Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Basenji Talk
  3. Where/How To Get a Basenji Hunting Bell?

Where/How To Get a Basenji Hunting Bell?

Basenji Talk
  • J

    @izzy-bella said in Where/How To Get a Basenji Hunting Bell?:

    Oh gosh, I love this thread. Years ago I researched these bells, because it just seemed that a Basenji parent should have a Basenji hunting bell. But, alas, the prices were SO exorbitant. I could have dealt with $200, maybe even a bit more, but $600 and beyond? Not so much. I would still dearly love to own a bell. I did buy a very "dear" vintage slim book about Basenjis, which I bought in lieu of the bell. I do not recall anything in it about putting the bell around the stomach. But, who knows? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Basenjis exist in a very wide swath of The Congo, so maybe different peoples/tribes have different customs.
    I would LOVE to have an authentic bell.

    Glad you like it. I love this site so much and how much it's members support one another. My thought was to lighten the mood a bit with some fun. 😊

    A little later I'll post a few pics of the only one that I've ever gotten to hold. I still may try and make one myself. The one for $300 is still a bit steep. Maybe not if the site is legitimate. Still investigating that. 👍

    3
  • KembeK

    @eeeefarm said in Where/How To Get a Basenji Hunting Bell?:
    “If you look around on the internet you will find a lot of authentic pictures of Basenjis wearing bells in Africa, e.g. this page . “
    Thank you for the link. The article was very interesting and I enjoyed the photos. I was really intrigued that the “clangers” on the basenji hunting bells were made from monkey bones! Thanks for sharing.

    2
  • J

    I saw that site and went through most of it a while back. Great site with really fun history and culture. Not giving up one of my monkey bones to hang round my pups neck. :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing:

    I’m thinking of using a hardwood or some kind of eucalyptus, which seems traditional. Also thinking of using a few pieces of antler as well. I can’t find any great smallish nuts that the site mentions. But, I did find a really dried out aged to almost black hollowed out coconut on the trail by my house. Pretty big. Also found a nut thing that’s the perfect size. Need to figure out how to hollow it out. Still putting the pieces together in my mind.

    3
  • KembeK

    @jengosmonkey
    No doubt in my mind that you will construct a “basenji hunting bell” for Logan! 😆 I can’t wait to see it! Will you be taking orders? 😂

    3
  • I

    Ditto, on Kembe's comments on the hand-made hunting bell. Too cool!
    Izzy-Bella does appreciate her ever-changing fashionable collars, but I'm not sure how much--or little--she would like a bell around her neck, or anywhere else.

    2
  • B

    0_1605282954795_2EFED2A0-4D9F-4BE0-A091-398BA42A3FE5.jpeg

    Here is Naomi, my little African girl. She was one generation removed.
    She had what the breeders here called an African tail. It didn’t have a tight curl at all. She was a beautiful, dainty little girl, under 16 pounds.

    I can see her wearing a bell, but I don’t think she would have liked it at all!

    KembeK J 2 Replies
    3
  • elbrantE

    @eeeefarm said in Where/How To Get a Basenji Hunting Bell?:

    Basenjis wearing bells in Africa, e.g. this page

    Thank you for sharing that! I especially enjoyed the video at the bottom of the page.

    elbrant.net

    1
  • KembeK

    @brindlebasenji
    Naomi is GORGEOUS! Une petite jeune fille đŸŸâ€ïž

    3
  • I

    Naomi is a beauty, to be sure. She is definitely dainty at 16 pounds. Those big old bells would wear her down! Maybe some little Christmas bells???? Ha Ha.

    3
  • J

    @brindlebasenji I agree, Naomi is really a beautiful Basenji. Love it that she has a throne. She deserves it. :winking_face:

    2
  • J

    I think I have enough parts to start Logan' Bell. I've got the goiter (I had to look that term up) sized coconut, the nut thing, which I'll most likely use, some hemp cord that I'm going to braid, then braid again into more braids. I'll slice one of Logan's spent antlers into some strips to use at clangers or whatever they call them. Here's what I have...

    0_1605485727956_20201115_160641 (2) (Medium).jpg

    I may also use a soldering iron to burn his name on the front side of the bell using an African font. Something like this maybe...

    alt text

    elbrantE 1 Reply
    2
  • KembeK

    That is so cool! I can’t wait to see the final product! Again.......when will you be taking orders? Lol

    J 1 Reply
    1
  • elbrantE

    @jengosmonkey very cool!

    elbrant.net

    1
  • J

    @kembe said in Where/How To Get a Basenji Hunting Bell?:

    ...Again.......when will you be taking orders? Lol

    I don’t know 😝 I gotta figure out how to make it first. I think the nut thing is actually a Western Buckeye. I cut the bottom out of one and it has this really dense foam like structure that’s tough to remove. Oh, and there was a bug living in it. He wasn’t too happy to see me. Not sure the outer shell will prove to be very durable or resonate very well. It would just be decorative. The coconut is just giant even though it’s small for a coconut. Might have to flip to Plan 9 and carve one from wood. I’m thinking of using oak since there’s a lot of that on the trail. I need to google woods that resonate sound.

    2
  • B

    I can’t wait to see your bell!

    1
  • M

    don't waste your $$$. no bell, just keep your basenji in sight...
    morse.stafford@gmail.com

    0
  • J

    So I've not given up on this. I went back to rainshinefoundation.org.au and researched it a bit. It looks legitimate to me, and I'm really skeptical. This isn't an endorsement. They claim they are funneling the majority of donations back to the people they are providing assistance to. I could get behind this. Is a Basenji Hunting Bell worth $300 USD? In my best Texas accent, "Hell Yeah!" If they really are sinking the percentage of money they receive back into direct support as they claim on their website... it's hard NOT to get behind that. I'm still trying to verify that. Feel free to chime in.

    Coconut is too big. Western Buckeye is too thin. If the above is legit... I don't want to compete. I don't want to make something that mimics those from Africa. If it's legit... I'd rather support the cause and spend the $300 USD.

    So mine have to look different. They have to resonate sound. Which wood? CNC engraving? Laser engraving? Slots? Collar? Clasp? How do I support Basenjis? Tooling is going to cost a bit.

    I think I have have the bell figured out. I may also have the clappers figured out too, but I need to test all of this. The part that concerns me is the collar. Weaving, macramé, braiding, sewing...

    Anyway... these are thoughts in motion...

    1

Suggested Topics

  • J

    Looking at getting a Basenji.

    Basenji Talk
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    1k Views
    tanzaT
    @jordandwilly - Thanks for clearing that up.... 9-5 is just fine, IMO.... I work and have always had to leave mine when I was at work, never an issue. That said, we were able to set up the house that access to the backyard (with 10 to 12' privacy fences) with a doggy door and a dog room in the house for them, Locks on the gates so there is NO access for anyone. Dogs sleep 90% of the day so being at work doesn't bother them... never have mine even when I had a litter in the house (And have been in the breed as owner/breeder for 35+ years). You can hire a dog walker to take them out mid day..which is a good solution. and give them a mid day meal depending on their age. I do not and never have used free feeding, period. Especially if you have more that one... you never know what/who is eating what. And you can set up camera's on line to watch them from "afar".... LOL. Keep in mind people that many of us need to work and have day jobs. The most important thing is the time you need to spend with them when you are home. Example would be, if you have young children and you work... when you get home you are going to spend your time with your human children... NO dog would be happy if left out... they need their time also because they are a family member and need as much time as a human child. Again in my opinion
  • T

    Receiving new Basenji puppy Monday 2/11/19

    Basenji Talk
    18
    0 Votes
    18 Posts
    4k Views
    RGK9RulerR
    @theoriginaldev your life as you know it will never be the same! Patience, consistency, a firm but gentle hand, with a sense of humor is what you are going to need for the duration of the life of your precious gift. WELCOME home little one!! :)
  • K

    How did you get your basenji to walk off leash?

    Basenji Talk
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    13k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    @eeeefarm said in How did you get your basenji to walk off leash?: What I find interesting is the change in attitude to dogs on leashes. At that time, many people walked their dogs off leash, and many left them loose on their properties all day long. First, and probably foremost, you're a excellent owner. We disagree on a lot of training things (like e-collars) but you are uber responsible. On the "in the old days"... I see parents talk about not how they roved the neighborhood or all over small towns and how safe. But I also worked with women over the age of 70 who had been sexually assaulted as children and never reported it. I am not sure kids were massively safer in the good old days except for the fact that back then, your neighbors DID look after your kids... they'd scold them or call you without being fearful of being called meddling... because it was about caring. We've lost that. As for dogs, yep... we're similar aged and I remember my grandmother's farm and the fairly steady stream of new farm dogs because they got killed by wild life/snakes etc or roving dogs. It was business as usual. Dog disappeared or dead-- get another one. I know many still feel that way. Rather have to dogs run free and happy and dead young than "cooped up." Our value for dogs as companions has dramatically changed, and our view of our responsibility for them. We always had cats and dogs who were allowed out, and like you, most stayed on the property. But I remember 3 dogs who didn't (one small, probably stolen) and cats didn't live long. We just took that as the norm. Obviously I have look back at that and am horrified. (Though there was an Irish setter who would NOT stay on his property and if the owners weren't there, he followed me about a mile to my house when I walked home from school. His owners laughed, would come get him when they got home if he didn't go back. I thought that was kewl back then but not so much then.) But my experience, and I lived in a very small town then, and a smallish one now, is very different. Then and now, dead dogs and cats on the road are incredibly common. The litmus test is research statistics. Cats who are even allowed out a few hours a day loose have dramatically decreased life spans. I haven't bothered to look about dogs, though a look at shelters should be enough to prove that dogs loose are often dogs lost. The number with electric fence collars demonstrates how ineffective even that is if prey drive kicks in. (for the record, your dog your choice. Loose cats however have an almost unimaginable impact on wildlife, so it IS my business if your cat runs loose.) Yep, times have definitely changed.
  • MothM

    Things I have learned from/since getting my Basenji


    Basenji Talk
    20
    0 Votes
    20 Posts
    7k Views
    krunzerK
    I thought hydraneas were poisonous to dogs?
  • eoyE

    Considering getting a Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    lvossL
    Yes, early socialization and positive experiences is the best way to go. I think the most important thing about puppy kindergarten is that it is positive based and focuses on socialization with both people and dogs. Some basenji don't necessarily do well with the small dogs and other love them. Sophie was always the best with the new pups of any size in her puppy class, she just had phenomenal dog language and would make herself as small as possible and go at their speed. What you want to be careful about is people who have already formed a preconceived notion of basenji behavior. My mom's first puppy class instructor always expected her boy to be aggressive even though he never showed any aggression and was always very appropriate in his interactions. I crate puppies next to the bed while housebreaking and it works fine. I have always used a large stuffed toy in the crate and this year used SnugglePuppies, they were wonderful. The pup snuggled right up to warmth and fell asleep, provided we did a good job of tiring him out for the night. I got my first basenji while I was in Grad school and lived in an apartment. It is doable as long as you are willing to make sure they get enough exercise and mental stimulation.
  • foschattF

    Basenji Dog Bell

    Basenji Talk
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    3k Views
    basiB
    My mum has one of these, though a bit different.A good friend of hers, sadly no longer with us of the Taysenji Basenjis brought it back for her when she spent time living in Zambia many years ago. It will be passed down to me when my mum is no longer here as it has sentimental values and I will never be parted with it.