Rescues are a great choice!

[nobarkus]

I had a red/wht rescue myself and looking at all the great Bs available for rescue, I think this is a great way for anybody wanting a Basenji to go. Especially if someone does not want to deal with a wild little B puppy. They very cute but a handful. Just my 2 cents.

[MaxBooBooBear]

I adopted a father/daughter pair from Southern CA Basenji Rescue. Tyler is 6 and Zoey is 3. They also had some puppies there–but I went with the adults who had been waiting almost two years for a forever home. They are just the most wonderful dogs, and I love them dearly. There are many more available in Southern CA. There is a link to their site from the BRAT web site. They have some wonderful dogs there. If you are in the CA Bay Area and are interested, pls feel free to contact me via private message if you'd like more info or have questions.

[nobarkus]

That's great! I do live in the Bay area as well (Redwood city).

[Mantis]

I adopted Beta my tri female from petfinder.com.

She was a puppy mill basenji saved with several other basenjis out of Nebraska. She had been relocated to a Gainesville vet with several of the other rescues and was looking for a home. I had my red male boy who was 1-1/2 years and he was ready for a playmate. Beta was the same age and in terrible health. Caesar went up to her and licked her face. She was so bad off that she peed on the floor with blood, but I knew she needed us.

We named her Beta as a joke since most female basenjis are alpha and she was so submissive and gentle natured.

We had experienced life with Caesar and had the experience of having a basenji in our home. We knew the challenges and felt that we were ready to take care of another basenji that might have had a bad start.

Beta came to us with a bladder infection, just being fixed (the rescuers did for free), bald, covered in urine stains and swollen feet. It appeared she was in a cage that was too small and her body didnt grow like a normal pups would. She appeard to have been impregnated but didnt have pups. That is what the vet thought.

Beta became a wonderful addition to our family. She adjusted to our lives and was socialized. She was trained and so special to us. I loved to see her chase squirrells and play with toys or basenji run like crazy.

Having a basenji is a joy.

Rescuing a basenji is an honor.

I cannot express what an impact she made on my life.

[nobarkus]

Wow! She's a beauty!!

[srjeeper]

@Mantis:

Having a basenji is a joy.

Rescuing a basenji is an honor.

I cannot express what an impact she made on my life.**

Equaled only by your impact on her life..Great job!!
The beauty is everywhere…...:)**

[Duke]

Betsy,

Beta was and still is a beautiful girl in your pictures and in memory. You definately received a gift in her and she in you. I truly believe that saving a life is one of the most rewarding moments one can accomplish in life. You have certainly fulfilled that with Beta. Live is so precious . . . unfortunately, in many cases we cannot realize that until we've lost the ones we love. Thank you for sharing your life with Beta here. I really appreciate that. God Bless the ones we love or don't know.

[hdterry]

I adopted my Jojo from BRAT this past February and couldn't be happier…she is more than I expected even though she is 11 yrs young...adopting through BRAT was a wonderful experience and I too agree about adopting older pets since puppies are a lot of work and I just don't have the time like I used to...Jojo is my first B and I am TOTALLY hooked...

[BDawg]

I agree- if peopel feel they don't have the patience to deal with a Basenji puppy, saving an adult is a GREAT idea! We got Miles from a shelter we found on PetFinder. He's been a great addition!

[youngandtired]

Thanks for all the rescues, I think you are special ppl. I have never thought about adopting a B, but after being on this site I have decided that when I get another B I will look for one to adopt.

[BDawg]

Me too; If/when the day comes to increase the size of our pack, I will definitely rescue adults!!

[Jodie]

I, too, rescued Lillie from a rescue shelter. How lucky I am! I have always adopted shelter dogs as there are so many out there that need and deserve a loving home. As I mentioned before in other posts, the story I heard was Lillie was owned by a truck driver and he let her out to do her "business"…she wandered away (while he was sleeping). Thankfully, someone found her and brought her to North Shore Animal League. I was fortunate enough to come the following day and adopted her. I am so happy that she is now in a home, with lots of love, affection, toys, treats and lots of long walks! We are thrilled with her!
Jodie:)

[Mantis]

I think the best thing about BRAT is that you get a lot of information about the rescues and descriptions about their personalities.

[tanza]

Yes, BRAT does that, however they many times put way to many restrictions on adoption and cull people and families that would be great with a rescue. They have made lots of "unhappy" people looking for a Basenji and pushed a lot of them to puppy millers (pet stores) and BYB's…...

Don't get me wrong, I think that on the whole BRAT is a god send, however.. they really need to look at each family and not just discount people because of children, housing situations, etc...

Just my .02....

[jys1011]

First my disclaimer: I love BRAT & am a strong supporter both financially and personally. They are a great organization!!

I was turned away a couple of times to rescue one of their dogs because I do not have an enclosed yard and because I had not owned a Basenji before. Although I have owned two other types of dogs. On the experience part, ok…I can see that now that I DO own two B's they are very different dogs

However on the yard issue...I'm not sure that I agree with having to have an enclosed yard. I COMPLETELY understand you can not let any basenji out off leash in an open yard. We do have other ways of exercising our dogs...we go for long runs, we play in enclosed dog parks & tennis courts & we also use long leads to work around not having an enclosed yard.

My point is you do not have to have an enclosed yard...there are ways around it to exercise your dog.

Nevertheless I understand their thoroughness & the need to make sure dogs are cared for properly.

[Duke]

Before adopting Daisy, I applied to BRAT. I wanted an adult female Basenji to elude house training (for me) and give a nice home to one in need. Within 1 day, they flat out rejected my application due to the electric fence. OK then . . .

[nobarkus]

When I got my rescue years ago he came from a local rescue breeder and she was not that strict. I know he had gone to a family with children and he was not in a very good mind set and they returned him. He was aggressive and bit my other B the second day. He never bit any kids while I had him. Now if a Basenji has just lost it's home, maybe bounced around, it will not be in the best state of mind. It's not a machine but a living creature with feelings and the real Basenji, which may be a very good one, will take some time to come out with work and patience. BRAT needs to really look at that and the environment it's going to. It's a case by case basis. Not 1 rule applies to every Basenji. I don't think not having a fence should equal you're not getting a Basenji. I'll tell you I've had Basenjis escape out of fenced in yards. Digging under or breaking the fence slates with their teeth. We had a good neighbor fence that had 2" x 3/8" thick slats and that dog broke a few and slipped through.
Just like children. What's the dogs state of mind? How old are the children? What are the temperments of the kids? Are the parents capable of close and continual supervision while the B adjusts?
Remember we were all first time owners at one time. Right?

[Mantis]

Ha, well I found Beta from Petfinder.com because one of the 2 (state I live in) Brat people was snobby to me because I had my boy as a puppy and made me feel like I wasnt good enough to have a rescue. She would talk to me as if I didnt have a clue and couldnt possibly understand anything. The other Brat person is wonderful.

They were both indoor dogs only and were great! I am a dog parker every weekend, but they were in great shape.

It is great to have basenji lovers involved in the adoption so you can learn about the dog's needs. Beta was a lot more work than I had anticipated. It took me 2 of her 4 years with us to potty train her and her stop the seperation anxiety and fear of sounds….but she did relax into a happy girl.
I am thankful that I had the experience with Caesar first before adopting her. It was difficult, but I put the time and energy in and it was well worth it!

[tanza]

Again, I just want to say that BRAT is a great org… and does a great job.... my comments are totally based on their sometime "not" looking at the entire picture and expecting people to all fall into the same requirements. They many times do not look outside the "box"

[lvoss]

This goes back to the discussion in another thread about "always" and "never" lists for placements. IMO placements work out best when each home is considered as an individual case instead of using a checklist method. For an organization that screens hundreds of homes, a checklist method is easier though it can quickly alienate good people.

Some of the criteria that use to exclude a potential adopter I disagree with. My personal experience is that someone who does not have access to a fenced yard will have to give the dog attention because the dog must be walked to be pottied where some people with a fenced yard will just throw dog in the back yard and never interact with the dog. It takes good screening to know what impact having a fenced yard will have on the dog. Everyone who owns a basenji was a first time basenji owner at some point so turning someone down strictly based on that fact is the most ludricrous of policies. The list goes on but the bottom line is that it takes more time and manpower to treat each applicant as an individual than to use a checklist to exclude applicants.