Best suggestion is for them to visit breeders in So. California. I am breeding this year, but already have more reservations then puppies expected. Best to go to www.basenji.org
Basenji Wanted Texas
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eeefarm, are you really serious? you wrote.. I certainly don't support the lack of medical care, but these dogs are bred to live and work in a hot climate. Given adequate shade and water, not having A/C should not be considered a hardship, IMHO…...
IMO, that is totally incorrect thinking. THEY were not born in Africa, they don't live in Africa and they should be housed more humanely in the US.No, these particular dogs were not born in Africa. But I would be a lot more concerned about the probable lack of socialization living outside, than the hot climate. If they are accustomed to living in hot conditions, I don't see the problem. It's not so very long ago that we didn't have air conditioning for people, let alone dogs, and some folks (including me) do not have air conditioned houses in any case. Granted that it is hotter in Texas than here, (although this year we've had more than our share of hot days) but dogs who have access to water and shade should do fine if they are used to living in those conditions. (I agree it would be inappropriate to take a dog raised in air conditioning and kick it outside in the heat)
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Alot of dogs die in Africa because of the conditions in which they live. Just because they are an African breed is no reason not to give them humane care. It is not safe for dogs in such high temperatures, no matter what the breed. Even with shade and water there is a high risk of heat stroke and that leads to death.
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Alot of dogs die in Africa because of the conditions in which they live. Just because they are an African breed is no reason not to give them humane care. It is not safe for dogs in such high temperatures, no matter what the breed. Even with shade and water there is a high risk of heat stroke and that leads to death.
I agree and it also depends on the type of "shade" and care given. Dirty pens on dirty with only something like a tarp for some shade is not enough. Consider in the heat of Africia, dogs dig holes and deep to get the cooling of the layers below. And they do not lay in the same holes day after day after day… and they dig those holes under the bush, under trees... not in a pen that they are stuck in again, day after day after day. And also consider that we in the US do not have to let our companions live in those kind of conditions.. and if you do, then you need to reconsider why you have those animals to begin with.
eeeefarm, nothing personal, but I think you are way off base here
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I just don't understand people who leave their dogs outside all day in any climate. Mine are house pets not livestock
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I agree and it also depends on the type of "shade" and care given. Dirty pens on dirty with only something like a tarp for some shade is not enough. Consider in the heat of Africia, dogs dig holes and deep to get the cooling of the layers below. And they do not lay in the same holes day after day after day… and they dig those holes under the bush, under trees... not in a pen that they are stuck in again, day after day after day. And also consider that we in the US do not have to let our companions live in those kind of conditions.. and if you do, then you need to reconsider why you have those animals to begin with.
eeeefarm, nothing personal, but I think you are way off base here
Of course it depends on the type of shade and care given. I'm not disputing that. I have not seen this breeder's establishment and was only commenting on the contention that Basenjis couldn't deal with the heat. Where I live outdoor dogs also dig holes and lie in them (in your garden, often). My girls used to do that…..we joked that they were making a hole to China in the dog run. Many people I know have farm dogs that never see the inside of a house, winter or summer, but they are healthy and well cared for. (for what it is worth, the inside of my house in a heat wave is often hotter than outside, especially in the evening or overnight.)
Perhaps the breed has changed a lot in recent years. My current boy was raised in air conditioning and isn't nearly as heat tolerant as my previous dogs, who preferred to be outside in the heat of the day, and even in extreme heat would lie in the sun as often as the shade. (and never, ever did I see them pant unless they were exerting themselves! Yes, they would occasionally do the B500 in the heat) Usually it was my Border Collie who lay in the hole, although the girls "helped" with excavation. I took the two girls on a trip to my sister's air conditioned place once and never did it again. They were so uncomfortable inside that I had to cover them with blankets!
Heat stroke......most cases I have seen with dogs have been due to being locked in a car in the sun. Never have I seen a problem with a dog that had access to good shade and water. Another big factor is humidity, which you will know if you've ever been in a sauna. We tend to get high humidity here when we get heat. I note that the humidity in Texas hot spots at the moment is low, but I don't know whether that is the usual condition or not.
I am going to the Kingston Sheepdog trials next weekend, where very hairy dogs will be working sheep in what is forecast to be a fairly hot weekend. I go every year to watch, and the temperature and humidity are often very high. The dogs cope quite well, even though they are exerting themselves in the extreme. Water is available both to drink and to lie in after their run, of course. But on Sunday during the double lift final, they will be working very hard for twenty minutes straight. No air conditioning for the entire weekend, for most of them. When they aren't working sheep, they lie in the shade by their owner's RV or trailer. As farm dogs, many have never experienced air conditioning in any event, and they come from all over North America for this trial.
I think we have quite a different perspective on this, maybe a country vs city point of view? It's likely also an age thing. Nobody had air conditioning when I was growing up! And currently none of my immediate neighbours have the luxury of air conditioning either, so perhaps that colours my thinking as well, but nobody I know has had any problems with their dogs due to hot weather.
Edited to add, my girls would, as mentioned, be outside on hot days because they preferred it. They were house dogs primarily but loved summer and heat, not winter and cold, and of course, never rain!! The Border Collie, OTOH, was an outdoor dog, as his job was to keep an eye on things on the farm. He was my constant companion when I worked around during the day, and at night he slept in a well insulated dog house close to the back door. He would alert me if anything untoward was going on outside.
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Heat stroke…...most cases I have seen with dogs have been due to being locked in a car in the sun. Never have I seen a problem with a dog that had access to good shade and water. Another big factor is humidity, which you will know if you've ever been in a sauna. We tend to get high humidity here when we get heat. I note that the humidity in Texas hot spots at the moment is low, but I don't know whether that is the usual condition or not.
I live in the Central Valley of California where we are no strangers to triple digit days and we have many cases of heat stroke in dogs that have nothing to do with cars. Often the dogs have shade and water but it is still not enough when there is no breeze and the heat radiates off the ground and buildings even after sunset.
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I just looked up the weather predictions for Kingston, Ontario and it is supposed to be high 70s to low 80s. If you think that is "fairly hot" then you have no concept of what triple digit weather is like.
Around here we consider upper 90s, "fairly hot". I course and race my dogs in low 90s but triple digits is a whole 'nother thing.
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I live in the Central Valley of California where we are no strangers to triple digit days and we have many cases of heat stroke in dogs that have nothing to do with cars. Often the dogs have shade and water but it is still not enough when there is no breeze and the heat radiates off the ground and buildings even after sunset.
That surprises me but I will take your word for it. As I said, I have never seen it here, but we don't often get into triple digits. I do suspect some breeds of dog are far more susceptible to the heat. Basenjis are more primitive and their very recent ancestors come from a hot climate. After all, neither they nor we evolved with air conditioning. Some people I know who have long haired dogs do make use of a fan in the backyard or dog run when it is very hot and no breeze is blowing. But where I live it's rare to have no wind, and it is usually cooler outside than in once the sun goes down.
BTW, Do you live in a city? Lots of buildings and concrete create an artificial environment that doesn't allow for much natural cooling.
I should apologize to the OP for the thread hijack. I wasn't expecting a reaction to my off hand comment, but all of you have given me food for thought. Thank you for that.
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I grew up splitting my time between the city and my grandparent's ranch. In the Central Valley it is hot no matter where you are. Even in the country on a triple digit day with no delta breeze it may never get below 80 degrees at night. Heat stroke is a very real concern for humans and animals alike.
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I just looked up the weather predictions for Kingston, Ontario and it is supposed to be high 70s to low 80s. If you think that is "fairly hot" then you have no concept of what triple digit weather is like.
Around here we consider upper 90s, "fairly hot". I course and race my dogs in low 90s but triple digits is a whole 'nother thing.
The original forecast for this weekend was high 80's, perhaps 90F, but the more recent forecast is calling for less than that. I hope it is correct! Grass Creek Park can be very hot, although it is on Lake Ontario and if you get a south wind it moderates things a bit. Yeah, I have seen triple digit weather. Had a taste of it in May in Cuba.
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Even high 80s to low 90s isn't nearly the same as triple digit heat. All the weather people are talking about our "mild" summer with highs mostly in low to mid 90s. Yes, it is a matter of being acclimated but at the 100 degree mark even being acclimated, shade and water is not necessarily enough. AC is not an option around here anymore, all new homes have it, there are too many heat related deaths without it.
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There have been very few days this summer where it hasn't been triple digits. Getting into my car monday night read 101 at midnight and then 114 during the day. That is definitely hot.
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O.K., so I did a little research this morning and guess what? Zaire (Congo), which is crossed by the equator, is actually a cooler place than Texas in the summer! Who knew? Mea culpa. I have to agree, even an African dog would find Texas…..especially this summer.....uncomfortably hot.
Just a thought. We.....and our animals....have become very reliant on our "modern conveniences". We "adjust" our climate rather than learning to live with it.....which is just fine, until you have a massive power failure. At which point people who have lost coping mechanisms may be at increased risk. Something as simple as running a tub full of cool water and climbing in to lower your core temperature is not considered by the person sweltering in an overheated house or apartment. (of course, on an upper floor even this simple solution may not be available to you)
Thanks to all for your input. I learned something useful.
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I just don't understand people who leave their dogs outside all day in any climate. Mine are house pets not livestock
I can tell you for sure that this particular breeder in TX does NOT consider his dogs "pets"…. anyone have any doubts about that, just ask Brenda Cassell of Signet Basenjis, she knows of this person and his dogs.
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I have neighbors that leave their three dogs in the backyard all day long. It's been mid-90s here all week and today we're looking at 110-114 with the heat index. If it's too hot for us to be outside for long periods of time, it's definitely too hot for a dog or cat.
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natnatsupercat, can the humane society do anything to help those outside dogs?
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Sharron, because we live on base we have to go through housing or the MAs first. I've tried talking to the neighbors but it doesn't do much. We've been neighbors for 20 months and I have not once ever seen any of the dogs taken for a walk
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I am surprised the military allows outside dogs there. I have a few friends on other bases are not allowed to even leave their dogs out unattended!
Sigh.As for what dogs CAN tolerate–- I don't gauge what is OKAY by what they can tolerate. Dogs get hot, suffer and still SURVIVE. Hell, my friends bring their HORSES in and put on fans when the heat is bad!
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It isn't that they are necessarily outside dogs…they are just incredibly "barky" dogs so they get sent outside a lot. Any and ever time anyone is out in our backyard, their dog barks and barks and bark for-ev-er until we go inside. Those dogs may drive us crazy, but they are still animals and we still feel bad for them
