I always wanted a dog, but my stepfather was allergic. My husband grew up with basenjis in the 50's in New Bedford MA. They never showed, just had them as pets. They did everything wrong– let them run loose, bred them without planning, but he had great stories about them, particularly one girl named Congo.
His family had a rescue B named Rusty, who was a great character (also loose, but luckily a homebody) when I met him in the 70's. I liked Rusty's aloof confidence, and got my first B in 85-- Kenji. He was backyard bred-charming but turned very dominant and difficult at adolescence, but we worked with and had him until he was 13.
We got our second dog from Matahari B's, and Caddie was a tricolor sweetheart for 15 years.
Now I've got the gentlest, most outgoing B I've ever met. Sol was raised by someone else, and they did a great job-- thanks Eldorado!
I adopted him at 5, and after a few weeks of thinking about it, he decided to stay (he jumped the fence twice, but came when I called the second time). He's my best friend, and even goes to work with me in the winter. And sometimes I wonder if he's really a basenji, because he wags his tail so much-- but only for me.
Funny, he dosen't look Basenji
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I guess B's aren't the only ones.
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Cute picture! No, Basenjis haven't cornered the market on destruction. Nor have dogs, for that matter. At this time of year, my barnyard gets littered with pink insulation the birds are removing from their favourite nest site where they have (once again!) pulled off the board I nailed up last year over the hole in the fascia on the barn.
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As I am sitting here finishing my morning cup of tea Kaiser is perfecting his destruction as he is waiting for his morning walk, only started to destroy his toys in the last two months and his favourite is about ready to go out to the bin, purely from boredom as he is all about sleep after his walk and a little angel. The filling in the toys seems to be a great source of fun - for him that is not so much me.
Jolanda and Kaiser
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Loki has always loved to destroy his toys. The only thing that has survived mostly intact is his very first toy, a tiny stuff-less fox. Everything that can be destroyed, is destroyed. But he no longer chews on sheets and fleece blankets, so I'll buy really cheap stuffed toys just so he can rip them to shreds instead of focusing on something else
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If you check out the website www.dogshaming.com you get the feeling that basenjis probably invented doggie destruction but definitely don't have a corner on the market. Too funny!!!!!
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Loki has always loved to destroy his toys. The only thing that has survived mostly intact is his very first toy, a tiny stuff-less fox. Everything that can be destroyed, is destroyed. But he no longer chews on sheets and fleece blankets, so I'll buy really cheap stuffed toys just so he can rip them to shreds instead of focusing on something else
I think their very first toy, or the one they came with from their breeder they never destroy. Becca had her Duckie and when she went back to the breeder to be bred it went back with her. But it did not come home with her, but she absolutely adored that duck and I cannot find another one remotely lose to it. Flame came to us with a squeaky toy bone and he killed every squeaky toy we gave him, but not that one. Tucker came home with a real life squeaky toy…...Becca!
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Perry doesn't destroy toys. I don't think any of his breeder's dogs do. She teaches them as puppies what is "legal" to chew and what isn't, and only allows supervised play with plush toys. The result, at least with him, is that we have all the plush toys we ever bought him. And his favourites are indeed the first two he got on coming here. A bit like a kid's security blanket. If he is concerned about something, he goes and gets his froggy to squeak.
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I used to have a container full of toys and guts and spent time every week or 2 repairing. I have stopped. Gut it? Throw out the guts, now you have the outer shell to play with until (a) I get a new one for you or (b– more often) the child gets you a new one. She actually seems pretty content with the shells since tug and fetch are her delights when not gutting. In her defense, she doesn't START the gut. But once Arwen makes a hole, Cara is more than happy to finish the job.
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Looking back, I'm quite sure that destuffing toys and furniture is a learned behavior. When we first got Bitty she loved playing with the stuffed toys we got for her. However our female Jindo and Shiba Inu, Sami and Sable, were already veteran destuffers. It was Sable who started destroying our livingroom sofa, only to be joined joyfully, by Bitty and Sami. When a stuffed squeeky toy came into the house, Sami would appropriate it and chew until the squeek was killed, and then Sable and Bitty would take turns tyearing at it until all the stuffing was gone. Every time we move a peice of furniture we discover another 'dead' critter one of the B's hid away to be brought out later to play. When we find them we always put them in the 'dead critter box'.
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@Mr:
I guess B's aren't the only ones.
I just love the captions on these photos! So clever! I have to over see any toys I have with Uzie and Candi my hound mix (to whom Uzie is really bonded) She starts the destuffing, and he gladly finishes it. Kongs and the like are the only thing I can leave in the toy box. The first week I had him, he swallowed the tail end of an unstuffed toy. Biggest hair ball I ever saw! then I had to bring him for a barium study as he just was not right….I have been paranoid ever since! But, he only tears and does not swallow now, I think he was so excited to be out of a crate and just started the mouthy puppy stage "lets see what this world is made of" at age 18mos. I can't help but laugh when he wants to remind me of dinner time and he picks up the end of a doggy bed and looks at me to see if I am aware of him...
