Breeder and Family Intro to Breed

[slprrex]

For a little background, my dad had Basenjis for about 20 yrs and i feel like they could be the 1st animal addition to our household. I want to intro my wife and kids to them before we commit. Is there anyone in the Tyler, TX area that would be willing to meetup?

I've been looking into breeders within the immediate area and found a few. Unfortunately, we had an appointment with one of those this weekend, drove 2 hrs and got stood up.... Not fun with a 2 and 5 yr old.

[tanza]

Have you tried breeders at www.basenji.org? You can search by state. Also you might was to try Brenda Cassell, Signet Kennels (Ft. Worth) You can find her on facebook. Note however that the Basenji National dog show is starting end of this week, so many are traveling and will not be home till after the show. Show is November 11-14 in Tucson, AZ... and there is a number of regular shows that many will be staying for.

[slprrex]

Yes i have and all breeders are at least 2 hrs away. Not an issue to pick up a puppy, but i don't want to drive another 2 hrs and have the same result. Unfortunately, Signet is the breeder that i had the appointment with last weekend that didn't call or show. So i was hoping to find maybe an individual in our area that owns Basenjis that would be interested in an intro for my wife and kids.

Another breeder I've been speaking with has a FB page, communicating much better, and seems to be very upfront on all tests/immunizations. Any feedback on
Mandy's Pups located near Dallas?

[tanza]

@slprrex - Never heard of them, do you have pedigrees? Have you researched health testing for yourself at www.ofa.org?

[Zannah]

TL;DR: we have two basenjis near Dallas, would be happy to let you meet them (potentially halfway in between); message me!

[I was clearly reading too quickly initially, but since I already typed it, I'm not going to delete this paragraph; glad to see we do have the same positive opinion!] Tanza -- Signet is actually a good, reputable breeder (https://www.facebook.com/signetkennels/); one of her dogs sired the pup we got last year. We were involved a bit with basenjis in Seattle (got our first pup in WA) before we moved to TX, and in my experience, she's as good as Platinum, FoPaw, Taji, or the other breeders we met in the Evergreen club.

Slprrex, there aren't a lot of basenji breeders in Texas, unfortunately, and a lot of the ones who are here aren't currently doing a ton of breeding, so it wouldn't surprise me if Brenda and Ciara are your best bet for a breeder locally. In looking at the Mandy's Pups page on FB, they don't seem to be doing any showing, and as silly as conformation may seem to people outside the dog show world, I would hesitate to get a puppy from someone who isn't actively trying to improve the breed (most easily verified by conformation). When we were first looking here in TX we ran into more than a couple of puppy mills, and while it doesn't seem like Mandy's would fall into that category, I would encourage you to do a LOT of research, meet the sire &/or dam, see where the dogs are kept, etc.

I completely understand the need to want to meet a basenji or two before you pursue picking one up; we went to a lure coursing event and were able to ask a ton of questions, hold dogs, see how smelly they were (not very; there were a dozen in an RV and it barely smelled like dog at all, and I have a very sensitive nose), etc. Anyway!

Meeting basenjis: we have two (quintessentially basenji-ish) basenjis and we're in the Dallas area, sort of where 183 and 114 converge (if you look at a map), but we might be able to meet up closer to you. We like to take our dogs out to less-populated places to let them run around, and while we've only gone west previously to the LBJ Grasslands, we could probably find something in the direction of Tyler, maybe partway between Tyler and Dallas, and meet there. We wouldn't be able to do that any sooner than the weekend of the 15th, and would almost certainly be able to make something over Thanksgiving work. If you were super anxious, I'd be happy to meet you this weekend in Dallas, but would completely understand if that didn't work for you. I think we can send private messages via this forum, so try that and we can connect via PM, if you'd like.

[elbrant]

@slprrex (just a thought) Contact the Tyler Texas Kennel Club and ask if they know of any Basenji breeders in your area. You could do the same for other nearby towns. Show dog breeders are not turning out litters to be sold as pets, so you won't find them online advertising pups for sale. Still, there are times when they have young pups (and adult dogs) available to prospective families. There could also be some local kennel events that might present an opportunity for your family to observe Basenjis, if not meet them.

[tanza]

@elbrant - I totally disagree with your comment "show dog breeders are not turning out litters to be sold as pets".... That is totally not true. Note that responsible breeders do breed for themselves as they are breeding to better the breed, in health, temperament and conformation... this is proven in the show ring or in performance events. However, breeders can't keep all the pups so the most important thing then is the home.... Most all my pups have gone to the most wonderful best pet homes ever!

[Zannah]

100% agree with Tanza -- @elbrant show breeders are arguably the only ones who are turning out litters of dogs who should become pets. The vast majority of breeders' dogs DO end up as pets. Usually at least half of a litter right off the bat, with a big percentage of the rest becoming pets over the next couple of years. Responsible breeding tends to be a financial loss -- the testing before breeding, prenatal care, individual puppy testing after the birth (e.g. canine ophthalmologists aren't cheap), plus the expense of just having so many dogs around for a while all adds up. If a breeder sells their pups for $1000-$1500 and absolutely nothing unexpected happens, they might break even on a litter. With such a tight margin if you're breeding correctly, it's really only something you do if you're passionate about it.

As someone who has never been and will never be a breeder (and is, unfortunately, most accurately characterized as a "fancier" ugh), I'd never want a dog from a backyard breeder, or someone who just loves their dog so much there should be more of them, or from someone who wants their kids to see the miracle of life via puppy birth. I want a dog from someone who cares about the health of the dam, the sire, AND the resulting puppy; who cares about making sure their puppies have good temperaments (and animals who have been trained as show dogs are the best kind of chill and obedient); who cares about the reputation and perception of the breed; and who cares about the sort of environment their puppies end up in. Fortunately, in order for breeders to keep doing what THEY are doing, they need people like us who also care about the quality of the breed and of individual dogs enough to acquire puppies responsibly.

[elbrant]

You (both) disagreed with me and then supported the things I said.

@tanza said in Breeder and Family Intro to Breed:

... responsible breeders do breed for themselves ... breeders can't keep all the pups so the most important thing then is the home

Isn't that the same as (?):

• Show dog breeders are not turning out litters to be sold as pets ... there are times when they have young pups (and adult dogs) available

---

@zannah said in Breeder and Family Intro to Breed:

show breeders are arguably the only ones who are turning out litters of dogs who should become pets.

Did you not understand that I was suggesting that @slprrex might be able to aquire a Basenji by looking for a local show dog breeder through nearby kennel clubs?

[tanza]

@elbrant - It is not the same....

[elbrant]

@tanza said in Breeder and Family Intro to Breed:

It is not the same....

yeah... it actually is