@elbrant said in Advice please if a Basenji might be a good match.:
@debradownsouth I'm referring to Shelters, not Rescue Groups. Local government shelters (according to the Animal Control Officers in my corner of the world) consider Petfinder to be an unreliable, often outdated, source. They recommend using PetHarbor.
Wikipedia, btw, does not guarantee accuracy on any subject. Furthermore, I would consider 14,000 (combined shelters and rescue groups) to be a drop in the bucket. The biggest problem with Petfinder as a resource would be that it's only as accurate as the person posting the information. Some things might be spot on, others... not.
Not sure why this seems a hot button...but you said:
"Local Animal Shelters do not post on Petfinder, they post on PetHarbor. "
Not sure where it went from local to just "your corner ".. but sadly I find both large and small shelters and rescues aren't totally relIable...and I'd be surprised to find any group, wiki, petfinder, etc promising accuracy. (" PetHarbor make no assertions about the availability, behavior or condition of any animal.")
The way they have over 300,000 adoptable pets listed is precisely by having each source upload. According to the ASPCA, around 3.4 million dogs and cats are adopted each year from shelters. I don't find listing 315,000 pets to be a drop in the bucket. Not that any of the data is all that accurate...most is self reported and some studies have exposed high rates of false positive reporting. Petharbor, btw, says they also list shelter, SPCA, Humane Society, county or city Animal Control, and many private animal-welfare organizations."
To me, it isn't a contest ...list everywhere you can. My friend began a county by county rescue volunteer organization a few years ago. They have done incredibly well, but the time needed is staggering. I'm just happy for everyone who helps. Hopefully Petharbor can share ways to have more accuracy. It's all good.