Sophie

It was April 2009 when we adopted Sophie from BRAT. She was 16 months old, and had come from a backyard breeder / puppy mill. She had ringworm and was underweight when BRAT got her. Tonya Ahrens fostered her, and when the time was right, we were chosen to adopt her. Sophie is our first BRAT, but 2nd Basenji – Bailey was 10 when we adopted her.


When we brought Sophie home on that cold and rainy April day, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Sophie was scared to death, her tail hung between her legs. She crawled into her new kennel, and just watched us. Her first week with us was a nightmare – 2 days after we brought her home, she bolted out the door, and was gone in an instant. After four sleepless nights, and endless hours searching, she was found several miles away and brought to our local humane society. We were so fortunate to have her back.

Over the next few months, Sophie slowly got familiar with us but still kept her distance at times. One night she ran upstairs at bedtime, and just looked at us with this face that said “Please, can I sleep with you?” We caved in, figuring it would help her bond with us. We struggled to catch her in the house, when we needed to take her outside, or put her in her kennel. We couldn’t just walk up and pet her – she’d run away. One night my when husband was taking his belt off at bedtime, Sophie had such a frightened look on her face, she ran and hid. We wondered if she’d ever been abused… Feeding her was difficult too, she was too nervous to stop and eat, so we’d all have to sit and wait for her to finish (which she wouldn’t always do). If we’d walk by, she’d stop and go in the other room. I must admit, at times we wondered if we made the right choice.

Bailey was truly instrumental in helping Sophie come out of her shell – he is such a confident, happy dog who’s really well behaved (oh he wasn’t always a good boy). She has learned so much from him, and enjoys his company. If we’d want to pet Sophie, we’d call Bailey over and pet him, and soon she’d want some attention too. Sophie learned that the couch was a pretty comfy place to sleep, and it wasn’t so bad to cuddle up next to me. She’s discovered all the fun toys, as well as lots of fun things to shred - all the Basenji usuals, Kleenex, socks, underwear, mittens, kids toys, and even Bailey’s collar – while he’s wearing it! We found she loves to retrieve, and throw her toys in the air, and just have fun! She also discovered her favorite food – Fromm Gold – and happily eats it up. Some days she really acts like a clown – she really has a sense of humor.


Looking at Sophie now versus a year ago, she’s a completely new dog. It has taken a LOT longer than we had expected for her to be comfortable with us. But to watch her transformation has been truly remarkable. The old Sophie is practically unrecognizable. I just can’t get over how different she is. She is much more confident, will let us walk right up and pet her most of the time, races to the door to go for a walk or even just go outside to potty. She even cries when one of us goes outside without her. I can see it on her face how happy she is. She just LOVES life. At night, when I lay on the couch to watch TV, she jumps up on the back of the couch and slowly makes her way towards me, until I pull her down and she sleeps on me – her head right under my chin. I call her my little princess.


Being the first BRAT that we’ve adopted, it’s our first experience watching a dog grow and learn to love. It’s been a bumpy ride, but every moment has been worth it. I know we’ve made a huge difference in her life – she’s made a huge difference in ours. I feel lucky to have experienced this.

-Liz Carroll