It is fast approaching the one year point of having Bow in my household, making me surprised that so much time has passed so quickly but also now hard to imagine her not being a part of daily life.Signposts of bonding pop up every week, sometimes catching me off guard. Some are endearing, and some can be a bit odd of confusing. One that I’ve heard many others describe and have seen plenty of YouTube videos of is the rubbing in dirty laundry on the floor. While I want to believe the theories that it’s her showing her deep bond by getting my scent all over her, I have my doubts. She does the same when she sees an abandoned, smelly mattress on the street or a pile of compost in the back yard. For a breed that supposedly is fastidious about cleanliness and without any real odor, she certainly has a strong desire to rub herself in the smelliest things she comes across. I hope she doesn’t equate some of the less savory ones to my dirty laundry on the floor.
Another morning routine that has become more common is seeing a red and white head peek through the corner of the shower curtain each morning. Though she is cooperative, her own bath time is not her favorite activity. But observing mine, and then licking my feet the second I step out of the shower is a favorite activity. (I had a cat that had a similar fascination of licking my wrists the rare times I wore cologne.) I’ve heard various theories that all dogs are attracted to soap because they smell animal fat, though I usually use ones made without it. I’ll continue with my belief that it’s her being maternal and thinking she’s found a few spots that I didn’t scrub well enough.
You know, I have always wondered about the "rolling in scents" thing, too. Whenever I take my basenjis for walks in the woods, they always manage to find something to "stop, drop, and roll" in. Initially I wondered what it was that they smelled (it's not always apparent), but I have since come to realize that it is urine (or worse) from other animals. Gross! I have no idea how that might possibly equate to their need for rolling in my dirty socks or on wet bath towels, but I'd love to know!
ReplyDeleteOur first three basenjis always licked us whenever we were wet. However, Tigger has never done this. I wonder if it is a learned behavior? Tigger is a brindle and may have more new African blood in her. Do the new Africans lick their humans?
ReplyDeleteMike Swan
My Biko is a brindle and I think he's got pretty recent African blood in him because of his extra-big ears and his loosely curled, non-fluffy tail. He's the most vigorous licker I've ever seen! When I have wet hair and sit down on the couch, he even gets up on the back of the couch behind me so he can lick my head and rub his face all over my hair! He literally throws his whole body down and tries to roll on top of my head. It's pretty funny to watch :)
ReplyDeleteMy first basenji, Bruni', loved to lick EVERYTHING - me, pillows, blankets, blue jeans, it didn't matter WHAT it was - she wanted to lick it. My 2 boys don't lick ANYTHING other than themselves. However, my older male, Hunter, likes to roll on any towel that is wet. He'll even roll in on a rag I've used to clean the floor that has vinigar and water on it. Who knows why they do what they do. They are most certainly NOT predictable.
ReplyDeleteI just love these dogs. I still act as the BRAT investigator in the Montreal area. Some day (once the cats are gone), I will have a Basenjii live with me.
ReplyDeleteMy 9 yr old female as always licked us out of the shower and our male does as well. One thing she does too (that our male has not..yet) is roll in our dirty laundry...seems like it's my husband's clothes vs mine. She also rubs on the floor just wear my husband has walked on after putting lotion on his feet. Weird ???
ReplyDeleteI've thought rolling in dead or smelly things was how a dog covered its own scent from other animals. A useful tool for the hunter and hunted.
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