Good afternoon!
My name is Wes and I have recently adopted a little basenji/mix puppy named Anne. Her and her brother and sister were rescued from Taiwan and had all their shots and were sent over to the states to find a good home. Since the pups were found abandoned in Taiwan they weren't exactly sure what breed they were, but they looked and acted enough like Basenji that it's probably a safe bet. The people at the rescue agency suspected they were basenji/labs since Anne's sister was completely black and their tails aren't quite as curly as normal.
Anne definitely has the basenji personality. She's stubborn as a mule, but an extremely quick learner. Since we adopted her (one week ago exactly), she has already learned come, sit, down, going from down to sit, and leave it… however, she only performs these tasks when it is convenient for her, hahah! She loves to run and has already tried to escape several times... but she's very good about not chasing. She tried chasing my cat the second time she met him but quickly learned "leave it" and doesn't bother him (if I'm watching to tell her not to at least).
I haven't had a dog since I was very young and I am twenty years old now. When I was diagnosed with depression, my doctor asked me if I liked animals. Since I do, he suggested I look into getting a dog. After spending about a month researching dog breeds I decided that a basenji was a good match for me. However, I wasn't aware of the challenge they presented!
I absolutely love Anne, but she's quite the handful! So much energy and I need to keep my eyes on her constantly to make sure she's not chewing on a rug or investigating the cords behind the TV. But at the end of the day she wants nothing more than to curl up next to me on the couch and take a nice long sleep. So sweet.
In any case, as a novice dog owner and a first time basenji owner I figure it would be good to have contact with those people more experienced and skilled with the handling of these lovable crafty little dogs.
Nice to meet you!
