Posts made by Taffy9

Hey everyone!
I'm looking for a Basenji puppy to buy/rescue/adopt. Currently we have 3 older adults Basenjis, and looking for a new addition. We live in Minnesota, but are willing to travel a bit. Thanks so much!

Looking for suggestions for board my senior girl in the Minneapolis, St Cloud, or other areas in east central MN. I'm going on vacation the last 2 weeks in October, and the local kennels are geared towards rough and tumble hunting dogs rather than my dear, sweet and rather fragile (but healthy) senior girl. A fellow basenji home would be awesome!

In reading previous replies, some writers noted they use Advantix or Frontline…I assume they use the formulas for dogs rather than cats? I'm asking because when we were blessed with basenjis 20 yrs ago, we were advised to use only products that were safe for cats. I usually applied Skin So Soft as needed. After all these years, we now recently adopted an older basenji, & am wondering what's best to use. She's not outside playing with the kids as often as our German shepherd is, so I don't need the same level of protection (use Frontline on the shepherd). Plus, it's easier to spot fleas & ticks on the b-girl. If I decide to try a topical, is there a brand (dog or cat formula) that is preferable for basenjis?

on a regular basis, no, I don't think they're necessary either, and I've never used them for everyday use in my rural area. Pippi gets along in the snow banks just fine without them, and doesn't even mind the snow on her paws. But I'm in frigid MN where the city streets and roads are loaded with chemicals so we can get around in much colder weather. 14F is a balmy day for Dec-Jan. I don't use regular de-icer on my concrete, but she goes to Mpls/StP with us every weekend, and those roads and walkways are covered in de-icer that is not very animal friendly and I don't have the opportunity to wash it off her paws.

I'm a little bogged down with sewing for the holidays and don't have time to work out a pattern for them, so I found a set that works OK for short periods of time, which is all I need. The real test will be our March weather. Thanks for replying!

yeah, I suppose. I was thinking about the sole, too. Hmmm – gonna' have to do some scrounging around and experimenting. I sew much better than I knit, so I temporarily shelved the thought of knitting or crocheting a sweater warmer than the one I bought. But I think I can figure out the booties, even if I have to modify the model a few times to keep them on her feet. Our Pippi has a much shorter and bristly (sp?) coat than our previous basenjis, and she is constantly shivering. They had no trouble adjusting from Miami weather to MN winters, but she seems so sensitive to cold already, and it's only October! She lived in Indiana before we adopted her, so it's not as if she's been basking in the tropical (African) sun all her life.
Thanks for the leather suggestion -- I'll have to make a coat to match the booties, I suppose

I think I'll try sewing some and I'll post my success/failures. I have PUL, flannel, fleece, and velcro from my diaper supplies so I should be able to come up with something custom-made for our b-girl.

quick update, since this has been quite an ordeal for us…went back to PetSmart to return/exchange the EasyRider harness on our way to Kansas City. The employee involved her mgr in our conversation, since she had no idea what to suggest. We walked out with an American Tourister seat belt harness, and so far, so good. Pippi remained strapped in during our short jaunts around the city, and also during the 500 mile trip back home, whether from travel fatigue, disinterest, or inability to escape -- who knows! In the meantime, we'll continue to set her up in the harness and hope for the best!

@wizard:

I bought a harness from dog.com that is adjustable and works well at least on Gossy (akd Houdini-ette). Unlike most harnesses it doesn't have a slot for the seat belt but instead has a swivel D-ring on the back to which a strap is clipped and then the strap buckles in the seat belt lock. It allows the dog to turn around without getting tangled up (99% of the time anyway). The harness is adjustable as is the strap so you can also give the dog more or less moving room; the longest strap length prevents my beastie from climbing on the dash.
I've used it on short and long trips and it works great for us. And Gossy is nosy and jumpy when she travels and it still works.

this sounds like it may work for Pippi. She's not destructive in the car, and doesn't attempt to chew it all (doesn't need to chew, since she can save all that energy and just back out of it). She just lies down quietly right next to the harness and gives me a little smirk before going to sleep. I think I'll make a video and post it on YouTube! The entire process takes less than 5 seconds – a little longer if she accidentally falls off the seat when she turns around. I'll check dog.com!

Does anyone successfully restrain your basenji in a seat belt harness while traveling? Our sweet Pippi travels really well but hates the crate. I want to keep her safe if she's out of the crate, but she slips out of the harness (Easy Rider, size small). It was fitted by a PetSmart employee, and is adjusted so it seems to be quite tight. But she is slightly overweight, an issue we're working on since adopting her a month ago, and I'm wondering if her rotund midsection is giving her the leverage to back out of the harness. The car's shoulder seat belt goes through a loop and buckles as usual. To get out of the harness, she turns around so she's facing the back of the seat, puts her head down very low, and with one slick turn of her head, she backs right out of the harness, leaving it attached to the seat belt. It's very clever, but is not keeping her very safe. I'm wondering if the problem is threading the seat belt through that loop, and maybe it would work better to fasten something directly to the D ring of the harness (where the leash attaches).
Suggestions anyone?

I've been meaning to do this for awhile! After being basenji-less for over 20 years, we recently adopted a 9 yr old girl from BRAT. Pippi is wonderful and we feel so lucky to have found her.