Hello All,
I was doing a Google Search on Jodi Brown and came upon this forum about the love of my life 
I wanted to give an update.
Last year, my boyfriend and I "bought" (we like to say adopted) Macy. We were always intrigued by the breed and like many of you, searched "basenji" on Craigslist and found this ad. We immediately contacted the owner and we quickly set up a time to meet her the following day. We drove 45 minutes out of Washington, DC (where we live) to the previous owners' house. Macy was a little skittish at first and then finally warmed up enough to us and let us pet her. The previous owners told us about their story and it turns out that the guy was laid off and was going to start working for my boyfriend's fraternity brother. The job was offered to my boyfriend and we knew how much travel it entailed and with 3 young kids and mom going back to work–we understood Macy's situation. They gave her a good home, she wasn't abused, hurt or neglected. However, one of the first things we noticed was that she was underweight, which they attribute to Macy "not being a large eater." I didn't think they weren't caring owners--I just think they were inexperienced and did not fully understand the breed. They also told us how they got her. Being volunteers at an animal shelter, we knew the red flags around the "shipping from MO." She had never been formally trained, so we knew that would be a lot of work. We went back and forth but finally decided to give Macy the forever home she really deserved.
The first thing we did was change Macy's food to a super premium food. The "small appetite" seemed like a lie. She happily eats 2 meals a day and loves treats. Macy put on 2 lbs since we first brought her home and you can no longer see her ribs. She goes on 4 walks a day and goes to obedience class 2-3 times a week. Because of her poor socialization as a puppy and her possible upbringing at a PM/BYB, she's not very fond of other dogs on leash. Off leash at the dog park or daycare, she is a social butterfly and plays with any dog that wants to chase her. She has issues with strangers touching her and again, this is probably a product of her poor socialization early on. Our trainers have been wonderful and I can proudly say that she knows how to heel and will take treats from strangers hands (no touching though)! Macy used to sleep away from her family in her crate downstairs, now she snuggles up with Mom and Dad in bed. In fact, Macy snuggles whenever she gets a chance. We are in the process of getting her tested for Fanconi and we're hoping we get negative results. Regardless of what the results are, she will always have a loving home with us and will always be well taken care of.
I appreciate everyone's concern on this forum. My boyfriend and I are friends with the BRAT coordinator in DC and I will be helping plan the convention this summer. I look forward to meeting some of you and letting you meet Macy in person
