No Basenji's at Discover Dogs
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I was very disappointed to see the Basenji Clubs had not put on a stand for Discover Dogs at Crufts. Does anyone know why this is?
We hear over and over about the "wrong" people wanting/buying basenjis and them ending up in homes that dont understand their needs and requirements, so surely opportunities like this should be taken to give potential new owners accurate information about the breed and the opportunity to interact with the dogs which many of them may not have even done before buying a puppy. I know when i was looking into buying a pug several years ago, the first place i went to meet them was the DD stand at Crufts.
I would be interested to know why the basenji clubs havent put this on. A friend of mine does a breed stand at DD at Crufts and Earl's Court and really enjoys it - hard work but very rewarding. I would be more than happy to take Maya along as a "sample basenji" :D
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Maya - after incidents - one being a visitor insisting that her young son be allowe to pat the basenji because they had "payed to visit Discover dogs" despite the fact that the Basenji in question had had along and tiring day- the Breed Council requested that the KC provide rest areas where the dogs could have a break. The KC explained that they didn't have the space to provide these and so the BC decided to withdraw froim Discover Dogs.
It was suggested that a video of Basenjis in various surroundings, experiences etc. bbut although the Breed Council did consider this it never materialised. I must admit that there were also difficulties in getting enough volunteers especially ones with in-depth knowledge of the breed.
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Ahh… Thats not good. It is certainly very important to ensure that the dogs on DD are very people friendly. They shouldnt really be biting people no matter how tired they are though.....!
I think it is a matter of common sense with it really. I know the pug stand is very careful with rotating their dogs and giving them "time out" in their covered crates within the booth, taking them for walks and into the exercise areas. You are also allowed to take the DD dogs outside for fresh air at Crufts. The dogs dont have to be stuck on the stand all day, if the booth has plenty of information, pictures and people to talk to the public there is no reason there has to be a dog there at all times.
Its a shame that there are not enough volunteers, there has been so much talk recently about basenji's in the wrong hands, it just surprised me that people werent taking this fantastic opportunity to promote the breed with accurate information.
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Jess - why don't you put a proposal to each of the individual clubs that they take a Discover Dogs stand. There are new people in the breed now who may be more interested.
Also I do know that some of the breeds at DD this year had asked for double stands precisely to give space so that dogs could be rested without being crowded in.
It wasn't a case of tired dogs biting but as you know Basenjis object to having strangers pushing into their faces. There are plenty of other breeds who would also object to this. After all I'm sure that nobody would put a dog of bad temperament on the stand. That wouldn't do the breed any good!!
I remember one Crufts when one of the basenjis went for the judge and headlines were 'Biting Basenji'!! You can imagine the uproar and the disservice it did to the breed!
I'm not sure who would ascertain that the information would be accurate though. I do know that some of the info on the club websites is incorrect!!!
