Looks can be so deceiving- here is an article of a woman who adopted a rescue dog in N.J. Dog looks like a basenji - even her vet thought it might be basenji. She did an Embark DNA test - no basenji. Turned out the dog was a mixture of Mountain Cur, Rat Terrier, Beagle, and Boston Terrier. link text
Frustration: Basenji lovers must read
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Who was it that said "The more I get to know about people, the more I like my dog." Certainly applies with this lady. She was rude and even worse, she knew she was being rude and was doing it deliberately. She probably has a dog at home who is in dire need of some training and has no house manners. And her mother has probably pointed this out to her. So when the mother was praising Shango, her defense was that it had to be something was wrong with Shango and not her ill mannered dog. (And sadly, she could probably train her dog out of his bad manners but she is probably stuck with hers.)
Pat
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That's quite bold to say something like that in front of a dog's owner. But as we all know…....... her loss.
Everyone has different wants in a dog. But I can certainly say a Basenji is an extremely dynamic breed of dog. They can appear to be very well behaved but when they are in a comfortable environment (home) they can easily have a different personality. Not in a negative way but a way that shows they truly warm up to their best friend(s). It's impossible to spend time with a Basenji and say they are not intelligent. I've owned a Border Collie in the past (of which are very intelligent dogs) and my B seems to have a lot more going on in his head. They truly are a remarkable breed. Not to mention their distinct appearance which we all know gets numerous compliments.
"He's not pretentious, he's just intelligent to know he doesn't have to act like a dog. Have a good day"
Well said.
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Sounds like you and Shango got caught in the middle of some serious mother/daughter "issues". Sadly one or both of them is probably like this all of the time to each other over anything one of them likes.
Personally I love basenjis because they are NOT like other dogs. A slobbering, yapping dog with a dirty matted coat just disgusts me. I really appreciate the cleanliness and spirited personality of the glorious B! They're the only dog for me.
Oh, and by the way - royalty is, by definition, never pretentious.
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My niece, the pitbull fan/owner, is FOREVER criticizing, mocking, putting down the Basenjis to anyone who will listen. Calls them "dog wanna-bes" or "make-believe dogs", things like that. I frequently remind her that MY dogs are REAL dogs and hers are man-made, but she just pooh-poohs that.
Whatever; I let it go. If that is what she has to do to make her dogs look good, then so be it! I call it sour grapes.
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My niece, the pitbull fan/owner, is FOREVER criticizing, mocking, putting down the Basenjis to anyone who will listen. Calls them "dog wanna-bes" or "make-believe dogs", things like that. I frequently remind her that MY dogs are REAL dogs and hers are man-made, but she just pooh-poohs that.
Whatever; I let it go. If that is what she has to do to make her dogs look good, then so be it! I call it sour grapes.
Yep. One of the few breeds that go back thousands of years. I consider Basenjis the ultimate "real dog" because they still have their wild instincts intact. You can tell that if they were out in wild tomorrow they'd find a way to survive.
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I know of a couple of basenjis that have been lost for over a month and when found had fleas, ticks and were a bit thinner, but how many other breeds could survive in woods alone for a month? Or for a week in sub-zero blizzards? They have excellent problem solving ability and are great hunters, able to survive when your average "dog" would starve to death. That 'problem solving' gets them in trouble at times, but that's why we love them!
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I love everything everybody has said in this thread! We are such an interesting group of dog owners! And I agree to each his own, and no matter what the breed, most people consider their dogs a part of their family. I can't stand dogs that bark, slobber, get dirty, etc, HOWEVER, they are just as important to their owners as mine are to me, and I would never in a million years tell somebody their precious family member is beneath my standards. That is just bad manners!
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I agree there must have been some serious mother&daughter issues for a 30yr ole grown woman to rant this way:D
I also agree that is the reason I love basenjis they don?t bark,slobber and have they this haughty look over them when they don?t feel like being social.But they can be the most cuddly,loving little creatures when they feel you?re worthy their affection and as MacPack said they are one of the few breeds that will survive in the wild they will hunt their food and not just lie down and die.
Sod her Andrew and know that your dog is much nicer then her?s…;) -
I too agree with the mother&daughter problem - don't let it get to you.
Also remember, the dog genome project has shown that only a few breeds can be traced back to wild ancestors with little alteration - basenjis were one of them (the afghan and pharoah hound also I believe) - all other breeds have been manipulated to suit people's desires - some exceptionally so. So based on dog DNA, our little "dog wannabes" are true "real dogs"!
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thats a horrible women!!
I would go crazy….
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I love everything everybody has said in this thread! We are such an interesting group of dog owners! And I agree to each his own, and no matter what the breed, most people consider their dogs a part of their family. I can't stand dogs that bark, slobber, get dirty, etc, HOWEVER, they are just as important to their owners as mine are to me, and I would never in a million years tell somebody their precious family member is beneath my standards. That is just bad manners!
And frankly, if for some reason a barking, slobbering, dirty dog found its way into my family, I would love it just as much as I love the Basenjis, and would take just as much offense if someone ridiculed it.
A few years back we had a corgi mix that was truly an odd looking dog– white, pointed noise, huge pointed ears, big hairy body, with unusually short stumpy misshapen legs. She was a funky looking creature, and I adored her!
One day we were at a park and she was wading in the creek and there were people watching from a bridge. When she came out of the water, they started laughing and said, "We thought that was a really deep creek!"
It WAS funny, but my heart broke a little for my Maggie because they were laughing at her == I loved her so much and I thought she was a beautiful girl.Breed doesn't matter; appearance doesn't matter. You just shouldn't criticize someone's pet w/in earshot of them. period.
Same goes for kids -- a friend of mine recently had a stranger tell her that her baby boy looks like Yoda. Come on!! that was just rude. === even though he does look a bit like Yoda,:D, the lady should not have said that to the Mama.
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Wow! Has that woman ever been taught manners?
Sheesh. Sounds like her mother needs to teach her a thing or two about opening your mouth and inserting foot.
How Rude. -
You should have sent Shango home with her. Her opinion would have changed after her sofa was masticated, clothes eaten and the contents of her refrigerator were strewn about her house in a reckless and half eaten manner.
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Basenjis aren't pretentious; they simply don't associate with beings who are their mental inferiors.
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Just let it roll off your back. She apparently didn't know about the breed - nor was she very tactful or polite. Ya can't 'love' some people but …
Ya can always love the Basenji! [smiling]
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This reminds me of the day I was out on a hike with my B in a historical park. While I was reading a sign, Colbey decided to lay down. A lady coming down the path who had 3 rat looking dogs calls out in a really snotty tone "Why is he laying down?" I look over at her and simply say "Because he feels like it" and shrug. Ugh… people who have dogs that know nothing about dogs and pretend to really do get on my nerves.
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This reminds me of the day I was out on a hike with my B in a historical park. While I was reading a sign, Colbey decided to lay down. A lady coming down the path who had 3 rat looking dogs calls out in a really snotty tone "Why is he laying down?" I look over at her and simply say "Because he feels like it" and shrug. Ugh… people who have dogs that know nothing about dogs and pretend to really do get on my nerves.
Why wouldn't he be laying down? He's a Basenji. They do what makes them feel best. Regardless, what's wrong with a dog laying down?
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Shango sounds like a lovely dog, I don't suppose his opinion of the daughter was very high, I wouldn't worry about her appalling manners.
