haha wow! alot of this posts have definately got me thinking.
i have researched the breed alot, and probably bored my parents to death with new little facts i find. also my dad and i have gone to a breeder that does only african ones. and she didnt have a litter ready then, but she showed me all of her adults and the different personalities of each of them.
my dad believes that if a new dog will bring me more happiness then it is worth it, no matter what dog, or size. its just my mom who is expressing concern, which is tough because she would be the one home majority of the time, and if she doesnt like the dog, it will go downhill.
i have gone to alot of shelters to just look at other dogs to see if a different breed will jump out at me. and so far none have.
college has also been a concern for my family. but my dad has told me that we will cross that bridge when we get there, and if i need to get an apartment while im in college, i can be prepared.
about the whole lab thing….my family has one. we have a huge white lab (we think he is part moose) and he is about 6 or 7. and we also have a minature dachshund who is about 4 or 5.
any dog is a huge responsibility, and i think i kind of forgot about that. and im sure that when my mom read about basenjis online and saw that the were more destructive than another bread, so maybe that just freaked her out.
i think what im going to do is go to the breeder and take a look at the puppies and bring my mom along too, because i have mainly been looking for dogs with my dad.
thank you all so much for giving me advice and really helping me think beyond what i have been.