Hello :)

I havent posted an update on my two on here in a few months (im sure a lot of you have seen them on FB), but thought i would stop by and share some photos. Not much happening in the show ring at the moment, we're having our annual time off where the dogs all have a month or so completely out of the show ring. Its giving me plenty of time to play with Ava the foal anyway!!

Maya is a fat little piggie at the moment so will have to get her into shape before the summer shows!! Not sure she would be so enthusiastic about that idea…

Crufts

This is the end of the day on the Discover Dogs stand at Crufts where the girls had a lovely day meeting and greeting many, many Crufts visitors whilst representing the breed on the Basenji Stand

And Alice, she is still a deliquent child…

A recent show-y one but waaaayyyyy overstretched!

Crufts

@khanis:

Alice is gorgeous…. and to this day [having lived with the breed over 40 years] I have found 3 other tris I'd love to take home…
this girl is #4 !!!
Her outlines reminds me of "Yodelman" a gorgeous boy:
http://www.infodog.com/DOGPICS/HM502508.htm

Congrats of a wonderful first litter!

Wow, thank you, what a compliment :D

And he is stunning, is he still around? Just looked him up on the database and im surprised to see that he doesnt appear to be related as the similarity is spooky!!

Thanks everyone for the replies :)

Hello,

I haven't done an update on here in ages, sorry. But, thought i would share some photos of my girls.

Maya is 4 next month - time really has flown by!! It doesnt seem any time at all since i was posting photos of my new tri baby on here…!! Anyway, she's not been shown so much in the UK this year, we concentrated her more on showing in Ireland and in just 3 trips she gained her Irish Champion title :) She has done well whilst she's been shown over here but i've been concentrating more on Alice.

Some recent Maya photos anyway:

Alice has been doing well in the ring, in 4 months showing she has had 2 Best Puppy in Shows (1 at a basenji breed show and 1 at an all breed show), she's won several Best Puppy in Breed awards and has had some lovely group placings :) Very proud of her as this is obviously my first basenji litter and she turned out just what I wanted!

Both girls are also attending Discover Dogs in London in a couple of weeks to represent the breed on the Basenji stand. Its a "meet and greet" type thing to introduce the breed to visitors :)

http://www.discoverdogs.org.uk/

Alice and Solar playing today, with mum Maya, Lilah pug, Evie the chi and Anya the choccie lab pup!

Some photos of Alice and Solar, now 4 months old :)

Excuse the crap in the background, i was only taking it to see how i need to improve my stacking of her but i really quite like the pic lol

And Maya at Crufts, she came 2nd in the Open bitch class which i was thrilled with as her babies were only 3 months old and she had HUGE udders only a month previous!!!

Hi,

Some pictures I got of the two pups at 8 weeks :)

Maya has been a brilliant mum, absolutely adores her babies but wasnt OTT with them, she did fantastic. Popped all 4 out in under 2 hours as well!

The tri is my keeper :)

Hi There,

I've not been on here in ages as my laptop has now officially died so I have to use the internet at work - no basenji forums allowed there!

Anyway, most of you who are on FB will probably be aware that Maya has a litter, currently 6 weeks old. My first basenji litter and they are such perfect little people, the easiest pups i've ever had! I thought while I had 5 mins i'd share some photos from baby to recent :) Sorry if some of the photos are a bit big, im having trouble with my borrowed computer!!

You all remember Evie? :)

Oooh, get you! Mingling with royalty?? :eek:

Fab photos, looks like Malaika and Kwame had a wonderful holiday!!

Taken yesterday, Maya and her tiny family :D

Yes, Evie did bite her nose, maybe she wont keep sticking it in peoples faces!

I do try to give my dogs the most natural lives I can. Unfortunately we have no gazelle or other african creatures to hunt here in Gloucestershire, so we settle for chihuahua hunting:

Do you think she realises there's something on her nose??

Ex-hausted jungle pug!!

@Janneke:

I'm really sorry to hear about your Labrador, Jess. I hope the vets will find the cause soon and I'm sending positive thoughts that he will get better.

I really do wonder if thin dogs have more problems or a smaller chance of survival if they get ill. Would be interesting to find out.. I don't really believe that a dog is designed to carry extra weight. If I look at Lab pics, a lot of them are way too fat for me. I like them like this:

Not like this:

The last one is ideal, the one above that is too fat. The one with the frenchie is too thin (IMO) but the others are nice. You have posted two different types there, the top ones are the working ones (taller, finer, less heavily built) and the bottom ones are show type, but the black one is far too fat. If you consider the difference in their builds and conformation, the yellow at the bottom is not actually carrying anymore weight than the first three you posted - he has a nice waist and is not "fat".

They were bred to carry an extra layer of protective "fat" as they dont have the big, protective coats of breeds like the Newfoundland which were also used as water dogs, but they are not supposed to be fat :)

I have a very sick labrador at the moment who is losing weight no matter how much we feed him up. He is currently being tested for EPI or cancer - those are the two options :( He has lost over 12kg in about 4 months. He was never allowed to be fat, but he was well covered and healthy. I think if he had been kept very slim with bones showing he would be dead. As it is, we're struggling to keep enough weight on him to stop his ribs and hip bones showing… Its very upsetting to see a much loved pet reduced to that and I could never keep my dogs in that condition out of choice, it is not right. Labradors especially are designed to carry a little extra weight (not to be fat, but in comparison to a hound type dog) as they were used as gundogs, having to swim in freezing cold water - its how their bodies are supposed to be. I have googled, and have uyet to find anything advising that azawakhs (or any other breed) should be kept so thin, nor does the breed standard say anything about it so I wonder why its done? If you look at any wild dog, even they are not that thin unless they are sick so I cant think its just natural??

BUT, I do agree that most in the first post look just fine, it was only a couple that i didnt like to see with such prominent ribs and hip bones.

@Janneke:

With Sloughis and Azawakhs there isn't that much of a difference between coursing and showing.. lot's of them are used for the same thing. And the ones that are 'only' being showed aren't kennel dogs that never see the outdoors. The dark red male in my first post is the same male as this one:

This for me is too thin:

Could also be the pic of course.. but it doesn't look ok from this point of view.

In september we will be going to a large Azawakh meeting in Germany. 100+ Azawakhs! I'll make sure to take pictures.. I can't wait to see differences in type and weight.. Would also really like to see pics of Marein's dogs. I do not know her.

Both dogs look far too thin to me :(

I have seen azawakhs that are covered - no bones showing. Not fat by any means, but well muscled with no bones prominent like these. And the ones your last post looked better, still a bit skinny for me but more covered. There is no reason for them to be skin and bone that I can think of… I personally would not keep any of my dogs in that condition whether its fashionable or not, if nothing else, over here a dog like that would guarantee a visit from the RSPCA!!! :eek:

Beautiful dogs, but i do hate to see ribs so prominent on any breed….

@tanza:

Usually it is a group of Basenji Fanciers that have been in the breed for a long time that go and choose. But not always. It is usually pups that are brought back and granted they don't all mature to have Basenjis Type. That is why they are then put up for evaluation to a panel that includes a long time Basenji Breeder, AKC Judge, etc. Once those evaluations are completed they are submitted to the Board of the Basenji Club of America and if accepted by the board, proposed to the membership for a vote.

As I have stated in the past, I think that the area they come from needs to be considered and the access of that area to other types of dogs that may be in that particular gene pool. Remote as possible is best, IMO. Some of the places that some of the imports have come from, IMO are not remote and way to easily accessed by both humans and animals.

I think that we have had some really great imports and that they have really been a plus to the gene pool. Others, not so much

Thanks for that info, much appreciated. It is good to know that they get assessed properly before being accepted into any breeding programmes (presumably that it what you mean, as Sharron mentioned Wheat not making the grade and being spayed).

I think it can only be a good thing to add new genes from quality dogs. I know we have a couple of basenjis bitches due to arrive here in the UK from african breeding and from what i've seen, both look very nice and certainly basenji "type", im sure they will add a lot to the breed over here. If only I could afford to import, i'd love to do it :)

How are the dogs selected to be brought over from Africa? Is it a group of "experts" choosing or just an individual going over and buying the dogs they like?

Without wishing to cause any offence (sorry if I do!!), some on that link have little or no resemblance to a basenji from what I can see…...??

Its not something we are able to do here as any imports to be registered with the UK kennel club have to be registered with another kennel club first, but I do find it interesting.

Im not sure Evie really respects anyone, but the cats put her in her place :D

@thunderbird8588:

awwww lovely pictures, Jess.
Do you know in one of the pictures Evie actualy has a look of Maya :O
How can that be ;)

Cos she's Evie's mum of course :eek:

Ssssshhhh!!! :p

Adorable photos, the first one is so sweet :D

Some photos taken the last couple of days. Poor Maya, the long suffering chihuahua mum :rolleyes: I think she has to be the most tolerant basenji in the world :D

@Basenjimamma:

she is sooo cute..I am glad all things have worked out for her and that she has the best mum in the whole wide world :)

She is one lucky pup, noone expected her to still be with us so she's very special! And Maya is just the best mum, endlessly tolerant of Evie's pulling, chewing, biting and playing :rolleyes:

@Shaye's:

Evie is a doll! I'll bet the big outside world is just wonderful for her - love the field of passing dandeliions.

It was a bit overwhelming this time I think, but i bet she'll be loving it in no time :D

@vickilb:

The clover are almost as tall as her!!!!

So glad her Mum is ever-vigilant and won't allow any harm to come to her! She really seems to be raising her right!!!:):)

Well… Maya did let herself down when she spotted her great dane and pointer friends at the other end of the field :o Galloped off to play with them and left Evie with me! But, the rest of the time she was vigilant as ever :D

@Patty:

Lovely pictures. Evie is a little love. She is obviously going to be one bold, brave Chi. Maya is raising her right!!

She is certainly looking to be very outgoing at the moment :D I hate those nervous, yappy chi's!