Maybe walk with some extra delicious treats in your pocket. I had a really nasty dog in the yard behind me one time, and if any of us went outside, he would start barking and charging the wood fence. My dogs would get agitated and run over to try to attack back, but I started giving them treats every time it happened, so they started coming straight to me when that dog hit the fence.

Definitely a Basenji! Although the standard calls for a more square body, there are plenty out there that are longer than ideal. He looks and sounds like a wonderful companion, and I agree that some bozo must have hacked his tail off. :-(