• Hi all…Newbie here looking for some insight.

    Meet Tassie. She is 2 years old and is a rescue from the local shelter. I highly suspect that she is half basenji - every quirky trait she has seems like it's a basenji trait, only slightly muted.

    -curled tail
    -basenji ears
    -wrinkled forehead
    -yodeling
    -she gets 'scruffy' quite easily, even if I know she's not scared or being aggressive.
    -webbed feet?
    -loves to climb
    -she loves to 'talk' with us, especially if we yodel with her!

    Other traits:
    -she follows us everywhere!
    -VERY smart (but sneaky - she finds loopholes!)

    I'm sure there are other things that I'm not remembering right now. She is just about the coolest dog, though. Do you guys think she's part basenji? If so, what might her other half be? I have an idea, but I'm curious what you folks think.

    Oh - she weighs about 40 lbs.

    Thanks in advance for the insight!

    -Enjoy the mid-yodel photo! 🙂
    attachment_t_15862_0_tassie1.jpg
    attachment_t_15862_1_tassie2.jpg
    attachment_t_15862_2_tassie3.jpg
    attachment_t_15862_3_tassie4.jpg


  • Welcome to the Forum. Your dog's character description certainly sounds Basenji-like, and her pictures indicate she could have Basenji in her make up, although I'm not sure I would say that she was half Basenji; but you never know. And I can tell you that unless you know for sure what breeds are in a dog, guessing is not foolproof. If you really, really want to know what breeds are in a dog, you have to have their DNA analyzed.

    I've had a few dogs DNAed….. with surprising results! One was a little dog I had pulled out of a California shelter under the assumption he was a Basenji mix..... he had Basenji ears, a curled tail, he didn't bark (then!). He did look Basenji, except he was white (I shoulda known!) DNA analysis revealed that he had not one iota of Basenji DNA!
    -Joanne


  • Thanks Joanne! We actually just sent in her DNA test today! I'm very excited to find out what she is.


  • Wisdom Panel?
    Make sure you let us know what you find out. I find this DNA stuff fascinating.
    -Joanne


  • Yep…wisdom panel! Will for sure update when we get the results.


  • Welcome - looks like a lot of B to me! Fascinated to hear the result…


  • looks basenji-ish to me, of course at 40 lbs, i'd call that an industrial strength basenji


  • The last picture reminds me of a basenji


  • I would be shocked if she didn't have a good deal of Basenji in her. But then, I'm shocked every day!

    She's a cutie, whatever she is. 🙂


  • HI, the one of her curled up looks the most Basenji to me, so I'm guessing she has some Basenji in her, whatever she is she has cool markings and is very cute. I love the DNA stuff as well, so interesting, guessing is so hard I always try at the dog park but you can be so off sometimes.

    Jolanda and Kaiser


  • Thanks for the comments, all! Does anyone have any thoughts on what else might be in her makeup?


  • Completely wild guess Spanish Greyhound?


  • As I mentioned, simply guessing could be foolhardy….. But I will say, possibly cattle dog, but she'd also need a breed that could provide her with the white spotting gene that would account for all the while on her. I doubt Basenji would give her that, neither would ACD. Something with piebald..... Pointer? one of the scent hounds..... There's no shot of her tail....

    I think I'll just wait for the DNA. 😉
    -Joanne


  • some sort of terrier? - jack or smooth fox maybe.


  • Smooth Fox for sure. They sleep in a ball like that and the markings are the same.

    We had one and loved him!

    Results yet?


  • Okay - yes…the results are in! Tassie is officially 0% basenji...wamp wamp. But- what a weird mix she is! German shepherd, dalmatian, shiba inu, pharaoh hound and greyhound. I guess we guessed wrong - but love her just the same. 🙂 🙂 Thanks for all the insight, everyone!


  • Wow! That is certainly a fascinating mix! 😉 Two sighthounds and a Spitz in there, so will probably see much the same sorts of behaviour as Bs….I bet she's quite a runner too! Good look with your girl!

Suggested Topics