There was this one time where someone was 100 % convinced that he was a pitbull mix and wouldn't take any other kind of answer….That one kind of pissed me off...a completely ignorant/prejudiced statement. I really feel for people with pits, or even mixes that don't have any papers that might look like a pit...especially after that.
Yes, i've gotten that too, but ONLY with my brindle boy. Now Digital the brindlewonderkid was very refined and elegant for a basenji. More so than Jet the trying, but both were/are breed champions. The person who thought he was a pit back tracked when I said "No, he's a basenji." and came back with "Oh, but I bet they used pits when they created the breed." (he wasn't being rude, just sort of excited.) Of course then I explained that the basenji, as a breed was 5000 years old and pre-dated pits by quite a few years. But I think the pit thing was mostly b/c Diggie was brindle and had short hair.
I've also had my dogs called JRT's, generic terrier and chihuahua (okay, my dog was a puppy and standing next to a Great Dane at the time). Non dog things include fox, deer and poinsettia. (The poinsettia requires and explanation. English was her 2cd language and knew my dogs weren't plants, but just used that word b/c she'd just blank out one the word "basenji".) .
I've also had my dogs called JRT's, generic terrier and chihuahua (okay, my dog was a puppy and standing next to a Great Dane at the time). Non dog things include fox, deer and poinsettia.
I've had the deer and fox thing, also Corgi (now, that's an insult, IMO!) 
I always get Jack Russell…and I think to myself, how many black and white Russell's do you see people?! Nonetheless, with ears the size of dinner plates standing upright!! It's very rarely guessed correctly and there is always interest in him..people always comment that he's beautiful and sleek and he does elicit many looks from passerby's driving cars or when we are on walks...but very few people are in the know (and I kind of prefer it that way)
If this was a contest I think the winner would have to be the poinsettia - an easy mistake to make…
A Japanese dog
A Shiba
A fox
A boerenfox (farmer's fox terrier): a non-official breed in The Netherlands that looks a bit like a Parson's Jack Russel
"beautiful dogs"
"luxury dogs"
"they look like small deer"
We have had "mixed with a Doberman" once and the women insisted my Tri boy was and would not accept any other answer, lol, other than that one time everyone else is very curious about both of them and will cross the street to come and talk to us about them. Both Mowgli and Miika are very social so just love the attention, but we always get the response "Basenji? I have never heard of that bread" they have been called adorable, beautiful, elegant, sleek and yes look like little deer's lol
Guess I should mention we live in a small town and they are the only Basenji's in town, the bread had to be added to the town data base when getting licenses for them lol
Watson has been identified as a terrier mix (this is the most common ID), a toy fox terrier, a rat terrier, a dobeman, and even a rottweiler 
poinsettias, dobermans, deer….such a fun collection of incorrect identification.
My first B, Congo, was once identified by a woman with a little boy as "one of those biting benjis!". He was the sweetest B I've ever had!
I got a shaved chow-chow at a dog show once…
Our local Caesar Milan Wanna-be claims she's a stunning Pitty (while grabbing her face and pushing it up to his, as she's snarling... I kicked him in the crotch). Incidentally, he is currently in jail for animal abuse charges and for stealing aka. not giving back client's dogs after training them..
The best was when I was asked how I tamed a fox. I pointed to her tail and said after I used a curling iron, I had no other issues. This was from an Animal Control Officer that bragged about knowing every breed of dog, and having been a handler to many of the best dog shows world wide... my dry wit could not be contained! 
The best positive ID came from a wheel chair bound senior in my Husband's Grandma's small town senior complex. We went to visit with Cricket, who was just sitting next to Grandma and me on the floor (we were actually trying to hide her from the nurses because we weren't sure if she was allowed there...). This older gentleman slowly wheeled up with this awed look on his face, but didn't actually say anything as he just stared at her in wonder. I jokingly asked if he was going to tell on us and get her kicked out, he said "god no, is that a real Basenji?" and he said the actual African name, which I had never heard before. I told him she was a basenji, but I had no idea what the other words were. He then told us about his trip to Africa in the early 50's as a young missionary and seeing Basenjis in the villages, how they hunted, etc. He had never seen one since. Our next visit, he had some albums out, which were amazing! I wish I knew what happened to those after he passed.
if this was a contest i think the winner would have to be the poinsettia - an easy mistake to make…
love it!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got a shaved chow-chow at a dog show once…
Our local Caesar Milan Wanna-be claims she's a stunning Pitty (while grabbing her face and pushing it up to his, as she's snarling... I kicked him in the crotch). Incidentally, he is currently in jail for animal abuse charges and for stealing aka. not giving back client's dogs after training them..
The best was when I was asked how I tamed a fox. I pointed to her tail and said after I used a curling iron, I had no other issues. This was from an Animal Control Officer that bragged about knowing every breed of dog, and having been a handler to many of the best dog shows world wide... my dry wit could not be contained!
The best positive ID came from a wheel chair bound senior in my Husband's Grandma's small town senior complex. We went to visit with Cricket, who was just sitting next to Grandma and me on the floor (we were actually trying to hide her from the nurses because we weren't sure if she was allowed there...). This older gentleman slowly wheeled up with this awed look on his face, but didn't actually say anything as he just stared at her in wonder. I jokingly asked if he was going to tell on us and get her kicked out, he said "god no, is that a real Basenji?" and he said the actual African name, which I had never heard before. I told him she was a basenji, but I had no idea what the other words were. He then told us about his trip to Africa in the early 50's as a young missionary and seeing Basenjis in the villages, how they hunted, etc. He had never seen one since. Our next visit, he had some albums out, which were amazing! I wish I knew what happened to those after he passed.
That was an extraordinary story! What a wonderful man to meet-must have brought back so many fond memories of the Bush!
I have had quite a few people ask us if our dog is a dingo!
The rest of the list
Shiba inu
Jack Russell
Rat terrier
They even ask what kind of mix he is
The one that makes me laugh is "is that tail natural?" "How is his tail so curly?"
I've heard
-Pitt bull puppy
-Jack Russell
and every kind of mix you can think of.. Most people just ask before guessing! At dog shows people usually know that they are "the dog that doesn't bark" but forget the breed.
My favorite story was when a woman asked me what he was and her son sighed loudly "it's a basenji mom.." She had no clue how he knew that. I told her that he probably watches animal planet lol.
Just today, someone came up to us and said "Oh look, it's one of those dancing dogs! Make her dance!"
Ironically, Ava does get up on her hind legs and will sort of shimmy around for a treat, so we showed them this and they were delighted. What I didn't tell them is that Ava "dances" because she wants to see if there's anything worth stealing from the countertop without having to put her paws on it and incur the "Off!" command.
But… dancing dogs? Did I miss something?
Just today, someone came up to us and said "Oh look, it's one of those dancing dogs! Make her dance!"
But… dancing dogs? Did I miss something?
well, Zest! loves to "dance". We often do at the Alzheimer's facility. But we're in colorado (and the residents tend to forget, having Alz's), so i doubt that explains your encounter.
So now we have two dancing Bs– it's a coast-to-coast trend! Word must be getting around.
We can dance if we want to.
We can leave your friends behind.
Cause' your friends don't dance,
and if they don't dance, well they're
no friends of mine.
–Safety Dance
Wow, Zest! can really get down! She does the "dancing dogs" proud.
Ava is going to have to learn some new moves to keep her street cred.
