Hi everyone! My beloved Min Pin "Joey" passed away earlier this year and while its taken me a while to heal Ive finally gotten to the point where Im ready to look for another dog. Ive been drawn to 2 breeds - The Shiba Inu, and the Basenji. I absolutely love both and honestly cant decide which I want. Both breeds seem perfect for me. I have to say though that Im leaning towards the Basenji but they are a bit more difficult to find, especially in Utah. Its not the same with Shibas. Ive found a fabulous breeder only 30 min from my place and she has a puppy ready to go. But I really want a basenji to work out for me. Ive read and studied a ton but I cant find any actual Basenjis anywhere so its really hard for me to feel confident that I would know what Im getting into. And if I do choose a puppy I will most likely never get to meet him/her before I go to pick it up. Do you guys have any advice for me on how to work with a breeder to choose the right one? I really don't want a puppy that isn't affectionate or one that is too dominant. And although Im sure I would love it, I dont want to just go with a Shiba because its more convenient. I have wanted a basenji for years. they are my first choice.

Any sage advice would be awesome! I would love to find a puppy sooner then later as right now I have a really great window of time where my schedule is free enough to spend a lot of time working with a puppy.

Thanks!

Lindsay