Welcom to the forum and congratulations,, your b sounds wonderful and no, you are not the only one that feels guilty for leaving them. Think about it.. you got a basenji… you are already kind of crazy!! 🙂 Ayo is 2 1/2 years old now, and I still hate leaving him. I have only slept away from him one night in the whole 2/ 1/2 years. I know I will have to leave him more often in the future , luckily I already have a perfect place to leave him which worked perfectly that one time. Its a friend who loves dogs, she breeds yorkies and shows many breeds, Ayo loved it at her place. he stayed perfectly calm in his crate, no anxiety whatsoever. I was so relieved. Its good to find a person like that so that hey get used to them, and that way you know that they will be happy when you have to leave them...not everyone can handle a basenji, its hard to find people who can properly "babysit" while you are away. .....