I must agree that naive, first-time wanne-be owners need to do deep, extensive research. Basenjis are supremely unique and definitely not a good choice for a "beginner."
I adopted an 18-month old 3/4 Basenji (other 1/4 is Min Pin, yet another quirky little breed, with some "bad" similarities to B's). I was somewhat familiar with B's, but not even a little bit of "enough!!" Gosh, Izzy-Bella was a piperoo!! A little 18 pound bundle of energy, destruction, and escapism. BUT, I have always loved bad boys (9 years working in a high school), so a little bad girl was a sort of delight. But, again, it takes many years before these dogs mellow out and mature and maximize their amazing intelligence. Izzy is SO SO smart: her early unbridled destructiveness has pretty much ended, and now, at ten years old, she amazes us every day with her intelligence, innate understanding, observational skills, language acumen, and comedic skills. And at ten years old, she acts like a three year old! I hope this means she will live forever.
Once you have bonded with a Basenji, you are probably done and gone. But
first-timers REALLY need to do their research and homework.
Someone referred to entrusting their dog
to a family member. I would entrust my B to nobody except a bona fide Vet hospital/kennel, with big-time fences and enclosures, B's are exceptional diggers-under-fences and escape artists. And a Number One cause of
death for them is traffic. Their prey instinct sends them careening into
traffic. Dumber than deer.
But, bottom line: do your due diligence Basenji research, and understand early on that these dogs are singularly unique: indescribably destructive; escape artists; independent thinkers and behaviorists; smarter than you can even begin to imagine (I swear my Izzy understands everything I say and reads my mind!); and prepare to have lots of tissues on hand as auxiliary food, because apparently, Basenjis require wood pulp
projects to prosper!! I don't get it.
Basenji's in Edmonton, Alberta??
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Hi there, I was just curious if there are any other B's where I live. Write me a note if there are. I have never ever seen any others and most people don't know this type of dog in my area.
Thanks!
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We live on the south side. I know Pam still has a red female on the west side, and I've seen a red male on the north. I think Blaze is the most well known… all the vets and boarding kennels know him and refuse to board him...
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oh dear! What a reputation. hehe.
Nice to hear of another B owner in Edmonton. Nulla is our first and we will never go back!! She is absolutely perfect. haha
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Where did you get her from? I'm trying to convince the hubby that we need another one, but he keeps saying that thay are too far away, or other excuses… grrrr But Blaze is my geezer pup.
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I saw another two today. A black female and a red male in the southeast. I got the guy's e-mail address and am hoping to find out the breeder. They were beautiful.
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Oh oops! I haven't been on here in forever! We got Nulla from a breeder in Lethbridge. There are two breeders that we have found in Alberta. She is amazing! She is a little smaller than some I have seen being 17 pounds at 9 and a half months. A lady asked me today if she was spayed because she said she would make beautiful babies. Too bad she is!
We liked our breeder. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck! When we move into a bigger house, we are definately going to get another one. -
Oh oops! I haven't been on here in forever! We got Nulla from a breeder in Lethbridge. There are two breeders that we have found in Alberta. She is amazing! She is a little smaller than some I have seen being 17 pounds at 9 and a half months. A lady asked me today if she was spayed because she said she would make beautiful babies. Too bad she is!
We liked our breeder. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck! When we move into a bigger house, we are definately going to get another one. -
I don't know what happened. I only posted once and it came up like this!
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There are a few people out there. One of our new directors for the BCOC is Bob Ruddy. I know there are a few more members in Alberta, but not a lot.
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I live DT and have a 5 year old black and white girl and a four yearl old boy.
