Pedro,
Please read this carefully. Tanza & Lvoss have been doing this a long time. They know what they are talking about. I've had basenjis for 3 years now, and I feel I have done a fair amount of research and learning about basenjis. Lvoss & Tanza have both seen me post a lot on this forum and grow and learn, and neither one of them has ever been mean to me, despite my first two basenjis being backyard breeder (same as a petstore) basenjis. In fact, when I found out about Fanconi & another responsible breeder on this same forum was able to tell me that my dog came from a line with fanconi in it, Tanza personally e-mailed back & forth with me, reassuring me and helping me keep my head through the wait. She also provided me with a contact phone number to call when my boy's results were taking longer than my girl's results.
I can guarantee that if I lived closer to Tanza or Lvoss & asked them to mentor me, they would in a heartbeat. If I expressed an interest in breeding, they would both be more than willing to share with me and teach me any and all knowledge they have. BUT they would also give me the harsh realities & truths & questioning that they are giving you, even though they already sort of know me. They TRULY do care about THE BREED AS A WHOLE. If they did not care about the breed, they would not be on this forum answering the mundane repetitive and sometimes stupid questions that the newbies (myself included) ask on a daily basis.
Believe me Pedro, they are looking out for the interests of the breed as a whole, first and foremost. I don't know if you remember when the 101 Dalmations movie came out a few years ago, but a horrible thing happened to Dalmations as a result of that movie. All of a sudden, everybody wanted a Dalmation. Lots of people decided they could make money selling dalmation puppies, and they were right. They made money without doing showing or health testing. They just bred dalmations to dalmations to make more dalmations without regard to conformation or health. The breed as a whole suffered; dalmations were born with poor temperaments, horrible health problems, and ended up in kill shelters in huge numbers when uneducated people who just bought a "cute puppy like the one in the movie" realized they were in over their heads with a live animal that required caring for. Lvoss and Tanza do not want to see this happen to basenjis. So the more they can help educate potential breeders, the better off basenjis are.
Just so you know, I was once idealistic about breeding, too. I got two backyard breeder dogs, and although I knew I wouldn't be breeding those two together or breeding anytime in the near future, I wanted to learn about conformation and health testing before I decided to spay or neuter either of my dogs. Once I realized how much I have yet to learn, I immediately spayed my girl. I realized quality basenjis and good mentors who will help me will always exist, so there was no reason to consider breeding my current dog. So I spayed her and have a wonderful pet.
Now I'm at a new place in my life. After researching more and waiting for the perfect situation, I managed to find a show quality dog from a responsible breeder. I may not ever breed her, BUT if I do decide to breed her someday, her breeder, her sire's breeder, and another local breeder are all willing to help me and guide me and provide information about her full background. I know I don't ever have to worry about questions with health or pedigree, because I can talk to any one of these breeders anytime.
Nobody on here is trying to make you feel like your dog is a crappy dog. They are trying to teach you the difference between a good breeding decision and a poor breeding decision. Its like any hobby. Just because you own a set of golf clubs does not make you a pro golfer. You have to learn and practice and practice and practice and work hard and invest a lot of time and money into it. Maybe one day in the distant future you might be able to make it to the Masters, but in the meantime, if you are not a pro golfer, it doesn't make you a bad person. You could be a great mom, a wonderful friend, an amazing volunteer at a hospital, etc etc, you just aren't a pro golfer. Yes, you could breed your dog, but why? What does he have to offer the breed? Does he have the world's best temperament? Does he fit the standard more perfectly than any other basenji that has ever lived? Does he have great health coupled with decent conformation and great temperament? Or is he just a dog that you love more than the sun and moon? I'm hoping this comment won't offend anybody, but just look at people. All people can technically make babies, but does that mean all people should just because they can?
I hope this makes sense. I think in your rush to be defensive, you are overlooking what people are really trying to say here. They are looking out for the breed's best interests first, and your best interests second. It seems from your posts that you don't have a lot of time or money to spare, and just like with parenting, it is a punishment to the dog (or child) if you don't have resources to devote to their upbringing.
I'm not trying to lecture or judge, and neither are Tanza or Lvoss. But it is not a bad idea to just neuter your current dog regardless of health testing, and then ask them to start mentoring you. It is worth the wait, the time and the effort you put into it, I promise. Some day you will get a truly quality dog and perhaps you will breed it. You will see the difference between a petstore dog and a dog from a responsible breeder. When I got my first basenji, I thought conformation was stupid and pointless, too. Looking back, he is the ugliest basenji I've ever seen. He's a great dog and I wouldn't go back to change the decision to get him for all the gold in the world, but his type of ugly does not need to be spread. He's also a Fanconi carrier.
Tanza & Lvoss really are both trying to help you. This post is just food for thought; it is not meant to upset you.
