Sounds like Tanza has given you some good advice and she is well aware of life on the WestCoast of USA.
Looking for a temporary home for 2yr old basenji
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Too bad about the timing. If you didn't need anyone until late February I might be able to help. I'm in Ontario, but that isn't so very far from Montreal. I've recently lost a dog and while I am not ready to adopt another, having one for a year might be an interesting alternative.
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A possibility would also be short term babysitting, from two weeks to two months at a time. Its a difficult request, basenji's need lots of love and leaving him at a kennel is out of the question.
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@natasha I don't think a short term babysitting, 2 wks. to 2 months, would be good for your little guy. They like stability! Doing short term babysitting might cause him to have anxiety issues &/or behavioral problems! If you could have him with you, despite traveling so much, it might be worth looking into the places where you're going & see if they'd allow your boy. Other wise, IMHO, I think having someone keep him for a yr. would be the best. DebraDownSouth had some very good suggestions. And I'd for sure, check with your employer about how long you're going to be moving around. It just might be that, giving your boy to a good & stable home would be the best thing for him. I hate to say that but, I'm thinking of him & the problems it could cause for him!
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Hi @DebraDownSouth thank you for your reply. We are currently looking into all possible options. Ideally, it would be taking him with us...which is looking like the best thing to do. So far, we've had quite a few responses in regarding doggysitting instead of having to board him.
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What about his breeder?
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@tanza we did speak to the breeder, she told us to post here and in any other forums in montreal.
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@natasha If that's all the "breeder" said to do then I hope she/he is not going to breed anymore! What a p*ss poor excuse for a "breeder". I may sound harsh or even terrible but, that's my opinion of them! I hope that if you ever buy another dog, you don't go back to that one! grrrrrrrrrr!!
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@Nancy-Berry haha not sounding harsh at all...felt the same way.
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Not a breeder... the rescuer (Camp Basenji).. that I got Cara from... She has taken both my daughter's Samoyed (8 mo old pain in the behind) and Cara for 6 weeks to help them play without Cara eating him. She has 15 basenjis there.. her own and rescue. Up to her chin in her own needs, yet took them. (She has stable dogs, she has magical control.. wave of hand, low commands.. they stayed clear of Cara until she worked out that dogs really can be okay). Yeah, didn't create my dog, didn't have any hand in her health and other things... yet stands up to keep when anyone needs her and in my case to take one of the rescues and another dog because I needed her help. Yeah, your breeder... not so much.
I get that many if not most breeders can't take a dog back to board for that long, but they can help, check with other people who got their pups, etc.
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@natasha Do you both work for the same Company & have you checked with your employer to see exactly how long you will be traveling & how many transfers are needed? If you have your little guy placed with a babysitter for a yr. ~ you could possibly lose him if the people who watch him, fall in love with him...it could possibly be considered as "abandoned" unless you have a legal written contract & even that might not hold up so you can get your little fella back!! And 2 wks. - 2 months at a time could cause behavioral problems. If you leave him for a yr. - he might not want to come back with you as he may feel that you abandoned him! Do both of you HAVE to go?? I can't imagine any job worth me having to "place" my b with someone for that long of a time!! I wouldn't be worth 2 cents at my job then!! You should (IMHO) think of your little fella the same way you'd think of a 2 legged kid that you gave birth to! lol .... sounds silly I know! But would you place a 2 legger with a babysitter that long? I know, if it were a 2 legger, the Company wouldn't think twice about paying the cost for him moving with you. I think you all are stuck between a rock & a hard place & am afraid that your little fella is going to be the one who pays the price in the end. What about your parents? Could they help bcoz he probably knows them!
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Hi,
I was wondering if you were successful in finding a home for your dog...
We have been looking into adding a "canine" family member to our family of four... I am allergic to most breeds of dog, but seem to be okay with non-shedders... the Basenji is listed on many sites as hypo-allergenic, so they are at the top of our list as possibilities... please contact me if you haven't found a home, and maybe we could do a trial to see if we fit... how is your pup with kids? We have a 3.5 year old and a six year old, both gentle souls who are respectful of and love animals...
Thanks
Cathy -
Hi Cathy
We haven't had any luck yet. We abouta are you located? We can maybe set up that trial
Natasha
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@cathyroy he's also been very good with kids. Not that he's been around them often, but on some walks when kids stop to pet hi. He's been great.
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Nancy, I totally disagree with your comment. When people place a dog and pay the dog's bills, they aren't going to have problems getting it back. That isn't in anyone's book "abandonment." Sure there are jerks out there, but not usually. Also, having worked in rescue for nearly 40 yrs, much as our egos don't want to believe it, dogs adjust to new homes. And they adjust to coming home. Show dogs may go out on the road for a very long time, and they are fine coming home.
@cathyroy
Just going to be very blunt. Choosing a dog based on being "hypoallergenic" ,often if not usually , results in a failed home. They don't exist, period. I was glad to see you understand the issue is nonshedding. Yes, nonshedding dogs leave less dander. But until you actually have a dog in your house, you aren't going to know. Your best bet is to find a rescue that will allow you to foster with intent to adopt. That way, if it doesn't work out, not a huge crisis.All of that said, if you haven't had experience with a basenji, please talk to local rescue and spend some time reading the boards. These are not the dog for casual owners who haven't researched the breed. I have found them much more challenging than Rottweilers and Chows!
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@DebraDownSouth thanks for your reply. I don't think he would feel abandoned and I know he'll be happy coming back home..almost got worried with that reply from Nancy
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@natasha
I think until you do rescue, or send dogs on the road, you think they must pine and have trouble adjusting. That is fortunately rarely true. Both of our dogs are down in FL with Pam Hamilton. Cara is on prozac.. I worried more about her than the Samoyed. So Pam sends me videos of Cara looking at her with love and following her around. She perfectly fine. Loves it there. My daughter got in at 6 pm to work with Pam with the dogs, and Cara was crying and crying for her. She's ready to come home okay I think. Merlin however is like a toddler on the playground with tons of other children ... he is NOT going to want to leave. But you can bet in a few days he'l readjust and be his old happy self. I am not saying a dog doesn't love or miss their person/people. But if they are cared for, they do adjust. -
Hi Natasha,
How can we get ahold of you? We are in Montreal, NDG area... Just to reply to the other poster's concerns... we have thought about the hypoallergenic thing, which is why this is our best option, I would like to try the dog out before committing... but in terms of our research, my husband has done a lot... and has owned rescue dogs with "personality". I also have had a dog before, it was a bichon, and I was fine with her in terms of allergies... I wouldn't mind having a small dog but my hubby wants "a real dog" ; ) We watched videos of the yodeling and my kids find it perfectly adorable and hilarious. Personality = not a problem... as long as the dog is friendly and patient... My husband works from home, so he wants a companion, and also has time and energy to devote... one question - is the dog "neutered"?
I will send you my number on a chat, you can call us... -
@natasha I'm sooo glad Debra wrote what she did & I've never been sooo happy to be wrong!! But that's why I said "with a written legal contract" so there would be no way that your dog would end up getting taken away from you!! And honestly... I never thought about what Debra said about the dogs going out on the road for shows! Many people DO have their handlers take them with them, even though the owner might go to the shows too!! Debra is a pretty sharp cookie & has a big pool of information on many many subjects! Like I said ~ I'VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO BE WRONG!!!!
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@natasha I also want to apologize to you for making you for making you feel bad, nervous or insecure in any way or manner. I promise, that wasn't my intentions. I should have kept my fingers off the keyboard on that one. I really am sorry to have worried you.
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@DebraDownSouth Thank God you jumped on the band wagon here because I totally screwed up & worried that poor woman over nothing!! Like you said, there are jerks out there & many years ago, I had a friend that had someone taking care of their family dog (it was all kinds of mixed breeds but a cool dog no-less). The family was only going to be gone for 3 to 4 months at the most. Like you said, the dogsitter (JERK) packed up a little less than 2 months later, with the dog & left!! No one knew where they went & the family couldn't find out "where" the guy moved to. I just remember how devastated my friend & her family were when they got back (about 3 months after they'd left). The kids cried, she cried & I think her husband cried too. They tried to report it to the police but were told "since it wasn't a purebred & you had no legal written contract" ... it was just terrible. I would hate for that to happen to anyone again, ever!! Plus, I never thought about when dogs go out on show with handlers & are gone, sometimes, for a long period of time!! Hey, I screwed up 100% & I was wrong. When I'm wrong, I'll tell you I was wrong & I WAS WRONG!! Thanks Deb!
