@eeeefarm I think quality of life doesn't just 'come into it' - I think it is everything. To keep a dog going when the quality of life has deteriorated a great deal is thinking of oneself, not the dog.

Sometimes there is only one decision you can possibly make to show an old friend how much you love him or her and that is to make a decision which hurts you. To let him or her go with dignity when it is time.

Mine have almost always come and told me, Mom, please help me. And I would, as someone on this forum said a year or so ago, prefer always be a day early than a day late.

Eating is a good gauge of quality of life, but it mustn't be the only criteria. There is so much to take into consideration and I am the first to admit it is a time I absolutely hate.

Hoover who died in August, is the first one in all these years of running a pack of Basenjis who has not died in my arms, here in the garden. She died in the car, racing towards the vet on a Saturday morning. The first one I wasn't cuddling.

So I DO understand and my thoughts are constantly with all of you who have to go through this - but believe me, knowing you are doing the best for the dog you love, is itself a consolation.

Oh dear, I'm so sorry you had this spot of bother. First thing to remember - treats and food cause problems if not properly dispensed / monitored !

I would take them out somewhere away from home and try to get them interested in other surroundings, on a walk, a free run in woods (if you can trust your boy). Once they accept being together away, then reintroduce them to the house. Best to let the boy in first and then the girl, i.e. the one who is 'at home' before the visitor. OK not a visitor but he's been there for longer. It might take two of you, each with a dog on a lead and then gradually get them together and sniffing the same blade of grass. You may have to do this a number of times and when you are sure of them (as sure as one can be with Basenjis) then get them indoors again and, standing ready with a noisy toy or something to distract their attention at need, leave them loose.

If he is severely injured, don't separate them to different rooms. Make sure they can see and smell each other all the time. We had up to eight living in the house and often there were be some kind of contratemps but it was always of short duration. I am always the alpha, I am bigger than they are and it is MY house. Any injured dog was crated in the kitchen in full view of the rest of the pack as they came and went.

Meal times were absolutely fine. I have a big kitchen and as long as the food pans were put down from the same hand to the same dog in the same order and on the same spot on the floor at each and every meal - they knew when it was their turn and never fought over food.

Spaying the girl is not going to stop fights ! And as the boy is neutered there is no immediate hurry.

Good luck !

@praz thank you for making the right decision.

@mikesull No - the solution is certainly NOT to crate him all the time you can't be with him. You need to allocate a room or a space, with plenty of toys, chews, bones, things he can't hurt like newspapers, the inside of toilet rolls - and you need to have fun time with him.

He is a baby, for Heaven's sake, he needs lots of attention and commitment. He needs confidence, which I sense at the moment you are not giving him. He will settle down in the weeks to come if you are patient with him and let him know you are there for him rather than for your work-outs. Give him the confidence that you will come back.

If you scream back when he screams, you are letting him know that screaming attracts your attention to him. It may not be the attention he wants, but it is attention. Stay calm and try to ignore him, let him know screaming doesn't pay dividends.

The less crate time you have to subject him to, the better.

This is the most difficult decision - it is never easy. If he is not telling you it's time, maybe it isn't quite. But it sounds as though it soon might come to it.

You have to weigh up his dignity and quality of life and ask yourself if you are prolonging it for him or for yourselves. As I've said before, it is the last chance we get to show them we love them. By letting them go with dignity before quality of life deteriorates too far.

Far better to be a day or too early than a day or so too late.

I've been this road so often over the years with my pack - its heart-breaking but there is consolation in knowing you have done the right thing by your beloved Basenji.

The thing about Basenjis is they will play, cuddle, show affection, when it suits them, and it is very difficult to make a child understand this. But you must. You have to keep the child from ignoring warning signs - often a soft rumble, not even a growl - when the Basenji needs its own space.

For this reason, I have never sold a puppy into a household where there are very young children. Except once. But I watched that particular three year old with my own pack for quite a while and knew for sure that the parents would train the child. Some 18 years later, those parents bought that young lady, no longer a child, a Basenji puppy from me for her 21st birthday present !

You have to train the child, the dog needs space and frankly, respect.

Keep a very close eye on the situation and whisk the child away at the first signs from the Basenji, or better perhaps, forbid the child from approaching the dog at all unless you are close by, preferably on the floor with them or at least on the same level.

This is one occasion when you have to side with the dog against the child. The dog is behaving perfectly naturally, for a Basenji. It wants to dictate the time for cuddles and play. Life with a Basenji is always on its terms.

If you are not able to do this, better to let the Basenji go to a new home before any traits become engrained. Let it go without too much unnecessary 'baggage.' It would perhaps be the best thing for the dog and you can get one when your son is old enough to learn and you will have gained from this experience.

Thank you @JENGOSMonkey ! It went ok and Mku and I are back in bed. I am more tired than I expected. Tomorrow will be a day of rest and then I will be able to take the patch off and my now one lensed specs will sit better on my nose.

They don't knock you out here and the sight of a needle coming right at your eye is terrifying ! I was able to hear what was going on around me and some of the time could see from the other eye until they covered it up. The surgeon gave me a running commentary.

At least I will know what to expect in 2 weeks time when, fingers tightly crossed, he does the second eye

@tanza said in Considering a Basenji. Thoughts?:

only on their terms.

That about sums it up beautifully.

'only on their terms' applies to just about every aspect of life with a Basenji. Life is a compormise (on their terms !) the moment a B steps into the house.

Even with a long walk before and after being left alone in a crate for 8 hours - I would be very against this treatment of ANY dog, let alone a Basenji. These are hunting dogs, not toys you can put in the cupboard when you don't want to (can't) play with them.

Wait a few years until you can give a Basenji the life it deserves. A great deal of life with a B is COMPROMISE (!) and in the scenario as you describe it, the Basenji would be the loser on all counts.

They are worth waiting for - believe me.

The more often you clean anal glands, the more often you have to. Don't do as a regular every seven weeks exercise, give her more fibre in her diet and only express them when it seems absolutely necessary.

You would keep the puppy, pay all the bills and be miserable for the wee animal

@JENGOSMonkey I wasn't checking your math ! I read these posts with no time to respond but came back to them cos of the Misty Mnts affix.

How is Ring Craft going ?

btw - a couple of evenings ago, a large rabbit had been around my front garden - flower beds, borders and lawns. When I went out to play with the boys after their tea, they got the scent of the bunny and really quartered the ground, as a team, before both disappearing into the middle of one of the borders - to its detriment !

Try just spraying it with Bitter Apple !

@elbrant I am pretty sure @tanza was referring to the use of the Affix 'Cambria' -

You must be a great deal younger than either of us, not to know that 'Cambria' and 'Bob Mankey' were practically synonymous.

It was, and still is, a very famous affix which is now used, sadly, by breeders of less standing in the Breed. Bob and Jack Schafer bred Basenjis through the 1950s, 60s and 70s and wrote books on them which are still current today.

Try Google.

But it is also true that pedigrees can easily be falsified and probably are, more often than we know. This is one reason we keep hammering the point, if you are unsure of how responsible the breeder is, make sure you see the paperwork pertaining to the parents of the litter, and if possible, see Mom too.

I recognised the affix Misty Mnts and there are many of them in the data base. Also two with the words spelled out - Misty Mountains - But nothing recent. In any case, scammers seem to take photos of known dogs and claim them as their own. Someone recently sent me a link, purporting to be a litter of puppies for sale. The photos show just about every colour in the book, and every dog is posed in a different room (or house !). And almost all the dogs are mismarks.

I can understand, although not approve, the tendency to use other photos of other breeders' dogs to set up a scam. But for the life of me, I can't understand offering an entire litter of mismarks ?!?!?!

Welcome ! There is nothing like a Basenji as you will soon learn.

@binkobongo said in basenji screams when left alone:

My vet also recommended a pheromone room spray/collar that mimics mother dog smells to help with anxiety

Great. I had one plugged into a power outlet when Mku was suffering after Hoover died. Help very well indeed.

Message yes. Email no. I gave you my email address. Better to use that

I am at a loss to understand why you let it get this far and didn't consult a vet already. We are not vets - and this needs attention - yes. Urgently.

People are breeding from unregistered parents and / or not registering puppies, and asking £2000. But I do NOT advise you to get a puppy from one of these sources. Advice and back-up are not forthcoming. Contact a Breed Club Secretary and get onto a waiting list - probably not until 2023, even 2024. Waiting lists filled up already for most responsible breeders and I am sure you would prefer to get a puppy from one of them. I will send you a list of Breed Club Secretaries if you email me.