Posts made by kristink

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.

Sol even chews the plastic handles on garden tools, as well as all parts of my plastic leaf rake. I can't ever leave a tool in the yard or he'll find it and maul it. It makes me pick up after myself, at least!

Kris

I was visiting my mother in the city for a couple of days this week and took Sol as usual. He is good in her neighborhood and we have our early morning route, but today they had just salted her condo walkway and he stepped onto it at the end of our walk and started screaming too, and when I picked him up to wipe his paws off was it so agonizing he was nipping at my face. He won't ever bite when playing, or at the vet, but obviously it was agony.

Luckily I could wipe his paws with some clean snow on the hedge, then take him in and wash them at the kitchen sink, and he was very good, and:(, I think, a bit ashamed at nipping (he didn't even break the skin). Last winter he got very sick about this time and they never found a cause, so I try to avoid all salt and wipe/wash his paws. Rubbing them with balm to protect helps too. Booties were pulled off by last b, and I suspect he'd do the same. Winter sucks for basenji's!

Kris

My tri Caddie was from them, and she was a joy for 15 years. Great with people, and very good about me taking food away (she loved dirty roadside paper!). Not great with other dogs, but we had two b's, and the other was very aggressive (from a back yard breeder– we dodn't know better then)so she didn't get many chances to socialize. She did have some medical issues, cataracts and seizures as she aged.

Kris

Thanks Andrew– I hate that when I come home tired and sick of people after a long day of being nice and understanding to everyone that I still have to walk the dog... until he jumps up in the air and spins around because he's so happy to see me and so excited about a walk!
kris

@Andrew:

I love this forum. I never knew there could be so many like minded people. Sometimes I feel like the biggest dork on earth… here's my latest.
I hate that on hikes they either pull me down hill to my death, or walk like they're dieing uphill, right in front of me, so I'm constantly dodging them, but I love that they are a good excuse to get my butt outside & active.

I've had good luck with the 'leave it' command with Sol for both junk picked up, and distractions while walking– so that he now knows that he'll get a treat if he focuses on me, not the distraction. This was tested yesterday at a pen of mini goats at a farm we walked by-- they sure smelled good to him! But once we were a few feet away he refocused on me for a treat.

Kris

There could be a thread on the things we do to registered names– Sol's is 'Solid Gold' but I call him 'Solomon' because he's a deep thinker, or 'Solace' because he is a solace to me-- I like the 'Ruby' adaptation!

Kris

Small world– I got Sol from Pam and Sheila too! Are he and Ruby related?
More than year later he is such a joy. At first he was confused about he change, wondering when he was going back 'home', but I was gentle and patient, and now we are very bonded-- when he got out the gate several weeks ago because it was left ajar, he just waited by the back door for me. He is actually better adjusted than the two b's I raised from puppies were.

Kris

Hey, I thought I'd put in my two cents. I had a wonderful tri-color, and when I lost her, really wanted another tri, or even a brindle. But when I went to meet availalble adults at the breeder, Sol came right to me, wagged his tail (to a stranger-unusual B behavior in my experience) and licked me. After that color did not matter. Be open to good things when they come along!

Kris

Sol is a climber, not a digger. I have 500 feet of 4foot cedar fence, and he jumped over it the first week by putting his paws on the cross beam and pulling– I then installed a 'hot wire' run by a small generator across the cross-beam, and he touched it once and never again. He now loves the yard so much that when he's gotten out a gate left ajar once or twice, he just goes back in-- but I think he might still jump and chase when the neighbor's cat is around, so i keep the fence 'hot'.

Kris

On a related subject– nylabones seem good when supervised, but I find only the very hard ones aren't quickly broken up-- luckily I can take them away easily. The vet noted that Sol's teeth were rather worn for his age (6) so I don't want to give him chews that will cause too much more wear.. what is the consensus on basenji's and nylabones?

Kris

I have been debating a harness for Sol. He would probably tolerate it well, because he is an amazingly adaptable basenji, but he spends most of any drive curled up on the seat, asleep– and I assume he can't do that in a harness. I have a tiny regular cab Tacoma, so a crate is out of the question-- When I visit my mom and she drives us to visit relatives he always travels in a crate in the back of her SUV.

Kris

I think you should think about an older basenji, perhaps retired from a breeder or from a known home- ie not an unknown origin. The BRAT site has some great friendly b's that are a bit older, and as I have learned from Sol, it is great to get an older dog whose personality is set and known. For example, you need a basenji that will get along with your other dogs– and even with socialization some b's are not great with other dogs.

Kris

Sol has had a similar rash, but lower. He doesn't lie outside (it's still winter here), so I figured it was food related, stopped all treats ( I had several brands) and only did his low allergy dogfood. It was still not great– I finally contacted the breeder, used desitin, which helped.

At the vet yesterday for rabies shot, ans she gave me a lotion and steroids-- I am holding off on the steroids after one dose because if the urinating problem-- he had a accident in his crate overnight, which never happens. I don't have a pic, but i would say it was a moderate rash-- was steroids overprescribing?

Kris

The three b's I've owned were across the spectrum– one was badly bred and dominant, and a bite hazard with anyone. I have the scars to prove it. My girl Caddie was great with almost everyone, but I didn't trust her with kids-- she never bit but growled at pushy kids. Sol is very patient and gentle with kids, but because of past history I never leave him unsupervised-- except last week, when a 2 year old poked him in the eye by mistake-- he let out a surprised 'woof!' (one of the few times he has barked) but when I called the startled child back over to talk to him about why Sol barked (he was saying 'ouch!) Sol was fine and didn't growl. I still supervise, though, with new kids who may not be gentle.

Kris

When my last Basenji, Caddie, was old and nearly blind with cataracts, she would still grab at anything white on the side of the road when I walked her, but her vision was so fuzzy that she grabbed at white rocks several times. I have to admit that by that time I wanted her to have as much fun as possible, and would sometimes give her clean kleenex to play with, because it made her happy.

To add another thought to the mix– species can develop problems because of inbreeding-- as in cheetahs, or any zoo animals. That is why zoos borrow animals from each other for breeding programs. The addition of new basenji's into the US breeding population in the last 10 years-- has very likely reduced the chance of some of the common basenji-specific diseases. Also the brindles are beautiful!

Kris

Sol and I were driving home from work yesterday– -I have a small truck and he sits up front next to me (he's very good about not being rowdy). I ran into one market, left the groceries in the cab with him, then ran into another market... you can probably guess what happpened.

I am usually good about only leaving non-tasty things with him-- he's not usually terribly nosy. But the buttermilk carton smelled great! He pulled it out of the bag and had just punctured it as I arrived. He dropped it and tried to look innocent. I picked it up--- it looked like he hadn't gotten far-- then the milk spurted out the bottom.
He was very hepful about cleanup, licking the seat. I was upset, but laughing at the same time. The scary moment was when I opened the door to pour out the buttermilk left in the carton and he jumped out of the truck.

I was really glad I hadn't yelled at him, because he just stood there until I picked him up and put him back in the truck. He is so much more important than a little mess!!

Anyway, the truck didn't even smell this morning. Note to self-- put groceries in the truck bed.

Kris

It is really great to be able to bring your dog to work. I've been bringing Sol to the gym for the last two weeks, and he is amazingly gentle and tolerant, even with toddlers– I am careful to tell people who fall in love and say they want a basenji that he is unusually tolerant for the breed, and that they need to pick their dog carefully----

I will try to take a picture too.

Kris

Sol likes to help when I cut back shrubs by staying nearby chewing on a twig from one of the branches I've cut off– nice, but a slow method of disposal....