We are thinking Spike might be a Basenji Terrier mix. He definitely has the basenji personality and the bark. We love him no matter what he is but we are curious.
I don’t think you are, dang it and I want ALL the dogs to be Basenji! Still… great looking pup. Get a DNA test. If that pup has ANY Basenji in it, I’ll send you a beer. 👊😁👍
Now I look again Portuguese Podengo could well be in there to a large extent. Lovely feisty little dogs. One smooth one I know quite well is very similar in size to a Basenji but shorter in the leg
She is beautiful! All dogs are lovely but basenjis do tend to grab those heart strings. I hope you can find some answers, it’s so hard to miss them so much!
The traits you described are also found in most of the Nordic/spitz type dogs. I don't see anything overly basenji-ish about him in the pics. What ever he is, he's very hansome.