Even though you have a fenced in yard, what about getting a BIG outdoor kennel that she can go in when she can't be supervised. I went to another B owners house today for a meet up and she had a HUGE one in her backyard, plus the yard was fenced in. You could even put a doggie house in there so she could go in if its too hot/rainy. I would still be careful about leaving her alone outside though, what if a big storm with hail or extreme heat occur when she can't be supervised? What about just allowing her in ONE room of your house, like your bedroom in a crate while you are gone? Yeah, she might not like it as much, but at least she will be safe, and my basenji does wonderful in a crate, and doesn't seem to mind it too much.
Either way, I would definitely not let her go the way things are going now…if she gets out, how do you even know she will make her way back home? I doubt Tosca would...
Seriously, please be careful, so far you have been lucky nothing has happened, but I am afraid luck could run out...
his mom is trying to move into the trailer with her fiance soon so that would solve the problem, but until then i guess i am just gonna have to hope and pray that she doesn't kill anything or get killed. If she does move it will be within the next month or so.
And, wouldn't it be worth it to do something just for piece of mind? If I had to worry about whether or not my dog will be alive when I return every time I am gone, I would never want to leave the house…I would obsess over it the whole time, and certainly wouldn't be able to function at work or anything...
The biggest issue that I really think you have here is that your Basenji is going to get attacked by another dog protecting the animals on the surrounding farms, clubed, run over, shot or poisoned. While I am not attempting to scare you at the moment, this is the reality of what happens to animals that chase livestock. Its also not helping you with your neighbor relations. How allergic is the mother to the dog? Have you witnessed an allergic reaction by her, or were you just told verbally that she has an allergy to the dog.
I found this on the net:
“I have allergies and understand that basenjis are hypo-allergenic. Is this true?”
Basenjis do not have doggy odor and have limited dander. Many people who suffer with allergies are able to live with a basenji in their home. If this applies to all allergy sufferers, we can not say for certain as the extent of allergies differs from one person to another. Visit a breeder and spend some time with the dogs to see if you experience any sensitivity while around them.
Maybe a test of the mothers allergy would be something to consider if you can get her to cooperate.
Jason
I can only ditto what has been said previously and I wouldn't hope for nothing bad to happen in the next month until the mother leaves. That's 30 days when something can go wrong. In addition to trying leaving the dog in your room or in a crate, how about finding a doggie daycare in the area. The coyote roller is also a good idea as is the super large kennel. Don't wait any longer do whatever it takes to protect your basenji!
My previous basenji was hit by a car when he accidentally got out of the kennel and a previous mutt I owned got kicked when he teased a horse. It is awful to lose a beloved pet!
And my current basenji chases and catches and sometimes kills small animals. In some areas, when dogs harass farm animals the farmer is legal to shoot the dog.
I do know lots of people that have allergies and react badly to Basenjis… because they do shed (abit most not alot except for about once a year) and they do have dander... that is one of the things that really gets to me about things you read on the net about Basenjis... No bark - does NOT equal mute! and No shedding - WRONG!!!
well we have a leash ready that is tied to the porch and the porch is screened in and has a fan and during the day when i am home and him mom is gone i try and bring her in, but i have to make sure i super clean the house everytime do this. her allergies are not severe but she constatntly sneezes and coughes and has bad eye problems becasue of the shedding…Scarlett is a basenji bulldog mix is another thing to remember. At our old place she was crated during the day and did fine but we have very limited space here and her crate is one the porch and there is no room in the house for it. I am at my wits end and running out of ideas... i would absoultely lose it if something happened to her.
you guys have been really helpful, but i guess until she leaves i am just gonna have to keep trying different things. i just hate leaving her tied up all day and i can't bear the thought of the crate in the heat, at least on the leash she can get into the shade and move around more.
She doesn't look like a killer…:(
Thanks for clarifying that she is a mix…
This is going to sound very strong and angry, and I don't mean for it to, but I'm trying to seriously explain to you the possible consequences of your dog being loose and chasing stock.
Since Memorial Day I have had several geese killed and eaten and two sheep mauled by either dogs or coyotes. Neither sheep was killed, just really torn up. Last week I had sit down in the pasture with a sheep my daughter raised on a bottle 8 years ago and put it to sleep rather than watch it suffer. It was in such bad shape we couldn't even lift it up to put it in the truck for a trip to the vet.
We are trying to decide how to stop these animals without putting our own dogs at risk. Poison is one alternative, but there's always the chance my boys could end up with it. Shooting is another, but something I really can't bring myself to do. We're also talking to animal control about coming out to put traps out. They would then put the animals to sleep. As much as I want to protect my animals, I have a very soft heart and it's hard for me thinking about killing these attackers. Most people I know wouldn't think twice about it.
Honestly, if you can't figure out a way to keep your dog from chasing and potentially harming other people's animals on their property, there is a strong possibility either your neighbors or the animals themselves will hurt or kill Scarlett.
i have started tying her out on the porch but she looks pitiful and once his mom leaves she is going to be coming inside and go back to being the inside dog she was before we lost our place and had to move out here…lets just hope she doesn't figure out how to get off the leash and off the porch in the meantime. the porch is daytime only and she is being crated at night to get used to the crate again...she will continue to be crated during the day once she's brought in unless we can figure out a way to keep her in the pen in the yard.
To Eli and Me, I am so very sorry for the loss of your stock, sheep and geese.
I don't think most of us think of how much folks who have these large/different animals bond with them…same as we bond with our dogs...
It must have been awful for you.
Morgan something else that should be brought up, altho it does seem like your working on the loose dog issue, is that if your dog does hurt/kill any animals, you will be libal for paying for the damage or replacement of the stock.
If its a chicken, I don't imagine its too much, but what if your b bites a cow or horse? Hurts its leg. That could be as much as a used kennel run.
So, maybe you can get on line and find someone who has a used dog run for to buy...something you can put a top on and keep her contained.
We do so want this getting out to stop so you and your dog aren't at risk..
Your b is lovely...I can see why you love her so much.
Sharron…Thank you...It is surprising the bond/protectiveness you grow to have for these animals, especially the sheep who really have no way to protect themselves. I wouldn't even let my daughter go down to the pasture, she cried enough without seeing the results.
Morgan...Again I don't want to sound hostile, I just don't want anything to happen to Scarlett. I know that would break your heart.
Can you keep your dog in a crate in YOUR bedroom? Or what about using a baby gate or something to keep the dog in your room, if there is not enough room for a crate? That way your you shouldn't have to worry about your mom's allergies…it would only be in YOUR room. Either way, I would do something, your dog may not like it but at least Scarlett will be alive. If she were my dog I would rather have her miserable for a month, then killed or hurt from being let loose.
I would also try craigslist.com to try to find someone near you selling a kennel that could go outside. you just type in craigslist.com, go to the state you are in, and select your region. Then just search what you are looking to buy. Its like ebay without the auctions, more like an online garage sale.
Eli_and_Me wrote..
Sharron…Thank you...It is surprising the bond/protectiveness you grow to have for these animals, especially the sheep who really have no way to protect themselves. I wouldn't even let my daughter go down to the pasture, she cried enough without seeing the results.
I do believe we are caretakers for the animals we love and tend. We are in my belief system required to do the very best for these critters we can.
The loss of a animal that was tended, fed and cared for is no less than our loss of a beloved house pet.. in my mind.
Hugs and hugs for this awful thing that happened to your critters.:(
If it was not domestic dogs, then its is part of natures way, as tough as that is...having dogs who run loose, in packs feral or pets gone bad, just makes it harder for folks like yourself.
Hugs, hugs, hugs again...
we have discussed the issue with his mom and have decided that for the time being that she is going to let us have the dog in the house even with her allergies and she is just going to up her allergy meds per ok by her doc today! YAY 
Our bedroom is way to full of furniture to put a crate and she is too big for a baby gate…she jumps into the bed of the pick up truck unassisted, so we are placeing her crate in the spare room until his mom moves.
We, meaning myself and my boyfriend, took Scarlett to the trailer today on her harness and lead and let her meet the cows and bulls and new calf and the roosters and hens and chicks. She was with me and I was in full control of her and the situation on my side. We slowly walked around the barnyard and passed the henhouse and where the chickens were walking. She initially seemed like she wanted to chase but after a few firm commands and tugs at the harness and reprimands she stopped. The rooster did approach us and my boyfriend's future step-dad quickly approached to helo mediate if need be. Te rooster became angry and showed his aggression but never actually attacked, but it scared Scarlett good. She quickly realized that the chickens could in fact hurt her if they wanted to. As we approached the cow pasture, we noticed a cow currently calving and we stopped to watch, none of us noticed the bull approaching the fence except Scarlett. I felt her move behind me and noticed him approaching and was immediately on alert. All of the cows and the bull are Brahma's so they all have the huge knots. The bull is relatively young and unless he feels threatened will not usually react, but you can never be sure. Scarlett immediately laid down and she slowly and surely slid herself across the ground to the fence and Nutter Knot (the bull) had bowed his head and was sniffing at her. They eventually sniffed each other and touched noses and he licked her head. ( i wish i has my camera to get pictures of this) Scarlett acknowledged him as the dominant beast in the situation and she didn't get up until he had walked off. I figure that she learned that chickens aren't always nice and fun to chase and that cows and bulls are bigger than her, but i am definitely not letting her loose anytime soon to find out other wise!
This is wonderful news..I knew you would find a way to keep her safe..
What that face on the photo you posted..how could you not??
Hugs dear.
Let us know how it goes.
Chew bones in the crate help a lot!
That's great news!
And here's a timely item from our local news paper today…
Dog kills 105 chickens...
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=196940&ac=PHnws
Thank God, we reached a conclusion before she did something like that or worse.
Thank all you guys for all you help and suggestions, we are still looking into the coyote collar for the pen as well just so that she does get some of the outside run time that she is soooo used to now.
It looks like you've already got a lot of great advice! I can confirm that Basenjis will kill prey. A deer got into my dad's orchard years ago, and my first B, Bell, killed it by chasing it down and jumping up and grabbing onto its throat - repeated three times until she did mortal damage. It's in their genes, and there's plenty of ancient Egyptian art showing just that.
We have a farmer nearby that raises sheep, and feels no remorse in shooting any dog that get's in to chase his sheep around - it's happened several times already. I don't imagine that the farmers in your area are much different - their livestock is their livelihood, so they get a tad defensive!
