In English, her name means 'Pretty Girl'. In one of the Congolese dialects (there are hundreds!) , where these beautiful 'creatures' come from, this is her full name 'Muwana wa Bakagi Mulenga'. We call her 'Bakagi', 'Kagi' or 'the Kag'. Isn't she a beauty? We rescued her when she was just four (4) years old. That was eight (8) years ago. we cannot imagine our lives without her!

I found this article and thought it an EXCELLENT read for those considering to rescue, foster or purchase a Basenji as I know I could most certainly learn from his observed wisdom and advice (this is from the Basenji Rescue and Transport website). There is no date on when this was posted.:

*I happened to visit your website—I was trying to tell a friend at work about the Basenjis—and did a little searching on the Internet. Having lived for a year in a small village in rural eastern Zaire (now Republic of Congo again) in central Africa, in the midst of Basenjis, I would like to interject some thoughts concerning the descriptions of the breed and its habits on your site and elsewhere.

The description of Basenjis as African “wild dogs” is totally incorrect. There are wild dogs in Africa, but they are not similar in the least to Basenjis. Basenjis are domestic animals. Although not cared for in the manner we expect for pets here (people there don't often live that well), they do live with families and are fed and housed by them in their homes. They are prized as hunting dogs and protective companions. They also keep the yard free of rats, snakes, etc. The Basongye people that I lived with, and other Congolese people, praised them for their bravery and intelligence. They hand craft various sorts of soft bells for them to wear to keep track of their whereabouts. They feed them from their own meals, although they must supplement their diet with mice and other critters that frequent the property.

Basenjis in the small village I lived in were socialized in the manner of domestic dogs elsewhere. Like all domestic animals there, they are allowed to roam freely, but also know where home is and spend much of their time there, including in the hut/house. They sleep at home. They are bonded and loyal to particular individuals or families of people—not just general village dogs.

I did observe that Basenjis are highly intelligent, curious, and physically coordinated dogs. The people in my village were well aware of their clever and somewhat mischievous nature, but that happens to be a quality that is more tolerated and actually somewhat prized there, among both people and animals. I never once saw or heard of a person bitten or otherwise terrorized by a Basenji, although it was known to happen in the context of a burglary or assault against their owner. I never observed a Basenji damage its owner's property, as seems to be a problem for owners here.

I am suspicious that a fair amount of the problems associated with Basenjis in the U.S. have to do with the manner in which they are being raised, handled and trained. They would certainly suffer in behavior by being “spoiled” (let on the furniture, fed from the table, too much silly attention), being trained too little and too lightly and, especially, by not having enough challenging work and physical activity. These are by nature, highly active, physically tough hunting dogs that need the same sort of mentally and physically demanding work and play that other sporting dogs need. Like other active, sporting breeds, they are bound to cause trouble if they are expected to be couch potatoes, lap dogs, yard dogs, etc. They should live in a home, but get lots of serious brain and muscle work outdoors to match their abilities.

Based on my experience around Basenjis in their native home, and by the sound of the comments I read from owners on your website and other American owners that I've met, I suspect that what the Basenji breed in this country needs is recognition of their fundamental character and the chance to excel as field and working dogs. Attention to this character should be paid by breeders, trainers and owners.

Please consider posting my comments on your site. I hope that they might inspire some thought and discussion.

Eric Higgins
eric.higgins@vintagetul.com
Exploration Geologist, New Ventures
Tulsa, Oklahoma*

**My greatest thanks to all of you for your wonderful, kind replies. We rescued her from CBR - Colorado Basenji Rescue. When she was surrendered, she was surrendered in February of 2006 at half of her body weight (10lbs). She was surrendered with a male who looks nothing like the Basenji as we know from the Congo. Peggy - who founded CBR, told us he was from a different country in Africa. He was 25 lbs. overweight and kept inside the house. Bakagi was left outside to 'fend for herself' - therefore, her canines and most of her teeth are terribly worn from trying to survive on ANY thing outside. She came from a farm outside of Pueblo, Colorado. It was a Divorce situation. Regardless of the deplorable condition of the dogs (the male is now a beautiful, healthy brindle but a bit aggressive), we feel blessed the woman surrendered them. Bakagi and 'Walter', have never tested positive for Fanconi's syndrome. However, there was a tri-coloured male rescued from around the same area who is approximately the same age as my beauty. Peggy believes they may be littermates. Sadly, he just recently developed leukemia. We are praying no interbreeding was taking place as Peggy has told me the male and Bakagi somewhat resemble each other. I am extremely careful with what Bakagi is fed. She has NEVER EVER been fed table scraps and I constantly watch her weight and her diet. We bathe her, I give her supplements, clean her ears and even oil her pads. She was trained prior to her coming to us, and I work with her constantly. I have always wanted to take her coursing as she absolutely loves to run! She even climbed one of our trees when we she 1st came to us and got out of the yard (that was scary!) and teases the 'boys' (the Border Collie and Lab behind us). We have no actual birth date for her, nor any information on the Sire or the Bitch. Prior to Bakagi being spayed, I looked at her little belly and it is a bit loose. It does appear she may have had puppies. I asked, after she was spayed, if they could tell me if she had ever whelped a litter but they told me 'no' (crazy). Here is a photo of her when we she 1st became a part of our family. * *. Every year we go to a 'Basenji Reunion' where everyone who has rescued a doggie from CBR comes with their beautiful creatures and we all tell 'bad Basenji' stories, do an auction to benefit CBR and share a meal. We also allow are beautiful boys and girls to take part in contests, doing tricks (Bakagi can dance, although I did not force her to do so this year) and they did a costume contest. I am not 'crazy' about my little girl dressing up in a costume as I feel it can be a bit demeaning, but she will wear a western hat, scarf and pose with her 'faux' booties. This year she was a 'Cowsenji' :0) A happy 'Arooo' to all of you!

Hi Megan. She IS a beauty but I agree with everyone else. Aside from her curly tail, I see no evidence in her appearance of having any Basenji. One BIG question no one seems to ask: does she have a freckled belly and compare her paw pads to that of a wolf. ONLY Basenji match those of a wolf EXACTLY as they are the closest relative to the wolf (like the wolf, they only come into gestation ONCE annually). Enjoy her!

*Sally - I forgot to mention that WHEN she came to us, her name was 'Pretty Girl'. I had it translated into the Congolese dialect which evolved into what her name is today. I believe in naming my animals after the region of the world from which their ancestry originated. I am sorry we do not have any further information on this beautiful girl except to tell you that CBR told us she is one of the most beautiful female Basenji they have ever rescued. *

**Okay - I will take a dozen of him. Oh my goodness is he adorable! I am not experienced in Basenji puppies but a friend of mine has had several. This is what I know: If your puppy's ears stand up when he gets excited, they probably will stand permanently by the time he is 6-months-old. Another way to tell if your pup's ears are likely to stand is by observing where they are set on the head. ears that will stand, even partially, tend to be set higher on the head and closer together than pendant ears.

I agree with Tanza. The cartilage at the base of a standing ear will begin to start feeling firm by 4-to-6 weeks old. Enjoy your baby because Basenji do not stay puppies for long! In the past I did bring home the 'pick of the litter' Samoyed pup when I lived in Michigan. I had to take him away from Momma a little too soon for reasons too numerous to mention. Because of that, there were issues to overcome. He overcame them, but it was lots and lots of love and work. ** **

Have you tried purchasing a coat for little Nimbus? My little Basenji girl had the same issue when we first rescued her so I purchased a coat for her which helped her to feel less intimidated with the weather. Best wishes!

**@bluebert Hi. I am writing from Colorado where we rescued a female (very different 'creature' - as I do not truly consider them to be dogs, per say) eight (8) years ago when she was four (4). After being exposed to Basenji for about a year (male brothers and a young female), we made the decision to rescue her. She was extremely abused (1/2 her body weight when surrendered). Therefore, she came to us with different issues, but female aggression (fear and separation anxiety) in a different fashion. Although I cannot claim the expertise of the Breeder or those who have been owned by multiple Basenji, we do have a very close friend who renamed her for us (converted her previous English name to his Congolese dialect) who is from the Congo. He is from the Congo and filled us in at length about what we both found to be these amazing, but never truly tame creatures. He mentioned if they were not inter-bred, they would ALWAYS remain feral in nature and therefore, as previously mentioned, retain some of their ancestral traits which are very 'wolf-like' in nature. We have seen that with Bakagi. She has also constantly tried to establish herself as the Alpha female in our household, from which I constantly must perform reinforcing behaviour she is NOT. It seems a bit overt at times and she has indeed, showed some of the behaviour your young male has although never biting someone in the face. I am uncertain as to how you dealt with that situation but the discipline should have been immediate. Not cruel, but IMMEDIATE. It is the ONLY way they understand and comprehend. One absolutely cannot compare these animals to ANY other as one must remember they date back to the days of Pharaohs (at least that is the earliest recorded history of them - 5,000 years ago!), when the African Kings took them as gifts to the Pharaohs who adored them due to their silence, loyalty and regal appearance. They even mummified them (I have seen the mummies).

Our Basenji STILL has separation anxiety when crated at night or when we are gone. We have tried not crating her at night and allowing her to sleep in a room with us, but the aggression returned. As soon as we crated her, the aggression subsided.

To control the separation anxiety, I use a 'white noise' machine AND Baroque Classical Music (recommended by Colorado Basenji Rescue). It works! However, we DO have to use BOTH.

I HIGHLY agree with diet. If you consider that our behaviour - especially that of children - changes depending upon diet, think about that of him being a young male.

I also agree the dog run sounds like a great idea in addition to the homeopathic remedies. We have NEVER allowed our Basenji to be given ANY 'people' food and have always scrutinized her diet and supplements. I IMMEDIATELY remove anything which appears to alter her health or behaviour in ANY fashion as when she leaves this planet, I wish it to be due to natural and not man-implemented causes.

Biting of ANY kind is NOT acceptable. If he is chewing, are you offering him alternative things to chew - I.e. bones, long-term treats, Nyla bones (NEVER rawhide or tennis balls as rawhide is very bad for digestion and tennis balls are full of sawdust which will rapidly wear down their teeth).

I am not certain I have been of much help but if you wish to try to keep him and you presently feel you are unable to handle him, perhaps the breeder would agree you may be able to 'foster' him out for a while as it would also help him to be socialized if he is fostered with someone who is presently owned by a Basenji and has the patience to socialize him. His behaviour could prove to be entirely different around someone else outside of your home.

I will keep you both in my prayers as I feel these amazing creatures are well worth the effort.

Thank you for having the courage to rescue your puppy. Rescuing an abused dog takes lots of courage and patience. Our little girl who is a full Basenji was horribly abused when she was surrendered (she was 1/2 her body weight). She still has issues and we have to keep a baby gate up to keep her secluded in one part of the house as she cannot be trusted in other rooms of the house without supervision. NEVER could we let her off of her leash. That would just be catastrophic. CBR - from where we rescued her, warned us never to do that. Peggy told us if she ever ran away (she has gotten out 2X - once by climbing a tree - the clever little girl!), to run away from her as she would think it a game and would come towards you. NOT true but she finally came with lots of coaxing. I have shared my life with a Border Collie before until I became allergic to him. He was abused and the runt of the litter. I raised him from a puppy and he proved to be one of the most amazingly intelligent animals I have ever had the joy of living with. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories - Mamie P.S. My son was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali.

*Hi. I have a very good friend who has had Basenji for many, many years. She just began a new relationship. Although he has not moved in with her, the behaviour of her male Basenji has changed. She has had many Basenji over the years and although she has had this Basenji for about 2.5 years now (6 months of that was when her husband was alive), he became quite agitated with the new guy in her life. In her case, her Basenji was the 'Alpha' male in her life until her new love came in. I realize you introduced the Lab before the boyfriend, but your Basenji boy is also smart enough to see the difference in your relationship with him since the new guy moved in. You might ask yourself 'what has changed for your Basenji boy as far as the way you may treat him - attention time, etc., since your living arrangement has changed?' He could possibly be acting out some jealousy of which you may be unaware. Urinating indoors trying to bite a child causing chaos until you 'wake up and spend some time petting him'. Just a thought. *

If you read your posts, in fact ALL of the posts directed towards me, they have been extremely derogatory & confrontational. Whenever / wherever I took my little girl with me to spend time with the Elderly, etc. (NEVER in large groups), she was a happy little girl. If more people showed up, she was even happier. Why? Because she ADORED the attention. It was how she was when we had gatherings @ our home. We NEVER had to kennel her because she wanted to be with EVERY one. She is just a social doggie. I do know there are other Basenji who are not however, whenever we have gone to the CBR Reunion, there were MANY stories like ours. Even CBR did NOT consider it a bad idea for her to go with me. In fact, they thought it was good for her because they knew she was SAFE with me AND they knew I take EXCELLENT care of her & would NEVER EVER let anyone harm her. They also know what a little socialite she is & knew she would LOVE it. Now, if I had a Basenji who was NOT social, OF COURSE, I would NEVER EVER force them into a situation into which they were not comfortable. That would be emotional suicide for the dog. So please do not treat me like an idiot. I am an extremely educated woman - most especially regarding this breed. Yet everyone on this topic has treated me with such disrespect & assumption as if I were completely ignorant or without feeling about the breed, about my Basenji. I even hesitate in calling her mine because I have never considered her to be a possession. She has ALWAYS been a member of our family - from day one. So, delete all you want Ms. Brant. This Forum is not my entire world. [deleted religious banter]

Have you tried purchasing a coat for little Nimbus? My little Basenji girl had the same issue when we first rescued her so I purchased a coat for her which helped her to feel less intimidated with the weather. Best wishes!

Hi Gretchen. CBR in Colorado does have a pair of R&W seven year-old siblings: Cairo and Cleo. However, they would have to be adopted together. Here is their website: http://www.coloradobasenjirescue.org/adoptable.shtml. However, CBR is not moving doggies right now due to the COVID -19 issue. I am looking for a male puppy or very young male right now. Just not happening. Looks like patience is key right now :0)

*Hi. I have a very good friend who has had Basenji for many, many years. She just began a new relationship. Although he has not moved in with her, the behaviour of her male Basenji has changed. She has had many Basenji over the years and although she has had this Basenji for about 2.5 years now (6 months of that was when her husband was alive), he became quite agitated with the new guy in her life. In her case, her Basenji was the 'Alpha' male in her life until her new love came in. I realize you introduced the Lab before the boyfriend, but your Basenji boy is also smart enough to see the difference in your relationship with him since the new guy moved in. You might ask yourself 'what has changed for your Basenji boy as far as the way you may treat him - attention time, etc., since your living arrangement has changed?' He could possibly be acting out some jealousy of which you may be unaware. Urinating indoors trying to bite a child causing chaos until you 'wake up and spend some time petting him'. Just a thought. *

We rescued our little girl from CBR. However, we were cautioned - NOT just because she is a rescue but due to the breed not to ever take her to a dog park. These are the reasons we were given: too many other communicable diseases, possible aggressive other dogs and many other safety / hazard risks. She did recommend socializing her with other Basenji or even other dogs in a 'not'so-public' setting, just not dog parks. Therefore, we have never taken her to one but I am certain it would be up to your discretion.

Emilia - Peggy @ Colorado Basenji Rescue (if she has time), might also be able to give you some answers. It is through CBR that we rescued our beautiful little girl. Hope you find out soon. Thank you for the info on the online VEt Dr. Jean Dodds!. Had no idea.

*Welcome, Aileen. Can't wait to see photos of the beautiful little creature you share your life with! - Mamie *

*My little girl is 12. I cannot even begin to fathom life without her. Your boys are SO beautiful. Their eyes are simply amazing. They must have made 'pawprints in your heart' - ones which will never leave. I imagine on the days when you miss your dogs - any of you who have lost them, you can quietly go into the soft rooms of your souls, close your eyes and still feel them and see them. I consider these animals not to really be dogs but to be amazingly beautiful creatures of God. I am certain anyone who shares their life with a Basenji would agree they are unlike any other breed in the entire world. I once read that when God finished creating all of the animals, He took everything that was left over and made a Basenji. What do you think? We keep our Basenji bathed as believe-it-or-not, I am allergic to her when she is not. I LOVE LOVE LOVE stroking her soft, velvety coat (she loves it too!). Blessings to ALL of you who have shared your life with one of these beautiful animals and have since lost them. My prayers to all of you. Look for them - 'Somewhere over the rainbow . . . ' *

Wish I could. I am in Colorado. Hope it works for you!

Thank you for having the courage to rescue your puppy. Rescuing an abused dog takes lots of courage and patience. Our little girl who is a full Basenji was horribly abused when she was surrendered (she was 1/2 her body weight). She still has issues and we have to keep a baby gate up to keep her secluded in one part of the house as she cannot be trusted in other rooms of the house without supervision. NEVER could we let her off of her leash. That would just be catastrophic. CBR - from where we rescued her, warned us never to do that. Peggy told us if she ever ran away (she has gotten out 2X - once by climbing a tree - the clever little girl!), to run away from her as she would think it a game and would come towards you. NOT true but she finally came with lots of coaxing. I have shared my life with a Border Collie before until I became allergic to him. He was abused and the runt of the litter. I raised him from a puppy and he proved to be one of the most amazingly intelligent animals I have ever had the joy of living with. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories - Mamie P.S. My son was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali.