• 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.


  • @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.


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


  • 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.


  • 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.


  • Doesn't Toby need a Playmate? 😉

    hee hee hee Just trying to "help".


  • @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.

    It really isn't hard to get an AKC ILP number for an obviously purebred, but not papered dog. The process is relatively easy, you send in a little money, and some pics..and voila..AKC number to participate in any non-conformation sport the dog is eligible for.


  • This is true. What is frustrating is that the breeder is 15 minutes from my home and doesnt offer any information.😕


  • @Mantis:

    This is true. What is frustrating is that the breeder is 15 minutes from my home and doesnt offer any information.😕

    Yes, that is frustrating. Did she offer to take her back?


  • @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.

    I'm confused. Whose daughter abandoned the dog?


  • Betty (the breeder) said her daughter abandoned the girl. I am guessing the daughter either was the pregnant woman who had her for 3 weeks or gave the basenji to the pregnant woman who had her for 3 weeks.

    Either way, she is mine for now and no offer was made to take her back. So, we will just move forward. This would be a good time to point out that all breeders are not alike and it is important to build a relationship in the adoption process if possible.

    I would like to thank Beano for assisting with the vet bills and some supplies for little Savanah. That was very thoughtful.

    Last night we had a good friend come over that wanted to adopt Savanah. He has been around our boy basenji and loves them to death.

    She will still be staying with us until she is the proper weight, spayed and used to a routine of home living. This will give him more time to spend with her to make sure he is sure. She gave him lots of kisses and he usually is at our home once a week and could bring her to play with the boys.

    Hopefully he will be the right match. 🙂

    So this morning as Savanah was in her crazy hard core play that knows no level, I finally decided to soft muzzle her.:eek: All three basenjis settled down to a lower level of play. It was great! They even relaxed before work and chewed on toys.

    She was snuggling in my lap and I was able to massage her again. In the process I found about 6 cyst like spots that appear to be old ant bites? I have begun to massage them and will work them out over time. It appears that during her kennel time she may have had an ant attack. That bald spot in an earlier pic of her leg is from an ant bite I think.

    I also did a full body spray of the perscription meds for her bald ears and coat which she screamed about. The medicine is cool because it absorbs into the skin immediately and doesnt sit on it to be licked off. No petro in the med.

    She has had diahreah all yesterday so I am going back to the wet food. I dont think she can handle the dry yet. She even threw it up this morning. She loves it wet and it is the same food.

    She does not like the pumpkin.

    Any suggestions for weight gaining foods?


  • <>
    I just want to be really clear here. Because it is important in the world of breeders...even though the dog is clearly your responsibility at this point. Did you ask this woman if she would take the dog back, and she refused?
    Because this is a really clear distinction between people who are breeding responsibly and those who aren't. Now, if you said 'hey I have a dog here that I think you bred..can I get some info on her?' she might not have realized she should offer to take her back...I mean, if you gave the impression you were going to keep her, or place her. I can even understand why she wouldn't want to forward on the AKC number, reg and info if someone suddenly ended up with an intact bitch of her breeding.
    I am not trying to defend this breeder necessarily...I just don't want someone's name to be smeared when I don't totally understand the situation.
    I understand that it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to a lot of people here..but from a breeder's point of view it IS a big deal.
    And, as far as the food...I think you are changing too much too fast. She doesn't have to gain weight immediately..just keep her stable..find a food she can tolerate, and once things settle down she will gain weight.


  • I agree with Andrea. I have one dog here who is hard to keep weight on. She burns a lot of calories, her great uncle Nicky was the same way at this age. What I have found works best for her is not to increase the amount of food she eats too rapidly. She is right now up to a 1/2 cup of dry in the morning and a full can of Merricks at night. She has been maintaining her weight and slowly gaining, though if she is really active it seems like we go nowhere.


  • I just want to be really clear here. Because it is important in the world of breeders…even though the dog is clearly your responsibility at this point. Did you ask this woman if she would take the dog back, and she refused?

    I have personally sent her 2 emails and left a voice mail message on her listed phone number. She has not responded to any of my inquiries and I have approached her in a manner for open communication.

    My understanding is that her response was that her daughter was responsible. My understanding is based on an email she sent to a friend of mine.

    I have no intention of ill will and have no opinion about the breeder since I dont know when Savanah's ill health happened. From what I have found, she is not breeding anymore.


  • She is right now up to a 1/2 cup of dry in the morning and a full can of Merricks at night. She has been maintaining her weight and slowly gaining, though if she is really active it seems like we go nowhere.

    Thanks for the tips!


  • <_>

    Got it….but, to your knowledge, did anyone say "Betty, there is a dog of yours that has been abandoned by the owners, can you take it back or provide some support?"

    IMO, this is what rescue groups need to do, to make sure there is no miscommunication between rescuer and breeder. Ask point blank...I have this dog, you bred it, can you take it back, or help me rehome it? At the very, very least the breeder should offer to pay for any expenses involved in you rehoming this girl.

    <_>

    I understand that you have no ill will...but it can be damaging to a breeder to even imply that they are not being responsible taking back puppies they have produced when the placement fails.

    Before I form my own opinion about someone as a breeder, I want to know whether or not they were given the option to reclaim a dog, and whether they were willing to do it.__


  • I tried to get her to call me back about the dog and discuss it. I received no response through email and then tried her home phone. I still received no response. Quercus, I wish they could all be as active as you. You are the type of breeder that I would want because there is a commitment to the life of all basenjis from your pack. 🙂


  • @Mantis:

    Any suggestions for weight gaining foods?

    Satin Balls work great (for weight gaining and as random treats):

    5 pounds ground meat
    5 cups Total whole grain cereal
    5 cups oats (slow cooking type)
    2½ cups raw wheat germ
    ¾ cup oil
    ¾ cup molasses
    6 egg yolks
    5 packets gelatin
    2 ½ tablespoons Solid Gold Seameal supplement
    Mix all ingredients together thoroughly like you would a meatloaf.
    Roll into balls no larger than 1 inch diameter.
    Divide into at least 6 separate containers or bags. Freeze. Thaw as needed for feeding

    here's a link that describes them
    http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs.html

    and a link for different variations of Satin Ball Receipies
    http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs2.html


  • wow, that looks pretty interesting, not sure about the oats but can try anything once she is used to regular food. Have you actually made these?


  • I made them for my boxer, when he ruptured his ACL and had reconstructive surgery on it he lost weight really fast. He loved them and it helped him gain the weight back to a decent level, I didn't want to have him gain fast because of his surgery but he got bony so I gave them to him as an addition, he got 2 in the morning and 2 at night. Then when he was no longer as bony I cut them out so he didn't add extra stress to the healing knee

    Also wanted to add again it is good of you to take this girl in, I would love to adopt her, but alas I am on the other side of the ocean right now, lol, and feel I should met a dog/pup first before picking it up at an airport or such.

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