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What do you love most about your basenji(s)?

Basenji Talk
  • Shaye's Mom, you are busted! I'm copying your "why I love" to remind you next time you want to strangle Shaye for dislocating your shoulder! (I know you really love those good girls!)

  • I love Gossy's facial expressions; and her talking back (my previous beasties never vocalized) to me; and her tail; and the way she'll cuddle when I'm in the recliner-chair; and her sneakiness to get treats; and her many ways to pull on my heart-strings.

  • Silent and easy to take care..

  • @MacPack:

    Shaye's Mom, you are busted! I'm copying your "why I love" to remind you next time you want to strangle Shaye for dislocating your shoulder! (I know you really love those good girls!)

    Yeah:rolleyes:. I talk a lot about how they really drive me crazy, but come right down to it, we do love them a lot.

  • i love his OCD personality. his wonky looking tail wagging, his stress yawns and play snorts, his happy Baroo, the way he stretches to get attention, i love how he smells, or well, how he doesn't smell, i love his heat sharing ability at night. i love the way he will do anything to get a sunbeam. i love how good he is with kids and babies. i love how smart and inquisitive he is. i love how he smacks things. I love how he hates puddles but is usually the first in the river…i love how happy he makes me everyday, in between spurts of me wanting to strangle him :)

    but what i love most is that he loves me too, and is my best friend.

  • I adore just everything about Basenjis - their independence, their inyelligence, the way they always stay one jump ahead, the way they work things out for themselves, the way they look out for each other, the way they know when someone is not feeling well, the way they smell, their aloofness, their beauty, -I could go on and on. I'm just addicted to them and could never live without one!

  • They are , they are addictive!!

  • I love that when I come home, Cody is standing at the door to his kennel waiting for me to open the door. Then he bolts out, runs to the bedroom door, jumps on the bed, goes back to the door, then rears back on two legs and boxes with me. The whole time, his curly little tail is wagging. When I reach down to pick him up, he jumps into my arms. This is our daily ritual.

    I love that Cody sleeps under the covers with me, and even though he can get under them himself, he waits for me to hold them up so that he can make himself comfortable.

    I love his grumbles, sighs, and snores, how expressive he is with his ears and forehead wrinkles, and how sometimes he looks at me like I'm an idiot when I try to bribe him to do something I know he doesn't want to do (a b-slave can try though, right?). I love how he is content to lay next to me while I'm reading or writing, and how he has to be touching me while he's asleep or napping.

    I also love that he rarely destroys my clothes anymore, he doesn't scream for hours while I'm gone anymore, and he has taught me to be neater.

    I love that he has taught me patience, to laugh at my mistakes, to be silly even when other people are watching, and to enjoy the little things that we usually take for granted. I love that he puts up with me, and I love that the little butthead loves me back. (I say that as a term of endearment :) )

  • I love this thread :)

    I love that basenjis think I'm one of them because I'm aloof and snarky, too. They pull me into their little circles and make me give them all the good bits of my meals. I love that they are so obvious :D

    I love that they can take a human who says "I'd never sleep with a dog" and turn them into a person who buys a bed big enough for two humans and two basenjis and a cat. They have magical brain powers.

    I love looking out the window over their heads, between their ears, and seeing the amazing things they are seeing.

  • I could list a whole lot of things but the snuggling under the covers is the sweetest. That's when I love her most. One thing I'm really really thankful for now that Abbey's 7 is that she no longer explodes out of the covers at 2 am when a helicopter flies over. Gotta love her for that. Took 7 years but my girl has finally grown up!

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  • Rou's Tips For Basenjis

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    I have had several inquiries in regards to our basenji book, so I thought I would compose a few paragraphs about its origin. Sometimes I get carried away when I write, but Rou's book is not so verbose as this posting! When my daughter Sophie was in second grade, she and I created a 36 page, full-color children's book entitled "Rou's Tips for Basenjis". Rou is our red and white companion basenji. Sophie and I were inspired to create a book showcasing many of the delightful aspects of owning a dog, in particular, a basenji. I was a typical girl growing up. I loved all creatures, cute and furry. When I was seven, I had my tonsils removed. I dreamt about the moment my parents would enter the recovery room and present me with my get-well gift: a fawn. It was a real disappointment to receive an Etch-a-Sketch. The need to love a creature cute and furry seized Sophie approximately the same time. Our family never even discussed owning a dog until Sophie bought a complete set of Tintin books for her sixth birthday. Within hours, the girl was enamored of Snowy and pined for her own very clever, small dog. For the next year, we visited animal shelters and dog shows. We discussed the issue end-less-ly. Since several family members have allergies, we narrowed our dog search to include only hypoallergenic breeds. At a Portland dog show, we met an enthusiastic, responsible breeder & her crew of award-winning dogs. We couldn’t even pronounce the word basenji properly. However, we were impressed that the breed is 5000 years old. It was no wonder the basenji had endured: they neither barked nor shed; they were intelligent, personable and clean. Intrigued, we read a stack of great books about the history, the build and the show qualities of the basenji, yet we weren’t able to find much information geared towards children. We continued gaining knowledge about basenjis and their needs; we visited a new litter basenji puppies and fell in love with them. A sweet, beautiful, agile red and white girl was an ideal match for our family’s personalities and lifestyle. In February of 2004, our family was delighted to bring Roussi the Basenji into our lives. It quickly became apparent that the name ‘Roussi’ was a bit too tricky for a young child to annunciate. Sophie’s front teeth were still in the process of growing in. She couldn’t say the ‘s’ sound. The poor kid repeatedly had to tell people “No, her name isn’t Ruthie! It’s Roussi!” It didn’t help that the two words were pronounced virtually identically. It drove Sophie crazy. Ultimately, the name was shortened to Rou. At the tail end of the year, Sophie’s teacher assigned Challenge Projects to her second grade class. Although 'weather' was the theme for the month, her teacher encouraged her students to pursue whatever Terrific Idea inspired them. Sophie and I love art and books. Perhaps a Challenge Project could combine both passions. If Sophie and I were to actually compose a book, I was concerned about the battling temperaments of two independent, strong-willed females. However, I am fortunate that my daughter still wants to spend time with me. How long that will last, I can’t be sure. We agreed to write Rou’s Tips for Basenjis. The To-Do list was a bit daunting. Sophie illustrated the entire story with her wonderful whimsical drawings. I’d say, “I need a bathroom scene!” Clipboard, paper, pencil and click eraser in hand, Sophie would disappear. When she returned with her mini masterpieces, I colored them and cut them out. Placement on the page was a mutual decision. We discovered that working as a team and having to compromise was not always easy. I have never had a tougher art director than Sophie. When you’re seven and a half, you know what you like and what you don’t and you’re not shy about expressing your opinion. Once the drawings had been completed, we took advantage my husband's skills as a professional photographer. Though his specialty for the last fifteen years has been photographing inanimate high-tech objects, he agreed to take all of Rou’s pictures. We spent one Saturday afternoon in the studio with a hefty chunk of cheddar and a happily cooperative dog. Countless hours later, we self-published Rou’s Tips for Basenjis. The book was made entirely in Oregon, printed on recycled paper, with a sewn binding for additional durability. You can visit Rou's website www.roudog.com. For those that can’t get enough of the breed, you can visit Rou at www.dogster.com/dogs/399665 and meet her fabulous Pup Pals. Here are a few lovely comments about our book: "I felt that the interpretation of Rou's thoughts may be the greatest insight ever into the Basenji mind." ~New York "This is a great book that truly gives a true depiction of Basenji personality. A very entertaining book that will make you smile." ~A Registered Therapy Dog "Sure, it might be a children's book (my daughter certainly loved it), but it's also a good primer on basenji behavior for new owners… sort of like "What To Expect With Your New Basenji" ;)" ~The Florida Coordinator of Basenji Rescue & Transport So, if you made it all this way, congratulations! If you have any other questions, we are always delighted to respond. Thanks for your interest! Best wishes, The Rou Crew: -pamela, Sophie & of course, Rou