Hi everyone! I'm Michelle and I've just adopted our new baby Roux! My hubs and I are new to the breed, but so far, BEST PUPPY EVER! We live in Taipei, Taiwan where there are only 17 adult Basenji and we're excited to have one of the pups from this winter!
Thank you for the opportunity to join your community!
If you feel like following our little family, we're on IG @coconutroux

@jengosmonkey
LOL this is a really important convo to be having! I'm honored that it takes place on my thread and yes, I absolutely agree with the points y'all are making.
People do need to know where their pups are coming from and whether they were responsibly bred. To think of it coldly, I wouldn't buy a house without looking into its history and possible problems, or I might face ridiculous stress, expense, and emotional trauma from subsequent issues that come up later. As a consumer, one should do their homework not only on the breed but on the breeder.
A breeder who produces puppies carelessly is basically a horrible human being in my book. It was a huge, thoroughly thought out moral decision for me not to adopt but to buy a purebred puppy, as I've worked with rescues before. I took this step with the possible goal of being a custodian. If a breeder is irresponsible in all the aforementioned ways, not only are they producing dogs with a higher possibility of suffering, muddying this ancient breed, and swindling people, they are needlessly taking potential homes away from dogs that need one AND frequently causing dogs to be abandoned! If there weren't any PMs or BYBs, imagine how many people would get schooled by rescue folk and responsible breeders into taking dog-parenting seriously before they ever took one home!
Sorry for the rant; I COMPLETELY understand the internal screaming that happens within some of you when you find out a pup is from a mill or crap breeder. If people like you and I keep yelling about it, we will change a few minds, which make all the difference to a few dogs which is better than no dogs

@zande Agreed! See if you can find a source for natural raw bones? Some boutique pet stores stock frozen, and if there are butchers in your area, they'll be able to get some for you! I have seen some specialty markets stock bone for dishes like Ossobucco which would work too.
Don't cook them, the temp increase hardens them and often makes them brittle so they break off in shards. Raw bones are soft enough for teething and onwards as they'll wear down slowly over time and they'll last just as long if not longer than your standard bully sticks and stuff

@Kembe CONGRATS ON THE NEW PUP!

I have nothing to add, just that Roux, at the tender age of 4 months, figured out that if she has a running start, she can get on the kitchen counter. 4 months. I suspect when she's grown she'll be able to fly!

@jengosmonkey Goodness I'm so glad my attention was drawn to this post! I spent a good long while reading through here, feeling your emotions as you raised your first litter from birth to new homes, and I have to thank you so much for sharing your experience. Sparkle, Logan, and the monkeys of your household did a wonderful job raising those babies and I hope you do get to see them again often!
I completely agree with the highest priorities being health and disposition and I'm nervously looking forward to the results of Roux's testing so I can do my part of continuing our custodianship of this wonderful breed in my corner of the world!
In the meantime, I'll be showing Roux once she gets a smidge bigger; I've got to get some ribbons and a title for this pretty girl!

@kembe @JENGOSMonkey @basenjimom2
Yep she's a girl and so very sweet!
I've raised a few other breeds and I have to say I've been completely won over! She's def difficult to train, losing interest quickly unless I have the most delicious of treats, but even with shorter sessions, she's learned sit, shake, down, bang (fall over), and wait (about 5 seconds so far) and she's just 4 months! Also completely housebroken though there's an occasional accident that's mostly our fault for not paying attention to her communication, which is very quiet. Compared to my ex-roomie's rottie or even my mom's poodle, that's fast!
She's very good at reading faces and voices and even comforted my godson when he fell down and was crying! I'm getting used to having her constantly sit on my foot while I'm cooking or working at my desk, and she's actually very responsive when being naughty and told no. My husband's favorite time is most evenings after playtime when she curls up on my husband's belly while he watches TV
Is this how all basenji are? I'm hooked LOL

Little Miss Roux is five days into her first heat and the diapers were a huge success! It seems she really doesn't mind wearing clothes at all; in fact, she'll move her head or lean into putting things on, as if she wants to wear them! So, I bought some washable panties to stick liners on for the sake of the environment, and the husband began insisting that she not walk around the house "topless" his exact words being, "It looks like we're running a titty bar in here!" which meant I bought some tops too.
Enjoy! I'll sporadically post outfits as her heat continues!

@zande Well I for one, am super impressed by how we're all only slightly separated by one or two degrees! History and connection are important and I hope more people contribute their information!

@jengosmonkey While looking for a B breeder here I was subjected to SO MANY SCAMMERS! They were mostly on Facebook and I reported as many as I could. It's frustrating the number of cons but also frustrating the number of fools. Why don't people do their homework? Scammers are easy to spot as long as you know what questions to ask! Obviously if it's some sort of master con-artist, that's one thing, but those are few and far between from my many months of searching.
Anyway, THANK YOU GOOGLE for shutting that guy down! Win!

Hahaha loved this story! I was definitely expecting something along the lines of teeth-on-nose but this is amazing!! CONGRATS on being able to breathe again!

Agreed with @tanza 's idea that there may be some relation to food. What food and formula is Baako on? If not the cause of the allergies, diet can at least be modified to soothe the problem.

You know, I have trouble with the bait-in-mouth thing, swallowed it twice LOL it's good we're using high quality, human-grade treats!

@zande I'll try my best to calm down and relax! I'm also so very interested in how the puppy rounds will go considering the lack of certain breeds here. Thanks for the support!

Good to know @eeeefarm that indeed soothes the nerves a bit! Roux's a good girl but very easily distracted as they all are especially at this age!

Thanks @tanza I hope to do just that! Feeling a bit nervous though hahaha

I'm so excited to say we've registered Roux in her first ever show on July 10th! There will be two days of shows and I'll be observing on the 9th to note any differences between Taiwan versus AKC standards. I don't think many if any Bs will attend, since there are so few here, but there will be stiff competition within the hound group anyway. I'm just eager to see if our girl places!
We have a show lead/collar and we've been working on stacking and gait, with lots of people handling her. She's still fidgety being a pup but I'm hopeful she'll do well on the day. Any tips or tricks y'all can pass onto a newbie?

Woooow this is just awful. My heart goes out to those affected

@elbrant LOL you're right, I have 0 experience with eradicating ants! Taipei doesn't have fire ants hahaha though the huge flying roaches are a big problem and apparently cause Roux to have diarrhea if she eats one (I NEARLY HAD A FIT WHEN I SAW THIS) so thank you for the clarification!
Hopefully y'all get down to the reason!

@nkeller89 Aw poor baby! Well Bs are smart so if he's the norm and IF those are bites/plant contact, he'll learn to avoid certain areas of your yard. I would consider possibly consulting an exterminator about the fire ants though, considering there's still a learning curve and those are possibly dangerous in large quantity.
In all this time that has passed since he first started itching, has he been taken to the same area again? Still itching? Ups and downs? Improvement? If his movement, diet, medication, and skin are tracked closely enough every day/hour, there should be a definite answer as to why this is happening. Though of course I am not a vet! A good vet will be the biggest help!

That looks like contact dermatitis or bites since it's not in the groin or neck (can't see the armpits). Food/medication allergies will be all over, with much concentration in the areas with thinner skin. If you're saying the bugs are thick, those could be bites at those scab points. The way --mectin medications work is not by repelling, but by killing once the culprit has already bitten; they don't stop bugs from biting at all. Insect repellents for dogs are available, but be careful which you use. Some are very irritating to either their nose, skin, or both. Anyone have recommendations? If it's contact with a patch of plant, take a very close look at the foliage where he's laying down since that's where the rash is. Is it also on his legs?