And then there were 3….

[beano]

AWWWW!!!! that's my little girl!!!! i'm stoked, first dog of my own, and it's a BASENJI!!!! I'm super excited and scared. SOOOO anyone with any pointers, please let loose…I'm going to be a sponge during this process...soak up all the knowledge I can.

I think I will name her Dinah. Or something african. Would still love suggestions.

Gosh...I'm stoked.

[YodelDogs]

Did the previous owner or Mantis contact the breeder of this dog? It is possible there was a written contract involved requiring the return of the dog.

[red and white furever]

She's so beautiful Mantis! What a fabulous thing you've done! I'm sure she will blossom under your care! Kudos to you!!!

[ChaseandZahrasmom]

She is too cute! Good luck, thankfully you were in the right place at the right time. That little girl has a guardian angel watching her!

[youngandtired]

It was so great for you to take on the challenge of this little girl. She is way too skinny, I know that you will get her looking beautiful with your loving care. She is one blessed Basenji, and I love the name Diliah, she looks the name.

[jys1011]

She IS gorgeous Mantis!!! You have a GIANT senji heart you do you do!! After everything you've been through taking this little girl on is extremely sweet & caring.

I think someone "upstairs" wanted you to have a little girl again Good luck to you and your new franchise LOL Basenji Park South!! :eek:

[WBL]

Aww what an adorable little girl. And what a great thing of you to do to take her in and get her healthy again.

Beano, I'm guessing she's going to you. Congrats and good luck. I don't own a Basenji yet but I am looking forward to getting one, I think next yr.

[Mantis]

Did the previous owner or Mantis contact the breeder of this dog? It is possible there was a written contract involved requiring the return of the dog.

This is an interesting question and one of the main reasons I would spay her before finding her a forever home. Basenjis arent for everyone and there is a lot of responsibility taken when breeding.

I did some investigation and here is what I have found. The woman who had the basenji for 3weeks and couldnt keep her said she was from a breeder in Oldsmar (in Tampa) who is no longer showing. She said there were about 8-9 other basenjis just like this one.

I know from being involved with the basenji community locally that there arent many basenji breeders in the Oldsmar area breeding brindles other than one I know of. This is the Mija Basenjis. I have emailed twice and left a phone message to see if this little girl was hers in the beginning. I have no intent on returning her based on the information I have received. This little girl has no AKC pwork, or any info on her birth date, shots etc. I have emailed her to offer similar assistance to placing her other dogs if she has that need, and to get the AKC pwork for the basenji I have. I let her know in my message that she would be spayed and the AKC would be used for agility or lure coursing purposes. I have received no response and if anyone knows this breeder, any assistance would be great.

OK, so on to the fun stuff. Progress report.

The litte girl who was Dreammaker is now Sahara. She is dainty, petite, playful and there is nothing bad in her personality that needs serious attention.

She definately was a kenneled dog and is learning how to be an indoor pet and runs like the wind in the backyard. She has been to the dog park twice and is great with other dogs.

She is a female and is snarfy if scared. She does not take it farther though and go into biting once in that snarly attack mode. I have been able to talk her to calm with my face close to hers or just pick her up and she settles down quickly.

Here are some pictures taken this morning before work:

Caesar

Sahara on the left and Cairo on the right

Sahara on the floor and Cairo up close

Sahara

Another of Sahara

[Mantis]

We have had her with us since Wed.

I dont know where to start, but will try.

At first, all she wanted to do was play with Cairo and Caesar. She didnt acknowledge people and initiated play with the boys.

Her skin was pastey and tight. She had large leg muscles but appeared to be in bad shape. She has eaten about a can of food 4x a day and is beginning to fill back in. I still see her ribs, but her poop shoot isnt hanging out as it was before.

I bathed the 3 basenjis. She did great! I scrubbed her pasty skin with a brush to pull up all of the dander before her bath. It appears that she was severely dehydrated because now her skin is loose and healthy. After the bath I sprayed her with a special emolient from the vet to help her bald ears and nose. I sprayed it all over her body to help her heal. She had little dry spots all over. Her ears were so bad it felt like I could rip them off as if they were a sheet of paper.

The spray medicine must be working well because she will now let me touch her ears. I have been massaging them as well as her feet and gums to get her acclimated to family living and to increase her circulation.

She now will cuddle with me and the boy basenjis. She will kiss your face and has licked a little baby as well.

I have had about 10 people over this weekend for a BBQ and 3 houseguests and she is doing great with them and is very social.

She loves the boys and recognizes me as mom.

She has more energy than my 7 month old puppy and is extremely happy.

She is kennel trained and will wimper when she needs to go in the morning.

Beano has decided that her schedule will not permit her to adopt Sahara.

Sahara will be fine with kennel time in the work day and at night no problem. She will require a 30 minute walk after work each day, 30 minutes of indoor play or reviewing of training and a day at the dog park on the weekends (2hrs at least) at a minimum.

I am looking for someone to adopt her and have several opportunities her in the Tampa area. I would love to place her with another basenji if anyone is interested in adding a girl to their boy. She would be a fantastic addition.

This week I will begin training her and Cairo together on basic commands and she will be on a set routine and healthy, oh and spayed, before she is placed with anyone.

[Mantis]

Oh, she did great at the vet. They think it is very likely that she is 3yrs old based on her teeth.

She has received a rabies shot and let the vet handle her. I am waiting on her fecal to come back.

She loves the car and is not rowdy if held. She behaves wonderfully in a dog seat belt and will yawn roof happy noises in anticipation of the destination.

[jenwilson]

How wonderful of you to take her in, get her healthy and find her a new home. Sounds like she's mighty comfortable where she is!!!

Good luck and please keep us posted. I've enjoyed ALL the pictures.

[Mantis]

Thanks for the support, but one more is only hard when travelling in a sports car, LOL….everything else is cake.

Caesar is now out of the kennel and upgraded to senior dog all the time and the two brindles are sharing the kennel. Last night I put them to bed early (in the living room) and was talking with friends. I looked over at the two and they were nose to nose in the kennel. Snuggling together with the divider between them!

It is funny that they look so much alike! Now that Sahara has had a bath, she is a bit more of a typical brindle color. She is an orange and grayish tiger stripe where Cairo is black and dark red. They are so freakin' cute.

SOMEONE ADOPT THIS GIRL PLEASE!!!

So I will post some pics from lunch. I am trying to get some better pics of her for your guys, but she is a little pistol right now.

Questions:

When does a female basenji go into heat.

Are there signs?

And, how long will it last.

Is it better to fix her before the heat or after? The vet said she is ok for surgery healthwise.

Will my neutered males change their behavior around her?

[Mantis]

Pictures from lunch. I am trying to get some good pics of her, but it is hard with my cell phone.

All of her play with the dogs is silent. She did roo at Caesar yesterday which was pretty cool (to hear her so happy).

Click on the pics for video (3)

The red collar is Cairo.

She is the one with the brown sleave. like a disco leotard….LOL

Hanging out in the sun at lunch….

[Quercus]

So, was she kenneled at her breeders for three years, or at the home of someone the breeder sold her to? If the woman you got her from got her from the breeder, shouldn't she know how to find her?

Anyhow, kudos to you for trying to make things right for this girl.

Right before my girls come into heat their vulvas will poof up just a little, and if the skin is normal light colored, it will become very pink. This sometimes happens as early as a month before they start to bleed. And this is also when they start to get cranky with each other…and certainly with the males. Your males *might start sniffing her urine and genitals conspicuously more frequently, and with greater intensity than normal (some neutered males still know when the time is coming).

Hope this helps some.

[Quercus]

P.S. love the mosaic floor

[Mantis]

around what months does this start? are we close to that time?

So, was she kenneled at her breeders for three years, or at the home of someone the breeder sold her to? If the woman you got her from got her from the breeder, shouldn't she know how to find her?

I think the breeder was Mija Basenjis. If it was this breeder, their website says they are BARFers or raw dieters. Sahara is very skinny. I believe she could have been in that condition from the 3 weeks she was in this home with the pregnant woman. Going from a BARF to grocery store diet could be pretty hard.

A breeder in Oldsmar FL gave the dog to this pregnant woman and her boyfriend for free. She said there were 8-9 other dogs in kennels there. The little girl's spirit is intact and I expect the weight loss was in the three weeks at the new home. She definately was kennelled too long with the urine feet and bald ears and nose. Not sure how long it takes to get like that but Sahara is potty trained.

I believe she was with the breeder for 3 years. The pregnant lady did not want to give me any information and left a message for the breeder. Strange that the breeder wouldnt give any AKC papers, DOB, vaccines etc.

[Quercus]

@Mantis:

around what months does this start? are we close to that time?

I think the breeder was Mija Basenjis. If it was this breeder, their website says they are BARFers or raw dieters. Sahara is very skinny. I believe she could have been in that condition from the 3 weeks she was in this home with the pregnant woman. Going from a BARF to grocery store diet could be pretty hard.

A breeder in Oldsmar FL gave the dog to this pregnant woman and her boyfriend for free. She said there were 8-9 other dogs in kennels there. The little girl's spirit is intact and I expect the weight loss was in the three weeks at the new home. She definately was kennelled too long with the urine feet and bald ears and nose. Not sure how long it takes to get like that but Sahara is potty trained.

I believe she was with the breeder for 3 years. The pregnant lady did not want to give me any information and left a message for the breeder. Strange that the breeder wouldnt give any AKC papers, DOB, vaccines etc.

Yes, now is the time to start looking for signs of going into heat. Even if you see any swelling…could be a month away. On the bell curve, the majority of B girls come into heat between Sept and Oct.

That breeder doesn't SOUND like the Betty that posted on the Blists...but I suppose anything is possible.

[dash]

We would take her in a heartbeat. But we are in Ohio.

[Mantis]

Well a friend finally got Betty to respond. It sounds like the brindle girl newly named "Savanah" (Sahara just wasnt working) was abandoned by her daughter. Betty is not looking to place any of hers and is not breeding or showing anymore.

So I am guessing it would be an uphill battle to get the AKC papers for her which is a bummer. I would love for her to get into lure coursing, but there are other ways to get into that than the AKC cert.

Let me tell you! 3 basenjis on a rainy morning suck at 5:50AM ! Savanah just doesnt know the routine and is so full of energy. She had Cairo going non stop until 7:50Am when it it finally time for me to go to work. Caesar and I just grumbled together on the couch as we were pounced on over and over all morning.

She was soooo hungry this morning. She is eating and loving the baked chicken breasts and finally will eat the dry Natural Balance.

She definately needs to be placed in a home with a male basenji buddy. She has so much energy! And she is full of kisses, but a blur of movement this morning. I am soooo tired.

[Mantis]

We would take her in a heartbeat. But we are in Ohio.

Dash, a free trained, happy spayed basenji is just a plane ticket away! Or how about a road trip to Disney! LOL.