Winter Destruction

In the fall, we realized that our dogs were not getting enough exercise.
So we started walking them 4 times around the block in the morning.
When winter came, they would drag us home and they would not get enough exercise due to the cold weather.
One day we came home and found that our couch was destroyed with Apollo sleeping in one of the holes that they dug.

Our new plan is to tire the dogs out by walking them up and down the stairs of our 6 story building each morning for as long as they can handle it. Apollo, being 11 years old doesn't have quite the stamina that Asta has at 6 years old. We have been getting in about 15 minutes, which seems like it is doing the trick. There has been no more major destruction since we implemented the new "tired basenji is a good basenji" exercise routine!

Quantum and his Guests

Last night we were expecting our first Christmas dinner guests in our home, so I quickly sent them a basenji "rules" email: 

1. Do not wear anything fuzzy, no frills, no big buttons, no fur, no scarves.
2. You must put your coats, boots and purses in another room with the door closed.
3. All gifts must go in the same room as coats, etc.
4. All doors in our home must be closed when you exit that room (especially the bathroom).
5. If you need to get up from the dinner table, please push your chair all the way in, even if it is just for a moment.
6. We are aware we do not have a tree up and we have not had a tree up for 12 years (well one was up some years ago, for about 1 1/2 minutes).

 And even though all of the "rules" were faithfully followed, still our 12 year old b-boy Quantum manages to embarrass us! He pounced on one guest's stomach and rammed his whole head in her Christmas gift bag to score a bath puff in about 1 second.  He tried stealing food (leftovers) out of another person's bag as they were leaving. The good thing was, at least he kept everyone totally entertained with all of his antics!  Our guests even brought him a gift, so here is a picture of Quantum opening his own gift!

 

Kelly

 

Out of the Wild: A Tale of Rescued Basenjis

Great story in the New Roots News of St. Petersburg, FL about the Wimauma pack of basenjis rescued by Pam Hamilton. Incredible photos too. Check it out here.

Thank you for voting for BRAT!

I am pleased to report that BRAT has won the $1,000 prize for top vote getting shelter in Texas in the Shelter Challenge contest.

You can see all of the winners by clicking here.

BRAT has been the top shelter in Texas for the past three years--thanks to our loyal volunteers and friends who vote every day.

We have received more than $4,000 in prizes from this contest so far in 2010. The next challenge begins in January and we hope that we can receive more funds to help rescue basenjis. Thanks to the Animal Rescue Site for sponsoring this contest!

Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Fantastic Holidays!
Love,
Mr. Calvin Cuddles and Miss Toni Terrific

2010: The Year of the Tri-color

As we are in full swing of the Holiday Season and the year is winding down, I reflect upon the dogs who have crossed my path and who I've helped find a new home. The vast majority have been tri-colors who are pictured here...

Elly in Ontario, rescued from a puppymill, is in the process of getting healthy and readied for her new home.

Bella & Zoey

are sisters in NJ looking for a new home where they can be together.

Ramsey is now Rooney, livin' the life in the City!

Desi and

Peaches & Lola started the tri-color trend for the year when they and 2 other tri-colors came from the same home last January. All 5 found wonderful homes. Peaches & Lola were able to stay together.

Buck came to New England via the Pilots 'n' Paws program. He should be in his new home before the end of the year.

Cleo has a tri-color brother in her new home.

Congo was pulled from a shelter and whisked off to his new home without even getting posted to the website!

Miles, a lucky senior who found a new home very quickly.

Sneakers, another lucky senior who also found his new home quickly.

Reagan, a handsome boy who is going home on Boxing Day.

Bunny doesn't need to be mailed anywhere, she is home now.

Venus, my last foster most likely will not be my last foster.

There were several red & white basenjis and a brindle, too. But it certainly was the year of the tri-color. I wonder what 2011 will bring...

Marshmallows in C Sharp

We have long known this, and it’s certainly no secret to, well, anyone really. Eric and I are marshmallows, and Ivan and Dasa play us like fine stringed instruments, if you’ll bear with me through such disparate images.

We are marshmallows who melt at the slightest whimper or sigh from Two Small Dogs. Two Small Dogs who are much too intelligent and intuitive and, with no remorse whatsoever, employ whatever strategy is necessary for getting what they want. We know this, and it matters not a whit. We’ve learned a lot since we were brand new basenji parents, and most of what we’ve learned helps us to be better parents. However, we’ve regressed in the area of nail trimming. Beginning with Reno, our firstborn basenji, Eric filed nails and I brushed teeth. I still brush teeth, but nail care has been delegated.

Eric had no problem filing nails manually with a couple of files. This worked pretty well; there was no noise and it was easy to do while the basenji was sprawled across his lap. And so it was that we had little boy basenjis with neatly trimmed nails.

Then we adopted shy timid Dasa, our first little girl. A little girl who was afraid of men when we adopted her. Eric won her trust and she soon became Daddy’s little girl. However, I noticed her nails were getting a bit long and reminded Eric several times that they needed attention. He finally confessed he had not been filing her nails because he didn’t want her to resent him. (sigh)
So, I got a dremel and started doing their nails. Dasa decided she didn’t like this and struggled. I asked Eric to hold her while I did nails, but while he gently held her little paw, she tugged it back and we were afraid we’d hurt her. Then Ivan decided he shouldn’t have to do this either, and complained and grumped and huffed. (If either one of them had whimpered or yelped, I would have tearfully apologized and cuddled a small indignant dog.)

We dreaded nail trimming. Ivan and Dasa forgot about their ordeal within minutes, but the humans were stressed all day thinking about this. So, in the interests of not allowing Ivan and Dasa to completely run the house, as opposed to just generally having their way, and also to keep this from becoming stressful for Eric and me, we delegated.

A neighbor’s recommendation lead us to Chris, a mobile groomer. Chris is very calm, capable, and skilled at dremeling close, neat manicures without exposing the quick or causing Ivan and Dasa to bleed, thus avoiding having to scrape their mom off the ceiling.

When Chris pulls up in front of our house, I take Ivan and Dasa out one at a time to her trailer. This is not popular. Ivan complains vociferously, but Chris is also a trainer and is not impressed by Ivan’s protests. At first, I’d hold my breath, expecting to see Chris emerge in tatters from her session with Ivan, but she always comes out unruffled and somewhat amused. Ivan may grump once or twice when he’s in the trailer, but he knows Chris is not swayed by tantrums, so he usually settles in quietly.
Dasa must be carried out to the trailer because I simply will not drag my sweet girl by her little neck. She does a few head flips when she’s first on the grooming table, but she also knows Chris is not bothered, and Dasa soon decides to just stand there.

It’s over quickly and painlessly for all parties. They are so precious that I sometimes lie awake at night and watch them breathe. If Chris gets us through nail trimming with minimal stress, she’s well worth it.

Merry Christmas and the happiest of new years to basenjis and their humans. We are very fortunate to have our magical munchkins and also to be part of such a great group of people who devote a lot of time and energy to giving basenjis a second chance at the forever homes they all deserve.

Happy Ending Story: Augie Ben Doggie

Not so long ago but quite far away, a basenji known as Augie, was rescued from a “home” where he had been confined to the yard with little shelter for the past ten years – he is now eleven. BRAT rescued him and he went to a foster home until he could find his “forever home”. This all happened in January of this year in Kentucky – quite far from his new “forever home.”

In late March of this year, I lost my beloved basenji, Nikko. Nikko was rescued from a local shelter – he was thought to be about a year old. When I decided to try that “little reddish brown and white dog,” I asked the shelter staff what breed it might be. They looked at a chart on the wall and said it was a basenji. Whatever. Little did I know! When I took him home he would leap from one level of the house to another. Interesting, I thought – very active dog! So I went on the Internet and did a little research and realized I had acquired an interesting but challenging dog. One-on-one and classical music calmed the beast and we lived, for the most part, in harmony for the next ten years.

But back to Augie. After Nikko died, I was surfing the net and came upon the BRAT site and there I came face-to-face with Augie. It seemed like a perfect match – a geriatric dog for a geriatric owner – he was eleven and I had just turned eighty – a quiet senior dog for a reasonably quiet senior. I filled out the application, had my home visit and everyone agreed it was a suitable match. However, the reality of Augie was somewhat different than my expectations. Augie has the energy of a dog half his age and he is all basenji. Kleenex is his favorite and he will fight you for it. Shortly after Augie arrived, I left him in the car with the windows partly open (a nice spring day) and a chew toy. I went into a school meeting and was shortly alerted to the fact that my car alarm was on. Indeed it was. Augie had also opened the lever for the gas tank and chewed some of the plastic molding. Fortunately, it is an old car. Augie does not like being left in the car for more than five or ten minutes.

I had another interesting experience with Augie. One day, I returned home from shopping and Augie greeted me warmly, anxious to see what might be in the various parcels. My last stop was to return an unsatisfactory item and, being in a bit of a rush, I stuffed the $20 bill and two fives in the top of my purse. On returning home, I placed my purse on a lazy-boy chair and began unpacking the groceries. When I turned around, I noticed Augie was chewing something. He was chewing a $20 dollar bill! He had gone into my purse and took the $20 just resting on top. Since he is a dog of good taste and high living, he took the $20 and ignored the two fives! However, this saga has a positive ending since Augie was good enough to leave the serial number of the $20 bill intact and the bank replaced it.

However, let’s not dwell on the negative. Augie has a charming personality. He does the basenji dance and shakes his tail. He loves his stuffed animals and doesn’t chew them – only mouths them, throws them up in the air and catches them or will play tug-of-war with you. He is well behaved at the groomers to have his nails trimmed, and is easy to vet. Overall, he is a great companion as we march into the sunset.

There is a long list of people to thank for bringing Augie to his “forever home”. First, the BRAT organization itself, his foster mom, Linda Webb-Hilliard, her sister Betty Webb who did the actual rescue, and Sibylle Michel who did the home visit and the last leg of his transport to Perth, Ontario. Also, a special thank you to all those involved in transporting Augie from Kentucky to Canada and to the foster home who cared for him overnight during the transport.

Judging from the photo, I think everyone will agree that Augie has found his place in the sun and hopefully his senior years will make up for some of the deprivations he experienced prior to the BRAT rescue.

-- Beryl Tritton, Perth, Ontario, Canada

Happy Ending Story: Scooby

We lost our beloved 16-yr-old Basenji Vinnie in Sept 2009 and were not planning on adding another dog to our family as we still had another geriatric Basenji at home; plus the loss of Vinnie was still very raw. But being a Basenji lover I still went out to BRAT to look (actually I had been doing it for a couple of years). Just looking, mind you, not adopting. I came upon Scooby and one look into his eyes and something just pulled us. I had to contact BRAT. That was May 17, 2010.

We drove from Tulsa to Rolla, Missouri that Memorial weekend to meet Scooby. He is the most beautiful brindle we have ever seen. We loaded him into the backseat and his new older brother Joji in the front seat (laying in Mom’s lap). By the time we got to Tulsa, Scooby was also in his new Mom’s lap. He is very good at the Basenji slide and making sure he is noticed.

He insisted on letting his new brother know that he was now in charge, but that has changed to just wanting to wrestle and rough play. Joji isn’t too interested, so that usually means either Mom or Papa have to intervene on his behalf.

Scooby loves being outside in his backyard; I think he considers it his kingdom. He sits on top of the patio table surveying and listening to everything. He even caught a bunny not long after coming to live with us. Papa made sure it got away though. The yard isn’t too big but he can get up to speed running the back fence with the neighbor dog. They try so hard to see each other through the privacy fence but he does not dig or try to escape.

He is so smart and well behaved. He seems to have had some training in manners. He sits while his meals are made and will always yodel at me if I seem to be taking too long. He loves to give the “high four” (doggie version of the high five) before he eats. He knows sit, down, off, and back and will even speak when asked questions concerning food.

He now weighs in at 26.8 pounds. He is not overweight by any means, just tall, very big built and muscular. We call him Scooby the Bull. Everyone who sees him comments on how beautiful and friendly he is.

Scooby is a huge snuggler and has been in bed under the covers with us since the very first night. We were told he didn’t like toys but that is not the case. He has a basket of stuffed toys that he plays with constantly. He insists we play with them too. It is so funny to watch him run to the basket and nose each toy trying to decide which one will be the victim for that day.

Oh, he loves to have his teeth brushed! First dog I have ever heard of that will insist on getting it done too. Every evening when he hears that bathroom drawer open he runs into the bathroom, sits down, and gets those pearly whites brushed. If his Papa is lagging (he seems to know when 9pm is) he runs around telling him to hurry up. One of these days we may try to get it on video and send it in to American Funniest Home Videos.

He is an amazing addition to our family. We love him dearly and cannot imagine our lives without him now. I would like to thank not only BRAT but also Scooby’s parents for the first 3 ½ years of his life. If it weren’t for them I don’t believe he would be the wonderful dog he is, plus we would not have him in our lives. Thank you so much for such this amazing gift.

KatSantine@gmail.com

Decorating for the Holidays

For the last 18 months mom has been telling everyone what wonderful kids we are. Kenya and I don't counter surf (Kenya is such a munchin she couldn't reach the counter if she wanted to), we don't steel things, aren't destructive and we respond to "no" when we start doing something "bad". Mom always says someone stole the basenji from her basenjis. Well the other day i earned my first "basenji" gold star. I found this really cool white stuff in the bathroom which i never noticed before. I had such a good time decorating the house with it. I know mom was pleased when she came home because she ran for the camera and took pictures of my decorations. Didn't i do a great job....

(me smiling at a job well done!)

Anyway...Happy Holidays from the Kaplan Kids

Extra Reasons for Extra Treats

November and December are always busy times of year in any household. They mark extra celebrations for Bow. On November 22, she celebrated her second anniversary as a California girl, definitely very different from the timid little basenji who arrived that same day in 2008 all the way from Michigan.

On December 6, she celebrated her eighth birthday.
Happy holidays to all in the BRAT circle and thanks for all of your support during our past two years.

And here she is enjoying her "cake".

Settling Fosters Into My Pack

I posted a photo on Facebook today of my new foster, Whiskey River, and Chey Miller mentioned that I have a pretty good success rate of fosters getting along well with my resident pack. She suggested that I share in a blog post. I'm not claiming to be an expert on the topic, but maybe what I do can help other foster families.


Whiskey River is actually a second-time foster at my home. I had him as a 4 month old puppy the first time, then he ended up back in the BRAT system recently as an 11 month old because his family is moving internationally. My resident dogs are Ike, soon to be 13 years old; Abe, soon to be 7; and Tippy, soon to be 6.

I've been a BRAT volunteer and foster for about 5 years now, and I've fostered somewhere around 12 dogs. I've only had one dog that I was unable to keep as a foster, because he and Tippy hated each other, for reasons known only to the two dogs. That foster went to another foster home, where he is doing well.

First thing when I take in a new dog - I never, ever compromise on the introduction process. (Well, okay, I did once...because Pona couldn't walk with a broken leg.) I usually get help from Wendy Hodges, a BRAT coordinator here in Austin. She brings the foster to my house and leashes him up out front, and I meet her outside with my leashed dogs. We do not let the dogs greet each other. Instead, we start walking. It isn't easy at first because the dogs are usually pulling towards each other, but they are not allowed to say hello until the initial excitement of seeing each other has passed. (Usually about half a block of walking.) Then we let them sniff each other a little, being very careful not to let the leashes tangle so that we can pull them away, if necessary. We walk some more, allow for another brief sniff, walk some more. After 20 minutes or so, any tension is gone, and the dogs are calm and bored with each other. That's when we all enter my house.

We let them off leash inside the house, and I always open the back door so that there is plenty of room to wander and no one feels cornered in any way. They usually sniff a little, then look for a warm spot to relax. Boring! That's when I get a chance to greet the foster myself, using a sweet, calm voice and soft pets. I never introduce treats or toys yet. I've found that if there are going to be issues, they usually revolve around treats and toys. Too soon.

I'm lucky with my resident pack, because my alpha, Ike, is the laziest alpha ever. He sets a very mellow tone in the house. I also walk my dogs twice a day, never fail, so that they are on the brink of exhaustion at all times. Tired dogs are good dogs.

I am self-employed, and I work mostly from home. When I take in a new foster, I plan to spend most of the first couple of days at home so that I can watch how things go without crating anyone. I don't crate my dogs, and I don't regularly crate foster dogs. I do, however, keep a crate set up when I have a new foster. I feed the foster there, and it's there for time-outs, if necessary. (I know that most Basenji homes have great success with regular crating, and I recommend it for most families. It's just not my style. I could write another entire blog post on this topic.)

For the first few days, I have a zero-tolerance rule when it comes to grumbling, hackles, and posturing. If someone grumbles over chew toys, I remind them who is boss (ME) by stepping between the dogs and nudging them with my shins. I pull out my deep, calm alpha voice and tell them to knock it off. That usually does the trick, but if it escalates, someone probably needs a time-out. Just a few minutes in the crate, alone in the spare bedroom, is enough to calm the situation. When I let them out of the crate I calmly greet and pet, so that the energy is once again cheerful. Similarly, "waking badly" or being possessive over a sleep spot means that the dog finds himself immediately on the floor. I'm the boss of the chew toys and the furniture, and I only share these pleasures with sweet dogs.

After the first few days, I allow a little grumbling to see where it goes. In my experience, grumbling between the dogs isn't always bad and can be an effective communication tool. My dogs grumble at each other, but really only to say things like "Hey, I'm under this blanket, don't step on me", or "Go away, I don't want to play now". No tension or anger. So I allow some grumbling, and once we reach the stage where there are no hackles or posturing, we're good. I know I can trust the foster and my dogs.

Sometimes there is tension between two dogs that lasts more than a few minutes, or occurs several times a day. In that case, I put leashes on the two "enemies" and walk them around the block. Works like a charm.

I have a reputation here in Texas of taking in some pretty banged-up fosters - both physically and emotionally. We make sure they are cared for medically, then I do my best to forget their history. I believe that getting the foster into the schedule and routine of the house is the best thing for them. I try to put their previous circumstances out of my mind, so hopefully they will, too.

I pretty much fall in love with every foster I take in, and so do my dogs. I still struggle a little with the mourning and mopey-ness around the house once a foster goes to his new home. I got some good advice from another BRAT foster mom on this problem...she told me to always remember that the foster is temporary, and that this state of mind will help me and my dogs. It works, but we still miss them when they go. It's the bittersweet nature of fostering.

To summarize, here are the rules I follow with a foster:

• Never compromise on the introduction. Introduce them on neutral ground, and walk walk walk. Don't bring them into the house until everyone is calm and bored.
• Watch for tension and grumbles, and don't allow any attitude for the first few days from anyone with four legs.
• Walk every day! Tired dogs are good dogs.
• Be a strong, calm alpha. A freaked-out human makes the dogs freak-out.
• Get the foster into the normal schedule and routine of the house right away. Daily structure gives the dog something to hang his hat on, even while his world is turned upside-down.
• Forget the sad circumstances that got the dog into rescue. His life just got awesome, and that's what is important.

Happy Birthday to Arrow!

This week, my basenji boy, Arrow, turned 12 years of age!

I thought that I would share some photos of this good boy.

Arrow's registered name is Stilwell's Wild is the Wind. He was bred by Linda and Richard Stilwell of Duncan, Oklahoma. The photo above is with his mother, Tirzah.

He was a show dog for a few years. He was also a lure coursing dog. He loves chasing the lure but he was a bit too possessive of it.

For a twelve year old, he can still give young Tigger a run for her money. At least once a day, the two of them take off on the Basenji 500 in the back yard. And Arrow is always able to catch her.

My vet says that Arrow is in excellent condition for a boy of his age. I hope he enjoys many more birthdays! Thank you to Linda and Richard for trusting him to me.

Vote for BRAT in the Shelter Challenge

I am pleased to announce that BRAT received the $1,000 weekly prize for receiving the highest number of votes in the Shelter Challenge last week.

This is a great accomplishment considering that there are thousands of shelters and rescues eligible for the prize. Thank you to everyone who has been voting for BRAT.

There are only a few weeks remaining in this Challenge. For the first time in several years, BRAT is behind in the standings for the prize that goes to the top shelter in the State of Texas. But, we are close enough that we can still pull it out.

To vote, go to this website.

Look for "basenji" in Texas and you will find BRAT. We hope that you will vote every day--this will help us to win another thousand dollars to help rescue basenjis.

Please join us at the 2011 BRAT basenji rescue convention!

The 2011 Ninth Annual BRAT Convention dates have been announced! The Convention will be held on June 9-11th, at the Embassy Suites, Rosemont, IL. It is a very affordable, pet friendly 4-Star hotel in suburban Chicago. The Convention is open to all BRAT volunteers, adopters, adoption
applicants, and friends. We hope that you will join us!

Details and registration for the event can be found at: http://www.planetreg.com/E33114595227 .

Notes from the Munchkin Nutrition Center

Today we’ll discuss la cuisine pour Ivan, leaving Dasa’s régime diététique for another day.

After Ivan’s bowel surgery in 2009, finding a food he could thrive on was paramount. We found a brand of dog food that worked for over a year until they changed the formula, and then his little body didn’t tolerate it as well. When we discovered the new formula didn’t work, I contacted all the area vet offices that sold this brand, and bought as much original formula as possible to give us time to look for another food. I rejected commercial prescription foods made in Thailand, those that contained corn, and the ones from companies who would not confirm the source of ingredients.

Our vet suggested cooking for Ivan, which seemed like the best plan. We went to Mizzou (University of Missouri) vet school to consult a veterinary nutritionist to make sure we give Ivan a nutritionally complete diet he can digest and thrive on. Mizzou is in Columbia, MO, about a three hour trek west of Ivan’s house. We parked in the appropriate lot, which had handy poop bag dispensers all around it, and let Ivan pee on a few trees before we headed in. We were assigned to Jennifer, a vet student who weighed Ivan, did an initial exam, and asked us about his medical history while Ivan curled up on my lap, looking impossibly innocent.

We were then ushered into a room with couches so we could all be comfortable while we talked to the veterinary nutritionist, Dr. Datz. I was impressed with how thorough he was. He spent over an hour with us, gathering data and giving us a lot of good information about dog nutrition. We learned a lot. Then Dr. Datz said if we had another 45 minutes or so, they could develop diets right then. He also suggested they put Ivan in a kennel while Eric and I went to lunch. I said “I don’t think he’d like that, plus, we have his lunch in a cooler in the car.” I figured Ivan’s humans could eat later.

So off the three of us went to feed the boy and walk around campus. Eric said if he were a young single student at Mizzou, he’d really like walking around campus with Ivan. Ivan is so alert and interested in what’s happening around him and he looks right at people, so they say hello and smile at him because he’s so cute in his little blue sweater. (Translation, Ivan is a chick magnet.)

When we returned, Dr. Datz presented us with two diets for Ivan, one version with chicken, one with beef. He and Jennifer carefully calculated how many calories Ivan needs and the percentage of fat, fiber, protein, and carbs that his compromised digestive system can process. We ordered the supplement needed to make Ivan’s diet nutritionally complete, shopped for the other ingredients, and mixed up a batch of the sweet potato chicken version.

My first attempt at this project was a substance the consistency of paté and the color of pumpkin mousse or perhaps a very light-hearted adobe. I switched from the food processor to the mixer so there would be more pleasing textures. It took a little fine tuning, but we can now efficiently assemble the Sweet Potato Chicken Cuisine. We decided it needed a more glamorous, appetizing name than glop to signify its lofty status.

We’ve been gradually incorporating the Sweet Potato Chicken Cuisine into Ivan’s diet for about a month now. We started mixing in a tablespoon with each of his three daily meals. After about a week when nothing horrible happened, digestively speaking, we gradually increased the amount of cuisine versus canned dog food. Now he is eating mostly cuisine with just a little canned food, and he’s full of energy and seems to be doing well. We’ll continue to work toward 100% cuisine for all three meals each day. At some point, we’ll try the beef recipe as well.

My sweet boy will eat anything, so it’s our responsibility to feed him the best food we can produce in the Munchkin Nutrition Center.

Success Story: Ginny & Tristan

After careful research and determination my 15yr. old daughter convinced us to try to foster a dog through BRAT. The Basenji breed seemed to be the most promising for her Asthma and Allergies. Also, once I started my own search I fell in love with the “Basenji.” No other breed seemed as regal, and intelligent looking. Their eyes speak volumes. We agreed to foster with the hope of saving a life and preparing a dog for a forever home.

Our intent was always one dog at a time. Well, after viewing the e-mail about Tristan and Ginny we reconsidered. Tristan and Ginny were rescued form a puppy mill in Louisiana. Both were 4 ½ years old. They had been together as a mated pair all this time. They could not be separated. They survived by looking out for one another. Ginny had recently had a litter of pups taken from her.



Tristan / red and white boy (happy go lucky, fun loving) // Ginny / Tri color girl(serious, brave, protector of the pair)

 They were fostered in Baton Rouge, LA in a very loving environment. A few months later they were placed and adopted together in Maryland. After two weeks the new owner realized this was not a good fit for her or them. Our hearts melted and we knew we must take this pair. Another wonderful foster picked them up in Maryland and took them home in Delaware overnight. July 17, 2010 we drove three hours from Philadelphia to Delaware to pick up Ginny and Tristan. They were so sweet and ready to go home. Tristan lay his head on my older daughters lap for the next three hour ride home. Ginny stood watch peering over the back seat in our station wagon. I just kept talking to her with reassurance that all would be ok for her and Tristan.

They walked in our house, sniffed around. Walked right into the dog crate and fluffed the blanket and knew they were finally home.

Every day Ginny will look in my eyes for reassurance and I give it gladly. She really seems to understand my empathy for her. When strangers come to meet them she will look at me like, “hey, you promised we could stay here.” We first noticed that Tristan is very jumpy around certain noises and appears to have a couple small scars on his back. Also he was underweight. Ginny seemed to have emotional scars and trust issues and was overweight.

After two weeks we adopted both dogs. Tristan has gained weight and Ginny has lost a little. Their coats are now shiny, they are happy and healthy. They have fallen into a happy routine running and playing in their new yard (fenced in and escape proof of course). We are still working on leash training but they do enjoy being walked. Both have learned to sit, down, roll over, back, and stay, leave it, give paw, and crawl. Tristan always comes when called. However, Ginny is still determined to keep some control of her own. They have very different personalities, but are great together. We could never imagine one without the other. Yes, we are spoiling the two of them. Ginny and Tristan have been down a hard road and deserve a happy ending. We are thrilled to share it with them.

The Kennedy Family

Kip's Thanksgiving in Minnesota

For Thanksgiving, my parents, Kipper, and I drove up to Minnesota to visit the Gunflint Lodge (a great dog-friendly resort in practically the middle of nowhere).

Kip (fortunately) slept through almost the whole drive there.

When we finally got there, Kip had to stay in our cabin with Mom while Dad and I brought all of our things into the cabin. Kip went absolutely crazy.. then promptly peed on the couch.

Luckily,that was the only bad thing he did the whole trip.

But he did get a little craaazzyyy! (my dad and Kip in the jacuzzi in our cabin)


We all went for many beautiful hikes together, which Kip really enjoyed. I think that he often gets tired of the walks he takes at our house. He has already seen and smelled and eaten everything there is to see and smell and eat there. But Gunflint Lodge was different. It was ten hours away with totally different terrain and weather and animals. It was a brand new place for him to explore.

We made him wear a coat and booties most of the time, because it was very cold outside. When Kip's feet get cold, his whole body immediately follows. He walked surprisingly well in his booties and didn't fuss too much about them.

Except he does look kind of depressed in this picture.

And this one too. Oh, well.

He was constantly following moose tracks.. deer tracks..

Having his booties fall off..

Wondering if he was going the right way..

Keeping an eye on the Ninja Squirrel outside our window (don't ask)..

And making this face.

Hurr durr.

Our family had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Minnesota, and didn't want to leave..

Until we saw all the snow to come.

After three days, Dad and I packed up the car while Kip went crazy. But, he didn't leave a goodbye "present" this time. I bet the Gunflint staff was so disappointed.

I hope you and your basenji's all had a fantastic Thanksgiving!