Potential Basenji slaves
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Good Morning to All!! My wife Cheryl and I have been bitten by the Basenji bug!
I remember living next to one 30 yrs ago and have always wanted to know more about them. Cheryl has never been around them before.
We are full time RV'ers and travel around the country with our two dogs. We are currently owned by (1) 11 yr old Airedale and (1) 12 yr old Lab cross. Sadly, we know that our babies will be leaving us eventually and this has caused us to look at the Basenji as a possible next dog. Our lifestyle allows us lots of time with our dogs and twice a day walks are the norm. When out west we often "boondock" away from everything where the dogs have a opportunity to run and explore. We are currently in the Washington DC area and would really like to meet some owners and spend some time with these intriguing dogs.
Thanks you for the opportunity to participate in the forums.Barney
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Welcome Barney and Cheryl,
please post some pics of your two Dogs if you can. You have certainly come to the right place to learn about Basenjis :D -
Good Morning to All!! My wife Cheryl and I have been bitten by the Basenji bug!
I remember living next to one 30 yrs ago and have always wanted to know more about them. Cheryl has never been around them before.
We are full time RV'ers and travel around the country with our two dogs. We are currently owned by (1) 11 yr old Airedale and (1) 12 yr old Lab cross. Sadly, we know that our babies will be leaving us eventually and this has caused us to look at the Basenji as a possible next dog. Our lifestyle allows us lots of time with our dogs and twice a day walks are the norm. When out west we often "boondock" away from everything where the dogs have a opportunity to run and explore. We are currently in the Washington DC area and would really like to meet some owners and spend some time with these intriguing dogs.
Thanks you for the opportunity to participate in the forums.Barney
There are some breeders near you outside of DC. If you go to http://www.basenji.org/PUBLIC/BreederDirectory.htm
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There are also a lot of rescue dogs who need homes. I know once your ready, you will find the right venue to get your b from…also, 2 are really BETTER than one!
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Welcome and good luck.
We would love for y'all to share with us your ideas, questions, and of course pictures. Would you want a puppy or an older dog? Right now is when most b females are in heat, as they ususally only come into heat once a year, so contacting breeders now is a good thing, some breeders also have older juvenile dogs that are up for placement, and of course if you are interested in adoption, BRAT is wonderful. -
Thanks for the replies. I have emailed the local contact in MD a week ago but have not received any response to date. We went to a dog show up in Howard Co yesturday and saw 9-10 Bs in the show but we did not wish to disturb the owners/handlers while they were "working". we got pulled way for a while and when we came back all the Basenjis were gone and we never could find any in the maze of RVs and show rigs.
We are open to rescue dogs, both of our "kids" were rescues.
When we first went on the road we had the 100 lb Airedale(He's not fat just big!) the 60 lb Lab and Duke, the 130 lb sweetest Husky/Malamute anybody ever met. Sadly we had to put Duke down on our way back from Alaska, fall of 2006, but he got to see reindeer and musk ox and "fish" for salmon before he passed. Cheryl and I normally don't go for the smaller dogs but the Basenji seems like a big dog in a little dog body. I appriciate a dog with a mind, not a little nuerrotic mass of hair.Barney
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The BRAT site,
www.basenjirescue.org
Has some wonderful rescue dogs.
Do let me know if I can be off assistance to you re rescue.
I also admire quality breeders..and not all breeders are the same, so
I am sure you will do your homework re getting a puppy. -
Welcome. Glad you found us. Lots of info here, even a new poster (AJs Human) that is an OTR driver who can attest to the fact that a Basenji can travel well. They are smart, fun, lovable and can easily become couch potatoes or world explorers.
Sorry about the passing of your Duke. It sounds like you filled his life with the best of doggie adventures. He's waiting at the rainbow bridge for you probably filling his days with salmon fishing and reindeer chasing.:)
Good luck with your Basenji hunt. Just remember, a fancy web site doesn't always mean a responsible breeder. If you haven't already, please read here…
http://www.basenji.org/PUBLIC/AboutBasenjis.htm Also, this forum has great info on health testing for our breed that can give you an idea on what kinds of questions you can ask a breeder if you're looking for a pup. -
I have to attest to what Snorky 998 wrote re b's and cars.
My 2 love to go bye-bye. We travel often by car for vacations and take the b's as often as we can. My 2 love going down to the Oregon coast, where we have a rental place we stay in. Lots of long walks on the beach.
Let us know how it's going with you on your search for the right b for you. -
How long to you think you will be in the DC area? I judged a show out there in May and met somoene in Manassas with a couple of african basenjis if you are looking for someone to visit to see dogs. Pretty sure we can set you up with some BCOA members on your travels so if you want to share where you think you will go next - pretty sure we can hook you up. you can email me privately by clicking on the link under my ICON in the upper left.
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I second that 2 are in many ways easier than 1. you are right, they are big dogs in small bodies, very bright and clever, mine will ride 12 hours in the car with stops only when we stop for gas. A friend just had a 2 week trip in their RV with their 9 month old basenji and she adapted wonderfully. They are so clean and odor-free that I think they would make excellent full time RV'rs!
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AJ loves the road. He was in a household for the first 5 years of his life, but took to the truck very well. He realizes that he gets to pee all over the place, not just in one spot. It was hilarious when he was introduced to prairie dogs for the first time. He's originally from Michigan, so he had no idea prairie dogs existed.
We were in Denver making a delivery. There was a large open field next door with a fence around it, so I let him off the lead for a romp. Inside the field, there was an active prairie dog town. AJ stuck his head down one of the holes and apparently came nose-to-nose with one of the residents. He jumped back, so startled he landed on his rear and got burrs in his butt for his trouble. He looked so pathetic with this "Now what do I do?" expression. Luckily, his hair is short, so the burrs came out really easily.
I love having AJ on the road with me because he makes for really great comic relief and he's relatively low maintenance. Whenever we get back to the company yard, he gets a bath in a tub the company set up just for dogs. When I get him to a vet (usually Banfield because there's parking behind PetSmart's for trucks) they trim his nails.
He's adequate protection for the truck because he's just big enough to be taken seriously and 99% of people will not go into a truck or RV with a dog in it. Nevermind that I have only seen him wrinkle his mouth at one person, and that person was acting aggressive toward me. He loves children and wants to greet every child he sees. (That's another story I'll have to share.) And he's very gentle with babies and puppies.
The only two issues I've had with him is his "Napoleon Complex" wherein he will try to pick a fight with dogs larger than himself and his propensity to get anxious when the truck has to go inside a building of some kind. I've replaced my CB microphone cord four times because of this.
Welcome to the bunch and good luck with your Basenji hunt. There are lots of beautiful, sweet and homeless dogs looking for a forever home out there.
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Thanks for the warm welcome! I got ahold of the Wash DC basenji club and they do get2gethers at a local dog park every weekend. Turns out the ring leader is also the local contact for BRAT! We plan on taking our two "kids" down this weekend and join the party.
Barney
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Sounds like a good plan..have fun..
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@AJs:
And everybody is right: "Basenji are like potato chips: It's hard to stop at just one." The only reason I did was because of space limitations.
Cheers.
I couldn't have said it better!
Welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy the friendly people and wonderful information and support from Basenji owners, as well as well-informed breeders and rescue people.
