Everyone needs to talk about a spay/neuter... while in Europe it is not the "norm" to do so... however in the US it is.... that said waiting till the pup is mature is the best... but in the US we have issues with puppymills and Backyard breeders that breed/sell pups for profit... My contracts say that the pup needs to be spayed/neutered... and we talk about the age. Again, I will say that my puppy people are "Vetted" before getting a puppy, but many Puppymiller puppies and/or Backyard Breeders could not care if those pups were bred or not... nor are they health tested... so as they say "buyer beware". Responsible breeders stay in touch with the pups they place... the others... NOT... could not care less... OK I said my 2cents... And many in the US are not ready to keep a female that is in season... a short story about a friend that had 2 German Shepards... Male/Female in tact.... female came in season, so they locked to male in the backyard, female in their garage... the male "ate down the door to the garage to get to the female..".... puppies happened... no health testing either... IT HAPPENS... DO NOT THINK THAT IT WILL NOT! And I can tell you stories about males coming through windows in the home to get to a bitch in season....years ago we had a 12yr in-tact male lab 3 blocks over, he knew exactly when my Basenji bitches were in season... thankfully we had 12ft fences... but he was there every single day... not so for many homes that have fences this big... and if this boy was younger... I can bet he would have found a way over the fence
Finally, Jibini has a friend who will lick water off of him….
-
In September, we added a 4th dog to the madness at our place, and I think she's claimed Jibini for her own :).
"Ellie" is a 16 month old female French Brittany hunting dog (from French import parents; the French Britt conforms to FCI standards which are different than AKC's especially with color. Which is why people generally make the distinction between the "French" Brittany and the American version, but the AKC still registers them as the same breed. Just figured I'd clarify that, LOL). She's one heck of a bird dog, incredibly bright and sweet, and I'm continually amazed just how seamlessly she's integrated herself into the "pack". She fit right in from the beginning, even adjusting to the household routine within a week. Even Chloe the B-mix only had a few ugly words for her at the beginning- but now they really seem to enjoy each other's company.
And Jibini, Mr. Grumpypants himself….absolutely adores her. I haven't seen him this tolerant or snuggly with another dog since my Boxer, the dog he grew up with, passed away. Nothing Ellie does seems to warrant a snark from Jibini. She can even walk over him while he's sleeping on the couch, nudge up against him, etc....and he'll hardly even grunt. He deliberately cuddles with her, for crying out loud.
Now, Jibini has long been the self-appointed "towel dog" for the whole household, as many Basenjis tend to be. Anybody who is wet from being out in the rain or even in the shower, will be licked dry by Jibini if they desire. Especially the other dogs. I always thought it was kind of sad that none of the dogs EVER offered to lick Jibini dry in return, not even Tana.
To our suprise, Ellie has turned out to be a "towel dog" too....and whenever it's wet outside, she always seems to focus particularly on Jibini, usually after he's taken care of the other dogs. It's so sweet to watch...he'll sit there, looking slightly unsure of what's happening, but enjoying it all the same.
This evening on the couch, she even laid next to him and licked his ears clean. Jibini has also always been the household "Q-tip" dog, he absolutely LOVES to lick ears. He's never met another dog who would lick his ears, LOL...but tonight, he was nearly falling asleep while Ellie gave him a thorough ear-wash.
It's just heartwarming to see Jibini actually bond with another dog like this- and how Ellie is so affectionate with him in return. And it's neat to see some Basenji-like quirks present in another breed. She also likes to tear up paper towels, LOL.
Here's a pic of Ellie; I've really got to get some better pics of her uploaded, LOL. Notice what I said about color....most people think of the Brittany as a red and white dog; Ellie is black roan and only the occasional hunting dog aficionado can recognize what breed she is, LOL:
-
She's a beauty! Jibini must be very happy with such a pretty and caring girlfriend!
-
Ellie is lovely and i enjoyed reading about her and Jibini
-
She is lovely, I'm so glad Jibini has a cuddle-partner. Nicky sends Jibini her love!
-
What a great thing it is to find a friend.
-
Jibini must be in seventh heaven!
-
She looks a lovely dog and so wonderful that she is such good friends with Jibini. I hadn't realised that there was a difference in colours in the two standards - the UK standard is the same as the French I believe.
