyone…

    Even my friends are like - you like these dogs why? Sometimes I even ask myself that...hahahaha


  • Let me chime in. Experienced dog person (mostly Rottweilers and Chows as an adult). Breeder, show, sheep herding, carting– yes heavy into dogs.

    My daughter wanted a dog to show. We looked at breeds for about a year, basenjis were not in the group at all. Decided on powderpuff Chinese Crested. Were on breeder list for 2 upcoming litters from their bitches just shown at Westminster. Then one of the breeders (they were partners) got cancer, they cancelled one breeding which would have bumped us to the next year.

    Okay so another person had a litter, offered me pick-- Basenjis. I had never met one, I had seen at shows, watched the movie. I read, read, read, talked to breeders (oddly have 3 friends with Rottie/Chow/Basenji, Rottie/Basenji, Chow/Basenji homes). THOUGHT I knew what I was getting into. I was mistaken.

    I can't imagine my life without them, but I know the breeder laughed nightly for many years knowing that I only thought I knew.

    Got meet them, spend some time. As Spock from Star Trek once said:
    You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical, but it is often true. – Spock (Amok Time)

    Second, I would have to offer this as well. Most breeders have puppies during this time, as fall through early winter heats are most common. But many also have every puppy spoken for. If you must have one NOW, you may be out of luck finding a GOOD breeder. You might also want to consider BRAT rescue, or taking an older puppy/dog that is a year or 2 from a breeder who has found the dog does not fit their breeding program.

    Good luck.


  • odd double posts sorry


  • @renaultf1:

    Even my friends are like - you like these dogs why? Sometimes I even ask myself that…hahahaha

    ROFLMAO, mine too. My best friend says "PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME THE BASENJIS!"

    I think of that commercial with the visiting grandparents and the people throw the babies at them and jump in the cab and the grandparents are begging "DON'T LEAVE US WITH THE BABIES." http://youtu.be/ASg9dlhrjEc


  • OMG that commercial is hilarious. I have a hard time leaving my B's with anyone to puppy-sit. I don't wish that upon my worst enemy. My boss said he would dog sit the one weekend we were going to be gone and I thought I wouldn't have a job when I came back, so I took her to a kennel.
    I never had a chance to go see a basenji home before I got my first B. I have always had dogs and I researched for ages and finally convinced my hubby that this was the dog for us. I had only seen them at dog shows before and well seeing them well mannered there has nothing on living with one!
    Look for a responsible breeder…...go to a home with a B and see what they are like to live with. Do your research. Ask questions. Look for the proper health testing done. Don't buy from just anyone.
    I love my dogs and now have 2 B's, one female and one male. I would never trade this breed for anything but they are not for everyone.


  • After I got married I acquired my second Basenji. The only thing my husband agrees with is what I told him to sell him on the dog. "There is nothing like a Basenji!" Too true…...and I said it like it was a "good thing". After thirty plus years together with constant Basenji company, we both agree we would have nothing else as a house companion......does that make us masochists?

    Definitely go and visit someone who has them......and even then you won't know what you are in for until it's too late. 🙂


  • Make sure the breeder is doing health testing! Research the breed thoroughly in regards to genetic problems and know what questions to ask the breeder!

    Jennifer


  • To find a good/responsible breeder here is something you can use as a guide.

    http://www.tanzabasenjis.net/selectbreeder.html


  • Wow, thanks so much for the replies everyone! I must admit that all this talk about how "different" (difficult, haha) Basenjis are than other breeds, only has me more interested in meeting them, and finally getting to experience what all the talk is about!

    Terry,
    Thank you so much for offering us the chance to meet some Basenjis! I am in Cypress now, but grew up in Magnolia, so I am definitely familiar with the Lake Conroe area. I will PM you for further details. Thanks again!

    Everyone Else,
    Thanks for all the replies…we are definitely going to meet some Basenjis before making any decisions. We are just excited at the thought of adding a loving dog to our family, and these Basenjis seem perfect! I am an absolute animal lover, so I am pretty sure I can handle these crazy Basenjis...and my wife runs around chasing 25 kindergartners as a teacher, so I am guessing she will be as prepared as anyone to take care of a rambunctious little puppy...we will see. I will update how our visit with some Basenjis goes, and how our puppy search progresses!

    Thanks again!

    David


  • I'm no expert, but I think it's good to find a dog that shares some of your own characteristics. If you're high-energy, active, smart, tenacious, determined, witty and adventurous, then you might love having a Basenji, since the dog will be a lot like you. The trick is, you have to show your Basenji that you're more of these things than s(h)e is. And sometimes, you just have to laugh. (Being able to transcend the material is useful, too.) 🙂

    Good luck in your search!


  • One thing that every Basenji owner MUST have is a sense of humor…. if you don't, this is not the breed for you!


  • @tanza:

    One thing that every Basenji owner MUST have is a sense of humor…. if you don't, this is not the breed for you!

    Perhaps this is why I have only met cool basenji people? 🙂


  • A good sense of humor is necessary. And also good if you are not attached to material things (shoes, sofas, clothes, carpets, purses)


  • I will say this, I wasn't known for my sense of humor before getting Oakley (1yr old male). I have always been a very serious child and adult who likes order and organization. Oakley has truly taught me the softer side of life, he has taught me to laugh, not only at him and whatever serious destruction he has caused but to laugh at myself. A chewed arm on the couch or trash strewn about my kitchen floor is nothing to get so angry about but to take a deep breath, sigh, relax and clean up the mess laughing all the while at the basenji sitting next tO me with his head tilted sideways saying "what!? , you didn't like the redecorating I did?"

    Oakley has given me a gift, he really has; and for that I will always be grateful

    I'm hooked for life on basenjis


  • @Chealsie508:

    I will say this, I wasn't known for my sense of humor before getting Oakley (1yr old male). I have always been a very serious child and adult who likes order and organization. Oakley has truly taught me the softer side of life, he has taught me to laugh, not only at him and whatever serious destruction he has caused but to laugh at myself. A chewed arm on the couch or trash strewn about my kitchen floor is nothing to get so angry about but to take a deep breath, sigh, relax and clean up the mess laughing all the while at the basenji sitting next tO me with his head tilted sideways saying "what!? , you didn't like the redecorating I did?"

    Oakley has given me a gift, he really has; and for that I will always be grateful

    I'm hooked for life on basenjis

    LOL…. A great response!!!

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