Although I'm not a new basenji owner, I am new to this Forum. Our first basenji (Shanti) passed away in April of this year, reaching the ripe old age of 17 1/2 years. We had Shanti from the age of 8 weeks, having purchased her from Mountain Springs Ranch. Her loss was extremely hard on us, and we vowed that she was our last dog. Within one month we realized our home was missing something, and we decided we could no longer be "basenji-less". We decided to honor Shanti by adopting a rescue basenji, preferably an older one that might otherwise have trouble finding a permanent home. Within a short time we were contacted by Karen at Medfly Brigade, telling us about an older female that had just come into her care. We visited with Karen the next day and left with a new family member…Bernie. This is our first experience with a rescue, and we've had our share of challenges with sweet Bernie, but she is absolutely the sweetest, silliest, most loving creature we have ever met. Thank you Karen for everything you do for ALL of these dogs. You and Chuck are angels. With Karen's help we were able to get in touch with Bernie's breeder - Jasiri-Sukari Basenjis - and have learned a little bit about her history. While there is nothing like puppy breath and rubbing a pink puppy belly, there is a LOT to be said for looking into the eyes of an older basenji who is curled up next to you in the "big bed". I'm so thankful we decided to take this route.
