Help Me Please!!

[ecbouton]

Hi my name is erin and i need anyones help! Here is the thing, I've always been curious about these dogs, but they are very uncommon in my area, so I have never encountered one. Late last night my friend across the pasture calls me and says that she has found and picked up a funny looking whippet. She already has three APBT's she is fostering and cannot take in any more animals, so i tell her ill come by and look at the dog. I get there and I suspect right away that this is indeed a basenji. The funny chirp/bark confirms it for me. He is very well looked after, I believe that he has just escaped and is out on his adventure. But I find it hard to believe that anyone in my area would have a dog like this, so i think he's wandered very far from home. I have looked up rescue/no-kills/adopts in my area. I will be posting flyers in neighborhoods across 3 suburbs (im not kidding) and will be posting "founds" in all newsletters for those neighborhoods - associations permitting. Here is where i need help, my lab knows that he is number one but isn't agressive about that position in any way. This basenji likes the cats, isn't too sure about the horse - but HATES bailey ( my lab/my life ). I like this dog - he is very well mannered, and is becomeing very possesive of me. I am not willing to boot him out to the first taker - I want him to get home where he belongs! HOWEVER I need to know every little thing about these dogs so that I can make his stay as comfortable as possible, and does anyone else have any tips for this dominance, possesive trouble - am i the only one? please respond any and every piece of advice i get will be greatly appreciated!

[jys1011]

Oh gosh!! I hope you find his home soon. I'm sure someone is worried sick over this little guy.

I'm sure there's advice from veterans but I can share what I know

Be sure to keep him on a leash…they are escape artists & they wander very far (as you know). They have lots of energy so make sure that he gets plenty of exercise....long walks & large fenced in area to run around in AND this will also help with him preying on the cats or other vermits hanging around the house. A tired basenji is a happy basenji

As for the possesive issues they are very prone to guarding their resources so I would suggest feedings & such are done separately from other dogs. If the dominance is escalating you may want to keep them in separate areas as well. Do you have a crate you can use to help keep him safe??? A crate would work well to ensure he doesn't get into trouble if you're out of the house.

Good luck & I do hope you find his owners soon!!

[ecbouton]

thank you for responding - what kind of food should i pick up for him - last night i fed him just what my lab eats to get by, but ill have to go pick up something more appropriate for him after work. Is there anything that i should get specifically for him?

[jys1011]

I know many B owners who feed on the real good stuff but it can get expensive…basically look for a food that has chicken or beef as the first ingredient (yes read the labels ) If it has Corn, Wheat, or ByProducts in the first 3 ingredients...don't get it. I know of a few Basenjis that have sensitive stomachs.

We feed Merricks dry kibble with 1/4c of wet food. I find this brand to be very good stuff. There's also Solid Gold, Innova, Natural Balance.

I forgot to mention that Basenjis of all ages like to chew things (especially wood & plastic) so keep anything within reach of their little snouts up high like garbage cans, tissue, toilet paper, cables, wires, etc. And the reason they are great escape artists is they can jump pretty high (they don't even need a running start....3.5 feet from sitting position :eek: ) so be sure fenced in areas have high fences.

Good Luck!

[gbroxon]

If you're comfortable with doing so, PM me with a picture and the area the dog was found in. I'd be happy to post both to the Basenji lists I'm a member of and see if the owner can be found that way. Also, look for a tattoo. Have you brought the boy in for a microchip scan?

Good on you for taking him in! Thanks!

[alkite]

I don't have a lot of advice for you, the advice you are being given is great. Just wanted to say thank you for watching over him and looking for his real home. Someone is probably worried sick about him. A good place to look for additional information is BRAT (Basenji Rescue And Transport). They will have a lot of good information about things to be on the look out for. Basenji's are a breed like no other as I'm sure you are finding out. Good luck! Keep us posted on your search for his family.

[ecbouton]

well my lab is on natural balance right now. thats good stuff, i rarely meet a dog that reacts badly with it. great source of protien, so i suppose he could just live off of baileys stash for a bit. ill have to get him some toys mabey make him a few kong-ciclles. today he had to do without. Look for a tat? Like a bite case number? I will take him in for that scan - great idea, thanks!

[gbroxon]

@ecbouton:

…Look for a tat? Like a bite case number? I will take him in for that scan - great idea, thanks!

I was more thinking of some sort of a registration number. My boy's breeder tattoos all her puppies with their AKC litter registration number so they can be traced back to her. My boy's tattoo is on the inside, upper portion of his left back leg; fairly inobtrusive if you aren't specifically looking for it.

[Quercus]

does he still have his dew claws? Or do they look like they were surgically removed? Definitely get him scanned for a microchip, lots of breeders do that before sending their pups out.

[JoeyQ]

My experience with my unneutered male was not good when another neutered male came to stay with us for a short period. I had to keep them separated. My male disliked even this arrangement and would pee in his crate to display his disapproval of having another male in the house. We later had a female pup in the house and our male got along with her great. I aksed for suggestion on how to get them to get along and nothing worked. Someone even said that it might never work.