Posts made by peacefulday

We gave him the middle name Houdini because when we went to pick him up, he ran under the breeder's fence and escaped! Our beloved boy had to be put to sleep last week and oh, how we miss him! It is so strange to be able to spread homework papers out on the floor and not have him stand on them and puncture them… or be able to put food on the table and leave it there without a stealth basenji sneaking his way up to the table. It is strange to walk up the stairs without Rosco zooming by, wanting to be wherever we are. Thank you, dear boy, for sharing with us the joy of living.

Thanks to all for the warm welcome of basenji owners! We're taking a year off of dog ownership to welcome a foster kid. Actually, we would have liked to foster earlier but our basenji boy was not especially fond of kids, and running activity tended to result in him biting someone in the hiney! Our kids, grown now, will definately be basenji owners someday. Don't know whether my husband and I will or not – we loved Rosco but know we got a good basenji, and don't know if we're ready to lose another room full of furniture to break in a new one! Ha!

It is easy for a new dog owner to think that crating a dog is mean or a punishment, but I would only add that all of the suggestions from experienced basenji owners to use a crate are wise. Since basenji puppies love to chew, they can hurt themselves so easily. Think of the crate as protection and peace for your little guy – he may think of it as his cave and if you use it often enough, he will like it. Give him a pat on the head from me!

We had to put our dear Rosco to sleep earlier this week so I still feel I am a basenji parent albeit a grieving one. Rosco was a handsome red and white 13 1/2 year old and though healthy most of his life, in the end had seizures, tremors, and a terrible cough about 1/3 of the time and confirming evidence of heart trouble. He was handsome to the end and a wonderful family member, We love looking at basenji pictures and knowing that other families are learning about the wild, wonderful world of living with a basenji! I have to admit, we do laugh at the questions from "newbies" – "is this normal?" Ha ha! Nothing about basenjis is quite like any other dog! When you look into your basenji's mischievous, warm brown eyes, know that you can only expect the unexpected!