Toe Licking

I know that every basenji has weird quirks, as do most dogs, but I've got to say that my basenji girl, Reef, has one of the weirdest habits ever: She licks toes.  Not all the time, but specifically right before I go to bed.  It doesn't seem to matter how stinky my feet are (or aren't!), whether I've showered right before bed or not, or whether I've been walking around barefoot all day or covered up in shoes and socks.  Like a homing pigeon, as soon as I put on my pajamas and step into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face before turning in, she zooms into the bathroom and starts furiously licking my feet.  And it doesn't matter what I do to try to dissuade her -- I can walk around the bedroom (she'll follow my feet and wait until I stop somewhere to resume licking), use the toilet (she'll see me as a captive audience and turn the feet-licking up a notch), close the bathroom door (she'll push it open with her nose or scratch at it until I let her back in), or put socks back on -- that dog is determined to lick my feet.

Reef, the toe-licker

Sometimes it tickles and feels weird when she gets her tongue in between the toes, but I've got to admit that after years of her doing this, I've just given up trying to shoo her away and now I just let her do it.  Like rolling in dirty laundry and chasing squirrels, some doggie compulsions are just too strong to break.  And in a weird way, I love my toe-licking basenji all the more for it :-)