Ah yeah though the site that I saw clearly had a picture of a Basenji representing the breed! Your link, they look nothing like Bs
Window Danger
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It's been a week since I experienced a rather tramatic event with Sonny. I'm choosing to share the story here in hopes it might save someone else the same experience.. I just ask that anyone hold back their negative comments. There is nothing you can possible say that I haven't thought myself in the last week or intensify the guilt I'm still working past.
For the past 5 yrs when I go to work Sonny spends his days sitting in the sun on his own special chair by a bright sunny window in my kitchen. I live in a 2nd floor apartment. The chair is by the window. When I left work last wendesday it was rather warm and I opened the apartment windows. I opened the one by Sonnys chair a small amout but it turns out it was too much. I got call at work that morning from a neighbor that Sonny had clawed through the screen and fallen out the 2nd floor window. He had survived the fall but was loose in the neighborhood. A wonderful neighbor who had come home moments after it happened took off on his bike looking for Sonny. Knowing the added danger Sonny was facing being blind & loose..By the grace of god he found Sonny 3 blocks away and carried Sonny home in his arms all the way on his bike..,it was the longest ride home from work in my life. All I could think was Sonny had survived the fall by some miracle but would be hit by a car. When I got home went went straight to vet and by everyones amazement he came through the experience without a scratch.
I hold him extra tight everyday and thank god I still have him with me…
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So glad to hear that Sonny is OK…. and yes, we all know that accidents can happen. We do the best we can, we learn by our errors... "**** happens"... I am sure that we have all done something that turned out to not be the right choice.... Thanks for biting the bullet and sharing the experience with us so that we can remember not to overlook things that "might" happen.
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If anything, take this incident as a learning experience. We all do better after learning from our mistakes. Basenjis are clever, even when they are without their sight. Never underestimate their ability to do what they want to do. Never assume something is Basenji-proof.
It's a good reminder regarding open windows though, even with protective barriers like a screen.
Happy to hear Sonny was alright! I'm sure he was proud of his adventure.
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thank you both for your kind words…it's very much been a learning experience. Despite his lose of vision we can never expect that he wont attempt something any normal B may do...... he has picked up the nick-name "Underdog" from the family
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You just wouldn't think Sonny would do something like that. At least I wouldn't. You do a great job taking care of Sonny and it wasn't a careless act.
Now I got early warning about that many months ago when I was talking to my neighbor in my driveway and Buddy was on a chair looking at us through the dining room window with the window open. He started pawing at the screen wanting to come out and I had to run over and stop him. I live in a house so it's on the first floor but even jumping out a window from that height he could get hurt and then be loose. If I'm out there alone cleaning he just watches. When I leave I close the window to about 2-3 inch gap with a bracket that screws down so the window can't be opened.
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How scary…
I am glad Sonny is alright and that your neighbor was nice enough to look out for him.
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I had a scare just last week, I live on the second floor and Oakley likes to lay in the window, well I was outside and as usual he was glued to the window to try and be as close as possible to me. When I looked up I realized he was bulging the screen out and so I ran upstairs to him…it never crossed my mind until then that he isn't safe in the windows unless I'm close by. Great reminder to others, glad Sonny is ok
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My girl Pipet sits in her bowl chair every day and whenever I am not at home, it is (of course) right by the big front window where she can see the yard and all passer's by. When I first saw your post I thought I would hear a similar story to my own, I had no notion of a Basenji taking a leap from a high window, but of course without seeing where he was going Sonny surely smelled his way to what he wanted. I am so glad that his leap of faith was an adventure rather than a horror story!
Two year's ago while I sat in my chair on the other side of our living, Pipet was sunning herself in her window when a man walked by with a dog that for whatever reason, really got Pip into an instant high powered rush to get at him. She stood up and threw herself paws first at the window in a digging motion and her front legs went right through the glass!! Everyone with a Basenji knows how thin skinned and delicate they are, in this case I was instantly terrified she had torn her legs up in the now broken glass she had luckily jumped away from with a very loud YELP! as if to say HOLY S**T! WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!
As with Sonny, we somehow were afforded a miracle in that she had broken the glass so forcefully and quickly, and had come back away from it so, so fast….that she escaped also, without a scratch! I did however replace the glass with a much thicker pane and I also replaced the adjacent windows with the same thick glass. She had previously gone through the slightly opened window and torn a screen to get out and so I also placed a screw in the molding of the window sash so it can only be opened about 4 inches, no amount of pushing and or prodding will allow her to push open the window ever again.....you might consider the same application. Again, so glad Sonny is OK!!
@sonnyboy:
It's been a week since I experienced a rather tramatic event with Sonny. I'm choosing to share the story here in hopes it might save someone else the same experience.. I just ask that anyone hold back their negative comments. There is nothing you can possible say that I haven't thought myself in the last week or intensify the guilt I'm still working past.
For the past 5 yrs when I go to work Sonny spends his days sitting in the sun on his own special chair by a bright sunny window in my kitchen. I live in a 2nd floor apartment. The chair is by the window. When I left work last Wednesday it was rather warm and I opened the apartment windows. I opened the one by Sonny's chair a small amount but it turns out it was too much. I got call at work that morning from a neighbor that Sonny had clawed through the screen and fallen out the 2nd floor window. He had survived the fall but was loose in the neighborhood. A wonderful neighbor who had come home moments after it happened took off on his bike looking for Sonny. Knowing the added danger Sonny was facing being blind & loose..By the grace of god he found Sonny 3 blocks away and carried Sonny home in his arms all the way on his bike..,it was the longest ride home from work in my life. All I could think was Sonny had survived the fall by some miracle but would be hit by a car. When I got home went went straight to vet and by everyone's amazement he came through the experience without a scratch.
I hold him extra tight everyday and thank god I still have him with me…
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I thank you for your timely reminder, and I second the statement @Kananga:
Never assume something is Basenji-proof.
I find people often dismiss concerns about safety. With both horses and dogs I have been told "that would never happen", yet so often it does! Experienced Basenji owners as a group know better than to say "never"! Again, thanks for the "heads up". Sometimes we all need a reminder.
(and so glad you didn't pay a higher price for this one!)
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First and foremost thank goodness Sonny is alright. Second of all don't be too hard on yourself, as others have kindly stated mistakes do happen and we learn from them. With his blindness it adds another layer of challenges. I can appreciate those challenges somewhat, while our basenji thankfully has great sight or siamese cat has been blind since birth. It can make things a bit of an adventure sometimes.
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How scary!!! I'm so glad everything came out okay.
And yes, I have "bars" on my window that is behind the sofa. Not because of the crime, but b/c Zest kept pushing the screen out of its track when she saw the bunnies on the other side of the window. And my xpen is in front of the sliding glass door.
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I'm pleased that all has ended so well. Hugs to Sonny!
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So glad Sonny is OK, I'm sure it took a year off your life! Thank goodness for luck and good friends. And thanks for sharing your scare, it may have saved other dogs' the same fate.
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Oh, wow, I'm so glad Sonny's guardian angels were looking out for him! And it's good to hear that Sonny is home, safe and sound. What a scare, but I'm so relieved it had a happy ending!
