Skip to content

Accidentally got a basenji

Member Introductions
  • Hey, everyone! I'm a graduate student living in North Carolina. My wife and I just got back to the US from Bénin, where we lived in a small town near the border with Nigeria. I was doing my Ph.D. dissertation research in cultural anthropology, and my wife was volunteering at an orphanage.

    While we were there, we adopted a puppy—my first dog. We named her Cosette (my wife was reading Les misérables at the time). The dogs where we lived are semi-pariahs; most of them have "owners," but they roam free most of the day and scavenge for food. At night, they return home for some table scraps, earning their keep by barking at strangers and scaring away would-be intruders.

    We knew we'd eventually want to bring our puppy home to the US, so we did our best to socialize her with people and other dogs. It wasn't easy, since both dogs and people in Bénin tend to assume that all dogs are potentially vicious. There's very little culture of keeping pets or companion animals. A lot of people found it strange that we'd want to go to the expense to take Cosette home with us, but it did earn her a name in Yorùbá, the local language: Bámidélé—"take me home" or "go home with me."

    Well, little did we know we'd adopted a basenji. One of the Americans living nearby pointed it out, so we researched the breed. Sure enough, Cosette matches the basenji's description both behaviorally and physically. (The two exceptions are that she's perhaps more elongated than the breed standard, and she can bark as well as yodel.)

    As a lifelong cat owner, I'm actually quite glad that my first dog is sort of kind of a cat. Cosette's now almost 10 months old, and she's adjusting well to her new life in the States. I'm eager to keep learning about these charming African beauties on the forums!

    Here's Cosette in Bénin: https://basenjiforums.com/topic/14143/cosette-bámidélé

    P.S. Can someone tell me how I can change my profile picture?

  • Great story! Beautiful name in Yoruba, too.
    We have 2 B's, sisters. Once you have one, your life will never be the same.
    There is a lot of resources on the web and on this forum lots of experienced B-owners (or, better, owned-by-B's) to help you raising Bami.
    Enjoy.!

    0_1460720680090_Lela&Binti.jpg

  • @Baba-Bamidele

    Welcome!

    On the photo.. beats me. I can get to it.

    Click on your B icon to go to your page.
    Click on the red dot thing, then EDIT

    Under the B on left, click then click change picture. But I get no option to upload a picture.
    B
    OPTIONS
    Change Picture

    (It also isn't letting me post a picture here.. keeps saying error, only allows blah blah blah. But it IS a jpeg file!)

  • (It also isn't letting me post a picture here.. keeps saying error, only allows blah blah blah. But it IS a jpeg file!)

    I ran into that problem. My file extension was .jpg which is a normal file extension for jpegs. However, it would not accept my picture until I changed the file extension to .jpeg after which it worked. (the file extensions are interchangable)

  • Thanks for the help! I still can't get it to work, though. I go to my page, red button on right, edit, then options under my big "B" icon, then change picture. This brings up a small window that only offers the option of "Default Icon." I never get anywhere that'll let me pick a new image. I am apparently able to change my cover photo (the big banner image), though. Is there maybe a restriction that only allows someone to change the picture after X number of posts?

  • Profile image uploading seems to be working now. I saw that folks brought this up with the forum administrators, so thanks!

Suggested Topics

  • Our Wonderful Basenji

    Member Introductions
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    1k Views
    No one has replied
  • Basenji Allergies

    Member Introductions
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    10k Views
    YodelDogsY
    It sounds like a contact allergy to me. The dog's stomach is touching something it is allergic too. Like Ruth said, grass or weeds that may (or may not) have chemicals on them. The fabric of your couch or type of carpet you have Cleaning products used to clean carpets or floors Fabric softeners, dryer sheets, or laundry detergents used on the dog's bedding or other items the dog is frequently in contact with. Topical flea products used on the dog And the list goes on I do not trust a vet who wants to hand out drugs and medications without attempting to find out the cause of the medical problem. I would recommend going to a holistic vet that will help you get to the root of the problem.
  • Basenji mix?

    Member Introductions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    BasenjimammaB
    Welcome to the forum, he is purky cute..I can't really tell one way or the other..
  • Love my basenjis

    Member Introductions
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    3k Views
    V
    Hi Vicki - I love your name. ;) Welcome and I hope to see more of your postings. This is the best site for help, advice, and friendship. I, too, use the squirt bottle and always keep a cup of water on the counter for more drastic intervention. My two will go at it, then clean each other up once they are wet. It is funny.
  • Between Basenjis

    Member Introductions
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    nala121498N
    I'm sorry for the loss of your dear Basenjis. Losing a pet is so difficult. I hope this site helps you through the transition. Welcome.
  • Our first basenji

    Member Introductions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    B
    Welcome, great dogs, great people, great information….great fun.:) Post some pics when you can;)