Welcome, and so glad to see you respect a dog enough to do some research before getting one. I LOVE that attitude! Stick around - there is tons of great info here and everyone cares about the breed SO much! :)
At 18 months and 7lbs I very much doubt that he's got Basenji in him but who knows. It doesn't matter,- he's a delightfulchap and good to have you both on here. Looking forward to more pictures.
hey, you could get your feet wet by volunteering to foster or transport Basenjis! Go to BRAT web site and sign up. ALSO, go to dog shows and meet some basenjis. We have california breeders and owners here so you can get some hands on!
http://basenjirescue.org/volunteer.asp
He certainly looks like he could be a basenji-mix, he is very cute! Welcome to the Forum! We have several basenji-mixes in our local dog park group, they are so funny, they all act purely basenji.
Anne in Tampa, FL