I am curious how everyone met and became parents of a Basenji.
Did you find him at the SPCA and think 'what a cutie' and bring him home?
Did you research forever to find the right breed for you?
Did you see an ad in the paper and go for it?
Did you get your B from someone who couldn't keep it?
Did you adopt from BRAT?

My story:

In February of this year, Jack, our pom/ japanese chin dog died at the young age of 5. My 12 yr old dacshund is still kickin' and we figured we would just keep her until she passed and then think about getting another dog. Well….that idea didn't last too long so we started looking on the web for a dog at our local SPCA. We were hoping for something different than Jack, perhaps a bit bigger and maybe shorter hair. Anyway, I started looking in the paper too....you never know what you might find in there. There it was, a picture of a puppy basenji. The heading was Basenji puppies.. (the barkless dogs) 2 females, 1 male etc..
Well, since the thing that most annoyed my husband about Jack (besides the hair balls all over the house) was his barking, I decided to look into the breed online and see what it was about. I couldn't find anything that I didn't like about them since besides the barking and fur, I think my Jack had the spirit of a Basenji so it seemed like a perfect fit.
So with our little grandson in the car seat, we took a drive to see the puppies. Had no real gender preference but I was partial to the tri colors that I had seen on the web. I had no idea what colors she had but much to my delight, she had a tri female who seemed to claim us before we could even claim her. So Zuri came home with us that day and spent the afternoon chasing my grandson around the room and loving every minute of it. They have only seen each other a couple times since then, and Zuri likes Adrien a little too much...thank goodness he isn't over hear all the time...:D

What a great homecoming story. I love the pic of Zuri and your grandson Adrien. Typical B, going for his hands!!! I had never heard of a Basenji when I went to adopt a dog from a local shelter. Apparently Hollie didn't portray any of her basenji habits while there because the shelter had her listed as a "whippet mix." After returning home, retrieiving the hubby, and going back to the shelter to visit with Hollie, SHE picked us!! She immediately went to my husband and jumped up and gave kisses!! I had been looking for several weeks and knew then I had found the right dog!!! Soon after getting her home, two different people mentioned the possibility of her being basenji and after researching the breed and getting to know Hollie, we have NO doubt she is at least part basenji!! We now are in love with her and the breed. What a dog!!!!

I discovered the breed while thumbing through an AKC breed book at a used bookstore. The picture and description really interested me so I went home and started doing some internet research. The more I read the more convinced I was that this was the breed I wanted. I had always thought of myself as more of a cat person but had also always really wanted a dog of my own so the cat like description was really what drew me to them. Growing up our family dogs were both considered my brothers' dogs and anytime I wanted to do anything with them like 4-H or just going to a trainging class they would always say, "Get your own dog". Several months after discovering the breed in the used bookstore, I was able to attend the BCONC specialty and meet the breed in person. I spent the whole afternoon with a basenji curled up in my lap. I was totally hooked. I already knew that puppies are usually born in December and waiting lists are started early so I had decided that I would wait another year before getting one and would focus on learning about the breed and what I could do with my dog. I had also decided that what I really wanted was a black and white male.

In my research I discovered Basenji-L and joined to learn more about the breed. That year, Robyn Dubbert of Sherwood Basenjis posted weekly with a link to her website and pictures of her puppies growing up and descriptions of their development. They were the Brady Bunch litter, 3 boys and 3 girls,.all red and whites. Every week I couldn't wait for the new pictures to posted. When they turned 8 weeks old she posted that two homes decided they did not think it was the right time for a puppy so there were puppies available. So even though Robyn was in GA and I am in CA, I just had to contact her about a puppy. While I was watching the pups grow on the internet. I had also attended a lure trial and checked out agility so when I talked to Robyn, I told her I wanted a dog I could try these things with. She had never shipped a puppy before and was unsure about sending one so far but she did think she had the right dog for me. He was very curious and athletic, could jump on top of her stacked crates and loved exploring. She also told me that she had been sitting on her kitchen floor calling out names to go with the Time theme she had chosen and this puppy always came when she called Nicky. It took a little while to work out the details but at 5 1/2 months Nicky came to live with me. I had told Robyn I was not really interested in showing but she told me to keep him intact for a year and to give a match a try before I made a decision. I didn't get around to giving a match a try until my year was nearly up and Nicky hadn't really shown much interest in lure coursing at the time. In the end, I decided to show Nicky and shortly after that decision he decided he would lure course. He has been just what Robyn said he would be, a dog I could try a little of everything with earning himself several titles and making the AKC and ASFA top 10 in coursing one year. He is officially, DC Sherwood's In The Nick of Time SC, RN, LCM, CGC.

Three years later, when Robyn told me she had decided to breed to a black and white, I was so excited. Finally, I was able to have my black and white basenji, a girl, Rally. She has been everything I could have wanted. She seems to charm most everyone she meets and loves trying new things. She is the dam of both my litters and has passed on her wonderful temperament to her children. She is officially, DC Sherwood's Shadow of the Moon SC, FCh, JOR.

awe lvoss, that is so sweet! i had never heard your story before! you got lucky to find robyn, despite the distance. your dogs are absolutely gorgeous.

i want to hear more of these!

Well I have to thank Cesar Millan's show for the idea of getting another dog. Both my husband and I had to put or dogs of 14years down and swore to never get another dog since our hearts were broken but then we got hooked on dog whisperer and saw how much joy it could bring to adopt a dog so we decided to proceed since our daughter had been begging for a dog for a long time. We went on some shelter sites but were really interested in a puppy, good with kids, strong but small built and non-shedding. Well I went to this site 1800adopt a pet and entered what we were looking for and came across a picture of our B. Let me just say up until that point all dogs to me were the same so I was just looking for the characteristics I listed. I looked up Basenji and found some info that made us set up an appointment with the foster mom. I was told on the phone by the adoption agency that maybe this dog might not be right for us since he's very hyper, not a lap dog and might be better with a family that has a bigger back yard with more dogs. Anyway we decided to meet with our B and his foster mom anyway and well it was love at first sight. He was not at all aggresive or too hyper (at least not on the first meeting) he loved my daughter and wanted to play from the moment we arrived. We noticed he had his own personality and all, right from the start. Well that day we visited with him for almost 2 hrs. I had to pull ourselves away and were told another couple were scheduled to meet with our B the next day so we had to wait and see. We were ready to tie his foster mommie up and take him home but decided against it. Well the next day she called and told us that if we wanted him, we could come pick him up since she didn't want to take the chance of the other couple not coming and us changing our minds. Change our minds are you kidding we rushed to pick him up and well the rest is history (2 months of history). I have to admit we went into this with blindfolds and have had our share of surprises. This forum has helped beyond any words I can express and we have become completley head over heels in love with our Champ.

I do want to mention that we were told Champ came from a breeder in ohio, was transferred to a puppy store that was closed down for animal crulty and was found in New Jersey as a stray with some open sores around his neck (I swear pple are so cruel). They were able to trace him because of his microchip. He was on the list to be euthenized (My heart aches everytime I think of this) and his foster mommie saved him by giving him a temp home. The twist of the story is that he saved us just as much as we saved him because both my husband and I had thought we could never love another pet again and well now we are our B's slave, in our hearts as well as in our lives.

We got dash 2 years ago and he is our 1 and only B. We would frequent Petland to get a puppy fix but I never considered buying there since they were so expensive. We went in one week and saw Dash and I thought, he's cute, what is it? I was a Vet Tech and I had never seen a Basenji in the several years I had worked in practice. We got him out to play and he was very sweet. We still didn't consider buying him since he wasy $1700. We went home and did some research on the breed- contacted BEAR to no avail and searched for breeders in the area. We were unable to find anything. We went back to see him a couple more times-sort of hoping he was gone so I didn't have to think about it. He was still there. His price had gone down but it was still ridiculous. I took a vacation to florida and looked in the paper there but could not find anything. I guess is was just not their time of year. Anyway we decided if when I got back, and he was still there, we would go ahead and get him. When we got back he was still there, all his shots were done and the price had gone down to a reasonble amount. So we took him home. That's it.

I am curious how everyone met and became parents of a Basenji.

I wanted another dog – we'd had two, but a couple of years ago we had to put our corgi-mix down. I thought Gypsy needed a friend, dh disagreed and didn't want any more dogs. Finally he agreed that AFTER Gypsy died, we'd get another dog. So, of course I immediately starting thinking about what to get next. I LOVE BIG dogs, dh likes teeny dogs. I started suggesting breeds -- Bloodhound, doberman, rhodesian ridgeback, black and tan coonhound, etc. -- and he had a reason not to get any of them. Finally, I was reading about Basenjis -- they are fairly small, quiet, don't shed much, etc. all things he could live with. We began to research, and he finally agreed that we could consider the breed, although he'd heard horror stories and was a little nervous.

I got him to agree to visit breeders so we could meet the dogs. Our first breeder visit wasn't a very positive visit for him, and he almost gave up right then and there. Fortunately, I'd already arranged to visit Jumoke and Blue Note kennels, and so he grudgingly agreed to make those visits.

YAY!! After the visit to Jumoke, he was sold. The visit to Blue Note cemented it. He liked the dogs! I knew that in a couple of years, I'd be getting a Basenji. . . . that night dh told him I could call Bryan and make arrangements to get one of his puppies! Jazzy came to live with us the day before Easter, two years ago.

And of course, last weekend again dh surprised me by letting me bring home another Jumoke baby -- our sweet Keoki. Obviously, dh likes the breed.

My oldest son started us on the Basenji path. He researched many breeds, mostly hounds, and the ancient breeds and asked if he could buy one. They have to be laid back and cuddly dogs, for the most part they are. He called Susan Coe, she didn't have any at the time but knew of a litter in upstate NY that she had co-bred with Jean Martin. That's how we got Max.

Max needed a playmate and girlfriend…..in came Cleo.

Cleo was never to be a Mommy, so we thought she needed that puppy experience.......in came Penny.

Then we entered the Dog show scene.......and it just snowballed from there.
Raven, Willy and Jasper!

One of the fine breeder ladies that visited us this past weekend told us we have the room and facility for four more dogs!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Before I moved to California I bred and showed horses. After I moved to California, I knew that I would never be able to afford the land needed for horses, so I turned my attention to dogs…gggg.... I love showing and wanted to give breeding a shot provided that I had something to offer the breed.... I remember as a teenage, my girlfriend had a Basenji... and I also remember that dog even 30 yrs later... so I started looking for breeders... I wrote to three of them, two answered, went to visit with both, talked to them about showing and maybe breeding.... and got on their puppy list... that was in March of 91... pups were expected in August and September (yes I know off time of the year, but all the bitches in California were having really off cycles because of the nationals the year before...)...

My boy, OJ came from Teri Gavaletz, Bushbabies Basenjis (Ch Bushbabies Obviously Jazz) and my bitch, Maggii from Ken & Marilyn Leighton, Zuri Basenjis (BISS Ch Zuri's Obviously Maggii,SC,FCH)... they were born 2 wks apart and came home on the same day... Today they are both over 15 1/2 years old.... Then in the Spring of 1993, Mickii joined us.. (MBIF DC Zuri's Ti-Tanza Wazi Ajabu,SC,LCM6)... my first wicked Tri Girl... ggg.... I showed and finish all three my self... and both Maggii and Mickii loved coursing (OJ never did figure out coursing..ggg)... Mickii being over the top as a coursing dog...

Then I tried my hand at breeding... In the years that I have been in the breed (since 1991) I have bred 3 litters myself and co-bred 2 litters. We have produced 7 Conformation Champions, 4 Dual Champions (Lure and Conformation), 2 Obedience Champions, and 1 Agility Champion.. along with wonderful family companions in pet homes..... from 4 of those litters, the last, time will tell (except for the wonderful family companion part) as that co-breeding was with Lisa for Rally's litter.

So now I have 4 at home, youngest is 13... (the house of elders!)... I co-own with Jeff in Ohio, Stallian-Tanza Tri The Obvious, co-own with one of my puppy owners (Ann, Crystal's Mom) our new tri boy, Emerant N Fopaw TriWizard at Tanza (can't wait to start showing him) and Sophie with Lisa and Sam....

I got married in college in the early 70's and my husband's wedding present to me was a purebred R&W basenji puppy he bought at the Humane Society for $3.00! As starving students even that seemed extravagant! We named her Pumpkin because she was the color of one. Nobody knew basenjis back then and information about them was impossible to find. Pumpkin was part cat I think, an excellent tree and fence climber. She was our first baby until the nonfurry kind came along 5 years later. She escaped from my mother's back yard and we were never able to find her. The only other dog we had when my boys were growing up, a Shi Tzu, lived to be 16. I could never find any basenjis in this area until I saw an ad in the paper for a B&W puppy. The owners live way out in the country and have lots of land and horses. Abbey was the only female in a litter of 4 and was 4 months old. The owners were just calling her Puppy because they said if they named her they wouldn't be able to give her up! When I first saw Puppy she was doing the 500 around the yard with her parents Guinivere and Playboy. When they came to the side of the fence where a horse was they all put on the brakes and stood there staring up at the horse. I came there to get Puppy but almost felt a little guilty stealing her away from mom and dad and the horses! Anyway, Puppy is now Abbey Guinivere and has adjusted nicely to having no horses around the house.

I had always been allergic to dogs and when i visited my friend who got a new mutt from the humane society and didn't break out in hives within the first 5 minutes i started thinking that i might be able to finally get a dog. So i started researching the dogs that were deemed "good for those with allergies" by dogbreedinfo.com and came across the basenji. i was immediately intrigued by how curious they looked. so i started my research, talking to breeders, surfing websites and such. finally a few months later I met my first basenjis. I had a trip planned to Arizona to go hiking and found the breeder Brenda… (can't remember her last night now, she is really involved in the African stock project i think). I visited her and her 13 Basenjis for a few hours and talked to her about them. Then I came back home to Michigan and started researching breeders in my area and finally came across the Meisterhaus crew who had a little RandW available. Before getting her I also got in contact with Kiroja basenjis and met them at the local dog training center to talk and see her B's, since her original two came from Meisterhaus. So a few weeks later I drove down and picked up little Tayda! Then a year later, I got Lenny from Kiroja. They have such different personalities... Lenny is definitely the typical mischevious B, Tayda is really calm and quiet and barely likes to jump on the couch... while lenny is doing the B500 around her... ha ha. they are funny to watch. If they were little kids, Lenny would totally be saying to Tayda "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!"

Anyway, thats my story...this is a fun thread.

That would have be Brenda Jones-Greenberg if in Cave Creek, AZ or if in Phoenix, that would have been Bev Bland… both are involved with the Af Stock program... and it is very interesting the two totally different routes they have taken

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Pat! When did your dogs get so old!!! They were young things when I first got to know you on the B-list! I guess that was about 9 years ago...time flies....hugs to the oldies ;)

I was familiar with basenji's from my boyfriend his parents had a pair when we first started dating. I actually did not like basenji's that much at first because one of there dogs was pretty agressive the other was really shy and would just hide when I would go over the house. Soon after the dogs died of old age and they bought another basenji which his dad still has.
We moved out together and I really wanted a new dog so while waiting for winter time to talk to the breeder I would glance on petfinder and basenji rescue of So Cal and I saw a scruffy looking B at an all breed rescue place. His profile said he was fantastic with people kids and dogs. So, we went to the rescue and my boyfriend told me this dog is a special basenji and we just took a chance not knowing a single thing about his past other than he was passed from a city shelter to a rescue.
Its now years later and my boyfriend raves that this is by far the best behaved well rounded basenji he has ever lived with. Its my first and only basenji so I dont know any different but I can say he is a really easy dog that just chills all day so I'm super happy with the choice we made :-)

@Quercus:

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Pat! When did your dogs get so old!!! They were young things when I first got to know you on the B-list! I guess that was about 9 years ago...time flies....hugs to the oldies ;)

No kidding... I have no idea were the time has gone!!!! I am just thankful each day they are all still here and doing pretty well!

I had researched basenji's because I was looking for a playmate for my mixed breed missy. Missy is like a miniture black lab, she looks just like a lab but she is the size if a terrier. So I was looking for a smaller dog but not a terrier. Looked at several pictures of dogs and I saw a basenji. I thought what a cute dog and she has a curly tail just like my missy does. Full grown she should be the right size. Had no idea where to find one or anything. So two years later I saw an add in my local paper for a basenji from this lady in southern Illinois who breeds basenji's as well as several other types of dogs. She had asked me if I would be interested in a little older puppy that could not be registered. I didn't care if she could be registerd or not that was not what I was after. So I went and got this puppy a beautiful B&W basenji, we named her pepper. Pepper was how do I want to put this she was nuts. She couldn't be left alone at all, she would scream awful and so loud we even put her in and inerior room in the basement when we went to work for fear someone would break down the door to try to get her out. Anyway I came home from work on the second day and she had tried so hard to get out of her kennel that she prolapsed her rectum. Rushed her to the vets office and they put her back together and kept her for a while, the vet called and told me that after she was there for a while that it prolapsed again. he stated that maybe it could be fixed with surgery and if she could be kept not in a kennel with somebody all the time she would live a happy healthy life. That person was not me as my husband and I both work, to make a long story short I ended up taking her back to the breader and she felt so bad and wanted to make it right, and she did. She gave me another puppy that was 2 mos old. This puppy was like the difference between night and day, she was much calmer and less timid and less needy klingy. Her name is now Abby Lynn and I am sure I will get another one. I love Abby and as much trouble she gets into and stuff she destroys I would not change anything about her personality.

Yea, isn't it something that although me have trouble at times with these dogs we all say that we Love them so much and would not trade them for money or gold.
I was shopping in the mall with my 23 yr. old son and he wanted to go in the Pet shop. I said, "No", I really don't have time, let's get what we came here for, I need to get home. Well, he promised just for a moment to see what they have. My hubby had suggested that we get a house dog since our son had moved out, and we had never had a dog after being married for 26 yrs. but he had so many specifications of what he wanted. Not yappy, short hair, no grooming needs, small or med. size so he could live in the house, this and that. Well, I got aggravated and told him I would never find a dog like this, I wanted a Yorky, he didn't. So I had not been looking, and when my son found this dog I wanted her. I loved the curly tail, and she fit the specifications, but the problem was convincing Dad via the cell phone that she was worth $1300 dollars. We left and went to the food court to eat dinner and talk to Dad on the cell, and discuss why I needed this dog. My son said, "Mom if you wait to convince Dad she will be gone when you get back, let's go see and hold her again" Well, she nailed the sell, she licked me right in the face and just melted my heart. My son said, "Mom I will give you $500. I said, "Let me think, go call Dad again". He came back and said, "Dad said do what you want to do". And I did, her name is Sahara and both my husband and I are a slave to her. My hubby loved her the firt time he saw her, he says everyday to her, "Daddy loves his Sahara". She has brought us so many laughs, even though she does get into our stuff and has chewed up a few things. But all things considered they are just stuff, and I had rather have the love of my Sahara than things.

These are all such amazing and diverse stories. I am really glad I asked the question. Please keep the stories coming.

This is a great thread. I love to hear how everyone were taken over by their furbabies. I was also one of those people who was nev er going to get another dog. My golden has passed away at 14 years old and it was so hard going through that. We had moved to Australia for a couple of years and it seemed everyone I met had sweet dogs. I so missed a dog to cuddle and care for so when we got back to the states, I started to seach on the net for a dog to adopt. I was looking at labrador retrievers. I found Shelby at a fairly local shelter in PA and as soon as I saw her in person, I called my dh and said I was bringing a dog home. She was listed as a lab/pug mix. The only possible pug about her was the cool curly tail. After getting her home and realizing she was not a "normal" dog, I did some research and found out about basenjis. Although she looks like a skinny lab puppy with a curly tail, she behaves classic B. I love her so much that I can't imagine life without her. So of course I figured she needed a friend. I wanted another B because I love the quirky personality and independence and intelligence. I contacted BRAT and in March someone e-mailed me that a basenji mix in a shelter in NJ was facing the long green mile. We took Shelby up to meet him and he came home with us. Vince is more lab than basenji but he's a sweetie and I am his slave too.:D

After my husband (Tim) and I got married, we wanted to get a dog, but we had a very small house (with no fenced yard). I had always been intrigued by Basenjis…but was somewhat intimidated by their reputation. But I did some online research, and then called the BCOA contact...she sent me on to talk to our regional contact in Cleveland, who then gave me a list of names. One name was really quite close to us, Vickie Perrine, so we went to visit her and her dogs..and I was completely smitten. Both Rosa and Tessa curled up and sat with me the entire visit. So we contacted the breeder that Vickie got her dogs from, Dr. Tracy Leonard; we got on her list for a pet, red and white male. When it was time for the pups to go to their new homes, the one Tracy had picked for us was very nice, and she suggested we try to show him...I thought that sounded like fun. So that is how we got involved. We also tried lure coursing with Querk, he hated it....but he likes training..he got his CGC, and he also tried agility..but he was quite a bit unfocused.

So two years later we got a new house, with a fenced yard, and we added Ivy, and then the next year Blondie, and then Bella (these girls are from Taji, Katie Campbell.) Two years after that we added Luna (Querk's daughter), and then this year Ariel (the full Af). We MUST stop adding dogs ;)