Basenji or not ????

[holisticvic]

Good morning everyone,

I’m Victoria and we picked up Pepper from Manchester Dogs Trust last year, we were told she was approx 9 years old, and mixed breed.

I have no idea if she has any Basenji in her but whilst out walking, a lady mentioned it.

Pepper hardly barks, she is very calm and loving and a real softie. We love her to bits. Any info would be greatfully received.)](image url)

[DebraDownSouth]

Your picture isn't showing up. Click on the very last icon (up arrow) and upload your phot.

[coyohti]

I've found with mixed breed Basenjis often the real "tells" are...the very distinctive goofy behaviors. For some reason the silly way of sitting, that particular basenji head-tilt, and habits like wanting to sit/lay practically on top of their chosen person/people seem to carry over more than vocalizations or lack thereof, curly tail, or even eyebrow wrinkles.

So if she's elegant one second and then the most elegant goofball you've ever seen the next maybe she's got some basenji in her!

[joan duszka]

@holisticvic

Behaviors should tell a lot..is sunshine like a magnet to her, does she climb on the back of sofa or chair and lie there with her front legs crossed, does she “purr” when you stroke her, does she run about the room carooming off chairs and sofas like a crazed creature, can she find any unguarded item of interest such as your underwear, kleenex, tp, tv remote, cell phones, is she standoffish with strangers until she decides to grace them with her presence, can she climb any fence or obstacle that keeps her from where she wants to go, does she sound funny when she vocalizes or tries to bark, . Does she want to get under the covers in bed? If you can answer yes to a bunch of these you may have a basenji mix.
Enjoy her even more....

[DebraDownSouth]

@holisticvic Please try reposting the photo.

In spite of what others say are "basenji behaviors"... nearly everything they say fits a lot of breeds. Nothing but a dna test will give you solid information. Normal barking, whether a little or not, isn't a basenji characteristic. The solitary BOOF...... Boof is the norm (along with so many other not barking noises. :) )

While, overall, breed doesn't "matter", it is important to know for common health issues, behavior drives, etc. I know that some DNA programs have given or greatly reduced costs to shelters and rescues. I hope they become so common that with unknown breeds they can always do it. More testing equals more info in the databases and more accuracy.

No matter what Pepper is, she sounds wonderful.

[DonC]

Pepper sounds great and it really doesn't matter what she is. On the matter of guessing the breed from a pic or pics: Happened to see this article in the NY Times about how accurate professionals and dog lovers were in guessing breeds. Turns out not very --https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/science/dogs-mutts-breeds-heredity.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Overall everyone was under 30%, which suggests that you likely need a pedigree. :winking_face: However, one dog lover got most of the dogs right.

[DebraDownSouth]

I have to go read your link, but having been called to the shelter to see a chow that was an overweigh pomeranian, a rottweiler that was a lovely hound dog (Rottie rescue in FL told me keep quiet, they knew it wasn't a rottie but had a good home so just get it. I expected a LITTLE Rottweiler looking... bahahaha, no.)... vets who thought our basenjis were so many other things, not much surprises me.