I always ask people whether they like cats. I tell them a Basenji is a lot like a cat in a dog's body. They're smart, know what you want, but prefer to please themselves rather than you. Then I give them my tag line (which I use for Arabian horses as well) 😉
Hello from Wisconsin!
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Hi All!
My name is Becky and my husband Josh and I are getting our first basenji next week!
He is almost 2 years old and he is a handsome trindle named Hooligan! We are very exited!
We had been looking for a dog for a very long time and we were not sure what kind would be right for us.
Then we discovered basenjis and have been researching like mad. It seems the more we learn about them, the more we love them!
We contacted breeders and found a wonderful lady in our area! After meeting some basenjis in person and talking with the breeder, we were sure that a basenji would be perfect for us!
We were originally interested in getting a puppy, but then we met Hooligan who was already almost 2 years old but who needed a home.
We fell in love with him right away!
I really look forward to being a part of this community! All of you have been so much help already, as I have been reading many of the posts looking for information and guidance. I will post pictures as soon as I can!
We already have a great resource in our breeder, Laura Mae Hesse from Laurel Basenjis (who is AWESOME) but I welcome any and all advice!
Cheers!
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Haha, sorry!
In my excitement and impatience I ended up posting 2 intros!
I'm on a countdown to bringing our boy home and I'm looking forward to getting to know you all! -
Hello!
I have just been watching these forums for the last couple months, but when i saw this post i needed to speak. Hooligan was great; i met him not to long ag. I also got a Basenji from Laura Mae Hesse, My B's name is Morris; i got him a couple months ago from her. He is also almost 2 (turns 2 Thursday!) Laura was very helpful and informative and same with these forums. My experience with Morris so far is, he will chew on anything; wont eat it but just likes to chew on stuff. I have no health problems with him either. All in all i say go for it and get him, his is a beautiful dog, i have had no regrets.
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With a name like "Hooligan" I bet we are all in for some good stories of basenji antics when you welcome him home
Welcome to the club! -
There is a very active group of people who race basenjis in Racine if you would like to try that with him. Also a lot of agility basenjis there.
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Looking forward to hearing lots about Hooligan since he is my Watson's brother
I am glad you found us here.
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Thanks for the welcome! I do hope Hooligan lives up to his name, lol!
I think we will start with some basic obedience for both myself and Hooligan, but racing sure sounds fun.
It looks like basenjis love to run and if Hooligan can get over his dislike of other dogs, that might be a great way to get some exercise.
We bring him home Dec 8th, so I will post pictures soon after that!Moth - I'm so glad I found you, too! It will be fun sharing our basenji brothers' stories!
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Looking forward to the stories, i actually met hooligan in person. I also have one of his brother; Morris.
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Ooh - looking forward to hearing and seeing lots about Hooligan!
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Hey Hooligan,
I hope Laura mentioned our local basenji club, the Basenji Club of Southeastern Wisconsin. We're having our annual holiday party on Jan 5th in Caledonia. We'd love to have to you come and meet the rest of the club members. It's always a lot of fun. Laura can forward you the details if you are interested. Hope to see you there!
Clay
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Hello, is Hooligan home with you now ?
What a brilliant name for a Basenji, it just about sums them up,lol -
Hooligan has been with us for a few days now and he's such a great dog!
I am surprised how calm and loving he is! We are so new to him but he seems to love us anyway. I am surprised how easygoing he is. He didn't complain much when we took him home in the crate in the car, just a few baroos, a woof and a nap the rest of the way. He's not shown any interest in destroying the house (yet!!! fingers crossed) and he's just been a really good boy so far.
He is so sweet and so gentle! He sleeps nice on the bed with us, he does good on his walks, and he even listens pretty well. I am suspicious of all this good behavior, lol!The only minor trials so far is that he is used to an indoor/outdoor kennel at his breeders and he has not had any set feeding/potty/sleep times. He is used to an automatic feeder and being able to go potty whenever the mood strikes and I'm worried I won't be able to tell if he has to go. He also seems to want to nap a lot during the day and he gets hyper sometimes at bedtime. I think it will just take some time to get a set schedule worked out. This is all very new to all of us.
He is also very apprehensive of going down stairs even though there were stairs at the breeder's house that I personally witnessed him take at top speed. I'm pretty sure this will come in time, too though. He seems to be a very cautious boy, making sure everything is safe before proceeding.
He us such a sweetheart though, and he loves to cuddle! He even did well in his kennel when we both had to run out for a bit.
We're so happy to have him! I will try to get some nice pictures of him to post! He is such a beautiful boy!!!@Abe: so awesome to meet you! I'd love to hear all about Morris, too!
@Nemo: yes, Laura did actually send me an invite and we'll definitely try to make it! Sounds like great fun and a nice way to meet some fantastic people!
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Congrats on Hooligan-hey, you are very correct in your instinct that he needs a schedule to get used to! The stairs in his 'first' house were familiar, yours are new to him, he has to go through his learning curve and get to know the place. Your last input was a few days ago, I bet everything is better as of this reply! (hope?) He is a cutie-have lots of fun with him, sounds like he is off to a great start with your and yours as his new family!!!
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Hi there
Morris is from the same litter as Hooligan and our Watson.
Nice to know that all three brothers are here on the forum.
@Abe:
Hello!
I have just been watching these forums for the last couple months, but when i saw this post i needed to speak. Hooligan was great; i met him not to long ag. I also got a Basenji from Laura Mae Hesse, My B's name is Morris; i got him a couple months ago from her. He is also almost 2 (turns 2 Thursday!) Laura was very helpful and informative and same with these forums. My experience with Morris so far is, he will chew on anything; wont eat it but just likes to chew on stuff. I have no health problems with him either. All in all i say go for it and get him, his is a beautiful dog, i have had no regrets.
