Over the weekend, Bowpi learned…

Tags

basenji, basenji rescue and transport, BRAT, calendars, dog calendars

Over the weekend, Bowpi learned…

… that she can climb trees.

Certain ones with an easy “on” ramp at the dog park, anyway. The squirrels are inspiring her to go all out this season! Luckily we don’t have anything very climbable in our backyard.

Also on sale as of last weekend is the 2013 Basenji Rescue and Transport fundraiser calendar. Guess who’s on the cover!

We are really excited about this, and sincerely thank the volunteers who helped vote both of Bowpi’s pictures into the top fifteen for this year. Every year, there are a ton of great, personality-laden shots in the calendar. I think Basenji photographers generally tend to be a cut above average because one needs to be particularly clever to get nice photos of these quick dogs.

You can preview the winning photos and order your Basenji calendar over here. All proceeds go to help BRAT help more Basenjis in need.

Yachtz, an adoptable Basenji mix in Northern California

Tags

basenji mixes, basenji rescue and transport, bulldog mixes, dog adoption, rescue

UPDATE 17 NOVEMBER 2012: Yachtz still needs a home! He now has a listing on Petfinder with Homeless Animals Response Program in Antioch, CA. Please check out the link and contact karen.kops@harp-rescue.org for more information.

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The other day, I visited this Basenji mix and took some pictures.

His name is Yachtz (I called him Yacht-zee, like the game). He is 12 years old, healthy, neutered, up to date on all his vaccinations. Sturdy. Tipping the scales at 40 ~ 50 pounds. Gets his business out of the way before he comes to check you out. Companionable, once he knows you’re a friend. His broad face lights up with a cheesy, goofy grin.

This is what we know from previous BRAT postings:

“His owner has fallen on very hard luck finding herself homeless after hospitalization and is devastated that her longtime companion now has no one to provide for him and keep him safe as he lives out his life. The local ASPC graciously stepped up and paid part of the kennel fees but that was quite some time ago and he continues to be graciously kenneled with no hope of payment. The kennel owners understand that they will never be able to recover their costs and have been absolutely great in this situation, they do not want to see Yacthz euthanized, they say he is still a vibrant and healthy mix. He is bigger than the average Basenji but has the Basenji yodel and coloring. There are many volunteers that are willing to work to get him transported but we have been unable to find a rescue or adopter to transport him to. Understandably though, he needs to be out of the kennels!

“According to his longtime owner, Yachtz gets nervous and sounds aggressive around bicycle riders, skaters of both skate board and any type of roller skates. He is also sensitive to motorcycles. He was like this when adopted in 2003 and have no idea what may have happened to him in his early years. Yachtz also has a tendency to be food aggressive with other dogs. Although he makes grumpy noises he does not have a bite history but may do better living out his senior years as an only dog or with an owner experienced enough to deal with these characteristics effectively.”

I wasn’t able (or qualified, really) to test him with other dogs and fast-moving objects on wheels, so we’ll just have to take the previous owner’s cautions for what they are. I did note the irony that he shares a name with a manufacturer of longboards… but anyway, his issues are minor relative to the bulk of his potential. He’s quite limber, not hyper, and not slow; I wouldn’t have correctly guessed his age on my own. Didn’t seem particularly interested in toys or balls, but when I showed him a leash, he started whimpering with excitement.

I was pleased to find that he didn’t really pull or jerk me around (which is easy to do, given my size). Though he wanted to take the lead, he was quite responsive to my verbal cues and changes in direction. We weren’t able to go further than the perimeter of the play area. Mostly, what he wanted to do was explore and mark things.

He has some basic training vocabulary — sit, shake, and down (though it was too awkward for me to catch the last bit while holding a camera in one hand and training treats in the other). Though he didn’t seem particularly food motivated at first, he became interested once he warmed up to my presence. I guess he decided I was all right after a few scritches behind the ears, and especially after I Zoom Groomed the loose hair off his backside. He gave me his approval along with a chestful of wiggling dog butt.

Grateful for the compassion of this family-run kennel that has been housing him for over five months, I dropped off a 15 pound bag of food during my visit. But what Yachtz really needs is a proper home to live out his retirement years! Please share with any interested parties, especially if they’re anywhere near Martinez, Northern California (there are ways to make transports happen), and let’s see if we can get him home soon.

More pictures and videos in my flickr album.

For more information about how to adopt this boy, you can contact Ray Eckart with Basenji Rescue and Transport or drop me a message to reroute thataway.

Items for daily consideration

Tags

basenji rescue and transport, calendars, kuranda beds, rescue, shelter challenge

Cover for the 2012 BRAT calendar (credit: R. Longcore)

The 2012 Basenji Rescue and Transport (BRAT) Calendars are now available for order! We got one last year and were very pleased with the quality and abundance of photos. This was the first year we got to participate as a voting volunteer, and we’re excited that Bowpi made it to the list of winning photos. You’ll have to check the order page to find out which one made the cut!

We would be getting a calendar even if Bowpi wasn’t part of the lineup. The variety of photos featuring all these neat little Basenjis engaged in oddly familiar (and a few surprising!) activities is one way to bridge the geographic spread of this well-organized but dispersed breed rescue. And of course, all proceeds go to helping the dogs being fostered and cared for in the BRAT system.

The BRAT calendar will look nice on the wall. Meanwhile, I have something for the desk as well, thanks to our friend Maggie who brought this weekly Shiba calendar all the way from Japan.

Sorry, I have no ordering information on this one, because I don’t know where they stock world-traveling friends who are willing to bring home dog-related goodies from the other side of the world.

If you need some other ways to count the days, might I suggest these two click campaigns that will last at least through the month of November:

The Animal Rescue Site is hosting another Shelter Challenge, with weekly prizes to top recipients. Basenji Rescue and Transport (BRAT) (look them up in Garland, Texas though volunteers are all over North America) asks for your daily clicks to stay on top of the rankings. At this time, BRAT is just barely out of the national top 10, but a few dedicated daily voters could make a difference.

Tikaani the Husky & Safyre the cat (credit: B. Bennett)

Over at Kuranda Beds, there’s a tense, seesawing stand-off between Tikaani the Siberian Husky, batting on behalf of NYC Shiba Rescue, and… well, it doesn’t matter, because we see only the couple pictured at left. The winner at the end of this month’s round of daily votes will win five Kuranda beds for the rescue of their choice.

We’re on the Shiba Side in this battle because we think NYC Shiba Rescue deserves props for emerging from their temporary hiatus last year to become one of the most organized groups we’ve got going for the breed. They’ve already done some great work in their (relatively) short time on the scene. Every bit of support keeps the momentum going! Click the picture to cast your vote!

Visitors

Tags

basenji, basenji rescue and transport, BRAT, mouse

We had two kinds of visitors this weekend.

First was an unwelcome house mouse, captured in one of our live traps.

28 October 2011

Bowdu has shown himself quite eager to handle the responsibilities of pest control. Bowpi, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be enjoying her ringside seat.

We drove the mousey up to frat row, released him onto the sidewalk, and wished him the best of luck!

And then in the afternoon, we picked up this little old lady…

13-year-old Lula was moving from a pet motel into foster care with BRAT, but she needed a place to crash for the night, so we invited her over to the House of Two Bows.

It had been the first time since M– passed away that another canine guest had actually stepped foot in the house.

At first, Bowdu seemed a little miffed that ANOTHER Basenji had taken over his corner of the futon. I could just picture his worried little thought bubble: These twerps are EVERYwhere, and they could infiltrate our home at any time! I had to remove some pillows to prove to him that three dogs could fit comfortably, and there was no need to feel left out.

Bowpi’s default neutrality is overruled by SLEEP mode at home, so I didn’t anticipate any trouble from her. Bowdu, on the other hand, requires a long adjustment period to really welcome canine visitors. He seems more tolerant of mellow, slow-moving dogs, as is the case for both Lula and Bowpi. Once Lula had surveyed the layout of the house, and after she had divested one accessible trash can of its tissue, she was content to settle down and keep to herself.

She did keep her eyes on me whenever I was in the room. And occasionally a chin, too.

That’s one of my weaknesses for this breed, even if it’s something that Bowdu, with his space bubble issues, will never appreciate: Basenjis know how to cuddle (without being typical “lapdogs”), and they’re experts at keeping a warm bed.

29 October 2011

She did close her eyes eventually, and we were lullabyed by surround-sound snoring that night, as the two Basenjis breathed in time and mingled in dreams.

The above was my Saturday morning view, about half an hour before another BRAT volunteer arrived to drive her to her foster home. Unlike the mouse, she’s most assuredly safe and in much better hands. We wish her the very best, as well!

Speaking of visitors, remember to watch out for your door bolters who may take advantage of trick-or-treaters. Have a safe Halloween!

Bratty encounters

Tags

basenji, basenji rescue and transport, canine body language

A couple recent meetings made me realize just how different Bowpi is from so many female Basenjis we’ve met.

At the park, we ran into a pair of Basenji rescue (BRAT) alumni whom we’ve encountered before, Katy and Rio. The female, Katy, homed right in on Bowpi.

15 September 2011

You can tell a lot from each dog’s body language and the direction of their gaze, right? When charged head-on by other female Basenjis who clearly mean business, Bowpi is usually pretty intent on avoiding any eye contact.

Knowing that the slightest false move could provoke an unwanted reaction, she will slowly turn to the side and try to step away from the challenge.

But sometimes the other dog doesn’t want to let her off so easily.

And Bowpi sort of wants to know who she’s dealing with, too.

This is the point where something is most likely to happen, if at all. Both dogs have their hackles up, which doesn’t necessarily indicate aggression, but definitely signals some tension and each dog’s excitement. Their stances are fairly stiff here, and their faces are very close. I’m sure that Katy is scrutinizing every twitch of Bowpi’s muscles, just waiting for her to make a wrong move.

Bowpi does make a move. She decides to slink away. Most of the time, even when there’s growling or trash talk, the other dog will let her go — she just isn’t the type of dog that elicits a strong rise out of other dogs. So it’s interesting to me that only other Basenjis will challenge her like this. They really do know their own kind, somehow.

After their person leashed them up, the heckling continued. Rio (left) and Katy both actually got a little more vocal, perhaps because they were now next to their person and they were restrained. Bowpi didn’t seem to take it personally.

We don’t call them BRATs for nothing! But I do love that they have such strong personalities.

Meanwhile…

16 September 2011. “Who are you?? And what do you want with me?!”

Here’s another girl that I helped transport to her foster home last week. She is three years young, extremely alert, active, and rides pretty well in the car, though she whined nearly the entire two hours we rode together.

”

I sympathize… she had a long, hard day, riding around with strangers. It was the only way she knew to express her displeasure and confusion.

She did settle down with some gentle petting. But since traffic was lurching along uncomfortably thanks to rush hour, she never really fully relaxed.

This lovely lady will come around in the stable environment of her foster family. I witnessed a bit of her introduction at the foster home, during which she did some minor growling in the male host Basenji’s face. Luckily, their Basenji is also quite forgiving of bitches with attitude, but in my head I could just imagine the disaster that would have ensued had she tried that with our Bowdu. He isn’t so tolerant of such breaches of etiquette, especially not on his home turf! Combined with her brazen lack of inhibition in exploring her new surroundings, frantic counter-surfing, and then her attempt to scent mark the host Basenji’s bed (!), it took me about thirty seconds to conclude that Bowdu would have hated her, even though she really is a more “typical” Basenji in all her behaviors.

Whomever ends up adopting this wild child is in for a fun ride — I mean it!

The Zen visitor

Tags

basenji, basenji rescue and transport, home visits, rescue

A couple weeks ago, I did a home visit on behalf of BRAT. This is a standard part of many adoption processes where a rescue representative pays a personal visit to your home. It is not about scrutinizing and judging your lifestyle; rather, I see it as a way to get to know the applicant(s) a little better on their own terms and their own turf, a part of the education process (for both sides), and a general safety measure for all involved.

After checking with the potential adopters first, I brought Bowpi, since they were interested in integrating a second basenji into their home. It was an ideal situation to bring Bowpi along to test their female’s reactions to another dog. It’s also always fun to see how Bowpi responds to her own “kind,” since some of her behaviors don’t translate very well into Shibaspeak.

Photo taken by Pauline L.

Granted, you can’t just march into any home where a dog is already residing, and expect their hospitality (or lack thereof) at first encounter to tell everything about how living with that dog is going to be. However, I think Bowpi’s particular temperament makes her a fantastic candidate to bring along for home visits, even while acknowledging that every case will be different.

She’s not the most confident Basenji, but she is friendly and can be quickly set at ease with the right personalities and under comfortable circumstances. Because she doesn’t promise to love everybody she meets (though chances are greatly improved if they know to offer treats!), her response to strangers tells me a lot at the outset.

30 January 2011

Her first impulse upon meeting new dogs, as I’ve mentioned before, is to raise her hackles (which I understand is common amongst Basenjis) and approach with caution. But even — especially when — the other dog approaches with a more offensive stance, Bowpi seems adept at nullifying any potential confrontations. A couple times at the dog parks, we’ve run into other Basenjis whose people warned that they were not so good with other Basenjis, but then they managed to get along with Bowpi. I think she exudes some kind of vulnerability or serenity that usually calms other dogs, or at least those with a normal range of responses.

30 January 2011, Bowpi (below) meets Jenna (above).

An ideal meeting ground between strange dogs is always on “neutral” turf. But in the absence of such a place, a canine assistant with a neutralizing personality is a great help. I would not have begrudged their Basenji if she was unable to accept Bowpi, given the brevity of their introduction. Some dogs just need a longer adjustment period with new dogs — like Bowdu, which makes him a poor candidate for this same task, so I left him at home. But my sense is that if another dog’s first instinct is to react violently against Bowpi, if this non-confrontational dog can provoke an extreme response in another, then the candidate may have difficulties with the majority of other Basenjis who probably tend to be feistier than ours. Basically, there’s a scale of possible reactions, from extreme fear to nonchalance to extreme, territorial attack. If the other dog’s response falls somewhere between those ends, it’s a sign of good things to come, assuming the adopting family is prepared to put some effort into integration.

By the end of this particular visit, the two Basenjis were able to share couch space together (see first picture). This bodes well for this family’s future adoption prospects!

I’m proud of our little Sweet ‘Pi and her consistent, placid personality. She just makes things easy.

Shiba bloggers and the dearth of Basenji blogs

Tags

AKC, basenji blogs, basenji rescue and transport, BRAT, knitting, shiba blogs, shiba cam, shiba inu

The AKC released its registration statistics for 2010, and I was not surprised to see that Shiba Inu rank far higher (#63, up 2 from last yer) than Basenjis (#89, down 1 from the year before), despite a much longer history with the AKC from the latter breed. Not that statistics tell the whole story, especially not without raw numbers! I also suspect there are far greater numbers of non AKC-registered Shibas out there than non-registered Basenjis.

Photo taken 22 April 2010

I use the statistics to draw a simple correlation: Shiba blogs are so much easier to find than Basenji blogs because there are WAY more sheebs out there. I’ve never thought of them as a “rare” breed. I think Shibas are also attractive to younger pet owners who are already plugged in to a lot of newer social networks and online culture, so that it seems like the most natural thing to set up a Tumblr/Facebook/Twitter account/blog for their dog. The number of blogs I’ve seen for Shiba puppies and new adoptions has been overwhelming, such that I can’t even keep up anymore. With a new Shiba, comes a blog — not for everyone, of course. But perhaps because of the Shiba Cam of 2008, internet-savvy folks are already well aware of the intrinsic joy in documenting Shiba pup development.

Of course, there were long-running Shiba blogs that preceded the Shiba cam. Specifically, The Misanthropic Shiba, I Am Shiba., The Misadventures of a Shiba Inu, and Inu Baka are veterans in the field with adult pets, and they’ve been great sources of individual Shiba-owning wisdom (and humor!) for years. I’ve often recommended their blogs to strangers who want to know more about Shiba temperament and characteristics, because in the long run, I find it more helpful to witness the domestic details of living with specific pet(s) than any generalized, standard descriptions from the breed’s parent club or the AKC.

I really haven’t found a similarly comprehensive go-to blog source for Basenjis, though there are some very good ones out there. Listed below are some my current favorite Basenji blogs:

• Basenji Rescue and Transport (BRAT) Blog

  Hands down the best source for a variety of personal stories from Basenji owners. The blog is communally authored by BRAT volunteers, which means it’s already tapped into the extremely well-organized internet network of this breed-specific rescue. Adult dogs with a range of unique experiences are a great resource for fresh stories. Puppies occasionally enter rescue too, of course. Currently, lots of puppy love is provided by updates about the Wimauma Pack of feral B’s confiscated from a negligent “breeder” who let his unfixed dogs run free on several acres of property. Check it out for ongoing stories about Basenjis that may even be in your neck of the woods!

• The Basenji Troublemakers

  Dannii, Zak, and Jenna are the namesakes of this blog, a personality-laden trio whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting at one of our favorite off-leash dog parks. The stories here are all true, people! Straight from the mouths, er, typing toes of the Basenjis themselves!

• 2 becomes 1

  Widowed, retired, and loved by Basenjis. Author Debby Mayer is a real writer, and her words exude vitality, even as she confronts the death of her partner and the sometimes scary reality of keeping on. This blog is new, and not entirely about B’s, but they are in there and make appearances as naturally and as frequently as called for by the narrative of a life well lived.

• Elegant Elephant Mirtillo

  Life looks sweet on the other side of the pond, where handsome Tillo from the Netherlands shares highlights and beautiful pictures. Not a “blog” in the usual sense — Tillo makes News. He’s a fine showdog with a loving, knowledgeable, and responsible owner-handler who is taking the time to give him all health tests and opportunities to prove his stuff. I like that this site straddles the professional and the personal. Breeder blogs that are all about ribbons and puppies strike me as pretty dull reading. Tillo, however, takes the time to acknowledge other important things in life — new collars, hiking, friends…

• Super Senjis

  SuperSenjis is a cute pack of brindles, and they are the most fashionable bunch I know in the Basenji world. Maybe even in the human world. They’ve got different clothes in almost every update! Their ever-changing costumes and accessories make for some colorful updates.

• Basenji Shaun

  Basenji Shaun [edit: now with young sister Mbali!] lives in a nice comfy home in Seattle. The site features more pictures and videos than text. It’s all gorgeous and really professionally done — with good music on the videos, to boot!

In miscellaneous musings about Basenji blogs, I notice there seems to be a strange connection between Basenjis and knitting. What’s up with that? Very Pink is a BRAT volunteer and a knitter. I share SuperEggplant‘s love for food, stationery, Basenjis, and she is a knitter. Basenji Boy, who no longer seems to update, is a knitter. I’ve bumped into others in my search for an appropriate Bowpi-sized coat, because Basenji people seem quite adept at knitting their own canine duds.

I am not a knitter. I do not understand this thread that links Basenjis and knitting. Perhaps someone can explain it to me.

Also, Japanese pet blogs are AWESOME (a subject for another time), and you can find a stash of ranked Basenji blogs at this link to Blog Mura, a portal for Japanese blogs that subcategorizes dog blogs by breed.

That’s it for now. I hope there are other Basenji blogs out there that I don’t know about, so I can eventually do another roundup. If you’ve got a recommendation, please leave me a comment!