The only way to shut this industry down, at this point is make it so that people DON'T buy from pet stores (I do mean stores that sell dogs and cats here). Even supplies, the money still goes in their pocket. If we educate the public about how to find puppies, kittens, cats and dogs, we can end mass pet production. Even if people have to turn to irresponsible backyard breeders, that IMO is better than mass puppy producers. At least a lot of backyard breeders take good care of the breeding stock, unlike the mass prodcuers.
Here in Northern California there are very few pet stores that sell dogs and cats. Part of the reason is that the news media here used to run lots of segments on puppy lemon laws, pet stores, and puppy mills. I remember one story where they talked about a pet store owner who was selling her golden retrievers at her store. Her female was dysplastic and almost every puppy produced was dysplastic and needed hip replacements to live without pain. The puppy buyers got together and sued her for the cost of the hip replacement at $2000/ joint. People here seem to be more aware of where pet store puppies come from.
@vstripe:
I read so many articles in dog magazines that are quick to point out how B's are so hyper, distructive, chew everything, are so difficult/stubborn and hard to train. Just by what is written in magazines I would never want a basenji. Why are they portrayed so negatively!
Because as Andrea says, if you read all the potential negatives and you are still interested you are less likely to give up the dog in the future. Basenjis can be active, do require regular exercise, are not 100% reliable off leash, love to chew, are incredibly persistent about getting something they want, and can require more personal space than other breeds. Not all basenjis will have all the traits but you don't know what combination you will get. My experience is people will either love the breed or hate the breed with very little middle ground. I require all people thinking about getting a dog from me to visit with my dogs and encourage them to visit with other people's basenjis too so they can see the variety of personalities and traits in the breed.
As for the person being turned down by rescue. Most rescues are very picky about their placements and some are quite inflexible about their requirements. 3 of my 5 puppy buyers had bad experiences with basenji rescue. One of those is a family I helped place a rescue basenji with 5 years ago and now has one of my puppies. One of the others was turned down because he was a college student. This same person visited my house 4 times so that he could meet my requirement that all people in the house meet the breed and agree to having the dog. But it is not just rescue, I also had 2 puppy buyers that admitted to having been a bit turned off by other breeders. One of them between the bad rescue experience and the other breeders had actually decided they were going to look for a different breed but didn't want to cancel their visit with me. The bad experiences with breeders centered around requirements that the puppy be shown and no explanation about how or why the breeder would select which puppy went to which home.
I also know that some people that have contacted me very well could have ended up getting dogs from BYBs. Some were inflexible about my requirements that companion puppies be spayed/neutered, that I do not let people just come over and pick whatever puppy they want, and I screen homes before placing people on a waiting list. For some people they consider all of this intrusive and just want to buy a puppy like they would a gallon of milk.
I also know that some people that have contacted me very well could have ended up getting dogs from BYBs. Some were inflexible about my requirements that companion puppies be spayed/neutered, that I do not let people just come over and pick whatever puppy they want, and I screen homes before placing people on a waiting list. For some people they consider all of this intrusive and just want to buy a puppy like they would a gallon of milk.
When i got my Vizsla from my breeder i had to wait and she came and looked at my house and my other dogs, she did all kinds of stuff. It did not bother me one bit im glad she did i know i was getting a good dog and if i am paying 1,000 for a dog i want it to be a good one. Also he will be the 1st dog i have ever shown i cant wait. I dont know if i can do a show w/ my B once i get her fixed . but i dont care she and my Vizsla are my kids since i lost my baby when i was 5 mnths preg and now i cant have kids so my dogs are my kids
<<my experience="" is="" people="" will="" either="" love="" the="" breed="" or="" hate="" with="" very="" little="" middle="" ground.="">>
That actually hasn't been my experience. I meet lots of people that really like a lot of things about the breed, but realize they just aren't a good match for their lifestyle. I think everyone I have ever met loves the way they look. The only people that I have met that have preconceived notions about basenjis being "bad" are other dog people ;)</my>
I guess I should have clarified a little. People who come to meet my dogs and spend enough time with them to see their quirks usually either love them or really don't like them. People who see them in passing admire many qualities about them and recogonize they are not the dog for them. But people who have lived with them have a very strong response one way or the other.
I think the general population does not know what a Basenji is. The people who call Basenji breeders know or have an idea what it is or think they'd like to have one. Some people just want to "rescue" a dog, which is what I did. I thought Duke was a little mutt. There was nothing about him that I recognized as being a type of mix. Some people see the Basenji in the window at the mall and buy it because it's little and cute. (the pet shop & puppymiller's cash in quick) Then the buyer learns from experience if this is the dog for them. In many cases, it's not and the pet shop pup ends up needing to be rescued. If more people knew what Basenjis are, decisions about acquiring and screening wouldn't be as difficult as it seems to be. IMO the Basenji Breed clubs might want to think about a strategic public relations campaign. (get a Basenji on a TV show or in a movie like the JRT on Frazier)
i took fender to my neice's softball game and one of the mother's said, "that is the weirdest looking dog i have ever seen!"
i also had a man in an electrical truck pull up beside us while we were out on a stroll and said
"that's a basenji, right?"
yes
"strange dogs, i had one when i was a kid"
and then he just drove off
mostly i get ohhs and awws, he is so beautiful, what kind of dog is that? blah blah.
i have met people on the rescue side who had tried to get a dog from a reputable breeder but found the process too daunting. for a newbie, truly it can be. if you know what you really want and what you are getting yourself into you are willing to drive to the moon and back for your new friend.
I was once in a different town following a dog show, walking Jazzy and actually got stopped by a cop. I thought I was in trouble for walking her in the area I was, and was stressing out, but he just wanted to ask about my dog. He thought she was a Basenji, and seemed to know a little about them. And, of course, she charmed him.
I've had several people stop and ask what she is, and several who know.
But I seldom go for a walk w/out someone commenting. No one has ever said she's weird looking. Usually, it's "Wow! That's a neat looking dog."
I read so many articles in dog magazines that are quick to point out how >>B's are so hyper, distructive, chew everything, are so difficult/stubborn >>and hard to train. Just by what is written in magazines I would never want >>a basenji. Why are they portrayed so negatively!
LOL, I'd read it all and STILL wanted one.
Of course, I got a weird one. Named it Jazzy, expecting her to really be something wild.
She is so calm, never jumps on the furniture, never takes food off the coffee table once we say, "Leave it", I can leave her leather leash in the crate w/her and she won't chew it, she listens very well, and usually only chews what she's supposed to {with the very occasional infraction}.
Hmmmm, maybe she's NOT a Basenji? LOL
Lisa is right, very few store in No. Cal sell puppies…. I am not so sure that they really know where they come from, but more that many of the pet stores that sold pups were shut down.... but the fact that there are many stories about the Lemon Law and pet stores does certainly help.
It is very important that we all educate the general public about where pet store puppies come from... and the problems that usually come with them.... Being hard to house train, IMO, is because they are kept in a crate just about 24/7... where else would the potty?... and the fact that they are taken from their Mom's and littermates way, way to early leads to problems with early socialization. It is easy enough even from a responisble breeder to have behavior problems, let alone a puppy mill puppy....
Interesting to the comment about no one wanted the Basenji pup because she would pee or bite them... not surprising... early socialization is so important for a Basenji, and in reality, all pups regardless of the breed.
The problem with pet store puppies or even puppies from BYB is the fact that people get caught up in the moment... and by from the heart instead of the head.... I know one person that did all the homework for a Sib puppy, found a breeder, was on the list for a puppy... then her husband was in a pet store and saw a Sib puppy, bought it and took it home... 3 days later it died.... so very sad... but the Sib people got together, found them another pup from a responsible breeder and put the two together...
I guess I should have clarified a little. People who come to meet my dogs and spend enough time with them to see their quirks usually either love them or really don't like them. People who see them in passing admire many qualities about them and recogonize they are not the dog for them. But people who have lived with them have a very strong response one way or the other.
Yes, absolutely! I can tell you in our area, in the past (like way long ago past), there must have been some seriously nasty basenjis. 'Cause just about everyone who knows what a basenji is then follows with the comment 'my (neighbor, aunt, family) had one of those when I was a kid…meanest dog I ever met' Yikes! At least my (and Vickie's) dogs are doing a lot to improve the breed reputation in our little part of the world 
I don't think it's just there that there were mean B's. I've heard the same beginning up here as well.
Basenji 30 years ago were for the most part nasty…. almost all breeders that have been with this breed that long will tell you that one of the biggest challanges to the breed was temperament... and they worked on that to really improve temperaments. And of course it is our duty as breeders now to continue that along with health and conformation
Yes, absolutely! I can tell you in our area, in the past (like way long ago past), there must have been some seriously nasty basenjis. 'Cause just about everyone who knows what a basenji is then follows with the comment 'my (neighbor, aunt, family) had one of those when I was a kid…meanest dog I ever met' Yikes! At least my (and Vickie's) dogs are doing a lot to improve the breed reputation in our little part of the world
< I have heard similar things, people that have known mean basenjis. Including myself I used to know a mean little basenji a number of years ago. I still have the scar on my knee from when he bit me. Its because of those storys that I have worked really hard on getting my boy well rounded and kind. I always try to make sure he minds his manners and is polite to all people.
<<<<>>>>
Its so nice to know I'm not the only one with a weird one! My basenji Garrett is so freaking lazy chewing things up is to much work lol!
It's hard for me to think of basenjis as mean creatures. I got my first one 37 years ago from the Humane Society at a time when nobody knew anything about them. No internet forums back then. We just thought she was a cute little critter with great big ears and a curly pig tail. My vet knew what she was but I'd never heard of basenjis. Pumpkin was very good natured, calm, never growled or bit, and loved cats and kids. She was not too destructive but she would chew my shoes up and then hide under the bed to escape punishment, and once chewed plaster off the bathroom wall. Her specialty was treeing squirrels. She'd get halfway up the tree before realizing that she couldn't make it and just hang there waiting to be rescued. She never needed a leash but she did chase down (and caught) a motorcycle once. Before I got Abbey 3 years ago my vet said, Oh no, anything but a basenji. They're wild! I didn't listen to him but boy, was he ever right.
Before I got Abbey 3 years ago my vet said, Oh no, anything but a basenji. They're wild! I didn't listen to him but boy, was he ever right.
And boy, aren't you glad you didn't listen to the vet? Then you never would have had all of life's little pleasures!!
we bought our sweet baby Nyahbinghi from Debbie's Petland after keeping an eye on her for over a month we couldnt stand it any more and brought her home. It was breaking our hearts to see a basenji in here shivering from the air conditioning. 
She had worms and an eye infection but we didnt care, we got her to a vet and everything cleared up, and she is our sweet one, and our felakuti is our big boy.
we bought our sweet baby Nyahbinghi from Debbie's Petland after keeping an eye on her for over a month we couldnt stand it any more and brought her home. It was breaking our hearts to see a basenji in here shivering from the air conditioning.
While that is great that she found her forever home (was this the pup with an extra toe?)…. remember each time someone buys from a pet store, they enourage pet stores to keep offering them... I only hope that for as long as that pup had to wait for a home that might discourage Debbie's Petland from getting more Basenjis. Also remember that pups in pet stores are NOT health tested....and come from NOT responsible breeders
