How to Evaluate a Basenji Rescue
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The shelter that I volunteered at used a temperament test to evaluate all dogs before approving them for the adoption floor. Many shelters now do this and there are several variations out there. The seminar I attended by Sarah Kalnajs included a portion where she went through what she does for a temperament test.
Even with the temperament testing sometimes dogs would get to the adoption floor and after awhile of being worked with the volunteers would notice things that may not have shown up on the test day.
Rescue and shelter work is very hard because you can't save them all. Some come to the shelter or rescue too broken to be fixed.
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Exactly and that is my point… and for those who have to make that hard decision, my hat is off to them... been there, had to do that....
Karen Jones at Medfly keeps them for good. I adopted a rw in 94 that had serious issues which I did not find out until after. I found him through an ad in the paper and sent my then wife to pick him up. The rescue breeder didn't say anything to my wife. We found out his issues the first week. And he had malobsorption (hard time digesting) and only weighed 19 lbs and came with a bottle of Pancrezyme to mix in his food. He was very quiet and depressed. You could see his ribs. If he was laying on the couch and you walked towards him he'd really growl at you. He bit my b/w on the back the second day here. I just kept him and decided I'd work with him. Had him till he died in 2007 at 14-1/2. He made a lot of improvement over time with a lot of walks and diet improvements. I called the rescue breeder and she knew where he came from but did not know too much of what if his experience was good/bad. He lived with a couple an apartment and hardly ever got walked. They got him from a breeder in Texas.
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Dogs who are damaged are IMO given 2 options. YOU as the person who is responsible for the dog, be it fostering, or having this dog in a foster, keep the dog until it dies, or you put it down.
NOT making a hard decision, to kill the dog, will give rise to all sorts of issues, including humans and animals being hurt, or the dog, who is damaged, suffering even more with folks who think they can "break" it to their will.
Jason, there are suggestions for basenji eval in the BRAT site. I believe you have access to this. If not, I will send it to you.
Fostering is the idea place to see if a b can be rehomed, but sadly, now, we are short of foster homes, and sometimes a b goes from a home to a kennel…that is very tough on the dog. -
I have been a BRAT foster home for several years and hosted many basenjis. There is no limit on how long a basenji will be fostered and depends completely on the dog's needs and the availability of a suitable adopter when the dog is ready to move on. I have adopted two fosters who were both here longer than normal due to health issues. A foster home in MO frequently ends up with basenjis who have serious health or behavior problems. They have lots of room on their farm so can manage several basenjis at once although the work is demanding, sometimes overwhelming. Currently they have 9 fosters and have adopted others who were deemed to be unqualified for other placements due to age or other problems. Two fosters have been with them for 4years. BRAT will have a dog PTS if it is suffering from physical illness or too aggressive to be placed. If they are old, have Fanconi or other manageable illnesses they may remain in a foster home until they die a natural death. We always need more foster homes.
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Good threat Jason.
Thanks for asking the question. -
I have been a BRAT foster home for several years and hosted many basenjis. There is no limit on how long a basenji will be fostered and depends completely on the dog's needs and the availability of a suitable adopter when the dog is ready to move on. I have adopted two fosters who were both here longer than normal due to health issues. A foster home in MO frequently ends up with basenjis who have serious health or behavior problems. They have lots of room on their farm so can manage several basenjis at once although the work is demanding, sometimes overwhelming. Currently they have 9 fosters and have adopted others who were deemed to be unqualified for other placements due to age or other problems. Two fosters have been with them for 4years. BRAT will have a dog PTS if it is suffering from physical illness or too aggressive to be placed. If they are old, have Fanconi or other manageable illnesses they may remain in a foster home until they die a natural death. We always need more foster homes.
It must be difficult though, to allot funds for medical care, and foster space that is always in need, to an animal once you know it is not adoptable. There are just too many animals in need, and only so much that can be done. It must feel like a no-win situation sometimes.
Miranda
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Good threat Jason.
Thanks for asking the question.LOL Sharron… would that be Thread, not threat!!!!
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LOL, can you tell I have NOT had enough coffee!
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It is if your basenji gets ahold of it…:D:D
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It is if your basenji gets ahold of it…:D:D
I used to give my rw a coffee bean now and then and he'd take in the dining room and roll around on it like a cat does on cat nip then eat it. :D
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I have been a BRAT foster home for several years and hosted many basenjis. There is no limit on how long a basenji will be fostered and depends completely on the dog's needs and the availability of a suitable adopter when the dog is ready to move on. I have adopted two fosters who were both here longer than normal due to health issues. A foster home in MO frequently ends up with basenjis who have serious health or behavior problems. They have lots of room on their farm so can manage several basenjis at once although the work is demanding, sometimes overwhelming. Currently they have 9 fosters and have adopted others who were deemed to be unqualified for other placements due to age or other problems. Two fosters have been with them for 4years. BRAT will have a dog PTS if it is suffering from physical illness or too aggressive to be placed. If they are old, have Fanconi or other manageable illnesses they may remain in a foster home until they die a natural death. We always need more foster homes.
My apologies to people who read this before, it disappeared once, so I am reposting it. Hopefully this explanation will stick, so I don't continue to look like a moron who posts the same things over and over again.
It has to be a tough decision to make to house a dog indefinitely. Knowing that there are limited funds being used for veterinary fees, and limited number of foster spaces being used for dogs that will never be suitable to be adopted. It would feel like a no-win situation to have to make a decision like this.
Miranda
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I went to a dog training class last week. They talked about shelter dogs, not dogs in foster homes, but there is a point to be made. The quality of life of the dog, in no kill shelters should be considered, as well at their health. The trainer said keeping dogs in cages, until they went into spinning mode was not a kindness.
I agree.
While foster dogs in homes have a good quality of life, what happens to the social b's who are not being taken in, because a foster home is full of a dog who will probably not be rehomed? This post is not directed at any specific rescue group, as I am a helper in 3
different rescue groups.
I think we need to evaluate the dogs who need homes with their ability to BE rehomed. -
Obviously this problem plagues lots of rescue organizations.
I just spotted this
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/102894/Killing_Oreo_the_miracle_dog
So sad, but really, what can be done?
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Its heartbreaking and its the reality.
Imagine, they did all this work on this dog, put the dog through all the training and the dog is still a risk to the public.
THEY made the hard decision. They gave the dog every chance and they did what was right. They put the dog down.
NO one goes into rescue or IMO shelter work to kill animals. BUT the reality is, without a home for every dog who comes in, some have do die. SOME good dogs do, and that is what really breaks my heart. The class I went to last week, this woman has a shelter in the N.E. of the country. She goes down to the south and evals dogs to take back if they are adoptable and helps shelters who have NO training on what to look for re dogs and aggression, learn to see what she showed us. Some shelters fill up with aggressive dogs, and they keep them there, and let social animals, who would make good pets, be put down.
Its tough. Some folks work to learn what to see re dogs and behaviors, and some folks who just like the looks of a dog pretty but damaged want to keep it for the "perfect" home.
I so wish I had some answers to this. Still this country has too many unwanted unplanned litters from those who don't want to improve the breed than there are homes for them. -
"Still this country has too many unwanted unplanned litters from those who don't want to improve the breed than there are homes for them."
Which is exactly why I am such a vocal proponent of spay/neuter. But I still don't want the government involved. :)
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Getting the gov. involved won't do anything but hurt the legal folks.
Just look at byb who go over the "legal" limit for ownership of animals in their care, or
horders, who don't do even legal mandated care…
Its going to take education and spay/neuter of any animal who leaves a shelter.
It's going to take years...I only hope I see it in my lifetime.
