Hi everyone,

I have been riding/showing horses for ~20 years now but I decided to take a break for a bit due to experiencing some burnout being a part time horse trainer, giving lessons, and having my own horses. I have my miniature horse still, he has a forever home with me and wants for nothing, but no current riding horse. [edited]
Dogs, particularly Basenjis, have caught my eye! I love them, their personalities, I love that they’re active, and of course they’re cute! [edited] I’m not really interested in being super competitive at this point, but knowing me, I might end up wanting to be competitive one day.

I am currently living in an apartment, it’s a decent size one bedroom apartment and there is a dog run plus running trails on the property- I do enjoy running, hiking and exploring the parks in the area. I am an active person. I work in an office 3 days each week, it’s only 10min from my place so I am able to spend my lunch hour at home. [edited] Anyway, I am in Wisconsin, Milwaukee area. I was just wondering if anyone had recommendations for somebody nearby that I can kind of learn the ropes from as far as purebred/show dogs go?

I am willing to travel anywhere in the US for a great Basenji breeder and would be open to an online mentor kind of situation, but it would be nice to have someone in the Midwest who I can meet at a show and kind of see how a dog show operates and if it’s something I would be interested in doing eventually. If there is nobody in my area, also would be interested in anybody who is willing to kind of guide me through an intro to dog showing online or over the phone or whatever might be most convenient. I’m in no rush to get a pup and finding a breeder who is willing to share their knowledge and help me take the leap is my priority. Thanks!

@tanza I did take a look but there is only one person listed in Wisconsin- I am not ruling out contacting the one person listed, however I was hoping to chat with a couple of people! There is also an SE WI club page but it seems a bit outdated and most of the breeders listed are shown as no longer breeding. Was just hoping someone on this site might be able to tell me who is active in the area!

@JENGOSMonkey thank you so much for your reply!

This is all great information. I will try to reach out to the SE WI club and see if I can get any recommendations!

I was not sure if non-showing spectators were allowed at dog shows, but if they are, I will definitely venture out to some and get a feel for what is going on! I totally understand not interrupting during the show, I am not a huge fan of people coming to horse shows and trying to chat with me before classes.

I so appreciate your time and thoughtful response!

@tanza That’s a great idea actually, thank you for your advice!

@Kembe I really want to make sure it’s going to be a positive experience for both myself and the dog! Definitely not taking the decision lightly.

@Kembe I really want to make sure it’s going to be a positive experience for both myself and the dog! Definitely not taking the decision lightly.

@JENGOSMonkey thank you so much for your reply!

This is all great information. I will try to reach out to the SE WI club and see if I can get any recommendations!

I was not sure if non-showing spectators were allowed at dog shows, but if they are, I will definitely venture out to some and get a feel for what is going on! I totally understand not interrupting during the show, I am not a huge fan of people coming to horse shows and trying to chat with me before classes.

I so appreciate your time and thoughtful response!

@tanza That’s a great idea actually, thank you for your advice!

@tanza I did take a look but there is only one person listed in Wisconsin- I am not ruling out contacting the one person listed, however I was hoping to chat with a couple of people! There is also an SE WI club page but it seems a bit outdated and most of the breeders listed are shown as no longer breeding. Was just hoping someone on this site might be able to tell me who is active in the area!

Hi everyone,

I have been riding/showing horses for ~20 years now but I decided to take a break for a bit due to experiencing some burnout being a part time horse trainer, giving lessons, and having my own horses. I have my miniature horse still, he has a forever home with me and wants for nothing, but no current riding horse. [edited]
Dogs, particularly Basenjis, have caught my eye! I love them, their personalities, I love that they’re active, and of course they’re cute! [edited] I’m not really interested in being super competitive at this point, but knowing me, I might end up wanting to be competitive one day.

I am currently living in an apartment, it’s a decent size one bedroom apartment and there is a dog run plus running trails on the property- I do enjoy running, hiking and exploring the parks in the area. I am an active person. I work in an office 3 days each week, it’s only 10min from my place so I am able to spend my lunch hour at home. [edited] Anyway, I am in Wisconsin, Milwaukee area. I was just wondering if anyone had recommendations for somebody nearby that I can kind of learn the ropes from as far as purebred/show dogs go?

I am willing to travel anywhere in the US for a great Basenji breeder and would be open to an online mentor kind of situation, but it would be nice to have someone in the Midwest who I can meet at a show and kind of see how a dog show operates and if it’s something I would be interested in doing eventually. If there is nobody in my area, also would be interested in anybody who is willing to kind of guide me through an intro to dog showing online or over the phone or whatever might be most convenient. I’m in no rush to get a pup and finding a breeder who is willing to share their knowledge and help me take the leap is my priority. Thanks!