I always wanted a dog, but my stepfather was allergic. My husband grew up with basenjis in the 50's in New Bedford MA. They never showed, just had them as pets. They did everything wrong– let them run loose, bred them without planning, but he had great stories about them, particularly one girl named Congo.
His family had a rescue B named Rusty, who was a great character (also loose, but luckily a homebody) when I met him in the 70's. I liked Rusty's aloof confidence, and got my first B in 85-- Kenji. He was backyard bred-charming but turned very dominant and difficult at adolescence, but we worked with and had him until he was 13.
We got our second dog from Matahari B's, and Caddie was a tricolor sweetheart for 15 years.
Now I've got the gentlest, most outgoing B I've ever met. Sol was raised by someone else, and they did a great job-- thanks Eldorado!
I adopted him at 5, and after a few weeks of thinking about it, he decided to stay (he jumped the fence twice, but came when I called the second time). He's my best friend, and even goes to work with me in the winter. And sometimes I wonder if he's really a basenji, because he wags his tail so much-- but only for me.
The Power of Animals - basenji reference
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I've been reading an ethnography called The Power of Animals by Brian Morris for a paper that I'm writing. The book is about the the relationships between Malawi cultures and the animal world. In the section on hunting, it says that all serious hunters have a hunting dog. He describes the dogs as basenji-like. They aren't aggressive, but are loyal, tenacious, and have great endurance. The physical descriptions he gives are spot on, from size, coat, and colors to curly tail, wrinkled forehead, and barklessness while hunting. He does say that they bark when threatened or disturbed. They consider their dogs to be friends and part of their household.
I thought this was interesting, especially since I just happened to come across it.
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Interesting. Griff barks when disturbed, excited, or he's trying to get our attention.
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Sounds like a fascinating book! I'm going to try to track it down.
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It's a coincidence that you should mention this Crystal. Yesterday i was writing to a young child who lives in Northern Malawi and was unsure whether to mention our Basenji.
When corresponding you are asked to be careful about mentioning certain subjects in case you cause offence.
However when i emailed for advice i have been told it will be ok to mention Malaika.
