• First Basenji's

    Two nights ago, I let the boys out just before bedtime. Normally, Cody takes his time trying to figure out if he wants to brave the cold or just hold it until morning when the sun is out and it?s a little warmer. That night, he took off at a full run out the door. Apparently, one of the neighbor?s cats was bold enough to come into our yard. I ran out after them since Cody?s a climber and I was afraid he would try to climb the fence after the cat.

    My brother had left the garage door open, so after scrambling around the yard, the cat ran in there, and of course, Cody ran in after him. All of the sudden, the cat flew out and back into his own yard. I heard a crash, and then Cody ran out. He did a circuit around the yard, and when he didn?t see the cat, he decided to go back inside. Standing on the porch, I noticed dark spots on him, but I thought he had run through some mud. That?s when I noticed the smell. Earlier that evening, my brother changed the oil in his truck and left it in a pan in an area of the garage the dogs don?t normally go into. Cody must have splashed through the pan trying to get to the cat, because all four paws were black, as were both of his hind legs, his butt, his chest, and even his nose.

    I scooped him up, grabbed some Dawn, and jumped in the shower with him (we don?t have a bath tub, just double showers). He already hates being bathed, so he was doubly annoyed with the extra long bath and extra scrubbing. Even after almost 2 hours in the shower, all the oil didn?t come off, so I dried him off and let him go lay down on a towel on the couch. I got the Dawn, some baking soda, a wash cloth, and a bowl of water and continued trying to get it off of him while he was sleeping. I finally got most of it off at around 4 am and we went to bed.

    Like clockwork, Cody was up at around 6 am, pulling the blankets off of me and ready to start the day. Oh the joys of a basenji!


  • Looking to own a basenji, these are the stories that both make me worry and laugh at the same time. Is there not a more unique breed than basenjis? Glad everything turned out well for you and Cody. Thank goodness for Dawn!


  • Looking to own a basenji, these are the stories that both make me worry and laugh at the same time. Is there not a more unique breed than basenjis? Glad everything turned out well for you and Cody. Thank goodness for Dawn!


  • @Kipawa:

    Looking to own a basenji, these are the stories that both make me worry and laugh at the same time. Is there not a more unique breed than basenjis? Glad everything turned out well for you and Cody. Thank goodness for Dawn!

    Actually any dog could of done the same thing. Used motor oil is very toxic so you'll want to get that dog very clean. Try some Murphy's Oil Soap. That's what I use. It's really good, rinses clean and easy. Dawn's good too. The baking soda should help as well.

  • Houston

    oh, I bet he was happy…Sorry to hear youhad to go through that, oil and fur just do not get along.

    I just plopped Otis into the bath tub tonight, once the kids were done..he was shocked to say the least and yet he didn't try to get away, it was warm and very nice in the tub...until the soap came out..oh boy, my walls were covered in water and soapbubbles, but I managed to get him all clean and silky..my walls too.

  • First Basenji's

    I agree, it can happen with any pet. Moe (not a basenji) will roll in anything, the nastier the better (or so he thinks). He has come inside with some crazy gooey stuff stuck on his coat, and he hates being bathed more than Cody. We've had cats splash through paint while we were painting boats, wood stain, and all kinds of stuff.

    For the oil incident though, the baking soda helped a lot. I caked it on the oily areas and rubbed it in good, then I took the wash cloth and lathered it with Dawn and scrubbed the areas lightly. It took a while, but I really didn't want to risk him grooming himself and ingesting any oil.

    LOL Basenjimama! I can sympathize. When I first adopted Cody (er… became his slave) and gave him his first bath, I think every inch of my bathroom was cover in either soap or water, and that happened every time I gave him a bath to a lesser degree. While sometimes the shower is a little awkward, it is easier than trying to keep him in the bathtub.

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