Ok, I've added her as my profile pic - not sure how I post a photo in a reply though...
My Basenji is almost 15 years old and still going strong! :)
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I generally do not believe in buying dogs or cats or horses. I have traditionally adopted the small animals if they were strays or from a shelter. People surrender the horses because they don't want them due to the fact that they did not understand that a Thoroughbred Horse is NOT a calm horse and they ended up with 'more horse' than they could handle.
One of the gals at the horse farm had gone to Africa and bought a pair of Basenjis. I got to choose a puppy from her first litter. The Basenji is still considered an 'Endangered' Species (and we know from living with them why this is the case) and as such I did not mind paying for my puppy. She was the only Tri Colored in the litter and I fell in love as soon as I laid eyes on her.
She is a Cancer survivor and this month marks her full year of remission. She is an amazing little dog and still has all manner of bad habits which if are ignored she stops doing it. She packed with older dogs at the horse farm and modeled her behavior after theirs. I did not train her, I let the older dogs do that and they did a great job. I know how stubborn this breed is and I am aware that many of them end up in rescue. My dog bonded with a Wolf and she truly believes she is a Lupine. She detests all Canines and goes after them no matter how large they are. She gets walked at odd times when there are not so many dogs around. I am unable to get another dog at present due to Antigone's hatred of them.
I also believe we owe her our full attention; she has given us so much joy, love, and happiness that at this point we are not willing to bring another pet into the house. She lost 'her' 18 year old Cat last year and also her Wolf passed a month after she had her surgery. She looked around for both of them after they died and it was sad to see that. She is happy and healthy and does not need a companion. She loves the horses and my 22 year old Quarterhorse whom has known her for her entire life is still happy to see her as she is him.
I feel very lucky to have my dog!
Antigone
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Congratulations on her year of remission. Too bad her buddies have passed on, but you are obviously giving her all the love she needs! My old girl will be 16 at the end of September and is going strong too, thank fully.
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certainly treasure every day.
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I hope that I also get to share as many years with my boy as you have with your girl, I do love the golden oldies. Everyday is special at that age especially when they have a puppy burst - every now and then my previous dog would act like a spring chicken for a few minutes. Always nice to hear they can have a long life.
Jolanda and Kaiser
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I'd say you lucked into a great dog meant for you and she lucked into getting someone who would adore and care for her. Congrats on the many years you have and her being in remission. What type of cancer did she have? Was the person who got her someone you knew?
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Hi!!! I thought I was missed as I joined several months ago. My dog is a first generation American bred by Cathy Baron of New Jersey. I call my still extremely puppy like Basenji 'Antigone' after the Protagonist in the Greek Play by Sophocles. Antigone refused to negotiate and neither does my dog! We 'argue' all the time like when she starts chewing my shoes to get my attention. It works! I saw her when she was three days old and she is a Tri Color and had a little pink nose. She shrieked all the way home and we were so exhausted from the stress that I put her in bed with me and we both fell asleep. She still sleeps with me, despite objections of my husband, but he knows that the bond she has with me is going a long way to keep her in remission. She had a carcinoma of the small intestine and I was prepared for her to pass. She stared that cancer down like only these dogs can do as if to say 'I decide, NOT you!'
She still races up and down the stairs and she was very depressed last year because my 18 year old cat whom assisted her with the house and wardrobe destruction passed, as did my 8 year old Wolf. He had a brain tumor and that caused him to have seizures, the Vets could not get them under control and he did of a heart attack. These were the same Vets who did Tiggy's surgery. She has been attacked by larger dogs 4 times in her life and since then she thinks all Canines must die. She is very aggressive and she has a 'Napolean Complex' because she does not care how big the dog is, she still wants to attack it.
She was raised with our first Wolf, and I am told that the Wolf is the closest relation to the Basenji. She adores Wolves and she has always played with them and they always engaged in 'mutual grooming.' I know the gal I got her from and she gave my my choice. I chose Antigone because she was the only Tri in the litter and the only female. I know the breed is an Endangered Species, after having her and seeing what a destructive little dog she was, I chose not to breed her. I could NEVER part with her puppies and I don't think my bank account was large enough to deal with 6 Basenjis! I will rescue the next one because I know how they are and how to deal with them. My dog 'packed' with older dogs at the farm where I kept my rescue horses. She modeled her behavior after theirs and she caught on quick. These dogs are so stubborn I know they are given up because people are not ready to have their house eaten! They don't respond well to the usual training methods which I was told by the Breeder. I knew in advance what to do, and the only time she ever stayed in a crate was when we would go on long trips to Vermont to visit my in-laws. They no longer live there and she rides in the back seat with me!
To help keep her in remission I feed her Purina One Mature Dog kibble and Pet Guard Vegetarian canned food. She gets the canned food because she too has a seizure disorder and she takes 3.4 mg of Phenobarbatol every day. I sneak it into a fork full of the canned food. I adore her and cannot imagine my life without her. She looks silly modeling that goofy dog bed, she was about a year old and I took her into Manhattan, I worked there anyway and she came to work with me too, and as soon as the Photographer said 'Meow' he got the shot and that was it. Forbes FYI got lots of calls about my dog, what kind, where to get them, etc. They got sick of talking about the dog because the dog got more attention than the $14,500.00 bed!
Tiggy is her same self and she fusses over me all the time. She is sweet and curious about other people but if she does not like somebody she sits with her back turned against them and does not allow them to touch her. She is a great judge of character and she did not like a guy who gave me an estimate for a new HVAC! She sat with her back towards him and the guy asked after he gave me this insane estimate 'Why is she doing that?' I said 'She dislikes you.' He did not know what to think and he said he would call me the next day and I told him not to bother.
What is the most expensive thing YOUR dog has ever destroyed? My list is so long I stopped adding!!! How do you deal with the house destruction? Are pairs better than one? Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Tiggy and her Mom
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Anne!
I am so glad to hear your girl will be 16 this month! Where did you get her? Yours is a Tri too! I love them all and it is just dumb luck that my puppy was the only Tri in the litter. Is yours as bossy as mine? If mine is ready for sleep she just bugs me until I cannot ignore it any longer. She will nap on the couch but she does not sleep unless she is in the bed under the covers near my feet. She knows when it is time to take her meds (so do I but she reminds me anyway) and she knows if my Mom is at the door because my Mom too adores her. Mother always feeds her when we go to her house and Tiggy has this terrible habit of 'body slamming' you when you put her food in her dish. She is so strong she can knock you over! My 75 year old Mom can be cooking dinner for the family and there is Antigone 'supervising' by standing on her hind legs to see what is going on. As food is ready to be put on serving plates or bowls, she starts the body slamming!!! At home when she does this to me I just lift my hand as a distraction, she cannot see well but she sees the raised hand and backs away to get a look from a different perspective! These are the toughest dogs I have ever met. Once you have one, you will have them for the rest of your life!
Ellen and my Nightmare
