Unfair

[K9amy]

My Basenji was put down last year for no good reason at all.
His name was K9 or "Kane" or "Kaney". He was the cutest dog I'd ever seen and I loved him like he was my best friend. He was never an aggressive dog, he just happened to be very protective. If he was a good distance away from me and/or off his leash, he'd be funny and friendly to strangers like he is with me. But if I was holding him or had him on a leash, he'd snarl at anything that came near me. I liked that, because I always felt safe with him. Even though he was a small dog, I knew he'd defend me no matter what. When I got home he'd always greet me with a long yodel and then dance for me. He was actually a cross between Basenji and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. His head was shaped more like a King Charles', and his ears were floppy, but they weren't all fluffy like a King Charles' ears. Well anyway, last year on the 6th of the 6th '06, which was also my grandpa's birthday, my mother told me the news. Apparently some woman was on her way to the hairdressers and K9 bit her. Because of this, he had to be put down (which is completely unfair, he didn't kill her so why should they kill him?!) Those are all the details I know about the incident, I wasn't told anything else. I was supposed to go to my grandpa's birthday party but instead I stayed home and cried, remembering all the good times.

[JazzysMom]

Oh K9Amy,
I am sorry for your loss. What a sad story. One does wonder what happened to make him bite her, since as you said, he was usually friendly unless leashed.

Odd that he had to be put down on his first bite. I thought most places were like here, where the dogs are "flagged" as potentially dangerous, and the owners put on notice that if there are any more bites the dog will be put down.

Do you have another B now? Or do you have plans to get one?

[K9amy]

No, at the moment I just have my two cats. I'd love to get another B, but I just don't have the money. Also, I just can't imagine replacing him.. he was truly unique, y'know? I never knew any other dog like him. Unless all basenjis are eccentric. But hey, I guess you never know.

[JazzysMom]

@K9amy:

No, at the moment I just have my two cats. I'd love to get another B, but I just don't have the money. Also, I just can't imagine replacing him.. he was truly unique, y'know? I never knew any other dog like him. Unless all basenjis are eccentric. But hey, I guess you never know.

All Basenjis certainly do seem to have their little "quirks", that's for sure.;)

But I wouldn't expect you to try to replace him, just to fill the void left in your life. But, you are right, they are an expense! It's also not a bad thing to just enjoy the cats. They probably appreciate that there are no dogs in the house!

[K9amy]

I love my cats dearly, but one of them is very old (17!).
The younger one is a funny little character, he's probably just as quirky as Kane.
But I think he's bulimic… he's been throwing up his biscuits even if he doesn't have hairballs. He probably overheard my mum calling him fat!

[JazzysMom]

@K9amy:

I love my cats dearly, but one of them is very old (17!).
The younger one is a funny little character, he's probably just as quirky as Kane.

We have two cats also, one is 16.5 and the other is 3. I've been a cat-owner for years, but Honestly, I was "done" having cats and was content just letting the old guy be our last cat but our oldest dd brought home this pathetic kitten 3 yrs ago. She'd found her in the woods at camp, and there were no other people around except the camping group. None of the adults would take it, so dd brought it home. At that time the local shelter was overloaded w/kittens, so we wound up keeping her "Until we can find her a home". Three years later, I guess I'm looking at 15 - 17+ yrs w/her still. sigh.