Fab, did you ever get a little basenji, or are you still looking? This thread is rather interesting, but dated… 
I contacted SHEMAX kennels once about a male they got. Said it was from Hestekin Hills kennels and it was registered and all. I asked Teresa and i cant remember what she said. I think she had sold it to someone and they must have sold him to the owner…ANNYWAYS they sent me pictures and i was horrified at the sight of the dog. Poor thing! It had cuts and scrapes...seeing Teresas dogs and that one i couldnt believe it was one of hers! I felt so bad! Teresa keeps her dogs in good condition and that dogs was just...sad! and he said he had like 40 pups for sale at the time...can you say puppy mill?! andthey were all kept in outdoor runs. The females he had were not in much better shape than the stud...It was sad to see...anyways I read the forum about their reply to health testing, they said the same thing to me...I quickly stopped contacting them...I would NOT recommend them to anyone NOR would i buy a puppy from them.
I will say that dog auctions are one way that some of these breeders acquire their dogs and also how they get rid of them. I met the Maxwells at an auction.
Jennifer
@dcmclcm4
I want to let everyone know that I also don't agree with "bad breeding" practices. And, I prefer rescue, which is how i have obtained all of my babies. Interestingly enough, however, my Tootsie, from Sheila Maxwell in Keota, OK, (I got her through B rescue, as I was a volunteer at the time) Is 12 this month, and has NEVER had one health issue in her whole life. She is not a "looker" for sure, but my well bred Basenjis died at age 3, of Cancer, and 10, of a brain tumor, and at 12, of Cancer. Tootsie is as strong and nutty (and with an extremely even, sassy but sweet ) personality. Her previous owners paid $400 for her and she was shipped out to Mass from OK. Strange!
@tanza
However, again - you get what you pay for. If someone is looking for a pet basenji, there isn't as much cause to do the testing beyond making surethe mom is ok to have pups. I DO AGREE that 12 is insane to breed a dog and have her deliver pups. This woman is obviously treating her dogs as farm animals, and that is not good. Still odd to me that my one dog (rescued from the first owner) is my longest lived B to date, and has NEVER had a health issue.
@boosenji If you ever had a Basenji with Fanconi, I believe you would change your mind about health testing... regardless if a show dog or a pet. And with DNA, there is NEVER a reason again to produce a Basenji that will develop Fanconi. Same with PRA... health testing is important, period
@boosenji said in We are looking for R/W puppy to join our family:
@tanza
However, again - you get what you pay for. If someone is looking for a pet basenji, there isn't as much cause to do the testing beyond making surethe mom is ok to have pups. I DO AGREE that 12 is insane to breed a dog and have her deliver pups. This woman is obviously treating her dogs as farm animals, and that is not good. Still odd to me that my one dog (rescued from the first owner) is my longest lived B to date, and has NEVER had a health issue.
Pet or show, there is every reason to do testing. "making sure the mom is ok to have pups" includes massive genetic testing. Just being "okay to breed" doesn't mean she's okay to actually produce puppies. Pet or show, you want puppies to be healthy. Testing for heart, Fanconi and other genetic disorders is a minimal.
I just happened to back up on this post from 10 years ago, and my response in 2017.
It’s amazing, because although I understand people‘s concerns about Sheila Maxwell, I believe my Tootsie was born when her mother was about nine or 10, and no I don’t agree with that. My only point was that my other three Basenji‘s all died younger one at 3 (!) at 10 and one at 13, (a respectable age, but developed health issues at age 11)
Sheila Maxwell‘s Oklahoma backyard bred Basenji, Tootsie, is still alive and well at 15 1/2! She’s had kidney disease for two years (!) but other than that has had no health issues, so my only point is that some of these purebred dogs of all breeds, come with many more issues than a mixed breed, or a not so well bred purebred. Tootsie most likely will not see 16 years of age, but she has been an incredibly healthy (albeit not good looking ) dog. We’ve had the same luck with German Shepherd’s, the ones that came from extremely reputable breeders, still died younger and with more health issues than our rescued 2 1/2 year-old straight backed German Shepherd, and I do believe that unfortunately, most of the breeders have to breed for certain traits, which sometimes are severe detriments to the health of the dog.
I was not speaking of Fanconi, only speaking of the fact that unfortunately, many purebred dogs are just not as healthy as a “backyard bred” dog. I do not condone what Sheila Maxwell did breeding dogs at such a late stage, and not really breeding potentially good quality dogs, however, as you see in my comment above, I’ve got a dog from her that is 15 1/2 years old and reasonably healthy and doing great. I just worry about the breeding g programs, there’s only so much you can do within the stock if you’re breeding for looks, (among other things) and that is what they have to do.
@boosenji - Responsible breeders breed for health, temperament, and conformation. They health test before breeding. Health testing is not just Fanconi. Responsible breeders take responsibility for what they breed. BYB's do not. The person you speak of had Basenjis in rescue because the breeder would not take them back. Responsible breeders do take pups back for whatever reason, it is in the contract. So as a breeder I totally disagree that purebred dogs from responsible breeders are not as healthy as a BYB.
The problem with anecdotal evidence is that it's not "data" as such. There are always going to be cases of irresponsible breeding resulting in an exceptional individual, as there are also cases of well thought out breeding programs resulting in an undesirable pup. That said, some dog breeds have definitely suffered from breeding to the current fad, or what is getting put up in the show ring. This is true in both dogs and horses, and often leads to distressing extremes. For a good example, look at German Shepherd dogs over the years!
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
@eeeefarm - Agree eeeefarm, but I do not believe that with responsible breeders this is happening with Basenjis at least not in the US.
@tanza said in We are looking for R/W puppy to join our family:
@eeeefarm - Agree eeeefarm, but I do not believe that with responsible breeders this is happening with Basenjis at least not in the US.
Nor the UK either !
