Hi! Wondering if I have a Basenji mix.

[himalayangypsy]

@ DebraDownSouth
How lucky for her that she found a patient loving owner. My Chico was abused and is still afraid of lots of things. Sometimes it is hard to be patient when I have an armful and he is pulling on the leash but I try to not get mad at him as it is not his fault he has so many fears.

[DebraDownSouth]

@himalayangypsy
I suspect, as with most abused dogs, that the underlying issue is an unsound temperament to begin with. Most people assume a dog has been abused, when it really was simply a fearful dog. Severely abused dogs with stable temperaments come around pretty fast. That said , because the rescue got her from filthy deplorable conditions (it took nearly 5 hours of soaking to get the feces soaked loose enough to shave her down), in a dark basement, living there nearly 5 yrs... well, unstable or not, I had to give her a try. If Sally went in and said "walkie walkie" and Hannah came to her, she took her for a walk. If she growled, she came back later. She loved curling up with the cats, they loved her, and Sally had a heart of gold. If she'd been a large dog, I'd have had to put her down. As it was, she was manageable.

[Nancy Berry]

@DebraDownSouth Bless yer heart Deb...I hate hearing what some people can do to an animal but then there are people like you..who come along, pick up the pieces & make every effort to give them a good, rest of their life! I think that the person who did that to that poor, defenseless & innocent dog, should be done exactly the same way!! Grrrrrrrrrr!! Makes you wonder "what" is wrong with a human to do this! There are reasons (I guess) & there are "excuses". I know some are M.I. (reason) but there should be someone or a group, keeping an eye on a person with M.I. & the one's with the "excuses" ... well, there's no excuse for them other than they are just mean & can't bully someone their own size so they pick on a little animal. Most other people probably wouldn't even have taken on that poor little dog & if they did, may not have tried as hard & long as you! You'd make a good dog psychiatrist!

[himalayangypsy]

@DebraDownSouth Chico was definitely abused but has come around a lot. I could never get a sweater on him to start with but now he loves it and lifts up his head and paws to put it on. He had a huge bruise on his nose and I think some of his pain problems now are from then. He had ribs showing through as well. A dog who flinches at sudden movements or barks at certain types/looks of people, probably has a reason why.

[Nancy Berry]

@himalayangypsy I'm sure you're right about dogs having a reason when they flinch & bark at certain movements. It's just sad that any human can make a dog, no matter what size the dog is, be afraid of certain movements or noise. They just ruin a dog's life & for what? Their own sadistic problems. It really is a sad world we live in but then, you read or watch people who rescue these dogs & clean them up & show them that not all people are bad. Most dogs come around after a while but they shouldn't have to go thru abuse/neglect to start with. But we have the same problems with adults doing the same things to children. They aren't as easy to bring back around...they just can't get away from what they remember has happened to them. Sick, sick, sick people!

[DebraDownSouth]

@himalayangypsy That makes me sad and angry. I can only second what Nancy said.. what is WRONG with people? Obviously he is doing good and healing mentally and physically with your care.

[B5004EVER]

@himalayangypsy Hi there, she looks like a B. I too have a basenji mixie, probably part IG as well and also a Velcro dog with some separation anxiety, but a very lovey dog and a very happy dog. I laughed when reading "she had other ideas" about it being temporary. Yep, not surprising! Enjoy your new friend!