Lady and the Champ

A husband and wife that were very much in love decided to start a family. Once the family was established, the loving couple decided to bring two basenjis into their lives.


Their friend had adopted Lady and Champ as pups. She had lost her home and could no longer afford to keep them. Their friend wanted to make sure Lady and Champ were placed in a home who would love and care for them. The family's home seemed like a perfect place for her furkids. Lady and Champ moved into the family’s home and grew to love them. Their lives were great. The man especially loved them.

Years have passed and the couple grew apart. Lady and Champ were left without their man, who couldn’t take them with him. As the children grew, Lady and Champ were left outdoors more and more, until they were permanently left outside. Other than getting food, water, and their shots, the two were left to fend for themselves in the outdoors of North Carolina. This brought Lady and Champ closer and closer together. They cared for each other and played all day long. At night, they cuddled closely together to keep each other warm and safe. Lady and Champ never lost their loving nature with each other or for their humans.

Three years later, the man convinced the woman and children that it was in the best interest of the dogs to give them a new home. The family contacted Basenji Rescue. Their evaluator knew these two would make a very loving pair for a new family and needed to be kept together.


Many emails later, Lady and Champ finally found a foster home in Illinois. Three nice pilots from ARF flew them to their foster home. They are thriving and causing a little bit of havoc. Due to the fact they’ve only had each other, it took a little bit for them to get used to the resident dogs.

With other females flirting with Champ, Lady was a bit jealous.. Champ can’t help that he’s such a cute, cuddle, teddy bear. Lady has a suitor of her own. The alpha male of the house loves her. But, she’s having only one man in her life. Champ, her one true love. From Champ’s behavior, he feels the same.

Their dream of a warm bed has come true. But, will they find their new home and keep their love affair alive? Or, will they be separated from their one true love. Only time will tell.

~Elizabeth Schmidt

Vegetarian Basenjis?

There is always something new when you own a Basenji. As most Basenji owners will tell you, Bs have a varied palate when it comes to food – they will eat anything dead or alive, organic or inorganic. I have a veggie garden that is fenced so I can keep out the critters and keep my Bs in without having to keep an eye on them. Last Spring I had planted several rows of lettuce and other veggies in my garden. One morning I was in the garden with the fur kids and as I was planting some tomatoes I looked up to see what my dogs were up to. My little B girl Mizzie was pawing at the ground digging up grubs and promptly eating them while my other B boy Mookie was eating all my lettuce. He had eaten most of the green lettuce and I guess didn’t like the red because you could see bite marks in it. And I was worried about the bunnies eating my lettuce ~ what was I thinking? So much for my fence to keep out the various woodland creatures that like to eat my garden!


Mookie is the vegetarian in the family, preferring lettuce, raw potatoes, carrots, etc, and does not tend to eat bugs. He will occasionally get a lady bug and hold it in his teeth while he shakes it, and then spits it out. It is quite comical to watch when he does this. Mizzie on the other hand loves to eat ladybugs and any small flying, walking, crawling creature she can get and will turn her nose up to raw veggies.


Needless to say I now have to have another fence around my lettuce to keep Mookie from eating it. On the other hand I don’t care if Mizzie eats the grubs!

~Denise Cooper

Update on Tigger and Arrow

I brought Tigger home in early September. As I posted on this blog, I had hoped that my 11 year old basenji, Arrow, would accept her as a buddy.

Things didn't work out well at first. For the first few weeks, Arrow tried to kill her every chance he got. I posted Tigger for adoption but didn't find the right home.

After a month or so, Arrow finally seemed to accept her in the house--although he refused to play with her. I wrote about Tigger and Arrow here.


Fast forward a few months and I am very pleased to report that Arrow has decided that Tigger is a pretty fun playmate. Now, the two of them race around the house all the time, wrestling and playing. Arrow is still very dominant in their play--he will chase her but won't let her chase him. And he will wrestle her to the ground but never loses HIS footing.

Still, they are doing better than I ever expected. BRAT tells new adopters to expect it to take up to three months for a new dog to adapt--but I have learned that it can up to SEVEN months for a resident dog to adapt to a new arrival.

Misbehaving, yes. But quietly.

In this video, you'll see my dogs gnashing their teeth and pulling on their leashes. But all that noisy barking? Not from my boys.

Harriet's way Home

Today, Harriet begins living the dream! This afternoon, Harriet our foster basenji, embarked on an 1,100 mile journey, whisking her off to her new “forever home.” For every dog that comes into rescue, the dream is the same: to get to this day where a happy new life begins in a place where she can unpack her bags and stay forever. Her foster life is complete - Harriet’s heart has been opened wide to love and the perfect forever home for her is selected - two time zones away!

So, off across the country she goes. Harriet is traveling to Pennsylvania by way of the Basenji Underground Railroad. Seven BRAT volunteers in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, are lined up ready to drive the 11 legs of the trip over 3 days to escort this little rescue dog into her future! What a thing! Each of the drivers has a copy of a schedule that includes the route, transfer locations, a description of vehicles to make identification easier and the cell phone numbers of the other drivers. Harriet will be transferred from driver to driver as she makes her way across five states. Finally, a thousand miles later, she will meet her adopter, Bill, and they will travel the last 90 miles home together.

So, this afternoon the plan was set in motion. 1,100 miles away, Bill is waiting for Harriet, ready to welcome her home. I am kind of a wreck and not ready to say good-bye to her, but I am committed to this great thing for Harriet. She is relaxed and happy and excited to meet the first driver and jump in the car. Perhaps she understands that the last seven months have all been leading up to this great adventure, which of course they have. There will be plenty of transition later. But today, this was her day!

In her new life, Harriet will be part of a Quaker community. This excerpt from a Quaker prayer is for Harriet on her path home and the drivers she meets who help her along her way:

Illuminate the path
That will lead us home
And grant that we may be
A light to those we meet
Along the way.

~ Lindy Ireland

Lady and Champ

Lady and Champ had been living outdoors for many months, due to a change in the family structure and priorities. Luckily, their family was very responsible and contacted BRAT. The pair were no longer house trained and not guaranteed to be able to get along with other dogs. Because of this, it was difficult to find a foster home. Most of our foster homes in the mid-Atlantic and southeast already have at least one basenji, many with more than one. Thankfully, we were able to find a foster home for Lady and Champ in Zion, IL. However, since they were coming from North Carolina, we were faced with a huge transport problem to get them to Illinois.

Traditionally, BRAT coordinators arrange most transports as car trips, where we recruit multiple drivers to drive different legs of the trip to get the dogs where they need to go. This is typically what we refer to as the Basenji Underground Railroad (BUR), and it is very time-consuming to arrange and relies heavily on the goodness of our volunteers to “pull through in a pinch.” However, doing long-distance transports this way is not really feasible – for example, if Lady and Champ were to be driven to Illinois from North Carolina, their travel time would have been at least 16 hrs by car (not including stops or overnights) with approximately 13 different drivers, increasing the probability driver delay or worse, the possibility of escape!

Recently, BRAT coordinators have been trying to find alternative ways to arrange long-distance (or sometimes even short-distance) transports. Rather than traumatize a dog by putting them through multiple drivers and multiple transfers, we can often get dogs where they need to go using air transport. Organizations such as Pilots ‘n’ Paws, Animal Rescue Flights, and more will give free air transport to rescue animals through their networks of private pilot volunteers. For Lady and Champ, BRAT coordinator Michelle Martenis reached out to Animal Rescue Flights and was able to arrange a free air transport that spanned 6 states and involved 3 pilots (instead of 13+ drivers) to get Lady and Champ to Illinois in a matter of hours instead of days. Because of ARF, Lady and Champ are now happily in their foster home in Zion, IL. On behalf of BRAT, a big thank you to ARF!!


Here are Lady and Champ at the beginning of their first flight.


Here is the flight path from Lady and Champ’s itinerary.

Here are some tips from BRAT coordinator Michelle Martenis for setting up a flight with ARF:

• Go to the ARF Transport Request Website to post a transport request. It's most important to read, follow the directions, and fill out the request form as complete as possible. Give them at least 2 to 3 weeks notice if possible. The coordinators (Julia and Clark) are volunteers as well and may not be able to respond to your emails very quickly, so it may take some time to post the request.
• To help determine the best airports to start and end your transport, use this website to find small public airports. The volunteer pilots generally like smaller airports because they’re easier to get a small plane in and out of.
• When filling out the transport request, the information placed in the "sending shelter/rescue" portion of the ARF Transport Request Form will be the address of where they base the starting airport. The individual's name used here will be the person that the pilot will expect to drop off the dog. Similarily, the "receiving rescue" will be the person that the last pilot will have instructions to turn the animals over to.
• From that transport request form, ARF posts the flight request on their website. You may not be able to see it on the website when they post your request, but the pilot volunteers will be able to see it and will begin responding to it. You can also join the aviation meetup group (follow the “Pilots and volunteers” link on the ARF home page), so that you can monitor your transport request and the responses posted to your flight plan.
• Once all legs of your flight request have been filled, you will be contacted by the ARF coordinator with instructions for the day of the flight. They will send you an "Animal Rescue Flights Final Flight Sheet" with all the details of your transport.
• Because the flights are weather-dependent (including variables like wind speeds, etc) and these are small planes that are more vulnerable to weather conditions than large commercial jets, you may not know until the night before that a planned flight is definitely going to take place. So, you may want to keep a backup vehicle transport plan just in case.
• All animals must be crated for plane transport. Some planes are very small, so keep crate size in mind when planning your flight.
• During the process, any questions can be directed to arfmail@aol.com or for help getting started, PLEASE call BRAT Coordinator Michelle Martenis at 252-571-7659

Here are some pictures of successful ARF rescue flights!

Puppies

The large group of FL basenjis recently transferred into BRAT’s custody includes some puppies, but BRAT usually does not get a lot of puppies in rescue. Since many of the dogs that end up in rescue come from puppy mills and back yard breeders, I attempt to educate people who ask about puppies so they can select responsible breeders and skip the whole rescue step altogether. I gathered the following information from experienced basenji folks to share with prospective basenji parents:

To find basenji breeders, go to the BCOA web page at: http://www.basenji.org/ and select Finding a Basenji. Contact one of the persons listed as referral contacts on that page. If you have any problems getting them to return your post, please let me know. When you contact the breeder, tell them you were referred by BRAT.

If you are considering purchasing a Basenji puppy, BRAT recommends buying from a reputable breeder. The following link http://www.ktcampbell.com/taji/rbvsbyb.htm has some good information on how to differentiate a reputable breeder from a puppy miller/ back yard breeder. (Thank you to Katie Campbell for allowing me to include this link.)

Here are some things dedicated basenji enthusiast Betsy Polglase wrote about finding a responsible breeder:
~~ Reputable breeders home raise their dogs with a lot of socialization with people, sounds, sights, smells, and other dogs. This probably means that reputable breeders don't have the time or the facilities to adequately raise more than one or two litters of pups in the house each year.
~~ Reputable breeders keep their puppies until at least eight weeks of age to allow lots of time for socialization. The puppies learn that people are wonderful - petting and treats happen when people are around. Their puppies also learn to get along with other dogs and to "pull their bites" with their siblings (and with people!) during this time. Those who bite too hard end up with no one with whom to play. Many times pet store dogs are taken away as early as 4 weeks and miss this valuable socialization and learning time.
~~ Reputable breeders keep track of health problems in their lines and can warn you of issues for which to watch. This input is unavailable with a casual breeder or pet store dog.
~~ Reputable breeders test their dogs with diagnostic tests which are proven to rule in or out any major health problem in their own stock, and they don't breed ones who test positive.
~~ Reputable breeders are careful of the health of young puppies. They keep their puppies in clean conditions which are conducive to the physical and mental health of the puppies, and they give the shots and health checks that their veterinarians recommend. Puppies from puppy brokers (middlemen), who hold the puppies before they are shipped to pet stores, frequently have serious health problems, or even deaths, because of the volume of puppies going through. Pet stores are not trained to care for young puppies, and they are exposed to germs which might be carried on the clothes of anyone who cares to look at them or from any other pup who is in the facility.
~~ Reputable breeders tell about characteristics of the breed. Pet store owners frequently don't have adequate information to pass on to the new owner about the breed characteristics.
~~ Reputable breeders screen applicants carefully as to suitability for owning one of this fascinating, but sometimes trying, breed of dog. Reputable breeders look for a good home first. Pet stores tend to sell to whoever has the money to buy and are not in the business of screening.
~~ Reputable breeders offer the pups at a fair price which is consistent with other dogs of the breed in the area. Frequently, pet store dogs are sold for 1/3 to 1/2 again as much as a dog from a reputable breeder.
~~ Reputable breeders use written contracts and give sole ownership title to purchasers of puppies desired as family companions, and they don't require them to be bred or shown before doing so. (These pups may also be sold on a limited AKC registration which doesn't allow puppies bred from these dogs to be AKC registered.)
~~ Reputable breeders keep in touch with their puppy owners during the lifetime of the dog and offer help and advice when needed. Pet store owners and casual breeders are not geared for follow-up.
~~ Reputable breeders help to re-home any of their puppies who don't workout for any reason. 80% to 90% of the Basenjis found in rescue/adoption come from pet store or casual breeder origin, and not from reputable breeders.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the information about responsible breeders, I include email groups that might be of interest to someone about to adopt a basenji: The Basenji Companions website has some very good articles on all sorts of topics related to basenji health and well-being http://www.basenjicompanions.org/. Click on "Tips" for a list of articles. You might also consider joining the Basenji Companions group or basenji-l basenji-l@APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM . Both of these lists have members who are happy to share their experiences and suggestions on how to keep your basenji healthy and happy.

Then I wish them well and make sure they know they can contact BRAT with questions.

Goodies for the FLA Brats! :)

Way back in Sept I won a gift certificate for BRAT from a local pet store out here in Vermont. Well, I finally finished it up! The Florida BRATs now have a bunch of little goodies to play with or wear!!! :) I just love the good feeling I get when I help out BRAT with either a tangible or $ donation. And speaking of donations, Happy Fantastic Designs will be doing a fundraiser for BRAT this Saturday! Fingers crossed--- if it goes well you will hear all about it in April! :)

Is It Spring Yet?

Eighteen days ago, on Thursday February 25th, NH and much of New England experienced an incredible rain storm with extreme winds. Winds of 90 mph were recorded in Portsmouth, NH!

I live in Windham, NH and I don't know what, if any, wind speeds were recorded here. I only know that at approximately 11 PM, we lost power. Although I didn't know til after the fact, seems like everyone in NH who lost power, lost it at about the same time. After having gone 6 days without power ONLY 14 short months ago, I was in a bit of a panic. I did NOT want to relive that experience! Thankfully, 2 days later, power was restored.

Enjoy some of our Winter Scenes...


Bad weather will be tolerated if there is a possibility of catching a squirrel...

On occasion, this is the view out my front door...

Lots of snuggling going on during the February Power Outage...

Benny kept his coat on only long enough for me to take this picture...

Whaddya mean there's no heat? It's not cold in here...

After the power came back on...

Let us in! It's RAINING!

It's been raining for three days now; some areas have received 8 inches of rain!
Rivers are flooding, roads are closed. Is it spring yet?

For the Fosters

There I sat, alone and afraid,
You got a call and came right to my aid.
You bundled me up with blankets and love.
And, when I needed it most, you gave me a hug.
I learned that the world was not all that scary and cold.
That sometimes there is someone to have and to hold.
You taught me what love is, you helped me to mend.
You loved me and healed me and became my first friend.
And just when I thought you'd done all you do,
There came along not one new lesson, but two.
First you said, "Sweetheart, you're ready to go.
I've done all I can, and you've learned all I know."
Then you bundled me up with a blanket and kiss.
Along came a new family, they even have kids!
They took me to their home, forever to stay.
At first I thought you sent me away.
Then that second lesson became perfectly clear.
No matter how far, you will always be near.
And so, Foster Mom, you know I've moved on.
I have a new home, with toys and a lawn.
But I'll never forget what I learned that first day.
You never really give your fosters away.
You gave me these thoughts to remember you by.
We may never meet again, and now I know why.
You'll remember I lived with you for a time.
I may not be yours, but you'll always be mine.

- Author Unknown

Life is Good

My first basenji Cairo, did not know what the word relax meant. He was constantly in the "sphinx" position, always looking like an Egyptian statue, even when he slept. How he kept his head up so long before it would start to finally drop used to amaze me. HIs sister shayna would curl up in a ball so tight you'd need a crow bar to uncurl her. She never looked relaxed either.

In contrast, maybe thats why i am in such amazement with my rescue Phoenix. He makes makes no quams about enjoying the comforts of his forever home. Just when i thought i have seen every relaxed position he out does himself. There is no doubt in mind he is enjoying the good life!

Florida Basenjis Update 3/10/10

Greetings!

Sorry that it has been such a long time since our last update - we've been a bit busy here in FL! Here's the latest:

As of Thursday, all basenjis have physically been released from HCAS (they delivered!). Moms and pups are still HCAS-ownership dogs until they have been spayed and neutered. The adults are decompressing here in Basenji-Town after a month and a half in isolation in cement runs that amplified the sounds of constantly barking dogs. They are visibly more relaxed, though the fearful ones obviously are going to take much more time to believe that humans are really good. They definitely became accustomed to having a heated floor at HCAS - they do not appreciate the unusually cold temperatures we've been having in FL. Crates provided by BCOA (THANK YOU for your generosity!) are beginning to arrive and will be appreciated by the basenjis who'd like a den in their kennel runs. While they are out during the day, their routine includes moving inside every night. They are getting pretty good at following directions. The five five-month-old pups that were doing so well with socialization at HCAS are in three different foster homes (Susan, Jeanetta and Erin are foster moms) and are all doing well. While they will generally be more timid than the younger pups, they are already suitable for placing in the right forever homes.

The dynamics have changed with the adults and older shy pups - they are back in a more pack-like setting, able to see each other and visit through rigid wire kennels, though they remain separated while I get to know who is okay with whom. Unlike what we generally expect in basenji-world, the male-male aggression is much greater than the female-female aggression. Many of the females really seem to enjoy each other's company - the first two moms I've been fostering play together, sleep together, mother orphan pups together, etc. Most of the dogs now whimper in anticipation when they see me coming. All Wimauma basenjis are beginning to soften towards human males (early at HCAS, staff had noted how threatened all of the basenjis were by the male staff, so most required interaction was with female staff). Backed by the power of the pack, the male basenjis were more aggressive towards men when they first arrived. Regular treats by John and Chris (my dad and my husband) are winning them over.

I've had help from Jeanetta and Jacquie from Tampa when the basenjis first arrived and the routine was a bit more labor-intensive. The basenjis have settled into an easier routine, so my workload is finally easing a bit. We will be ready for visitors to come in for more socialization shortly, to be followed by moving many of the adults into foster homes further north. I know Anne and Donald miss the kids at HCAS and are eager to work with the adults. These basenjis have some really neat personalities. It is great to see them blossoming. All of the adults will play with toys and/or each other, though the most shy of the lot will stop if they realize a human is watching...

Everyone in the nursery is doing quite well. The nine oldest pups are ready to place soon. Their ears are starting to go up again, though there is one whose ears are starting to go down again as his ears have hit another growth spurt. Now that they are getting older and bigger, I can see more of a difference in sizes. There are three "smalls," five "mediums" and one "large." There were three lactating females when they were first brought into HCAS, so these sizes may be an indication of three litters all born within a couple of weeks of each other. Koka, who was initially a very defensive mom, has become quite eager to get some rubbing and scratching. Her seven pups are very plump (Koka has an enormous supply of milk...) and are just starting to walk around a bit. They are about 4 weeks old and have an unusual variety of beautiful coat colors. Keondra was initially fairly fearful of humans at HCAS, but now accepts attention quite well. She is still very submissive towards humans and usually prefers to follow when on leash - it seems strange to not be dragged around by a basenji... Her nine pups are just a couple of weeks old. They appear to all be tris and are just beginning to open their eyes. Kenyatta's four surviving pups are doing great - against the odds! At three weeks old, they are plump with eyes wide open and beginning to stagger around. One is a beautiful tri with a fair amount of white - will she have a blue eye or two? The coats on the other three are changing.

Unfortunately, Kenyatta's pups will be forever orphaned. We had to humanely euthanize Kenyatta Saturday. She had been plagued by serious health problems for some time. Late Friday night, her vomit became very dark and foul, prompting me to take her in early Saturday. Unfortunately, one of the issues may have been ulcers. She had a rupture along her intestinal tract, resulting in waste being dumped into her torso. There was significant scarring of her tract, so much that the exit scarred shut. She was so incredibly stoic throughout her time with us. Palpations should have prompted a significant, negative, defensive reaction from her - she never even flinched. She is no longer suffering - waiting patiently for us at the bridge. My vet, Dr. Rumore, was kind enough to do a necropsy that confirmed her condition - we made the right decision. At least she received a lot of love and comfort in her last weeks. Her exceptional personality prompted more help from HCAS vet services than they can usually give to most dogs that pass through - she received their first successful transfusion! She became part pit bull, receiving blood from an ambassador pit bull named Cherry.

As always, we appreciate everyone's moral and monetary support. Anyone wishing to make a donation towards this rescue project may do so through this link.
Thanks!

Pam Hamilton
FL District Coordinator
Advisory Director
Basenji Rescue and Transport

and

Debbi Johnson
BRAT Treasurer & Director
Germantown, TN

When the Tooth Fairy Comes Calling for Your Basenji

It was double dental days during February at our house. I finally submitted to a long delayed root canal, and my basenji girl Bow got a tartar cleaning. Even before insurance kicked in, the root canal was less expensive than Bow's work, but I don't regret having it done.

A few months ago, our regular vet clinic went bankrupt. After feeling a bit distressed, I was pleased that Dr. Nicola Gillespie of All Pets Hospital was highly recommended to us by several people, including our trainer, and I have been very pleased with her detailed manner. When she did our first exam, she gave her a clean bill of health but said that while it was not urgent it was important to clean her teeth.

From the records I have on her pre-adoption in November 2008 Bow had never had major dental work done and at seven she was definitely due for a major tartar removal. Although there was significant build up on her front teeth, Dr. Gillespie said that she "did a good job" of keeping her back teeth clean.

Before going through the procedure, especially having her go through anesthesia, I wanted to research the risks and benefits. Chey Miller with BRAT was very helpful to answer a few questions and has posted this very helpful article on the BRAT website about her girl Ruby going through the same procedure.

After I forwarded it to Dr. Gillespie, she called to assure me of the clinic's experience with sighthounds in general and basenjis in particular. She confirmed that two of the key concerns are how they process anesthesia and to make sure that the liver enzyme levels are not too high. After doing initial blood work, she decided to delay the procedure because her liver levels were a bit off and to monitor them for a couple of weeks. When we returned, the levels were still a bit off but not enough to be an extreme concern for doing the procedure. However, she performed a liver test as a safeguard and there was no sign of any liver problems. She qualified that the only way to be 100% certain would be to do an ultrasound but that she did not feel it was necessary. I opted not to have her do the ultrasound.

The other concern to be addressed was whether or not Bow would be monitored after the process, which can be one of the riskiest parts of the process. I was assured that staff would monitor her closely and that this is the clinic's standard procedure when any dog is coming out of anesthesia.

With these concerns addressed, I dropped her off a couple of days later at 7:30 a.m. I was impressed that Dr. Gillespie gave me a couple of calls during the procedure to let me know how things were going. She was pleased that while the teeth definitely needed cleaning, she did not need to do any extractions. By around 3 p.m. I got a call that Bow was ready to come home earlier than her originally planned 4:30 p.m. pick up. As I had been warned, she was a little groggy but happy to see me. How groggy? When we walked home from the car and passed several flocks of pigeons, she glanced at them with an "Oh, whatever" look and made no attempt to chase them. That was definitely a first.
Though definitely subdued through the evening, Bow was ready to eat when dinner time came around and did not have any of the whimpering or crying that I had been warned might happen. By 7 a.m. the next morning, she was perky as ever for her morning walk, ready to leap at pigeons again and had a full appetite. I can't say I was as perky after my root canal a week later, and it took three appointments not just one!

I was also greatly impressed that Dr. Gillespie called a couple of times after the procedure to check on how Bow was doing and to see if I had any follow up questions. (That's definitely not something my dentist has done.) We will have a follow up visit next week, a month after the procedure, to reconfirm that her liver enzyme levels are at an appropriate level and to give me a training on the appropriate brushing of her teeth from this point forward.

The procedure was a good reminder of what a great resource BRAT is for a relatively new basenji parent like me. While it also confirmed that I have a really great new vet, having BRAT to help raise questions and keep me better informed really helped rest my mind that I was doing the best things through the process for my four-legged housemate.

Brave Little Dogs in Sweaters

At the risk of belaboring the cold weather theme, I have yet another entry about how tediously long winter has been. The local meteorologists seem to be entirely too cheerful when they report (multiple times) that temperatures this winter have been about 13 degrees below what we normally have this time of year.

My sweet munchkins have bravely endured the cold weather. Most of this enduring involves napping under blankets and wearing sweaters all day, but they are still being brave little dogs.
Somehow, and how is still, umm, not clear, they have each accumulated several sweaters. (OK. OK. There are, at last count, 16 dog sweaters in our house, and 4 little water repellent dog coats, two of which have battery-operated rows of lights to make them visible at night.) Since Ivan and Dasa wear sweaters every day throughout the winter, they need extras so there are always some available when others are in the laundry. These are necessary for warmth. The fact that the munchkins look too fetching for words is merely a bonus.The baby-sitter leaves detailed little notes about her visits, and during the winter these always include comments on how cute their little sweaters are. She once commented that Ivan and Dasa were so cute they almost didn’t look real. (Can you tell we just love this baby-sitter who obviously has extremely good taste. She also loves the munchkins, so we are thrilled to have her.)Ivan knows sweaters are warm, and will hold out a paw to step into the sweater. This feat of amazing cooperation is usually preceded by me holding up a bit of freeze-dried chicken and saying “You get the chicken after we put on the sweater.” Then he allows me to wriggle him into the sweater, kiss his head, and tell him he's amazing and wonderful before he gets the chicken.Dasa is wonderfully sweet and compliant about most things, so she allows me to kneel by her, give snuggles, and slip her into her sweater with no resistance. She, of course, gets a chicken bit too.Brave as the munchkins have been, we are all very tired of dreary cold weather, and can’t wait for spring. Then we can pack away the sweaters, and they can be brave little dogs by napping in sunspots on the carpet and lolling in the sun in the backyard.

Basenji Massage

My mum is a Certified Canine Massage Therapist. My basenji, Kipper, loves to get massages from her.











Massaging your dog:

• Increases his circulation, flexibility, and range of motion
• Improves his athletic performance
• Enhances his muscle tone
• Promotos rapid healing
• Reduces his stress and tension
• Releases his endorphins
• Alleviates muscle spasms
• Prevents atrophy in inactive muscles
• Promotes good posture and body balance
  
  

Adopting: Should I Apply for a Basenji in Another State?

"Should I apply for a basenji in another state? How far away will I be expected to drive to pick up my basenji? Can't we just fly the dog to my house? What about using the BUR (Basenji Underground Railroad) to get the dog to me?"

These are questions that BRAT Coordinators are asked frequently, and the answer is usually "it depends." The standard response is: "You can check on a Basenji in states near you. BRAT can sometimes arrange long distance placements (up to a maximum of approximately 400-700 miles) using our Basenji Underground Railroad to transport the Basenji to you. If needed, adopters are expected to drive a minimum of 200 miles. There may be other costs involved with a transport to defray the expenses incurred by our volunteers. If the Basenji can be crated and flown, you will be responsible for the cost. Not all Basenjis have the personality to be transported or flown and the coordinator will usually make that clear in the announcement."

What this actually means is that the dog's BRAT Coordinator will usually strive to find a good adoptive home within a few hours' driving radius. If the absolute best adopter for the dog lives more than several hours' drive away and cannot drive the entire trip themselves to pick up the dog, often a BRAT Coordinator will try to recruit volunteers who live along the route to help out with driving the dog for a portion of the trip to get within several hours driving distance for the adopter (we call this the Basenji Underground Railroad, or BUR). However, it is often difficult to coordinate a BUR, and it relies on the goodness of our local volunteers to drive, so we try to avoid this if at all possible. So, what usually ends up happening with adoptions is one of these scenarios:

1) There are several really good applicants for the dog. Some of them live close (within a few hours driving distance of the dog), some of them don't live close but are willing to make the entire drive themselves, and some of them don't live close and would require a BUR to be set up to transport the dog to them. Because there are several good homes available for this dog, the Coordinator will choose the best home out of the ones who are close AND the ones who are not close but are willing to make the entire drive themselves.

2) There are several really good applicants for the dog. None of them live close, some of them don't live close but are willing to make the entire drive themselves, and some of them would require a BUR. Because there are several good homes available for this dog, the Coordinator will choose the best home out of the ones who don't live close but are willing to make the entire drive themselves.

3) There are several really good applicants for the dog. None of them live close, and none of them are able to make the entire drive themselves. The Coordinator will have to set up a BUR to get the dog to whichever adopter he chooses.

4) There is really only one applicant that seems like the *perfect* home for the dog. This applicant does not live close, and is not able to make the entire drive themselves. The Coordinator will have to set up a BUR or a flight (at the adopter's expense, and only if the dog is able to be flown) to get the dog to this adopter.

So, you can see from these scenarios that while a BUR or a flight is available as an option to help get a dog to an adopter, it really helps increase your likelihood of being chosen as the adopter for that dog if you live close, or are able to make the entire drive yourself to pick up the dog. This certainly does not mean you would not be chosen for a dog you do not live close to, because you can see from scenario #4 that if you are indeed the *perfect* home for the dog, then the BRAT Coordinator will make every effort to set up a BUR and get the dog to you. However, we do try to reduce the strain on our volunteers as much as possible, because they don't get reimbursed for their travel or time. They help out purely because they want to see a dog get to the best home possible, so we want to utilize volunteers only when it's really necessary. We couldn't do this without the goodness of our fantastic BRAT volunteers, so we want to be sure to be judicious about asking for their help!

Hopefully this helps to better answer the questions that Coordinators usually get about transporting and long-distance adoptions. Of course, every situation is different, and ultimately all adoption decisions will rely on the best judgment of the Coordinator about which home best matches the specific needs of the dog. So, while the above scenarios are not "rules" and should not be treated as such, hopefully they might help to explain a little bit better some of the variables that a BRAT Coordinator has to weigh when making an adoption decision!

Florida Basenjis Update 2/27/10

Greetings from Florida!

Our new babies are stars! Three news stations in the Tampa Bay already did quick little reports on the release of the basenjis from HCAS custody to BRAT. I have not been able to find links to video clips yet. Article clips are a brief, very basic paragraph. Nine pups are officially BRAT Bs, to be followed by five more today and twelve more next week. The remaining basenjis will have official custody transfer when all of the pups and nursing moms are spayed and neutered.

News Article 1
News Article 2

All of the expectant moms have whelped: one just three days ago, one two weeks ago, and one two-and-a-half weeks ago. The litter of seven pups that are 2.5 weeks old are quite roly-poly and are just starting to open their eyes. The litter born 2 weeks ago had a rough start - mom was in very poor condition (heartworm positive, wormy and with a low body weight - a body score of 2 prior to whelping) and was unable to nurse at all, but they are now looking quite round and are gaining weight daily. They all just passed the one pound milestone! They are now all able to drink from a bottle. The third litter born 3 days ago is very large. The mom is in very good condition now, but the large litter coupled with her smaller size has resulted in smaller babies. We will keep a close eye on them to make sure that no one is missing out on groceries. Currently, no one in the litter is complaining.

We are organizing pictures and write-ups for the basenjis. We will be posting info shortly and providing links in another update. Several people are contributing to this effort, providing a wider point of view and lots of pictures! Anyone wishing to make a donation towards this rescue project may do so through this link. Thanks again for all of the great support. I wish everyone could spend a little bit of time with these Bs to see just how different and special they are - the ones that are already in foster care really appreciate and enjoy their new lives. Stay warm!

Pam Hamilton
FL District Coordinator
Advisory Director
Basenji Rescue and Transport

and

Debbi Johnson
BRAT Treasurer & Director
Germantown, TN
brat-help@lists.basenjirescue.org