Bella is a GIRL!!! Tell THAT to people we meet!

[bellabasenji]

:rolleyes: Why do people I meet when I am with Bella always assume she is a boy. They always say "HE is so cute", or "what a good BOY".:o HELLO, there are no appendages!!! Does anyone out there with female 'Senjis have this problem? I suppose it may be because of the Basenjis natural sleek look, but to me it makes her look elegant. She's all girl to me, so I just don't get it...:confused:

[Tayda_Lenny]

Actually, I, for some strange reason, have always thought all dogs are males and all cats are females. Its so strange, and makes NO sense, I know.

When I first got Tayda, it took me a while to get used to her being a "she". ha ha.

i wonder if other people do this also. a lot of people just assume both my dogs are "he's" also...

[JazzysMom]

I don't think people really think one gender or another when they meet an unknown dog. I think they just say, "he" in a sort of generic way.
And most aren't going to walk up and look underneath right off the bat.

[tanza]

I don't think people really think one gender or another when they meet an unknown dog. I think they just say, "he" in a sort of generic way.
And most aren't going to walk up and look underneath right off the bat.

Exactly... ggg.... and if neutered they would not be able to tell, especially if not a "doggy" type person....

[tasha]

I think it's a 50/50 chance that people take without seeming rude and looking. Basenjis are smaller dogs and it would be pretty obvious if you were to actually look.

[bellabasenji]

True, now that I think of it... Some people would be embarassed to check out the undercarriage, LOL ;)

[Quercus]

Well...doggy people can often tell just by looking at the head. A male dog should have a masculine head in most breeds. Otherwise you say a male looks "bitchy" ;) and a female should have a delicate head or else she looks "doggy"

i think the general public just guesses :)

[Quercus]

My three year old solves this issue by telling everyone, as soon as they look at Ariel "this is Ariel...she's a girl...she's a puppy...but she's getting bigger" ;)

[bellabasenji]

True, the males do have the "blockier" heads.

[JazzysMom]

Yeah, but folks who don't know the breed won't know what the head is supposed to look like in the first place.

[nomrbddgs]

Ohhh, here's a good one for you guys. I went to the vet and my reg doc was out on a house call so another vet took a look at the baby (Damisi) and said, "Gee, she really has a smooth coat." I was looking at her weird and said, "Um, she has a really good coat." The vet said, "Oh, I was thinking they're a Shiba Inu!" How's that for someone not knowing a breed!!

[Quercus]

Yeah, but folks who don't know the breed won't know what the head is supposed to look like in the first place.

Right, but I can look at a breed I don't know, and usually guess if a dog is an intact (or neutered after maturity) male, or a female. Not always, but blockier, bigger heads is a secondary sex characteristic...not just a breed standard.

[Quercus]

Ohhh, here's a good one for you guys. I went to the vet and my reg doc was out on a house call so another vet took a look at the baby (Damisi) and said, "Gee, she really has a smooth coat." I was looking at her weird and said, "Um, she has a really good coat." The vet said, "Oh, I was thinking they're a Shiba Inu!" How's that for someone not knowing a breed!!

hee, hee...funny....

[jys1011]

Oh gosh I get Shiba Inu AAAALLLL the time. I try not to get offended but REALLY my dogs are much cuter :D :D

Ok GUILTY AS CHARGED...I'm a complete idiot when it comes to figuring out sexes...I try to take a glance at the undercarriage but I'm not always right. So I go with the generic "he" :(

What's my punishment??!!

[Quercus]

Oh gosh I get Shiba Inu AAAALLLL the time. I try not to get offended but REALLY my dogs are much cuter :D :D

Ok GUILTY AS CHARGED...I'm a complete idiot when it comes to figuring out sexes...I try to take a glance at the undercarriage but I'm not always right. So I go with the generic "he" :(

What's my punishment??!!

Fifty pokes with dagger-like doggy feet in the middle of the night!

Related story...last night was uncomfortably hot in our bedroom...two dogs was way too many to have under the covers. So as I thrashed around, in my sleep deprived haze, I thought that Tim had gotten up to use the bathroom, so I shoved the dogs towards his space (evil, I know)...but apparently I had dreamt that part, because he growled "ow, don't push them into me!" He gave pity to Querk and let him go under the covers on his other side.

Strangely, I kept hallucinating (or maybe it WAS real) that I was getting bitten by mosquitos if my legs were out from under the covers....hmmm..probably more than you wanted to know about my sleep deprived self.....

Oops!

[jys1011]

ROFL!!! HAAAA!!!! sounds like you had a rough night!! Maybe a bigger bed & a mosquito net is in order LOL :D :D :D

I can't share the bed with the pooches and a 6'5" GIANT :eek:

[Quercus]

ROFL!!! HAAAA!!!! sounds like you had a rough night!! Maybe a bigger bed & a mosquito net is in order LOL :D :D :D

I can't share the bed with the pooches and a 6'5" GIANT :eek:

Sadly, we have the biggest bed commercially available ;) Before we remodeled it completely filled our bedroom...and yes, we bought the bigger bed because of the dogs :rolleyes:

And I am amazed (and grateful) that Tim hasn't banished dogs from the bed yet! It is great in the winter...but not so nice in the summer...and with the cost of utilities, I am unwilling to turn on the AC until maybe August this year!

Now...what to do about the mosquitos..I like the idea of a net...but I see dogs tangled and chewing and chasing a net....figures.....maybe I could keep some bats in my room....shuddering at the thought of dog activity that would bring on!

[bellabasenji]

Now...what to do about the mosquitos..I like the idea of a net...but I see dogs tangled and chewing and chasing a net....figures.....maybe I could keep some bats in my room....shuddering at the thought of dog activity that would bring on!
LOL, I'm shuddering at the thought of the bats!!! Uuugh!

[bellabasenji]

blockier, bigger heads is a secondary sex characteristic...not just a breed standard.
I know, this is exactly why it seems so obvious to me that Bella is a GIRL (even w/out an undercarriage check)! LOL!!! :D :D

[ChaseandZahrasmom]

I have tried pretty pink collars on Zahra and people still get it wrong. Drives me crazy! LOL!

[JazzysMom]

This is TOTALLY of-topic, sorry, but I just had to say this after ChaseandZahrasmom's comment:

When my oldest daughter was about 6 mos old, I was standing at a travel agency desk when an elderly man came in and starting chatting about the baby. Bear in mind, my daughter was dressed in a little yellow dress and bonnet.

Old Man: Is this your first baby? Me : Yes. Old Man : Is it a boy? Me: No, it's a girl. Old Man: Should have been a boy.
Me: uh, well, she's a girl.

What a weird thing to say. 20 yrs later and I still don't know if he meant that because she was the first, or because I had an ugly little girl. LOL

[Quercus]

This is TOTALLY of-topic, sorry, but I just had to say this after ChaseandZahrasmom's comment:

When my oldest daughter was about 6 mos old, I was standing at a travel agency desk when an elderly man came in and starting chatting about the baby. Bear in mind, my daughter was dressed in a little yellow dress and bonnet.

Old Man: Is this your first baby? Me : Yes. Old Man : Is it a boy? Me: No, it's a girl. Old Man: Should have been a boy.
Me: uh, well, she's a girl.

What a weird thing to say. 20 yrs later and I still don't know if he meant that because she was the first, or because I had an ugly little girl. LOL

That *is weird! I have had a couple people tell me that Ethan is so pretty he should have been a girl....again, like you said, hard to know if that is a compliment or not ;)

[Robin_n_Jack]

Actually- I do the same thing someone else mentioned....for some reason I think of all dogs as masculine, and cats as feminine. Maybe cause our first dog was a boy and first cat was a girl (when I was growing up). Of course, our second dog was a girl and second cat was a boy.

Now I have Jack....who is aaaaaallll little boy. like 2 year old little boy.

[BDawg]

Okay- I tend to look before I say things-- Or I say, "Oh, cute dog! What's its name?" That's safe. :)

But less we forget that "he" is universal.

Lucky for me, Miles is a huge big man Basenji. And Lexi is a dainty little (Lexi, hold your ears, darlin) "runt". ;) They're at the opposite ends of the size spectrum. That in combination with their gender specific collars makes it easier for people to tell who is what.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j132/bdawg1005/HarpersFerry116.jpg

[BDawg]

Maybe you should try dressing Bella in one of these gowns: :) ggg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j132/bdawg1005/dress211.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j132/bdawg1005/mas18.jpg

[Jylly18]

For some reason I do it too. I have Tosca, so all dogs are girls to me, weird huh? Oh but the worst is this...I don't have kids yet so when I scold or call someone its always Tosca..."Come on Tosca" etc.
Well, we do have toddler nieces and nephews, and when they come I am absolutely horrible and call them Tosca as well! Like if I want Rylee to follow me I will accidently say, "come on Tosca" Luckily my brothers and sisters-in-law don't take offense to me accidently calling their child a dog's name, lol :)

[renaultf1]

For some reason I do it too. I have Tosca, so all dogs are girls to me, weird huh? Oh but the worst is this...I don't have kids yet so when I scold or call someone its always Tosca..."Come on Tosca" etc.
Well, we do have toddler nieces and nephews, and when they come I am absolutely horrible and call them Tosca as well! Like if I want Rylee to follow me I will accidently say, "come on Tosca" Luckily my brothers and sisters-in-law don't take offense to me accidently calling their child a dog's name, lol :)

When my 85yo father calls my dog Ruby to come over for some love, he always says, "come Kimmy (my name :D :D :D :rolleyes:)". Cracks the whole family up. The best part is she goes over to him when he calls her my name, but rarely answers to her real name when I call her :D :D :D.

[wizard]

Here's another misconception/unobservant thing that people do ... almost universally when strangers or new neighbors see my basenji, they immediately think its a puppy. I'm not talking about little kids who call all dogs puppies, but grown ups. I think its because here in Minnesota the big breeds (labs, retrievers, etc.) are far and away the more common. So unless its a poodlething all other breeds are "puppies".

[lvoss]

I think that many people are just plain unobservant, especially adults. My dogs are all related and have a strong family resemblance especially their markings, 2 are black and white and 2 are red and white.

What I have noticed, most kids tend to ask if they are related like are they brother/sister, mom/child, etc. The kids will point out all their similarities where their white is, their curly tails and so forth. Adults who see my dogs often get hung up on the fact that the dogs are different colors and for whatever reason tend to jump to they are unrelated. How unrelated depends on the person. People who know just a little about the breed almost always jump to the conclusion that my reds are pure basenjis and my blacks are mixed breeds.

[agilebasenji]

Okay, the appropriate response when JQPublic calls your little princess a boy is:

Lift the dog and show the neather region.
Say "She's a she. See, she has an eraser, not a pencil."
Smile.

(I actually did this in reverse with my grandmother.)

I have lots of dog, but not basenji, people tell me how femine Zest looks. And yes, she is a very femine little tomboy princess.

[wizard]

You picked up your grandmother? :D

[agilebasenji]

er, no, silly. i picked up my boy dog and showed g'ma that he had outdoor pluming.

[Andrea]

People tend to assume Mattie is a boy as well. Then they check and realize the error. I guess I could doll her up with a pink collar or something, but my son would probably have a fit. I think she looks like a sweet little girl no matter what they think.

[phoenix3]

Ok no cheating :D :p I'm Not putting there names cuz that would give it away ..

Can you guess if they are females or males just by looking at there face ???? :p

[Jylly18]

Ok...totally stereotypical here...the first two are girls, the last a boy, cause the girls are sitting like ladies with their paws together. Plus to me they just have a "Girly" expression, don't know why though...
I am probably wrong, but just thought I would guess :)

[phoenix3]

HaHa leave it to boys to lay with there legs open right ? lol lol :) Anymore guesses before i tell ya ??? :)

[Janneke]

HaHa leave it to boys to lay with there legs open right ? lol lol :) Anymore guesses before i tell ya ??? :)

I think.. from left to right.. Boy, Girl, Girl... (I'm prob sooo wrong)

[phoenix3]

Nope .. :) From left to right it's ........... Boy, Boy, Girl :D :D
Aspen is first , Phoenix is second and Cheyanne is 3rd see if i put the names it would have given them away lol :) Although none of them lift there leg when they pee so maybe there all kinda girly :p :p :D :D Although Phoenix only lays down like that with his paws crossed cuz it's a B. Thing however i think if he had little shorts on u would see him in the pic sitting there with his paw down his shorts lol :)

[Andrew]

When we took Lola for her second set of shots, the doctor was EXTREMELY nervous & we'd never seen him at our vet before so I assume he was new at this.... but he called her a he. It kind of irritated me because she was in his hands being examined... um shouldn't he have known?
And Lola does not have any puppy fat at all (she's 6 months & never had a ton of baby fat to begin with) & since she's brindle, several people at the park have asked if she's a min-pin. They will even identify Booger (red & white) by saying, "Is that a basenji!!?? I've never seen one!?!?) & follow it up with "Is that one yours too?? What is it? Some sort of terrier?"
I have to remember our breed isn't very common & try not to get defensive. Heehee.
It is fun because not too long ago I met a woman at the park who asked me all sorts of questions about them. The next time we showed up, she was there. Somebody else started to ask questions about them, and she took over, telling them all she knew. It was really funny, a practical stranger listing off every detail she knew about my dogs.

[Ninabeana26]

For some reason people always hear Dallas' name & assume he's a she. I didn't realize that Dallas sounded like a female name...hmmm...

& I actually was asked in Petsmart on Saturday if Dallas was a chihuaua!!!! I had heard the more common mistakes like a fox terrier, jack russell, etc. but a chihuahua?!? Come on people!!!

[Janneke]

For some reason people always hear Dallas' name & assume he's a she. I didn't realize that Dallas sounded like a female name...hmmm...

& I actually was asked in Petsmart on Saturday if Dallas was a chihuaua!!!! I had heard the more common mistakes like a fox terrier, jack russell, etc. but a chihuahua?!? Come on people!!!

I think Dallas is a real boy's name!

And about the chihuahua.. They really do look like them...:p

[Ninabeana26]

I think Dallas is a real boy's name!

And about the chihuahua.. They really do look like them...:p

Only about 15 lbs. too big! Dallas could eat a chihuahua...and probably would if I'd let him. LOL

[Janneke]

Dallas could eat a chihuahua...and probably would if I'd let him. LOL

Haha.. same with Mirtillo...

We have two Chi's in the neighborhood. They drive me crazy with their barking... So happy that Mirtillo only lets out a yodel now and then :D

[superman]

I have a neutered male and people always mistake him for a female - I assume because they dont see any dangling "monkey brains" ....lol.

In general, aren't females smaller in frame than males? I have noticed that females are usually smaller. But as mentioned by someone, if ppl arent familiar with the breed they wont know the difference.