Posts made by TuckerVA

Similar story for me also, when I had Tucker. I girl who lives in my community has a Shiba Inu. We were at the dog park once and her dog attacked mine. I grabbed her dog and practically threw it across the park and scooped my dog up off the ground. She got mad at me and told me that it was MY dog that started the fight. I ignored her but give her regular sneers when I'm walking my dog and her dog is on her balcony and goes into a rage every time we pass by - knowing she realizes that her dog is an asshat and gets enraged by any passing dog… Here I am, walking with my B calmly and here she is, trying to pull her idiot dog away from her balcony fencing before he breaks through it trying to get at my dog...

Just as an example of the situation Tucker was living in… The unstable woman that lives with us (and has for over 2 years now) got drunk (again) last night - REALLY drunk. Was stuffing kibble through the screen door of our other dogs crate last night. After I caught her, I told her to stop it and that she knows she's not supposed to do that. I left the room and watched from afar as she struggled to get back on her feet and paused to pee on our kitchen floor while she was squatting to get up. She failed to stand, so she then CRAWLED to her room and spent (no joke) 45 minutes trying to climb off the floor and into her bed. My wife moved the baby camera out of the baby's room and into this woman's room to keep an eye on her. I watched her crawl halfway onto the bed and then slide back to the floor at least 4 times before I got bored and stopped watching. The entire time she was shouting "God! I haven't done anything to deserve to go to HELL!" She never made it into bed and my wife came home an hour or so after that and finally managed to get her into bed.

All I can say is that I'm very excited we'll be moving out of this situation in about 6 months. I just hope the baby doesn't absorb any of this crap behavior. Fortunately, we're on one side of the kitchen and she's on the other so she really never crosses the kitchen into our part of the house...

It's difficult to explain the entire situation, so I won't bother to do so here. There are just too many variables to put it together into an intelligible story.

Tucker has been in his new home for nearly a month now. He was adjusted from day one. He is very happy and is getting along with his new poppa, the housekeeper and all three other Basenji's. It's almost like he's a new dog. I'm very sad that I had to part with him but I am very happy that he is happy. I can only conclude that the lifestyle that my wife and I led along with the ever changing variables and instability made him the dog he was when he was with us. Tucker was not a dog to wag his tail…he did sometimes, but very seldom and it was a half effort at bestr - but I always thought it was because it was broken off by some _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in his past. He licked my hands, but never my face. He does both of those things in his new NC mountain home.

His new daddy has 20 years of Basenji experience and is very loving and attentive to his dogs as he also now is with Tucker. He works from home so he has plenty of time to spend with the dogs and plenty of time for walks every 3 or 4 hours in the mountains (he takes the dogs out a LOT!).

It's no wonder why Tucker is so happy in his new home.

Just wanted to fill you all in since the transfer was a raging success.

I have two things to add. Tucker was the same way. Hated crating unless in the car. Never bothered to crate train him. My solution was to throw caution to the wind and allow him free roam of the house and it worked for me. He never peed or pooped or scratched at anything again. Some dogs just need to be free within the confines of the same area their humans are. The more space he was allowed, the more at ease he was. We lived in a 950 SQFT condo and he still peed every now and again, but there was always a change - like being left with a house sitter for a weekend associated with it. Now we are in a substantially larger house and he's never engaged in 'spiteful peeing'.

I had other issues with Tucker and if you follow anything I've ever written, then you know what they are. I trained Tucker to wear an Italian Basket Muzzle. It took maybe a week to do and within a month, he had no more issues with the muzzle than he does with a collar - which is NIL - no issues at all. I go through about 2 muzzles every 3 months because he scratches his face like any dog would, but there is a muzzle there now. He eventually shaves a lot of the plastic off and they'll weaken and break. I just switch it out with a fresh one. At $15 bucks a muzzle for the protection it provides (re: biting), it's worth the cost.

I have been forced to crate him from time to time. He stripped two METAL bars off of a crate when left for a few hours while we were at a B&B that allowed pets as long as they were crated when you left the room. Broke the welds and stripped them right off the inside of the metal door.

The method I've always used with Tucker is that the more he fusses and tries to go back towards the house, the futher I walk him away. It only took a few times for him to grasp this concept. Now I take him to his spot, and if he doesn't go, I move on a 50 feet or so further from the house and he gives up and goes. Typically, he'll just go like normal. Every now and again he'll need a refresher…

I have some things in the works. I'll keep you posted.

Hawthorn is assumed to be a safe berry to eat. I have read the seeds are not so good, but in most cases, the fruit is consumed and the seeds are passed. Birds eat the fruit and spread the seeds… I have not been able to find any information validating that the seeds are toxic - most likely a legend as history shows that there have been many food and medicinal uses for Hawthorn over the ages.

@Patty:

Jason, I just sent you a PM…. and on a happy note, CONGRATULATIONS on your little baby! Boy or Girl?

It's a boy. We call him "Ren". His name is Russell Edward Newton.

The biting dog was passed along to me by BRAT.

I did talk to a lawyer and have one in the family. In their experience, anyone who gets bitten typically will sue their way all the way up the food chain…including the foster or new home, me and my family and the rescue organization that adopted out a known biter. The family that gave Tucker to the rescue I got him from actually gave him up because of exactly the same thing - he started biting them and other people just prior to having a baby.

Tucker has never been reported, which is a good thing. Me knowing he is a biter, well, that's another thing. A risk I have accepted for 5 years. I am sad that the risks have escalated now, with the addition of a family member, to a point where they are over my head.

I think I may have found a solution today. I found another dog lover like myself who may be willing to take him. His brother actually runs the sanctuary that I was intent to send Tucker to about a year ago when it became a reality that, in the end, I would have to part with him. He has 3 of his own and the three he has aren't his first B's. Like me, he is willing to do anything it takes to save a dogs life, and he's been a part of the saga for over a year and knows pretty much what I know about Tucker. The sanctuary is for end of the line dogs, mostly dogs that bite and have no other recourse aside from euthanasia. The people involved know what is going on - and I would fully disclose all of Tucker's quirks to anyone who was willing to help out. And the person I am speaking with will most likely take Tucker permanently to avert any subsequent re-homing, and his lifestyle is condusive to this option.

As for the shivering, I'm not sure how far back you are researching my threads, but that ended quite some time ago. Tucker is happy where he is, muzzled or not. And just so you have your facts correct, only one behaviorist recommended euthanizing him.

I am glad that everyone is not as negative as you seem to be.

While you may think he is living a cruel and fear filled life, you have to be in my shoes to accurately understand the situation.

Nor did I say the behaviorist failed.

What I said was, "And, for the record, I have seen two behaviorists, one class trainer and one one-on-one trainer in efforts to rehabilitate Tucker, but all failed due to differing situations where one moment my wife tells me to get rid of the dog (like this) and then we're going to 'try again and see how it goes'."

It's simply how you read it - defensively or like I meant it. And just so I'm more clear, I meant that the training failed because differing situations caused stops and starts and irregularities in the training. Therefore, I failed because life got the better of me. Behaviorists aren't normally known for rehabilitation, they are known to assess and provide recommendations and, in some cases, medication.

And you are correct. I am unwilling to have Tucker put down.

I would also include the link where the rescue organization that allowed me to adopt Tucker listed that Tucker did not bite, but that page doesn't exist anymore.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have a situation that warrants immediate attention. I'll do my best to explain the situation and then I will deliver my plea for help.

My name is Jason Newton. I am the current owner of a nearly 9yo pure bred basenji. I adopted "Tucker" from a basenji rescue organization about 5 years ago. Tucker has bitten several people, but does not fit the characteristics of an 'aggressive dog'. And, yes, I am biased because I love this dog and want to do everything I can to keep him in our home and safe. Tucker is a dog that will only bite if he is approached in fear or by a stranger without proper introduction. If ignored, he does not act aggressively at all. My wife and I chose to muzzle him about a year ago because we have an older woman who lives with us and constantly messes with the dogs because she is a drunk. Since being muzzled, we have had no incidents, but prior, he had bitten this older woman. The majorty of the bites have been minor, but a few have drawn blood. Fortunately, he has also never been reported to any authority for biting or I might have already lost him.

It is a difficult reaction to explain as I never know if someone will warrant Tucker to lash out or not. I think Tucker is a resource guarder and I am his primary resource. He also exhibits this behavior in the home, as I think the home and my wife are his secondary resource and he guards them as well. Most of our family can come and visit with no incidents, he simply has to be ignored. While ignored, he sniffs and explores and will sit down almost right on top of anyone and does not exhibit any bad behavior. But if you pet him or try to move him off of you, he might get snarky.

My wife and I had a child just 11 days ago. While Tucker ignores the child, presently, we fear that when the child becomes mobile and curious, there may be problems. Tail pulling, reaching and grabbing… We're simply not sure how Tucker would react and are fearful of the consequences should we give it a shot and find out the hard way. Additionally, while we have areas of the house gated for separation of dog and baby, we are not trusting enough in Tucker to allow him to go near the baby unattended - if at all. I sit on the couch with the baby now and Tucker lies next to me and completely ignores the baby. But it's that one time a basinette is toppled or he is on the floor in the carseat after being out that we fear. We simply can't be everywhere all the time.

Tucker was abused in his past. His tail has been torn off - he only has about 5" of is tail left. I was home number 6 for Tucker and I committed to providing him with his forever home. I was unmarried and childless at the time. At that point in time I had no idea that 5 years later I would be married and have a child.

Some of you may have seen us at a few of the meetups as we have attended 2 or 3 of them. One was at Cameron Station and the other was at Ft. Ethan Allen I think, on Old Glebe Rd. He seems to do fine in the dog park around other dogs.

Given our present living situation, we simply cannot have the dog in the house with us. We are presently building a new home and are in the permit phase as I write this. We have a contract, plans, etc. The county estimates about 6 more weeks for the permitting process. The construction schedule is 6 months beyond that. We are planning a secure dog room in our house as well as a dog run in our backyard in an effort to provide peace of mind and a means in which we can rest easy with both the dog and baby in the same house. We really want to keep the dog, but cannot at this point in time.

We are seeking the right person to foster Tucker for approximately 8 months. I do not know if this is even possible, but my heart fingers are crossed that it is. Once the new home is completed, we will reintegrate Tucker into our new home.

There are a few more things that need to be made clear. Tucker wears a muzzle in our home 24/7, except when I am home alone or he is eating. He wears a basket muzzle that allows him to drink, yawn, etc. He also suffered a lens luxation a little over a year ago and is currently taking eye drops 3 times to manage this condition. Other than that, he is a healthy dog and has a couple years left on his 3 year rabies vaccination. He is also neutered. I have been told by the rescue organizations that if they take him back and he does not pass the temperment exam, he'll not be rehomed and will be put down. This is not an option for me.

The only other option I have found is a 'takes all dogs' sanctuary in Texas. They will take tucker, but I will never see him again and this I cannot bear to swallow. As fellow basenji owners, I'm sure most of you know what it feels like to know your dogs life is at risk. It is a terrible place to be.

And, for the record, I have seen two behaviorists, one class trainer and one one-on-one trainer in efforts to rehabilitate Tucker, but all failed due to differing situations where one moment my wife tells me to get rid of the dog (like this) and then we're going to 'try again and see how it goes'. With the baby, he has to be out of the house until we can accommodate him in about 8 months. I have contacted every shelter and sanctuary in Va. All local sanctuaries are full and are not taking in additional dogs. I am avoiding the shelters because I think that, regardless of no kill or not, that Tucker might meet his end there. I simply want Tucker to be able to live out his full life and be happy (with me) in doing so.

I am reaching out to all of you in the hopes that I can find a foster for this time period or someone who might want to foster AND work with Tucker - for around 8 months. I realize this is a rather large request but I still have high hopes that networking and the community might hear my please and respond positively. Tucker will require patience and distance for a period of time to adjust.

My intent is to fully support Tucker while in foster care. Any financial or medical issues will be taken care of by me. I will also be more than willing to provide food, bedding, muzzles, leashes - anything he needs to be comfortable in foster care. I will provide the medications and the cost to cover any medications. I will provide the heartworm prescriptions and fleat/tick applications as necessary. I can even take him to the vet assuming the foster is within reasonable driving distance. I have an insurance policy with VPI and would prefer to not have to discontinue this policy - so the responsibility for vet visits and medications will be fully borne by me.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Jason Newton
(703) 867-8708 (m)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have a situation that warrants immediate attention. I'll do my best to explain the situation and then I will deliver my plea for help.

My name is Jason Newton. I am the current owner of a nearly 9yo pure bred basenji. I adopted "Tucker" from a basenji rescue organization about 5 years ago. Tucker has bitten several people, but does not fit the characteristics of an 'aggressive dog'. And, yes, I am biased because I love this dog and want to do everything I can to keep him in our home and safe. Tucker is a dog that will only bite if he is approached in fear or by a stranger without proper introduction. If ignored, he does not act aggressively at all. My wife and I chose to muzzle him about a year ago because we have an older woman who lives with us and constantly messes with the dogs because she is a drunk. Since being muzzled, we have had no incidents, but prior, he had bitten this older woman. The majorty of the bites have been minor, but a few have drawn blood. Fortunately, he has also never been reported to any authority for biting or I might have already lost him.

It is a difficult reaction to explain as I never know if someone will warrant Tucker to lash out or not. I think Tucker is a resource guarder and I am his primary resource. He also exhibits this behavior in the home, as I think the home and my wife are his secondary resource and he guards them as well. Most of our family can come and visit with no incidents, he simply has to be ignored. While ignored, he sniffs and explores and will sit down almost right on top of anyone and does not exhibit any bad behavior. But if you pet him or try to move him off of you, he might get snarky.

My wife and I had a child just 11 days ago. While Tucker ignores the child, presently, we fear that when the child becomes mobile and curious, there may be problems. Tail pulling, reaching and grabbing… We're simply not sure how Tucker would react and are fearful of the consequences should we give it a shot and find out the hard way. Additionally, while we have areas of the house gated for separation of dog and baby, we are not trusting enough in Tucker to allow him to go near the baby unattended - if at all. I sit on the couch with the baby now and Tucker lies next to me and completely ignores the baby. But it's that one time a basinette is toppled or he is on the floor in the carseat after being out that we fear. We simply can't be everywhere all the time.

Tucker was abused in his past. His tail has been torn off - he only has about 5" of is tail left. I was home number 6 for Tucker and I committed to providing him with his forever home. I was unmarried and childless at the time. At that point in time I had no idea that 5 years later I would be married and have a child.

Some of you may have seen us at a few of the meetups as we have attended 2 or 3 of them. One was at Cameron Station and the other was at Ft. Ethan Allen I think, on Old Glebe Rd. He seems to do fine in the dog park around other dogs.

Given our present living situation, we simply cannot have the dog in the house with us. We are presently building a new home and are in the permit phase as I write this. We have a contract, plans, etc. The county estimates about 6 more weeks for the permitting process. The construction schedule is 6 months beyond that. We are planning a secure dog room in our house as well as a dog run in our backyard in an effort to provide peace of mind and a means in which we can rest easy with both the dog and baby in the same house. We really want to keep the dog, but cannot at this point in time.

We are seeking the right person to foster Tucker for approximately 8 months. I do not know if this is even possible, but my heart fingers are crossed that it is. Once the new home is completed, we will reintegrate Tucker into our new home.

There are a few more things that need to be made clear. Tucker wears a muzzle in our home 24/7, except when I am home alone or he is eating. He wears a basket muzzle that allows him to drink, yawn, etc. He also suffered a lens luxation a little over a year ago and is currently taking eye drops 3 times to manage this condition. Other than that, he is a healthy dog and has a couple years left on his 3 year rabies vaccination. He is also neutered. I have been told by the rescue organizations that if they take him back and he does not pass the temperment exam, he'll not be rehomed and will be put down. This is not an option for me.

The only other option I have found is a 'takes all dogs' sanctuary in Texas. They will take tucker, but I will never see him again and this I cannot bear to swallow. As fellow basenji owners, I'm sure most of you know what it feels like to know your dogs life is at risk. It is a terrible place to be.

And, for the record, I have seen two behaviorists, one class trainer and one one-on-one trainer in efforts to rehabilitate Tucker, but all failed due to differing situations where one moment my wife tells me to get rid of the dog (like this) and then we're going to 'try again and see how it goes'. With the baby, he has to be out of the house until we can accommodate him in about 8 months. I have contacted every shelter and sanctuary in Va. All local sanctuaries are full and are not taking in additional dogs. I am avoiding the shelters because I think that, regardless of no kill or not, that Tucker might meet his end there. I simply want Tucker to be able to live out his full life and be happy (with me) in doing so.

I am reaching out to all of you in the hopes that I can find a foster for this time period or someone who might want to foster AND work with Tucker - for around 8 months. I realize this is a rather large request but I still have high hopes that networking and the community might hear my please and respond positively. Tucker will require patience and distance for a period of time to adjust.

My intent is to fully support Tucker while in foster care. Any financial or medical issues will be taken care of by me. I will also be more than willing to provide food, bedding, muzzles, leashes - anything he needs to be comfortable in foster care. I will provide the medications and the cost to cover any medications. I will provide the heartworm prescriptions and fleat/tick applications as necessary. I can even take him to the vet assuming the foster is within reasonable driving distance. I have an insurance policy with VPI and would prefer to not have to discontinue this policy - so the responsibility for vet visits and medications will be fully borne by me.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Jason Newton
(703) 867-8708 (m)

Not everyone is a fan of rawhide, but my Tucker does fine with it. Have you tried giving your B something else to chew on aside from the scrap wood? Nylabones are seemingly indestructable and my B loves to burn off some chewing energy on them. He also used to eat a lot of rawhide…before the muzzling... Try giving him something else, more natural, to chew on as a replacement to the door frames. You can also try blending up your food leftovers, putting them in a kong and freezing them overnight in the freezer. I know tons of folks who do this for their dogs to preoccupy them.

You'd need a huge litter box to keep a male B from missing the box and hitting the wall or floor around the box…unless you are talking about an enclosed one with a single entrance... Do they make them that big? My male is 28lbs and when he cuts loose on the sofa...it's a 4' line buy the time he's done. He likes to get ALL the cushions in one sitting.

Tucker must be super strange, in addition to all of his other quirks. He shivers all the time. He shivers when a stranger comes knocking. He shivers when it's cold. And he shivers when I come home and he's beside himself with excitement. So we have…stressful shivers, happy excited shivers and regular old cold shivers...

Have you considered having the pet sitter stay with you for a few days or even a week before you leave, doing what he/she normally would do with the dog or dogs while you are there also?

With most dogs, it's just the change in routine that is upsetting. Tucker likes things to have things be the same all the time and even the smallest change can start a spiteful peeing spree, some unusual growling and other things.

We used to get a housesitter/petsitter to com stay at our condo when we still lived there and EVERY time when we got home we would find pee somewhere in the house and Tucker would pee in the house for days after, sometime weeks. Tucker did okay at the kennel, but after 3-4 days, he becomes incorigable even to the trained staff there. My stepfather passed several years ago right at the end of my alumni reunion weekend. Wife and I were in Charleston, had spent the weekend there and got the call as we were leaving town and had to divert to Greenville rather than home. We were away for 10 days and around day 6 or 7, Tucker started biting the staff back home at the kennel…

Ahh, there is a difference though… The crazy aunt is able to open her gate and is allowed unlimited access through it - it's just a barrier to lessen the exposure between her and Tucker since she can't follow the rules and is too far gone to actually remember what we ask of her from one day to the next... The muzzle Tucker wears, however, must be removed by me.

We have actually caught her on more than one occasion removing the muzzle, which is a problem we really haven't solved yet. It just irks me that I have to keep finding ways to protect her from Tucker when it's from herself that she needs protection from. She's very self destructive. We're looking into a sitter for her or a state supported program to put her into. She is spiraling downhill at an alarming rate... We have brought her into our home after she destroyed hers and rendered it unlivable by the county, we feed her and provide her with a place to live. We care for her like noone ever has. We are still trying to settle her affairs in the wake of her husband's death over 2 years ago (that sat unsettled due to her incompetance)...
It's been prior to February since I've actually come home from work not thinking the worse has happened...that she's removed the muzzle and got bitten for it or that she's left another cigarette burning in her bedroom and another house has burned from it... I come home every day with a pit in my stomach, worrying that today will be the day that Tucker has to be sent away because she can't follow the rules and just leave him be.

It took a long time for me to come to terms with muzzling Tucker. But I imagine if you could actually witness how he wears it and how he'll come right to me when I call him, muzzle in hand, and shows no 'basenji disgust' as I strap it on him. I feel that he knows it's his alternative to rehoming or the needle. Tucker gets treats through the muzzle all the time. High value stuff - it's also how I trained him to wear it. I spent three weeks muzzle training him properly and I imagine that is part of the reason he wears it without issue.

Tucker was fed lots and lots of treats out of the muzzle. He had to stick his nose into it to get the treats. This lasted a solid week. Followed by short periods of strapping it on him. This led to leaving it on and feeding him high value treats through the muzzle. Honestly, he acts like it's no different than a collar. And it's more comfortable, I suspect, for him because I keep it very clean and maintain it (removing any plastic burrs that might pop up on it when he scratches). If he does develop a plastic allergy, I'll deal with that when it happens. So far it's been a bit over 6 months and he shows no signs of reacting.

He does get walks, nights, etc without it. My wife is out of town this week so Tucker gets to sleep in the bed with me muzzle free. The crazy woman is gated in her part of the house with a baby gate - as long as she is in her part of the house and I am the only one home, Tucker is muzzle free. (And I don't want to give the impression the crazy aunt is locked out of the main part of the house, she just keeps to herself and her 'stuff' a lot of the day).

At this point, I'd simply prefer to not medicate my dog on top of everything else he's been through. The bond this dog and I have is, simply stated, unexplainable. He's really not an overly 'happy dog' for whatever reason, he doesn't wag his tail…ever. (Although I did get him to wag it a few days ago while wrestling and playing chase around the house). I think he's just been though too much and I can't think of any situation that would make his life any more palatable that the one he now has with our family. And, speaking of family, my in-laws, parents and siblings all support my cause. They love Tucker just as much as I do - so he's got a rather large support group rooting for our success.

I know many people experience joy like I feel when I come home after work each day and he bolts to me and jumps up to get the showering of love and praise that I give him every day. When I leave, he's there in the wondow watching me go. When I come home, he's back there waiting for the moment I come in the door. When I fiddle on the computer, he's there in his bed beside me. When I sleep at night, he's there on the floor in his bed beside me (until he sneaks into the bed at night and sleeps against my back). When I watch a movie with my wife, he's there on the sofa, sleeping against me. I'm sure many would agree that there is simply something about 'special needs' that tends to pull at the heart strings more than anything else. We have two 'special needs' dogs, not to mention the special needs woman who now lives with us...

@sharronhurlbut:

Tucker, I am not able to understand what your saying. Pleasures himself and grooms?
Are you just talking about licking Or something else? Why is this b wearing a muzzle?

The dog wanks. And then he grooms. Two different things.

As for the muzzle and reasons why he is wearing it, you involved in the beginning of this thread. Perhaps if you went back to the first couple of pages, it would jog your memory.