Saturday, December 11, 2010

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.

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