Rocky has had several homes through no fault of his own. He was pulled from a south Florida shelter a couple of years ago by a wonderful man who met Rocky while volunteering there and just had to take him out. He already had 2 females dogs (not basenjis) and when he had to move out of the country and could only take 2 dogs, he left Rocky with a friend who really wanted him. Rocky was great with her kids (not toddlers) but she broke out in hives whenever she petted or cuddled him. After some months and soul searching, Rocky moved in with her friend who loved him too and had a big dog Rocky loved to play with. That person now has a new job with lots of traveling and Rocky just isn't getting what he needs, time and exercise-wise. Rocky is about 4 or 5, red and white, gets along great with other basenjis and other dogs, as long as they don't push him too far. Good with kids (5 and up), has fun at dog park, really a nice dog and I would take him but I already have 3, all I can afford as they are older and at the expensive stage! I told the original owner I would help find Rocky a good forever home, all our friends already have 2 or 3 basenjis!
I would drive Rocky pretty far to the right home, either in Florida, Georgia or even Alabama. If anyone is interested in this great dog, write back and we can get Forum moderators to put us in direct contact.
Anne in Tampa
Have you considered listing him with BRAT..they do a great job matching home and families.
Yes, Pam and I have talked about him. She had a potentially"perfect" home for him a couple of months ago, and room for him at her house, but the current owners weren't quite ready to part with him. Local BRAT is now overwhelmed, needless to say.
I know of a couple of local dogs who found great homes via this Forum route, so thought I would post him to see if anyone local was interested.
We may be interested in Rocky but have a few questions if you are able to answer them.
My mom is actually the one that is interested in adopting him. Cody and I have been staying with my parents since July, but we will be moving in a few months. My mom has fallen in love with Cody and is interested in rescuing a basenji. She also has a 7 yr old mix, Moe (aka Cody?s partner in crime, and he?s in many of my pics). Our backyard is about an acre and is fenced in with chain link fencing.
We were wondering about his health (allergies, medications, special diet, Fanconi testing, etc). Also, we are curious about his behavior, like, is he house destructive, does he have to be crated when alone, does he ride well in a car, is he a climber/escaper, etc. I know you are placing him for someone else, so any information that you can provided would be appreciated. We just want to know as much about him as possible because we want to make sure he will be a good fit with our family and that we would be a good fit for him. Plus, my dad has to give her the final okay (although I don?t think he?ll tell her no) and he wants to know as much as possible.
I hope Rocky has a new place soon.
Rocky lived with a shiba inu and a pharoah hound, both females, when he was sprung from the shelter, had been a stray. The owner then fostered a basenji female and Rocky and The girl were best buds. When the owner moved out of country, the woman, with 2 kids, found she was allergic to HIM, but he has no allergies that I know of. I doubt he has been DNA tested for Fanconi, and may not have been strip tested either, his owners are not regular members of our Sunday group. I will e-mail the current 'owner', ex-boyfriend of that woman. Rocky currently lives with a neutered American bulldog and they play great, Rocky is rougher at play than he was before living with Worm. I don't think he is crated, but I will get the answers to your questions.
Anne
Thank you! The thing that we are most worried about is whether or not he is a climber since we have chain link fencing. The rest is just trying to figure out if we are the right home for him and trying to be prepared. So far, I'm hopeful, especially if he is getting along well with the male he is living with now.
I copied your post and sent it to his current owner with your questions. Rocky is about 4 I think but likes having a playmate or kids to play with. He has very short fur, and is a nice dog. I would think he may have some trust issues, having been in 3 or 4 homes in the last 2 years. On the other hand, they have all been folks who love him, so he may just need a little time to know he is really 'home'.
Are your folks home a lot? Is their dog outside when they are gone, or inside? (or dog door?) Rocky has lived with folks who work away from home so should be OK, especially with a playmate.
My mom is home most of the time, she doesn't work, whereas my dad is usually away working for days at a time. Their dog stays inside when they are gone, and the dogs are never left alone for long periods of time.
Moe, her dog, is dominant though. He has to be petted first, gets his treat first, gets fed first, etc. He will let us know if thinks we aren't giving him enough attention and we are giving Cody too much (he'll subtly nudge Cody out of the way). We're working on it, but he was an only dog for almost 7 years, so I'm not sure if we'll ever completely change it. He does love other dogs though.
Clarification: Moe isn't aggressively dominant, he will just kind of push himself into being first or the center of attention.
We sure do want the best for him.
No response yet from Rocky's owner. Rocky is not strong dominant, but he is a basenji and NOT 'beta' either. He and Moe might hit it off…or not. And that's a long way to go to find out it isn't working. At any rate, we will see how the owner answers your questions about climbing.
Anne
Well, while we are definitely interested as long as everything seems like it may work out, if you all can find him a home that is closer to FL where you think he will be happy, please go ahead. We'd love to have Rocky join our family, but I just want him to find a good home with the least amount of stress.
And thank you for all you are doing.
Still no answer to your questions from his owner. I think he really wants Rocky, so this whole thing is difficult for him.
I can definitely understand that. We aren't in a hurry and really just want what's best for him. And I'm sure the distance between us would make it doubly difficult. If I had to re-home Cody, I would want it to be with someone that lives close enough that I could visit him. That's part of the reason I said if you can find him a good home close to FL to go ahead.
Hi Everyone,
It has been a while since I have posted anything. I am the lady who adopted Mia last March from a gentleman named Marc. He was going back in the service and was looking for a new home for her.
Well, my gal is doing fine and I am so glad we got her. My favorite part is at night when she snuggles so close to me. She loves her mommies.
Anne, the reason I am writing is I would like to find out if Rocky has found a new home yet? I met Rocky when he was with Melissa and her children. I know he is a real nice boy. I didn't adopt him because we decided we wanted a female.
I was speaking this morning to a lady that I take Martial Arts classes with. She is very interested in getting a male R/W Basenji. She already has two Rigebacks, one male and one female. I told her about Rocky and she seems quite interested. She lives in Clearwater and has a fenced in yard. She is true dog lover.
Let me know if Rocky is still looking for a home. If so, how can she contact you.
Also Anne, I am the lady that walks Lissa's girls once a week.
Thanks…Lisa
I wrote to you at home, Lisa
