Marley
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Well lets look at it constructively, the way the health hazards were presented to me, I found rude, most of them I already knew about anyway, its common wikipedia info, much less here or front page on any other Basenji site.
It was not the information I found unsettling, it was the way it was presented and forced upon, have some tact about it, people that are new members don't want a lecture delivered from high upon the moutain. And the argument that the message overrides how it is delivered is just the easy way out.
We all care about our animals, maybe consider the new owners as much when they join the forum as well, after all the information is free here and everywhere, it takes effort to be a member of a online community, other wise everybody wolud just lurk.
Will_s, you are correct. It is just hard sometimes to get your message across in a written email. I hope you will stay. I look forward to seeing your adorable little girl grow up! Besides, I 'm jealous. I want a B/W but we are maxed out right now. Some day….
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The information on Wikipedia is not quite accurate and if people are using it as a "reliable" source of information for the breed then they probably do need some more information. Basenjis are not "noiseless" or silent as the author of the Temperament section describes. The health section leaves out Hypothyroidism all together which is a problem in the breed and should be tested. There is no information about how eyes need to be examined by a Board Certified Vet Opthamologist for PRA. Wikipedia is open content, and one of us can go in and edit these points, there is not gauruntee that someone won't go and change to something else later.
As for how the information was presented, nothing posted in this thread about health which amounts to a single post by me to check if the parents were tested and if not get your puppy tested was said in a "high on the mountain" tone. It was strictly informational. As for the private email conversation you posted, even that did not have a "high on the mountain" tone, it was concerned and upset because a dog that was supposed to be spayed/neutered was not and this breeder now knows that there are health issues coming down from this line that she did not want propagated.
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So my only comment to anyone that has researched the breed and "knows" about the health concerns in our breed, why would anyone then get their Basenji from a Breeder that doesn't health test?
Imagine that you are new to the breed and you start asking the breeder about the health testing they have done and they say "I have never had any problems with any of that." What if you don't know enough to ask point blank if they did Fanconi testing on the sire and dam? You want to trust the breeder as they are the expert. (happened to me - I didn't buy the dog)
Here's another scenario - My husband knew I wanted a Basenji. He went and got one from an ad in the newspaper and gave her to me as a gift. He didn't know anything about fanconi or testing. When he called a reputable breeder he was told that they had no dogs. When he mentioned that I had shown a B in the past they suddenly had a dog. Well when they started talking price he freaked out and said no thanks!! The price was actually reasonable but he didn't know any better. He got a basenji from a back yard breeder for four hundred dollars and was so proud that he had found a basenji for me. She was a sweetheart. He knew nothing about her sire and dam or health. He has since learned that cut rate puppies can have serious health problems and he now understands the importance of dealing with reputable breeders. He choked at the price when I bought my last puppy be he totally understands now.
So I guess the answer in some instances is inadvertant ignorance.
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You are totally right, some instances are inadvertant ignorance… and in your case, with your husband, he didn't know any better... and did what many people do... and really price is not always to "key" to a good or bad breeder. There is a breeder in Wi that advertises Basenjis on places like puppyfind and nextday pets for 1500.00 to 3000.00... that is outrageous, period... and if carefully checked, they do not do the health testing that they should.
What I am referring to, is that if you have researched a breed, someplace (especially in this day and age) you would have come across what tests are done and where results are (or should be) published. To me reseaching a breed is not just calling a breeder and asking about what they do or do not do for health testing. I know there are many breeders that happily put a pup on plane bound for wherever... but that is not me...
So at the end of the day, regardless of where your pup came from... if you have learned something about finding a responsible breeder, learned what questions to ask, learned what answers might be a red flag... and share that knowledge with someone else or use it yourself for your next pup.. then it is a good thing...
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Will_s How funny about the table chairs! Your Marley seems to be ahead of the game. It took my boy until about 4 months before he realized that chairs left out are the way to the table and that table means sneaking off with my sandwich when I wasn't looking. Maybe I eat in front of the TV too much:)
As far as a final comment on this thread…
Would it be possible for the forum administrators to have like a couple of documents (or even old threads?) on BYB, puppy mills, health testing, and Fanconi, that could be posted as attachments once a new member signs up and posts about their b? This way once they sign up, the information is then immediately available to them. Kind of like a "Hi, and welcome to our forum and here's some important FYI documents you might find helpful on the following topics about basenjis." Then all the other questions that inevitably follow will have been prefaced by an "administrator" rather than by a personal poster. This could eliminate the "onslaught" feeling that some might have experienced, because the "administrator" posting will feel more impersonal than another private poster might. Just a suggestion.
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Well, yes Pat, but at least we could point out the threads before we jump in. Something like maybe, "Have you read…...?" rather than Dat de dat de da. It may be less overwhelming for the new member. That way, perhaps they would start asking questions and then we could jump in. Just a thought.
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Well, yes Pat, but at least we could point out the threads before we jump in. Something like maybe, "Have you read…...?" rather than Dat de dat de da. It may be less overwhelming for the new member. That way, perhaps they would start asking questions and then we could jump in. Just a thought.
Exactly, and like I said, this has been suggested before, in this thread along with others
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What a lovely little dog, you will get lots of help and advice on the forum. Mine doesn't like a crate at home either, I tried one but she managed to push to top up and get her head stuck between the top and the steel bars. Got so scared when I saw some blood on the bars that I gave up trying , I only put her in a large crate in my car (it takes up one back seat and the boot). She accepts it gladly- anything but being left behind-, looks at the traffic when I am driving and eventually falls asleep. My previous dog (an italian greyhound), despite her small size was really scared and aggressive in the car and preferred staying at home, looking out the window and waiting…I am actually thinking of getting one of those greyhounds as a companion for my Basenji, does any one think they could get on? Would an adult female Basenji "adopt" a tiny greyhound and not crush it? Sounds silly but my B is so strong and jealous, I am wondering if she could be maternal with another dog????
