Happy Endings: Bella

In March 2009, BRAT received into care a 1-year-old black and white female basenji who had been rescued from the street of Nashville, TN, by some “good Samaritans.” They were aware that she needed more care than they could provide, and after several unsuccessful efforts to locate her owners, they contacted BRAT. The finders sent pictures and described what they thought was a congenital defect of her right rear leg.

Bella was picked up by a BRAT foster family, Dawn and Allen Adkinson, who immediately took her to their vet. The "defect" was diagnosed as a severely fractured tibia which would require expensive orthopedic surgery to repair. The x-rays showed that the top of the tibia was broken in two places and would require pinning. Even after the surgery, Bella’s fractured leg would most likely remain shorter than the left rear leg; however, it would at least heal and not remain painful. The cost estimate for the surgery, even with BRAT’s rescue discount, was a whopping $1000 - $1500.

Even though this was a major financial expenditure for one small dog, it just didn’t seem right to turn our backs on her, so the BRAT board decided to appeal to you, our members, and requested help for Bella. Thanks to the generosity and loving kindness of scores of BRAT members, the money was raised, and little Bella had her surgery.

After nearly two months recuperating at the Adkinson’s, Bella was ready to be adopted by May 2009. Linda and Earl Henning saw her on the BRAT website and just fell in love with her, and knew that they could provide a loving forever home for her. After many communications with the BRAT coordinators and Bella’s foster family, she was adopted and moved to her forever home.

Bella now happily resides in Jackson, TN, and spends her days romping around her very own yard with the Henning grandkids, whom she thinks of as her very own doggy playmates. She also gets to play with real basenjis from time to time, whenever the Hennings’ daughter comes to visit from Nashville with her two basenji boys. Bella is Linda’s early morning and late evening walking companion, her Frisbee player, and her example of meeting life head on with puppy exuberance. With a family life that never stands still, the Hennings know firsthand how great it is to have a friend whom you can talk to, be quiet with, and who accepts you as you are.

A special note from Linda & Earl:
“I appreciated the professionalism and thoroughness of the adoption process, being able to know so much about each dog from the website, and being able to be in contact with the foster family before, during and after the adoption. This was extremely helpful. Thank you BRAT, thank you especially to Bella's foster parents, and also to all those who give of their time and effort, whether it is to foster or to transport.”

BRAT voted top Texas shelter in Petfinder Contest

I am pleased to announce that BRAT was voted the top shelter in the state of Texas in the Petfinder Shelter Challenge!


Because of all the votes from our members and friends, we will receive a $1,000 grant from Petfinder---in addition to the $1,000 grant we received for winning one of the weekly challenges.

This is quite an accomplishment given that there were literally thousands of shelters eligible for prizes in this contest. I believe that BRAT finished as the #7 shelter in the country.

This money will come in very handy given that we are currently running a yearly deficit of around $7.000. We have had some very high vet bills for BRAT dogs this year. While adoption fees help cover most costs, we depends our donations from our volunteers, friends and adopters to keep us solvent.

Please consider making a donation to BRAT. For more information, click here:


You can set up a one time or a monthly donation through Network for Good by clicking here.


Thank you for your generosity—and for your votes in the Petfinder Shelter Challenge!

Mike Swan
President, BRAT, Inc.

Bes and Sati's little problem....

We are writing this letter to regretfully inform you that we are having a problem in our new home and we would appreciate your immediate intervention in the matter. When we first came to this new family we were quite happy, despite there being a large, yellow, hairy dog already in residence. He turned out to not be so bad and we rather liked him. This new home was quite comfortable, there is always a patch of sunshine somewhere to lie in, and when it’s cold there are lovely fireplaces to warm in front of. The humans share our bed with us and that works out very nicely because they always move out of the way when they are taking up too much room!

There is almost always some human here to let us in and out a million times a day and to cuddle with us on the couch and if one of the resident humans isn’t here the “grandma” comes over and takes us for a walk and pays attention to us. So as you can see this has been an ideal place for us until recently.

Find out why things have changed for Bes and Sati by clicking here.

Dinner for friends of BRAT in September

BRAT is planning a dinner with its volunteers during the Basenji Club of America National Specialty Dog show in Lexington, Kentucky. The date of our dinner is Thursday, September 3rd.

Here is some information about the BCOA National.

The National is the largest gathering of basenji show dogs in the country. They have lots of interesting vendors and it is a great place to meet basenjis and basenji show people.

We hope that you can join us for dinner. We don’t have a location firmly scheduled yet but we will meet at a restaurant close to the National location around 7 pm Thursday night.

If you think you might be attending this dinner, please write me privately at MikeSwan@BasenjiRescue.org. We need to get an idea for how large a room we will need.

Hope to see you in Lexington in September.

Stumbling Onto Basenjis

Perhaps stumbling into Basenjis is more appropriate. Either way, the result is the same, true love.

We met our Basenji, Gizmo, when our neighbors' kids were home visiting. They had adopted him from a breeder, and quickly found out that he needed more attention than their 10 hour work days were allowing. My husband and Son were instantly drawn to the Tri-Colored aloof guy, I took a little convincing. We had recently lost our toy poodle and were living the one dog life. Angel, our holy Terrier, was lonely and so the sight of her and Giz instantly getting along convinced me he should stay.

My first bit of Basenji education came about an hour later. We had left Giz in our bathroom to run to the store for a kennel and tags. We returned to destruction. My tiny bathroom was covered in shredded TP, the plunger de-handled, the floor de-rugged, the shower de-curtained (the curtain and rug shreds blending fabulously with the TP). Having destroyed all the softlines in the bathroom, Giz moved on to the built in cabinet. The gouges a lovely compliment to the chewed apart woodwork. I thought my husband was going to commit an act of violence.

I SPRINTED to the Internet. Read, learned, gathered my wits, and explained to my husband that the bathroom destruction was all our fault. Separation anxiety you know, it's a bear! From that day forward we learned together. As we learned about counter surfing, trash tipping, TP nabbing, tissue shredding, and underwear thievery, Gizmo became more and more a part of the family. He went from aloof to a cuddle bug, and from unsure about his role to a wonderful pack leader.

I stumbled across BRAT when our local paper did an article on Liz Newton and her work with BRAT. I emailed her to offer my help and the rest is history. Our family has screened, fostered, transported, and loved this breed for a few years now. We couldn't be any happier.

Always amazed

Today was a cooler one in Baton Rouge. It's been over 90 for the past few weeks with a heat index in the 100s. It's also the first weekend where I decided I was strong enough since surgery to take the babies to the dog park. Basenji lovers can imagine the household when I announced we were going to the park. I had all the help I needed finding the leashes and my way to the door...As if I could forget my way to the garage and the car!

The ride there was interminable for the babies. I know in their basenji brains they were wondering why I couldn't teleport to the park. After all it's been a month! Joy unbounded; lots of running and sniffing and marking; lots of greeting all the other dogs; regular perimeter searches to make sure everyone was where they were supposed to be.

As I sat on the bench watching them play, I was struck by how difficult it is to now determine who is who from afar. Roxy, my adopted BRAT basenji, has come so far in the seven months I've had her.

I want to share these before and after pictures because I am always amazed that from that first December night to now, the transformation that Roxy has undergone. Trust, happiness, resilience, and that precious smile are my daily gifts. Another great basenji day.

By Way of Introduction...

My name is Staci, and I'm excited to be contributing once a month to the BRAT blog. As a first post, I'd like to start off with an introduction to me and my pack.

I have been a BRAT volunteer for about the last 4 years. During that time I've done plenty of fostering and coordinating. I don't claim to know a lot about dogs in general, but I "get" Basenjis. I'm lucky to have a healthy and well-balanced pack. I feel like it would be a shame if I didn't work with BRAT, because my dogs enjoy the rescue work as much as I do!

I am a knitwear designer and knitting teacher here in Austin, Texas. I am also working on a year-long photography project, which means I take a LOT of photos of my dogs.

The dog in front here is Ike, my introduction to the breed. Ike is 11 years old and I've had him since he was a puppy. He is the most gentle and mellow (lazy?) alpha dog I've ever encountered. He takes every foster under his wing, and teaches them the basics about where to potty, where to sleep, and how to sit for a treat. He also makes sure everyone's ears are squeaky clean.

This is Abe, a BRAT rescue. (All of my dogs are named after American Presidents.) Abe is 5 years old, and has been a resident of my home since 2007. He is the most independent of my dogs. He still carries some emotional baggage from his pre-rescue days, but he's come a long way in the last two years. His job with the rescue dogs is make sure they mind their manners. He's quick to give them a grumble if they aren't being respectful. Abe is a big dog due to his under-active thyroid, but we're working on getting his meds just right.

No emotional baggage for this boy! This is Tippy, another BRAT rescue, and the newest addition to the pack. He is 4 years old, and has been with me since September of last year. He is the resident goofball, and a permanent puppy. Since so many fosters come to me confused and stressed, Tippy's job is to remind them how to PLAY.

One of the great pleasures I share with my dogs are our walks. Twice-a-day, every day, no excuses. The walks help us stay fit, keep my dogs well-socialized, and have been a good way for me to meet my neighbors. I also believe that walking makes my dogs better behaved in the house. By using up their excess energy, they're simply too exhausted to be destructive or snippy. (This photo includes a recent foster, WillieMcGee.)

I'll be contributing to this blog on the fourth Wednesday of each month. I'm not sure that I have much wisdom to share, but I have plenty of photos and silly stories. If you can think of this blog as a newspaper, my posts might be the comics section. :)

See you next month!

My personal blog can be found at verypink.com, and my 365-day photography project can be found on flickr.

Another Volunteer's Story

People are compelled to join BRAT for different reasons, but I know we all want to help basenjis in need. I started out as an adopter. I "rescued" my first basenji, Jazzie, from a pet store. I had no idea what I was getting into, but something, instinctively, told me I HAD to get this dog. I knew what the average person knows about basenjis; which was basically nothing! I thought I had a CRAZY dog when I brought my basenji puppy home and she would race around the family room, bouncing off the walls, bounding over the furniture, leaping like a gazelle. We had to install baby locks on the kitchen cabinets and drawers or we would come home to find the contents strewn about, no pot holder or dish towel was safe.

So even though I had a mini schnauzer and a schipperke as playmates for my basenji, I felt Jazzie needed one of her own kind... That's when I found BRAT. It took a few months, but I eventually adopted. And then I joined BRAT because I fell in love with the breed and wanted to help those in need.

I started out coordinating adoptions, doing home visits and evaluations, transporting and then made the mistake of fostering. I say mistake because the first dog I fostered never left. She was too darned sweet! I kept coming up with excuses why I couldn't post her to the website (she needed to be spayed, she needed to recover from being spayed, she needed to be vaccinated, she needed her nails trimmed, a new collar...) and somehow justified adopting her. I've managed not to adopt any others since, but who knows what the future holds?

Fostering isn't always easy, but it's very rewarding. There are so many joys in fostering. Most of the dogs are stressed and confused being thrust into new and unfamiliar surroundings or coming out of a shelter or a puppy mill. It's a wonderful feeling to gain a dog's trust and nurture it into an enjoyable companion. And then you get to send it off to a loving home who really wants this dog. It's quite incredible.

If at all possible and you are in the position of taking in a homeless basenji, I recommend you become a foster home for basenjis in need. There are never enough foster homes. You can have a positive impact on a dog's life and meet some terrific people along the way. BRAT is all about support; for applicants, adopters, surrendering owners and each other. As Barbara stated in her post on Sunday, July 19th, we are here to help. We seeks each other's help as necessary, too.

Roberta

Convention Cuties

I have been a BRAT volunteer for over a year. However, the work I do for BRAT is limited to e-mailing prospective applicants, maintaining a breed awareness table at local dog events, and small fund raisers. In June, BRAT held their annual convention in Syracuse, NY. When I heard that the convention would be within driving distance I decided to pack up all 3 basenjis and the BF and go. The convention included informative seminars that were very useful for those who do rescue work such as working with shelters and dog first aid. It was a VERY valuable experience as we have been thinking of becoming more involved in the hands-on aspects of rescue (e.g., checking shelters, doing home visits, and fostering). The convention also allowed me to connect faces to the names of many of the dedicated volunteers and BRAT board officers.

But my favorite part of the convention (and my 3 basenjis agree) was meeting all the basenjis! My dogs had a blast at the convention and it was a great "bonding" experience for our furry family. Even Happy, my 17 1/2 year old enjoyed hanging out at the hotel and being waited on like a princess!
- Joanne Kalisz "mom" to 3 basenjis Happy Fantastic (BRAT), Calvin Cuddles, and Toni Terrific (Colorado Basenji Rescue)

Quantum Part 2

So my Dad read the blog Mom did and pointed out that just because she is getting old that she doesn't have to make me older....I will set the record straight that I am almost 11 not 12, jeeeesh. I am also enclosing a photo of me in some stupid seatbelt thing she wants me to wear in the car, but I hate car-rides and dig on the seat and try to chew this thing so we forgot about that idea. Also 'cause I live in Canada she got me a winter coat and my ridgeback sister a coat too but I rip mine off and I try and rip Mariah's off too, cause I like us both to be naked haha. And she also didn't tell you how I steal peas out of the garden in the summer even though it is fenced ( I have my ways) cause they are in my top 1000 favorite foods. That's it for now as they are going to eat supper and I have mooching to do, BAROOOOO!

Contributor: Kelly Friesen - robandkel@efirehose.net

Basenji Behavior

I am a very active foster home and have fostering "recycled" Basenjis for a good 10-years now. I'm also the home that will take the "last chance" Basenjis and try to rehabilitate them. These are my special projects that can stay in my care for long periods of time, or forever. Needless to say, my older children and I have come across some pretty amazing bad behavior that could have been prevented by their original owner.

I remember back in 2001 or 2002, I was walking in my local PetSmart on a weekend. I was surprised (and thrilled!) when I saw a Basenji puppy walking with his owners through the aisles. Of course I had to stop and visit this boy because he was such a cute pup (and I need an occasional B-puppy fix!). He was a r/w, about 4 months old, petite, and already demonstrating behavior that his owners should not be allowing. As we were talking, this boy (don't remember his name) decided to lay down and take a nap. When I reached down to stroke his head he woke up in flying teeth mode. As most of us know, flying teeth is a BAD thing and can't be allowed. Any Basenji that has this behavior would not only be dangerous and difficult to deal with as an adult, but would pay the ultimate price for it later - either losing their home, or being put down. Since I was the object of his teeth and was prepared for this reaction, I immediately prevented him from following through on his bite. However, I was floored when his owners thought what he did was cute. Cute! Can you imagine a Basenji puppy, with flying teeth coming at you, as cute?

I promptly told them that this behavior was unacceptable, wasn't cute, and they needed to get control over it now because he would get worse as an adult. I further told them that quite frankly, there are more than enough Basenjis in rescue to deal with in foster care, and these dogs were there because they had owners like them (who couldn't train their dog). I gave them some pretty solid advice about how to work with and train this boy so he wouldn't have such a strong reaction to being disturbed and other helpful training tips.

Since behavior is one of the main reasons why Basenjis end up in rescue, I invite anyone that has something they want to talk about to post a comment. You're not alone, so don't worry about asking for help.

Of course if you have any "trick" that works in positively training your Basenji, we would love to hear from you as well!

~Barbara

Ways to support BRAT

I wanted to mention some of the ways that you can help support BRAT and basenji rescue.

BRAT Inc. is a Texas, all-volunteer, non-profit corporation that survives solely on donations from you. Our only purpose is to care for and place basenjis in need of forever homes.

Check out our main donations page here.

You can donate with a credit card by going to our Network For Good site.

FotoSweets has a special offer for BRAT people. This company can literally put anything you can see or say onto a delicious and memorable chocolate gift, party favor or promotional item. These amazing edible chocolate pictures are made with rich gourmet chocolate with FDA approved food coloring. They fit any budget and are perfect for both personal and business use Mention BRAT when you order and we will receive a commission from the company--which is owned by BRAT volunteers/adopters. You can see the favor they created for the BRAT convention above.

Happy Fantastic Designs is a collection of unique apparel and accessories for women, children, and dogs made by Joanne Kalisz. Joanne is Rhode Island School of Design graduate and a BRAT volunteer. Her original (and often humorous) work is inspired by pop art, 60’s mod, bohemian, preppy, and punk rock so there should be something to please everyone. Here's the best part: each time you shop at Happy Fantastic Design's on-line store Joanne will donate 50% of her profits to BRAT!

We also have an Amazon.com store. We received a percentage of sales if you enter Amazon through this portal.

Thank you for your support of basenjis in need!

Congrats, it's a boy!

Congratulations, it's a boy!

These were the words I delivered to Nancy in California last week to let her know that she would be adopting Tiger. As with any expectant parent upon learning such news, she was ectastic. This is the amazing privilege I have as a BRAT coordinator, and as this was my first time, I hope you will indulge me in reflecting on the process.

Tiger's journey is not unlike others, but it was a multi-state effort. He was surrendered in MS, fostered in both Louisiana and Texas, and ultimately found his home in California. As with all adoptions, it was definitely a team effort, and each individual contributed mightily to the end result: a basenji boy finding his forever home.

The team:
-His surrendering family: they chose to work with BRAT and not send him to a local shelter. It is obvious that they cared for Tiger very much, though their circumstances did not allow them to keep him any longer.

-The foster, Melissa, in Texas. She willingly offered to take him when I had surgery and could no longer foster Tiger until he was placed.

-The wise BRAT advisors, Liz and Debbi, who helped me understand the placement process and supported me with answers to all my questions.

-The Pet Care program staff at Continental, who provided a safe, secure transport for Tiger from Texas to California. If you have never talked with them about pet transport, I think you would be impressed. They are really dedicated to making sure it's a good journey.

-The DFW Continental Cargo service desk agent, Cheryl, who fell in love with Tiger and at 5 a.m. this morning, helped me get him ready for his cross-country journey. Her kindness made letting him go much easier.

-The adopter, Nancy, whose heart was ready to love Tiger and provide him the only-dog environment he needed. At our last call this afternoon, Tiger was settling in nicely and she was a proud parent.

It's a great team to be a part of and I am grateful to each for the role that they play on a daily basis to ensure that basenjis have a forever home to call their own.

I've been up and going 15 hours now, have driven from Dallas back to Baton Rouge, and when I finally lay my head on my pillow tonight, I will say a prayer of thanks to the entire team.

It's been another great basenji day.

Quantum Part 1

I have never done this before, but then again I had never been owned by a basenji before. My husband and I had always kept bullmastiffs for 20+ years and also had a German Shepard/Doberman cross that we rescued as a pup from downtown Calgary. As sometimes life is surprising we lost 2 of our bullmastiffs to the rainbow bridge in less then 1 year and found ourselves with just our 16 year old Shepard cross, it was to painful emotionally to get another bullmastiff and as we were in our 40's we decided a smaller dog. I have worked with the Calgary Humane Society (SPCA) and know how to do breed research and settled on the Basenji or a French bulldog. So no Frenchies available but there was a 4 week old Basenji litter (CKC registered). So off to see these puppies and a whole new life with THE BASENJI. When we got to the house to see the pups they had every door in the house closed and the pups were in the kitchen with kid gates up to block other rooms, and yes they are clean dogs as all the pups were already paper trained at 4 weeks. Well we were in love with a cute red male called Quantum and decided to take him when he was old enough, so we would drive the 100km to see him as he grew and finally we were able to bring him home. Almost immediately every door in my house was shut and our poor old Shepard had to have kid gates up to the dining room for some peace and I was stunned that this 1 little pup needed 100% of my attention every second that he was awake. No basenji book can prepare you for actually living with one, never off the leash, sleeps in bed with us under the covers, our yard is Alcatraz for dogs, 200 dog toys, protecting him from himself, crate phobic, giant leaps to steal food as we are eating, 1 entire year to dremmel his nails every week before the snarling stopped, growling and fanging up every time he got in trouble, only works for food, I started graveyard shifts at work so someone is always with him, an extremely cranky sleeper, massive prey drive (almost killed neighbors cat that jumped in our yard), I could go on and on as he is one hardcore basenji, BUT he is real good at the vets. When he was 2 we got a female Rhodesian Ridgeback sister for him and she still idolizes him and lets him be the boss in everything they do. And he still goes back to his birthplace to see his littermates and first set of parents who became our friends (he was the only pup they let go) and never forgets them. And everyday for almost 12 years now he makes me roar with laughter over something with his "out there" personality. I am a basenji convert but am still trying to convince my husband that life would be dull without one !!

Contributor: Kelly Friesen - robandkel@efirehose.net

When a Suburban Basenji Comes to the Big City

Just over a year ago, I was sitting in my living room with my feline companion of 19 years, chuckling as I saw a van drive up to the house across the street. Every day at the same time, it would pull up and a young woman would get out. Seconds later, she would return with a dog on leash, and I would marvel at the list of services on the side of the van. While I would never hesitate to lavish the care needed on my cat, the scale of what was available for dogs seemed so excessive and alien to my universe.

A few months later, my cat would cross the Rainbow Bridge, and the decision of what to do next hovered over me for weeks. My cat Bunter and his brother Whimsey (who passed on two years earlier) had been a part of my life for nearly two decades, and the thought of “replacing” them with another cat just seemed wrong. It wasn’t like finding a duplicate hot water heater when the old one wears out. I knew it was time to open a new chapter.

Basenjis had held my fascination for more than a decade, and I’d seriously considered adding one to my household many times but knew it just wasn’t the right thing to do with two cats, especially in their twilight years. So after a month of having a bit of space, I took a plunge and filled out the online forms with BRAT, realizing that it might be many months before a fostering opportunity came up. Less than two weeks later, my first foster arrived, a sadly disturbed basenji boy with significant aggression problems (a topic I’ve written about earlier), but he also blessed me with two months of learning the various challenges and many more rewards that convinced me that having a basenji in my life was a must.

There was another month of transition as I anxiously waited for the next foster to arrive. After a first time trial by fire, I wanted to make sure that I was thoroughly mindful of getting the perfect match, but expecting to expect the unexpected with a rescue basenji.

On a rainy Saturday evening just before Thanksgiving 2008, I drove to the San Francisco Airport’s cargo delivery to pick up Bow, arriving from Michigan. My hope was that she would live up to all the reports and descriptions on her profile. Much to my delight, indoors she was everything I’d been told she would be – affectionate, not a counter surfer, not a trash can grazer, not destructive when left alone. Indoors a true basenji princess.

While I had been warned that she tended to pull on walks, there had not been any way to gauge how a basenji who’d spent her first six years in suburban Chicago would react to an inner city neighborhood of San Francisco. The Mission District has a wealth of noisy buses, ice cream vendor push carts with jangling bells, lots of taquerias with tempting chicken bones scattered on the pavement, souped up muscles cars speeding around corners with pitch volume rap music rattling the windows, and a wealth of dogs of every size and temperament. Adding to that is one of the busiest skate board parks just two blocks away, and on some afternoons it’s not unusual to see a dozen skateboarders whizzing by, some times half of them with off leash dogs chasing behind them.

For any dog, this is sensory overload, but for a basenji used to quiet, oak-lined suburban streets it is a huge shock. My first foster experience gave me a boot camp grounding in walking skills, but I clearly knew that I needed more help. Beginning with my first foster I had scoured the city for its wide range of trainers and behaviorists. From dominance and aversion techniques on one end to new age spiritual-attunement-with-your-dog gurus can be found in San Francisco. The biggest challenge for Bow was encountering other dogs, especially those off leash. The percentage of people in San Francisco oblivious to leash laws or deluded into thinking they have perfect recall of their dog is alarming. During the first couple of months there was at least one time a week when another dog came barreling across the street and pushed my leash control skills to the max.

It was clear that Bow and I needed the right kind of support to feel I was keeping her safe and not provoking the wrong kind of behavior from her. Ironically, the search for a trainer led me to the group I had seen dropping by daily a year ago. It has been a perfect fit for both Bow and me. Not only is there a lot of praise for progress for Bow, but also for me. On days when I feel frustrated that we are not enough progress with loose leash walking, it is heartening to have a trainer who can point out that even the smallest positive is a step in the right direction.

Six months into our training, I have come to recognize and embrace that progress comes very slowly and sometimes an important break through comes out of nowhere. I am already celebrating this as the summer we mastered “leave it” and have been able to use just a voice command without a treat to lure Bow away from even the most tempting chicken bone on the sidewalk.

Taking the Plunge!

For some, taking the plunge means getting married. For me, having already taken that plunge (it wasn't that bad, honest!), the bigger plunge was making the decision to leave my basenjis uncrated when alone in the house. Cringe! Having already seen what havoc an uncrated basenji can wreak on my living room (the picture to your left was taken a year ago when Biko managed to break out of his crate), I was rightfully nervous.

Previously, we had tried all manner of leaving the dogs gated together in various one- or two-room setups, one dog gated and the other crated, both dogs uncrated but split with an X-pen, etc, with no positive results. When crated, the dogs do just sleep all day, but sometimes Biko gets nervous and still pees a little in his crate, which I have been able to modify from nervous pooping every day to now just an occasional nervous piddle. Some of you BRAT-chatters may recall a year ago when I had asked for advice about this, and I tried absolutely all of your suggestions until I was able to find a solution to mitigate the problem. However, even though it's now only an occasional piddle, I still don't like the situation, and I feel the dogs would be so much less stressed if they could just be in the rooms where they're comfortable. So, for about 2 years now I've been on a quest to figure out a better way of leaving them alone in the house while I'm out at work during the day.

The changeover started rather gradually for us, with a mix of careful experimentation and some bold leaps of faith. First, my husband started to notice that when he's home studying sometimes during the day, the dogs tend to stay in the exact same spot and just sleep through the entire morning. Same thing after they are walked - they go to sleep and don't wake up for at least an hour. So, a few nights after I ran a few miles with the dogs, we decided to leave them for a half hour while we ran to the store. Amazingly, nothing bad happened! They were literally in the exact same positions as when we left, and nothing was eaten. Phew!

After a few more test rounds of leaving them uncrated after walks for an hour or so, we decided to cautiously re-try leaving them gated in one room for the entire morning. Bad idea: first Reef, then Biko, had a grand old time gutting and re-gutting their favorite papasan "basket chair." Bummer! My husband suggested that perhaps they get more stressed by the gates, and maybe we should just leave them alone, ungated and uncrated. He could leave them alone in the house during the morning, when they sleep anyway, and I could crate them after I walk them at lunch. An uncrated basenji!?! Talk about a leap of faith!

That first day, I was a complete mess at work. I imagined that my entire living room would be gone when I returned home. At lunch, I took a deep breath, opened the front door, and..... the room was just as we had left it! Amazing!

Since that first day, we have been pretty successful in leaving the dogs together uncrated in the house. We still close the doors to the bedrooms upstairs, put up the couch pillows, remove any handy shredding material (books, the remote, anything), and don't leave rawhides around for them to fight over, and for the most part they've been pretty good. I feel so much better now that I can be at work knowing that my doggies are sleeping happily in their favorite sun window, ready to come to the door with tails wagging when I come home to walk them. And, best of all, Biko has started barooing with joy when I come home! I guess taking the plunge wasn't that bad after all :)

Nikki's story

Saturday, May 3, 2008, we met BRAT foster volunteer Oren Will at Harris Ranch (Coalinga, CA) to pick up a tricolor female Basenji, Nikki, who had been dropped off by her original family at the Tucson, AZ Humane Society shelter. (Fortunately, a BRAT volunteer in Tucson had rescued her!) (Linda Siegel had overseen the adoption, and BRAT volunteer / foster had both placed B-mix Jack with us and performed the formalities to determine we and our home were suitable.)

Nikki was recovering from Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) and was a bit defensive (our veterinary assistant was saying even a few months ago "she likes to get on my legs, but I watch my jugular!") and according to the people who dropped her at the shelter, did not like to be held, liked to play rough, "doesn't like to cuddle or be picked up," etc. and indeed, she needed to build some trust.

Well, that was then, and here we are, a bit over a year out... We, Nikki and Jack (a "terrier dressed in Basenji clothing" mix we also adopted from BRAT) moved to a smaller home in Roseville, CA earlier this year, and its without the large back yard we had in Carmichael. On the other hand, we have lovely walking trails here, and a nice dog park is only a little over a block away, so with a daily room in the dog park and several walks a day, and some play wrestling and tugs of war with big flossy ropes, the dogs are just fine.

Nikki is still beautiful and she still wants to retrieve cars on occasion, and maybe the rare bicycle; she also has a strong prey drive, so toy dogs in the dog park should stay in the small dog part of the park while Nikki and Jack do a merry chase and "B-500" with each other or with larger dogs.

But Nikki has also settled down now: she is the "alpha" dog and plays a lot with Jack - but when she finally wants to quit (and he doesn't) she lets him know his place with some vocalizations. She is very sweet and loving, loves to cuddle (photographic evidence of Nikki and Barbara attached,) and even loves to jump up on our laps when we are reclining to read or watch a television program. She often wants to give my face a thorough Basenji wash, and if I leave the house for a job for a day or two, she always greets me with a hearty "Barooo!" (Sometimes, even when I am gone only a few hours.)

It took a while and some consistency - but Nikki has settled down into one of the sweetest dogs we have had the pleasure of meeting, and gives us hours of joy daily.

She has also tested OK for cocci and her regular Diastix urine sugar test strips are completely clear so far. Of course, she is up on her vaccinations and medical checkups, has a license for her new home community and her BRAT tag.

All thanks to dedicated BRAT volunteers and consummate teamwork.

Best regards,

José and Barbara Kirchner

Our mission and purpose

The mission of Basenji Rescue & Transport, Inc. is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home dogs of the basenji breed. BRAT is an all-volunteer organization and has been recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt charitable corporation since its founding in 1999. BRAT rescues basenjis from shelters, abusive situations, and relinquishing owners. We provide routine and advanced veterinary care for our dogs and insure that they have been spayed/neutered and appropriately immunized before placement.

Our 1200-plus volunteers foster basenjis in need, evaluate dogs for temperament, obtain necessary training and rehabilitation, and work to place each dog in the best possible home. We also help transport dogs to foster and forever homes, notify responsible breeders when their dogs come into rescue, provide post-adoption counseling to adopters, educate shelters and other rescue organizations about the basenji breed, and assist owners in dealing with basenji behavioral issues in order to prevent dogs from needing to be rescued.

We welcome adding volunteers to the BRAT team! Click here if you are interested in assisting us in rescue work including fostering, transporting, checking shelters, and visiting the homes of prospective adopters. Your responses are confidential and will only be used in rescue-related activities. BRAT is active throughout the United States and Canada.

If you are interested in adopting a rescue basenji, click here.

We have more than 100 basenjis in foster care awaiting their forever homes. You can see a small selection of the dogs available at this time by clicking here.

Thanks for your interest in basenji rescue and BRAT.

Let the dogs out, let the dog in...

It's a beautiful day in southern Maryland and I suspect we will soon be playing the game of "let the dogs out, let the dogs in" ad nausea. Besides the four dogs we own, three Basenjis and one Mini Dachshund, the kids and I currently care for four foster babies. Trying to get eight dogs out all at the same time, on a regular basis, is an effort in futility! UNLESS there is something really interesting going on in the backyard. And even then it's a "roll of the dice."

When my kids were young, I spent sleepless nights trying to figure out ways to outsmart them. Now I do that with my pack o'Basenjis.

I have tried various methods in trying to get them out all at the same time, but for the most part they have already figured out my game.

There was the "throw the handful of treats on the back deck" trick, take an interesting object (toy, shoe, my daughter), get their attention, open the door, and toss it out trick, and I even tried running out the door in an excited fashion trying to get them to follow me trick. Does any of this work? Nope and what makes it worse is the one or two hold-outs standing in the open door sneering at me. Thankfully, unlike my children, Basenjis can't talk otherwise I swear I would probably have to wash their mouths out with soap.

Most of you are probably thinking "What's the big deal about getting them out at the same time." Well let me explain it. I have a 2-story family room and my office is in the loft that overlooks the family room. This means when I let the dogs out, I have to walk from my loft office, through the upstairs hallway, down the stairs, through the foyer and hallway, into the kitchen, then family room in order to reach the sliding glass door to let whoever out. If I can't get them out at the same time, I find that I am making this trip many, many times during the day. AND as soon as I finally get those last two or so out and return to my office, within a couple of minutes I have at least one scratching at the door BEGGING to come back in as if their life will end if I leave them outside.

I'm not into conspiracy theory (okay, maybe a little bit), but I swear they all get together and plot how to drive me crazy.

Kizzi "I'll go out now with Muriel, but Madigan and Quinn, you wait a good five minutes or until she is back upstairs."

Kalimba "Sounds like a good plan, but how about if I go out first and then when I want to come back in, then you can demand to go out."

Peyton "HaHa, I'm a puppy so I'm just going to refuse to out by myself and make her spend all her time out there with me!"

Suzie "I haven't had a treat for at least five minutes so I'm going to force her to do that throw the handful of treats on the back deck trick."

Oscar "I'm the wiener and I'll wait till she is back upstairs before I start barking. You all know how much she hates my barking so we'll get her back down here!"

Yep, it's a beautiful day in southern Maryland and who knows, maybe today will be THE day I get their cooperation. But I'm not going to hold my breath because after all they ARE Basenjis!

Petfinder Shelter Challenge

There are only 19 days left to vote in the Petfinder shelter contest. We need that big final push if we want to move to the top 5. Last year the group that is in second place in Texas, Etosha Rescue, had a big surge during the last weeks.

If we make the top 5, we will be eligible for a $1,500 grant. We have already received a $1,000 grant due to your votes.

I personally vote on my computers at work and at home. Ask your friends, family and co-workers to vote.

Let's win our basenjis some needed funds.

To vote, go here.

When you are at the site, search for "basenji" in the state of Texas to find BRAT.

Thank you to Donald MacMillan!

I wanted to thank BRAT member, Donald MacMillan, for giving us permission to his photo in the header at the top of the blog.

This is a photo of his basenjis, Kirby, Bogie, Savanna (rescue) and Topper (13 yr old rescue) at the dog park.

Donald's photo won first place in the BRAT 2010 calendar contest. You can see the top photos in the contast at:

http://www.basenjirescue.org/CalendarContest/default-votecount.asp

We hope to start selling calendars in September.

Mike Swan

Happy Ending for Phoenix and Kenya

We fostered Phoenix and Kenya for a short while earlier this year. BRAT rescued them from a puppymill in Tennessee. I drove them up to Virginia where they met their forever family, the Kaplans. I thought you would enjoy their story:

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Hi my name is Phoenix.

My playmate Kenya are sooooooo happy in our forever home. I feel like I went to heaven! I was real Skinny when Mom and Dad picked us up in Richmond. 22 lbs and my ribs were showing. Mom and Dad give us real good dinners, treats and lots of fun toys to play with. I'm now 28 lbs of all muscle...not an inch of fat to pinch! Mom and Dad take us on hikes in the woods. I like the small fluffy kind of dogs. They remind me of the fuzzy toy (which i killed in 3 minutes) that mom gave me but even better because they move! Mom and Dad wont let me get too close to the fuzzy dogs ...i cant imagine why! They said something about them not being chew toys.

Another great thing is we get to share the big bed at night with Mom and Dad and watch TV on the couch. We always take the good spots so Mom and Dad try to move us. We reluctantly let them (Kenya gets a bit fresh) but as soon as they get up we steal the good spot again. Its hard to race track because they have these slippery wood floors but we still manage to do the B 500 (although Kenya is a slow poke) The best part is the round rug we use as a wrestling mat. Mom and Dad think it is so funny watching me play with Kenya...of course i always win.

I have a big fenced in yard where I love to chase the cars and people and dogs that go by. Kenya and I love to run around (although she isn't as fast as me so i catch her real quick and she gives up!). Its been real wet and yucky out for a long time so we haven't been motivated to go out which frustrates mom & dad. Kenya gets "fresh" when she doesn't want to do something and we both play deaf and dumb. I heard them say something about "training". I don't know what that means but i hope it is something good! I still get nervous when people come to visit. I'm afraid they will take me or Kenya away. I don't want to move again. Mom and Dad tell me not to worry. They say they love us and that we are there forever kids! I like the sound of that as we are sooooo happy here. Thanks BRAT for finding us a wonderful forever home!

Baroos Forever..

Phoenix and Kenya Kaplan

Welcome to the Basenji Rescue and Transport blog!

Welcome, basenji people! This is the official blog for Basenji Rescue and Transport, Inc. We hope to soon populate this web space with daily stories, tips, and all-around fun basenji episodes to entertain, inform, and provoke some great conversation.

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking for a cadre of folks who would like to become regular basenji bloggers - that is, who will volunteer their time once a month to write a paragraph or two about their experiences with basenjis. This could encompass behavior, health issues, cute stories, breed issues, rainbow bridge dedications, and more.

If you think you could contribute a paragraph each month for BRAT (don't worry, we'll send you a reminder each month when it comes time to write something!), please send an email to: basenjiblog@gmail.com. If you're not quite sure that you want to become a regular blogger but you do have something to share from time to time, you could also email us with your contribution and we'll post it up for you. The more posts we get, the better reading it will be for everyone, so don't hold back! We know you've got something to say :)

While we work on getting this blog up and running, please click on the "subscribe" button on the right side of this page, so that you are automatically emailed with each post as it appears on this website (you don't want to have to check this page manually every day, do you??). Then, when you see a blog you like, you can click "comment" below that entry to respond with your own thoughts on the subject. Instant two-way conversation! So, subscribe now, and then stay tuned as we get some great blogs up and rolling for you. Baroos!

-Kristen Ayres