@agilebasenji:

Don't believe I'd have said (typed) that outloud. Just sayin.

I knocked on wood right after :p

@tanza:

It is important to be able to explain to people the cost of proper care… Many are so hung up on the price of a pup, they do not realize that proper care way out spend the cost to purchase...

My thoughts exactly, this is one of the reasons why I posted this.

@LindaH:

Yikes!!!

It only cost us ~$384 when we had Blaze neutered…and that INCLUDED having him microchipped, his rabies vaccination, repair his umbilical hernia, pre-anethestic blood work, and the after-surgery medication.

Yeah, yikes is right. I did some digging and found that around 800 is on the high end and 200 - 400 is a good number for this area. Thankfully I could do the wellness plan. Since this was my first dog and first S/N, I kinda went overboard on the post op stuff. Meds (which he didnt need), the halo so he didnt lick himself, the laser up-charge and there was another up-charge that i choose. The laser, they said, would heal quicker and is less painful after the op. Apparently they were correct, Kenji was only lethargic that day. the next day he was close to normal. he ate well, slept all day and went for a nice long walk. Everyday after that he was back to his old self.

@MacPack:

Good post. It's very for anyone to have an idea how much this 'extra mouth' will cost. You didn't have a couch or expensive shoe replacement so you are actually doing really well, haha!
And best of all, you have Kenji, and that's priceless!

Thanks, I really do hope this post help future and even current owners. So far Kenji really doesn't like chewing on shoes. he used to chew on shoe laces but hasn't done that in a while. BUT he does like underwear and socks… and still shews on my chairs, :mad: GRRRR :mad:!! But I'd rather replace those then 50 - 100 pair of shoes.

Like everyone else said he is priceless. I cant put a price on him.

How Much MY Basenji Cost is His First Year:

I have always been the type of person that keeps a close eye on their income and expenses. Basically I like to count MY money; I want to keep the little that I have. Naturally with that mentality I wanted to see how much my Basenji will cost me over his lifetime. Especially, over the first year of his life. So I decided to look into the cost and looked into the cost and did some research.

After looking high and low all the estimates I was given were lacking some, in my opinion, key costs. Cost of living, raw vs. dry vs. mix, travel, treats, groomer (if needed), toys and bedding, cleaning materials? the list goes on but you get the point. The costs I found seem to give me information in pieces or assumptions. The good cost I found where for other dogs with much higher grooming requirements. Feeding is the most important but what type of feeding didn't would I use? So, to be honest, I winged it. I just went forward with getting the dog. Side note, the perfect dog found me and I couldn't pass up the opportunity, so I had to reserve my pup then.

There is the background now for the meat of this post.

I have been tracking my spending habits on my dog from the day of the first deposit to the day of pick up to his first birth day, Aug. 28th. The numbers your about to see are dang close to the total I have spent on him. I wanted to share this with everyone and specifically the new and future Basenji owners.

So far we have spent $2617.29 on Kenji from Oct. 3rd, 2010 to Aug. 28th 2011. I know this isn't a full year of expenses but this post is about how much he has cost by his first birthday. The above number includes some non-standard cost. So this isn't a budget for a full year of a Basenji. Some of these costs will only come once.

Kenji's Purchase Price = $800. His Neuter operation was $209.69 at Banfield Pet Hospital at Petsmart with Banfield's Wellness Plan (more about this later). AKC Registration = $35.00, this was a standard registration none of the extras. Avid microchip registration was $19.96, he came already chipped so there was not cost there. Kenji also forced me to make a few modifications to my dining room chairs. So I made an $11.44 purchase at Home Depot for some ply wood and nails. I was also given 2 wire crates; a 200 and a 300. These can range from $50 -$150

The monthly purchases are more meaningful to some. To me these were the ones I had to budget for and make sure I could hit. These costs are mostly affected by the food you buy, the treats you get, the grooming needs, classes you are signed up for. We didn't take him to the groomer or sign up for classes. We did everything in house so we spent time and not money here. The type of food we purchased as Kenji's base food, which lasted about 3-4weeks, is Diamond?s 6lb bag of Small Breed Puppy food which is $13.77 per purchase. We also tried other dry kibble and raw chicken on Fridays. This would extend the life of one bag but add the price of a second food. Food and treats averaged about $29.21 per month.

Additionally, we signed up for the Wellness Plan at our vet which covers doctor visits and we get a discount on standard procedures. There is a monthly fee but it beats having to pay full price for shots, and operations. Without this plan; when Kenji was neutered it would have cost me nearly $800, but it only cost $210. The monthly fee for this is $23.95 and worth it. Kenji also costs us monthly for rent. That?s an extra $25 tacked on to our already over priced apartment.

We did take Kenji to the groomer once, it was $20 and I feel we could do just as good of a job. He is already low maintenance and they didn't do much but give him a bath and trim some hair. So we saved there. Aside from this the rest of the money spent is on toys, bedding, leaches, treats, more bedding, more toys, collars.

This is yet another guideline on how much I have spent on my Basenji. It is different for everyone and every dog. Hope this post helps someone.

We feed Kenji Diamond Chicken and rice for puppies. For teats, his favorite is Healthy Omega Treats: Chicken, but we also give him Raw Naturals by Pro-Treat: Chicken, and lastly we have begun giving him Prime Taste Treats: Freeze Dried Chicken.

@tanza:

As they say, the key is do not come in till he goes, period. And you might want to consider walking him a bit… helps to encourage them to go potty

when we first got Kenji he didn't like the rain at all. He did the same thing. But I found that taking him out soon and offten in the rain got him comfortable in the rain… He still dosent voluntarily walk into mud or poddles or the rain but he realizes that it won't kill him.

first I started taking him out and if he doesn't pee he goes right back in his crate. After 15 to 30min I take him out and straight to the door. Ring bell and "hurry up potty" again. If he pees and or poops, praise, go right inside and he gets to play for a while. Also start walking him in the rain. When I walked kenji in the rain he would pull for a while and walk between my legs but keep walking and try to keep him to your side. Again this is what worked for me but whatever you do, do it all the time and consistently.

Awwww…. mine looked like that after he got neutered...

But in all seriousness, why did you all get your Basenji(s)?

When I started looking for a dog I knew nothing about the bread and wanted a Husky. Funny thing here is what i liked: Triangular ears, curled tail, athletic build, graceful walk and run, natural instincts... I bet you'd think I was talking about a Basenji. But its really what makes the Husky and the basenji similar in looks and attitude. Other Basenji Pros, cleanliness, NO BARKING (he does make noise in his crate), no panting and excess saliva (haha), smaller then husky, less hair-less shedding and beautiful Tri-Color.

I guess you can say, the more I read up on the Basenji the more I knew the breed was for me.

Sweet, Thanks. I guess I was looking up basenji specific information and I didnt see any thing in the books I have. I dont get sick much so i shouldn't have to worry. I'm actually feeling better today, not that he cares.

Well I didnt know they couldn't get the flu. Thanks for the info. The makes me feel better.

Since I live in an apartment his exercise is a concern all the time, but its I can at least get out once a day with him.

OK, so I just got back from the doctor and I have the Flu… Sucks I know. But I am concerned for my 5 month old Basenji, Kenji. Should I be? He sleeps on me quite a bit but not in our bed. With him running around and grabbing everything in his site its impossible for me to sterilize or clean everything I have touched. I dont. Good thing I went to the doctor right away and was given meds.

Should I be worried? should I stay away from my best friend? Can he get it? if so, what is the treatment for him?

Honestly we are trying to do two things at once, get him used to the crate and potty train. He hates the crate and I can make it home for lunch so typically that is a 4hr window. But since he hates the crate / open wire kennel, we think he speeds up the urine window by acting out and whining / screaming when we leave. He doesn't seem to play with his toys in the crate only outside. When he does play with them while he is in there, he plays out of distress and wines while chewing. He typically calms down with in 5 min but he goes to sleep and doesnt play. I'm sure it will take time for him to completely warm up to the crate. Thanks for the input.