I kept my basenji girl from scratching at her stitches by dressing her in a very small child's T-shirt. It worked well. Sometimes covering up a wound is all that's needed. Unfortunately, sometimes not.
Naomi had a little T-shirt that boasted the lettering "Dirt is my favorite color." It was not of course; she was a very tidy girl.
Basenji in Alaska
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Unless you plan on being outside with her for extended periods of time (greater than 10-15 minutes), she should do just fine.
We had a recent cold snap where it got well below 0. Kananga tends to tolerate it but will only be outside for 5-10 minutes maximum, at a time. No coat, no shoes, etc. He has done just fine and his pads are in great shape.
I think it only becomes a concern if you plan on being outside with her for long periods of time and that's where you might want to look at getting her a coat and shoes to protect her pads.
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Unless you plan on being outside with her for extended periods of time (greater than 10-15 minutes), she should do just fine.
We had a recent cold snap where it got well below 0. Kananga tends to tolerate it but will only be outside for 5-10 minutes maximum, at a time. No coat, no shoes, etc. He has done just fine and his pads are in great shape.
I think it only becomes a concern if you plan on being outside with her for long periods of time and that's where you might want to look at getting her a coat and shoes to protect her pads.
Thanks! This encourages me a lot! I was just worried about the reported extreme temps in Alaska (like the other day it was -44F). But I will look into booties for her!
Thanks for all the advice! -
Booties for sure…She will be inside with you most of the time yes?
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Booties for sure…She will be inside with you most of the time yes?
Absolutely, my Basenji stays all nice and snuggly warm with me inside! I'm mostly concerned for her health and safety when she's outside going potty!
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So you will head up for Alaska when its fall? It will give you all a bit of time to get used to that area. How long are you staying?
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So you will head up for Alaska when its fall? It will give you all a bit of time to get used to that area. How long are you staying?
we're staying there for 3 months at first, then there's a possibility of us moving there permanently. We'll see….
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little shoes for sure when we dropped to 15 below with wind chill Jaycee had coat and boots went out did her potty fast and just sat down she was all ready cold. We had to carry her in and we wrapped her in blanket and held her for about 1/2 hour. Good luck
Rita Jean
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Here is the site Pat used to make the boots shown below in the picture. Pat makes her own coats, but apparently you can buy Parkas with hoods on line somewhere. This is what she said about starting to wear the boots.
http://domestikgoddess.com/sew-your-own-winter-dog-boots/
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Yeah i was wondering about the Basenji keeping the booties on. Since when ever I put anything on Mali she acts like one of those cats with tape stuck to all four paws…. She is VERY clever (as all 'senjis are), I can see how putting her out in the cold for a bit before hand would make her think :
"Oh hey.... it's cold out here on my feets! MOOOOM!!!!"
I already have a couple of sweaters we've bought for her for the not-so-cold Florida winters and she seems to do fine with them. Next time I go to the local Pet Supermarket I'll ask them if they have any coats made for colder weather.
Thank you everybody you've been SO helpful! Please feel free to continue with comments and suggestions! I want to make sure my dog is well cared for in the cold weather!
(By the way, I got a sewing machine for Christmas, so I'm super excited about trying to make those booties! Thanks for the link!) -
I think you might find better coat (and bootie) options on line… I think a couple of sites have been posted
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I agree Pat. I would look for one that specifically caters to northern areas. I would think FL stores would be more the light jacket type.
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I've made a bunch of coats for my basenjis out of old sweatshirts, they are not hard to make yourself for playtime. Mushers secret or badger balm is also essential for paws and ears in cold weather, it will keep them from getting chapped and split, you can find it online at Amazon and first aid sites.
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Check out the sites that carry booties for sled dogs. They are made to stay put (of course, probably never tested on Basenjis!!)
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I've never used Montana Dogware coats, but I've seen them on other dogs & think they look nice. Also, if you go on their website, they have a photo gallery of dogs wearing their coats that happy customers have sent in. On the "medium dogs" gallery, there are a TON of basenjis (almost half the pictures are of basenjis it seems), and many of them are listed as living in Alaska, Canada, etc. So it appears, if the pictures & captions are truthful advertisements of happy, warm basenjis, that Montana Dogware would be a good choice.
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there are a TON of basenjis (almost half the pictures are of basenjis it seems), and many of them are listed as living in Alaska, Canada, etc.
Sorry Andrew-had to laugh when I read this part.LOL
A lot of people still equate Canada with tons of snow and colder than cold weather. I'm still laughing. 
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I saw that you have a sewing machine – its not hard to make your own coat. I made one for my previous beasties with fleece and wool. I made it with a high colar (for the backside of the neck) and an indentation for the tail and a big belly and chest band (I used snaps at first but then switched to velcro). It worked pretty good for our single digit temps (and the occasional below zero walks to the corner). My current beastie refuses to go out the door with a coat on, however. When the outside temps are below 10F she won't stay outside any longer than necessary to go potty - the squirrels can run around all they want then!
With respect to booties, mine will at least tolerate them when we go for walks but it's more for the road salt. However, the good pair I bought this year leak somehow (maybe through the stitching?) and she doesn't like them with they get wet inside. Nevertheless be sure you get the best you can find.
