Hi Hoot,
Welcome to the forum. I wanted to introduce myself to you because I too adopted a dog for the same reasons. I wanted a companion for my Golden Retriever who is also my service dog. He had gained a lot of weight during a period where I was sick with my MS. I decided to go to our local shelter and found my baby Taz. He had a great personality and got along well with my Golden "Levi" . I too did not know what kind of dog he was until my BF figured it out. All we knew was that he was hound/terrier mixed. Little did I know he was Basenji or even what a Basenji was. I learned quickly. lol.. He too likes to chew a lot and we have to put everything out of his reach, especially cell phones (from experience) He won't mess with the remote control though. He does like to table surf and will take anything from gloves to mail to cellphones off the tables. He is a very loveable dog though. He loves to be in my lap and is a leaner. You will probably find she is very cat like as it is a trait of basenji's. My Taz likes to lean up against me when i am getting ready in the bathroom or when I am standing around. He is very partial to me though he loves my BF (not sure why) but he doesn't sit with him unless I am out of the room. I have to put baby gates up to keep him from going into the kitchen or from going upstairs to table surf in the bathroom or bedrooms or keep the doors shut. You will find baby gates very helpful. Also you will find that keeping lots and lots of chew toys around will be very helpful to keep her attention off of things she shouldn't chew. We use Nylabones for powerful chewers and they love pigs ears and will take them a while to chew them. Kongs are great as well because they can chew them and not destroy them as they tend to do to other softer plastic toys. I have also found he loves tennis balls and won't destroy them as well. He is fully crate trained but will sleep in the bed with me when my BF is not here. They are very playful as well. Females do tend to try to be more dominant but being a dominant person can offset that problem. Here are some pics of my Taz and you can see they look very much alike. Taz's tail is curled but not nearly as much as a full Basenji. His ears also tip more like a terrier as well. He sheds very little though when I brought him home he was shedding very bad and I don't know if it was stress related to him being at the shelter or if it was just his diet. I feed him purina pro plan sensitve stomach and skin formula which consist of salmon, brewers rice and oatmeal which are very healty for them and keeps their fur shiney and their skin healthy as well as their stomachs. You will find though the longer you have her you will fall in love with Basenjis. I hope you enjoy her and have lots of fun.
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New Parents of Our First Basenji
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Anne,
Thanks for that info. She and I have bonded for sure since I work at home and spend all day with her. Glad to see it is a sign of trust.
Our Kona does not like getting cold as she has shown us these past few days. We are in Wesley Chapel and I have been looking up dog parks, but there doesn't seem to many close by. We also have to wait a couple weeks while we make sure she is caught up on all shots before we bring her to meet any other pups. But once she gets the all clear we would love to come meet everyone.
Please let me know if you know of anywhere in Wesley Chapel/New Tampa. She loves being outside as long as her bottom doesn't touch the cold ground
Lisa
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I agree she should be up to date on shots and have a little time to bond with you as well. The park we go to is about 3 miles from the Stadium, a bit west and off Hillsborough Avenue. It is called West Park and is a county park. 6 acres with trees for shade, very nice. Probably about 30 miles for you each way, maybe a little more. I don't know of any parks up that way, we live near downtown.
Anne
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She is such a baroootiful girl!!! I am glad she has found a nice family to call her own.
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I always put a blanket over my b's when they are sleeping.
They get to where they expect it! -
my little female likes to sleep with her nose under something - my arm, her paw, etc. I told my friend that and she said "Awwww, she even sleeps cute."
Anne is super nice, as is everyone in that Tampa group. Just if you ever have to call Anne, you'll have to mention you have a basenji before she'll pick up the phone.
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Yeah Kim, "Basenji" is the magic password! Before caller ID, I got a lot of calls from work and I still have the habit of screening calls! (It doesn't really work, if I don't answer, they page me or call my cell).
We have been very lucky to meet many nice people like Agilebasenji when they passed through Tampa!
Anne
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Hi Kona, how are things going with your new basenji girl?
We had a dozen basenjis at the park today, hopefully you will be able to bring her sometime. We meet up most every Sunday morning around 11, but we went early today due to the weather. (yea, we finally got a little rain, but not enough!) The place is West Park, on Occident just south of Linebaugh.
Anne in Tampa
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Congratulations! She is lovely! How lucky for both of you to find each other. Out of curiosity can someone tell me if the trindle coloration is allowed in the ring?
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There are no DQs in basenjis so a trindle can be shown and there are trindle champions.
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Hi Anne -
Thanks for checking in on us. Kona is settling in perfectly. She is so sweet and only causes trouble a couple times a day - mainly when my husband isn't home
She traveled with us to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando over the Thanksgiving weekend and handled it all very well. She even played beautifully with my nieces and nephew.
We are so lucky to have found her and she is the perfect fit for us! We look forward to coming and meeting the other Tampa Basenjis. I am hoping to come to the park after the holidays once Kona is completely caught up on her shots - she goes for round 2 tonight.
I will post some more pictures soon too!
Lisa