@jengosmonkey
LOL this is a really important convo to be having! I'm honored that it takes place on my thread 😆 and yes, I absolutely agree with the points y'all are making.
People do need to know where their pups are coming from and whether they were responsibly bred. To think of it coldly, I wouldn't buy a house without looking into its history and possible problems, or I might face ridiculous stress, expense, and emotional trauma from subsequent issues that come up later. As a consumer, one should do their homework not only on the breed but on the breeder.
A breeder who produces puppies carelessly is basically a horrible human being in my book. It was a huge, thoroughly thought out moral decision for me not to adopt but to buy a purebred puppy, as I've worked with rescues before. I took this step with the possible goal of being a custodian. If a breeder is irresponsible in all the aforementioned ways, not only are they producing dogs with a higher possibility of suffering, muddying this ancient breed, and swindling people, they are needlessly taking potential homes away from dogs that need one AND frequently causing dogs to be abandoned! If there weren't any PMs or BYBs, imagine how many people would get schooled by rescue folk and responsible breeders into taking dog-parenting seriously before they ever took one home!
Sorry for the rant; I COMPLETELY understand the internal screaming that happens within some of you when you find out a pup is from a mill or crap breeder. If people like you and I keep yelling about it, we will change a few minds, which make all the difference to a few dogs which is better than no dogs 🙂
Hello from Arizona!
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Hello all
This is Hemi, I adopted her about 3 years ago from a family member that could no longer keep her. She was about 5 months old when I got her, and was originally adopted from the pound.
The pound classified her as a heeler mix, but she did not display any of the characteristic heeler behaviors that I am familiar with. After doing some research I came across an article about Basenji's and everything finally made sense! We have always joked that she is more of a cat than a dog, and I have so many videos of her special "singing." She is INSANELY smart, stubborn, and the love of my life!
I have asked my vet about her breed with no luck, so I was hoping for some sort of "confirmation" that I am right about her being a Basenji. I know that she isn't pure bred, but I think she has a good amount of Basenji in her. Any opinions are welcome!
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Oh yes, definitely a Basenji! The look, the sitting position, no question in my mind. Very sweet looking girl and I bet you love her to bits!
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It sure looks like it! There are DNA tests now that can narrow down breeds.
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She looks rather basenji-esque to me too.
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I am so happy to hear that I am probably right! The DNA test would be fun, maybe I will try and see. Basenji's are definitely a special breed. Not for someone that wants a low maintenance dog. How smart she is amazes me, and anyone that comes into contact with her. It makes me laugh everytime someone calls a basenji the "barkless" dog.
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People post mixes here and on Facebook all the time thinking the are a basenji or a mix.. This one is one of the few that really might be! She's probably mixed but I have seen purebred capped basenjis and ones with heavy ticking. A dna test would be interesting!
Her ears look a bit more rat terrier than basenji and the breeds have such a similar look that they get mistaken for each other a lot. I have a friend with a red/white standard rat terrier (show dog) who had a docked tail and is constantly mistaken for a basenji.
