Hello everyone!
My boyfriend adopted a six month old puppy last week that is supposedly a rat terrier mix, but she looks a heck of a lot like a Basenji to me. The shelter lists her mother as a rat terrier and father as unknown. She is a great little girl, but doesn't act like a terrier. Shelby is calm for her age, very smart and a total love bug. Aside from her curly tail and big ears, her most noticible Basenji trait is her vocalizations. She doesn't bark. She will whine, yap, or scream, depending on her mood! 
Anyway, does she look like a Basenji mix to you all? I've done some research on the breed in the past and know that they require different training techniques than other dogs.
Thanks!
Kelly
She could be either. Decker Giant Rat Terriers were developed by mixing in Basenjis and have many basenji traits.
I vote for some variation or mix of An Australian Cattle Dog - the coat color on the dog is not in either the rat terrier or the basenji but is a common color in the ACD. Keeping in mind the close relation of the Basenji, Dingo and Dingo/ACD - I would expect some characteristics that appear 'basenji like'. Of course this is only my opinion after looking at the pictures - the important thing is that a nice dog found a nice home.
Oh, she is beautiful!!! She definitely looks like she has some basenji like traits, but that blue merle color doesn't exisit in pure basenjis …so I don't know if it can exist in a mix...meaning I thought that merle needed to be carry by both parents...again, there are folks here who know a whole lot more about color genetics than I do
Anyhow, whatever she is, she IS adorable!
Oh, she is beautiful!!! She definitely looks like she has some basenji like traits, but that blue merle color doesn't exisit in pure basenjis …so I don't know if it can exist in a mix...meaning I thought that merle needed to be carry by both parents...again, there are folks here who know a whole lot more about color genetics than I do
Only one parent needs to be merle to produce merle offspring. Rat Terriers do come in merle though it is rare to find anything other than the real small ones with the merle color pattern. And I think this girl is just lovely. 
She is absolutely gorgeous–whatever she is!!
My guess is Australian Cattle Dog and Rat Terrier mix. Very cute girl!
@BDawg1005:
My guess is Australian Cattle Dog and Rat Terrier mix. Very cute girl!
That would be my guess too… but she is very cute and welcome regardless!
@BDawg1005:
My guess is Australian Cattle Dog and Rat Terrier mix. Very cute girl!
'cept for it looks like she has a curly tail….neither of those breeds would have that...
what a neat looking dog! Her head and slim body looks like a basenji to me, and the fact that it looks like she has a blaize w/lighter color on the chest and feet. Ether way very nice looking dog, neat colors!
That doesn't look like a curled tail to me…?
@BDawg1005:
That doesn't look like a curled tail to me…?
To me it looks like curls up over her back…one loose loop....kinda like my full African 
But also her parent described it as a curled tail in the intro.
It is definitely a possibility that a Decker Rat terrier would have a curled (ish) tail if they weren't docked. Of course, Deckers have quite a bit of Basenji blood in them, so in a way, she would be a basenji mix.
And thanks Robyn for the clarification about blue merle
She is so cute!!!
I would guess that she is basenji and Australian cattle dog.
She is so cute!!!
I would guess that she is basenji and Australian cattle dog.
That was my first guess. But the mother is listed as Terrier, right?
So, was that someone's guess at the shelter, or is that a known?
Because she looks like a Basenji w/cattle dog markings to me!
'cept for it looks like she has a curly tail….neither of those breeds would have that...
Undocked Rat Terrier tails almost always curl up over the back in a loose loop or gay tail.
The tail really doesn't look curled to me though.
She's beautiful! I LOVE her sweet eyes and her color is gorgeous!! Welcome!
