PRICELESS!

Big honkin' pile o' dirt: $271

Large wheelbarrow: $176.50

Laughing hysterically as basenji digs halfway to China - PRICELESS!

Saga of the Solano County Basenjis, Part Two

It's hard to believe it's already been a month since the "Solano County basenjis" arrived as fosters at my house. First up, we've let their names evolve. I've been spelling Shacka as Shaka as in Shaka Zulu, the great African warrior, which seems like a fitting name for a basenji.

Everyone has been appalled that the scared, scrawny little girl deserved a better name than "Crybaby". So I started just saying, "Hi, Baby" which seemed to be a good transition and have since been calling her Audrey, thinking of Audrey Hepburn transforming from a little waif into an elegant young lady in a number of her movies. And this little basenji lady is really living up to that name. Everyone was so concerned about her since she was so thin, but she came through her spaying quickly despite being in pain for a few days.
I got a thorough exam of them from my primary vet who said that besides her being underweight and Shaka having some tarter on his teeth they are in great health. Audrey's coat is very uneven but likely from having had puppies this winter and/or living outside for her first three years. She is quickly filling out, her coat is slowly improving with proper diet, lots of brushing and supplements.
But most dramatically, her personality is emerging. That first day I picked them up at the city animal shelter, she hid at the bottom of the floor in the back of the car. Now she greets me with a wagging tail and sometimes paws my leg to say how happy she is to see me, even if I just left the room two minutes ago.
Shaka continues to be the gregarious gentleman with just enough naughty to remind me he's a basenji.
It's definitely not been all smooth sailing. We had some marking and other accidents the first week that have since passed. We've had some chewing and table jumping that we're working on. And they are pretty reactive to other dogs, and I'm still working on the best way to walk two in a busy, San Francisco neighborhood. But the rewards are still outweighing the challenges, and I feel we keep moving forward.

It will be great fun to meet folks this week at the BRAT convention in Chicago, and I hope to come back with many new skills to continue being as good as I can as a foster dad.

And for the first time, I think I have a pair of barooing basenjis. They've not let out a full fledged barroo quite yet, but some that are pretty close to announce, "Come on, let's play!"

Here they are bright and ready for the morning walk routine.

Here is Miss Audrey in action. Not sure which is more fun, playing with her pink baby or jumping at the camera.

The Saga of the Solano County Basenjis, Part One

When I lost my beloved basenji Bow in March, I knew I needed to have some time and a break from basenjiland even though I ached to have a basenji next to me again the moment she departed. Barely a month later, on May 2 I got a message from Ray Eckart, BRAT regional coordinator in Chico that there was a basenji whose owner had to move the next day into an apartment that did not allow pets. Then we learned it wasn’t one basenji but two. The owner didn’t want to go through the hassle of filling out a second online intake form. The information we did have was sketchy besides the fact that they were a six-year-old male, Shacka, and three-year-old female, Crybaby (yes, urgh on that name). And we knew that they had not been spayed or neutered. We needed to act fast or we weren’t sure what might happen to these two, and we weren’t even positive they were basenjis.

Arrangements were made for the owner to drop these two at my house the following day at 10 a.m. At 10:30 a.m. the owner called to say they were missing and might have gotten out the night before, or even earlier. Ray spread the word widely to have volunteers, other rescue groups and individuals to be on the look out for them. Having psyched myself up to bring them in, I now had to try to detach from worrying too much about these two dogs I’d never met. But it was impossible not to think about them running lose in Solano County, a highly developed area in the middle of the San Francisco-Sacramento Corridor where I-80 weaves through and is one of the busiest interstates in the nation. The likelihood of them surviving seemed very slim. I went to bed heart sick that my chance to help these two had probably vanished.

All day Wednesday I tried to blot out what might have happened to these two mystery basenjis, and then a message popped up that afternoon. “Shacka and Crybaby have been found!!!!” Multiple postings and messages had led to them being discovered on Petharbor at the Solano County Animal Control in Fairfield after being discovered running lose on a major street. The grainy online photos showed that they were indeed basenjis, Crybaby looking underweight and with a very sad, miscolored coat.

I called animal control, and miraculously the two had been microchipped, but the information on file was all out of date. That meant the owner had a week to claim before BRAT could gain custody of them. We gave animal control his contact, he chose to turn them over to animal control who in turn signed them over to BRAT
.

The next day I nervously made the drive to Fairfield uncertain of what I might find. Would they be aggressive, fearful, rabid? There was an excruciating five minute wait after I signed the paperwork and then they emerged charging out on leash with an animal control staffer. They looked like no basenjis I had ever seen. Their coats were matted and very light. Crybaby was especially underweight.

Shacka came right up to me and gave me a friendly sniff. Crybaby cowered but didn’t not show any aggression as the slip leashes were removed and they were put onto my leashes. After a walk around the grounds to prepare for our long ride back to San Francisco, they jumped quickly in the car and rode well all the way back, Shacka sitting regally in the back seat and Crybaby hunkered below him on the floor

I followed all of the instructions I’ve read of fostering of keeping a good distance and giving them plenty of treats and happy talk along the way. As we crossed the East Bay Bridge’s S-curve and then emerged from the tunnel of Yerba Buena Island, I felt my right shoulder twitching, sure that it was from all the stress of the past few days. I reached it to scratch and realized it was Shacka’s paw. He wasn’t pushing to get in the front seat. He had simply gently put his paw on my shoulder and looked into my eyes with what felt like was an attitude of “I think I can trust you.” Even if he couldn’t understand the words I told him, “The best part of your life has just begun.”

With virtually no medical history besides the round of shots they got at animal control, no background on their socialization or temperament, my fostering of these two began. I will go into more detail in a later post, but I will just say that so far these two have proven to be the miracle basenjis. I admire them for just surviving on the streets of Fairfield for at least a day or two. Shacka immediately acted as if I was his best friend. Crybaby (whom I am just calling Baby for now) was very frightened that first afternoon, but snuggled up next to by the end of the day – clearly desperate to be protected and loved but afraid of almost every sound she heard. She let me brush her coat that was as stiff as a porcupine and felt like silk by the time I was finished. By the second day she was almost begging to brushed. They both love to be brushed.

There has been some marking and chewing in the house but nothing so severe that I have really been ready to throw in the towel. The fact that these two have been so willing to trust a human after what seems like a really horrible start in life gives me reason to want to make every effort to help them begin the next chapter of their lives where they will be showered with love, nurtured to great health and thrive as the best basenjis they can be.

Having such support from the whole BRAT community has made this initially chaotic foster assignment much less daunting.

More than once I have thought I was insane for doing this, that it's more than I can handle, that it's too soon after losing Bow. But another side of me thinks Bow had a hand (or a paw) in this, seeing that my life had become too dull and she decided to send them my way. It really is a miracle that they survived that day or two running virtually feral on the streets of Fairfield. Maybe it was Bow, their guardian angel, watching over them and sending them into a new life where they will now be safe.

(And here is a link to a video of them settling into fun in the back garden.)

Available BRAT Rescues: East Coast

NAME: Buster
DOG STATE: Pennsylvania
DOB: 11/24/2001
GENDER: Male
COLOR: Red
WEIGHT: 36

When you take Buster outside for a walk, he will be complimented numerous times on his good looks. He walks well on a leash, but if he smells something particularly interesting, he will pull. Buster is an older fellow, so he does not really need long walks, but he does like to spend a lot of time outside in the yard. He is equally content cuddling with you on the couch, playing video games with your older kids or snuggling with you under the covers while you watch tv or a movie. His main goal in life is to be with you and be cuddled, belly scratched (in the superman position), ear scratched and loved.

Click HERE to learn more about Buster!

NAME: Ace
DOG STATE: Maryland
DOB: 9/21/2008
GENDER: Male
COLOR: Tricolor
WEIGHT: 19

Ace is a gorgeous two-year-old tricolored boy with a soft coat just meant for petting. He is friendly, loves to play, and is extremely active. Ace loves to play with the other Basenjis in his foster home and he loves to be close to his humans. At night when his foster family watches TV, Ace can be found sleeping contently next to one of his humans.

Click HERE to learn more about Ace!

NAME: Maggie Moo, AKA Turtle
DOG STATE: Maryland
DOB: 2006
GENDER: Female
COLOR: Red
WEIGHT: 32

Maggie is a sweet girl with her humans. She especially loves to cuddle next to her family every chance she gets. But when no one is with her, Maggie is content to sleep peacefully on the couch, or in a sunny location. Maggie is a talker. She loves to yodel, baroo, and make all kinds of sounds for her foster family. She is a really good girl in her house manners; she is not destructive and totally house trained. You can also touch Maggie all over and pick her up.

Click HERE to learn more about Maggie!

NAME: Rebel
DOG STATE: Maryland
DOB: 12/20/01
GENDER: Male
COLOR: Red
WEIGHT: 26

Rebel is a beautiful, tall, stately, and loving Basenji boy who is a true alpha and a wonderful addition to the pack in his foster home. He enjoys being with his humans, cuddling up next to them on the couch, sleeping gracefully in sunspots, playing with the other basenjis and cats, and overlooking his pack, making sure all is in order.

Well past those turbulent puppy years, he is house trained (as long as he has access to the backyard when he needs to go) and he is not destructive. You could leave a roll of toilet paper by him and he could care less! He plays well with others, including cats, and loves people. He IS a true treasure.

Click HERE to learn more about Rebel!

NAME: Nugget
DOG STATE: Virginia
DOB: Jan 2000
GENDER: Male
COLOR: Tricolor
WEIGHT: 24

Nugget has become quite a good pack-mate. He waits his turn for treats and is not food aggressive. He has learned to share lap time with his foster mom and to snuggle with the pack at bedtime. Rarely does he snark at the others, now that he’s discovered the joy of being part of a pack. There are no fights. He is such a clown and wants to play all the time, including at bedtime, of course. He is without question a wonderful boy.

Nugget is a charmer. Belly rubs are a must for this boy and he’ll gladly roll over to make it clear what he wants. Snuggling is also a must for Nugget; he will not be happy if he cannot sleep in the bed with his person. He just can’t bear the separation.

Click HERE to learn more about Nugget!

NAME: Gambit
DOG STATE: North Carolina
DOB: unsure, about 2 years old
GENDER: Male
COLOR: Red
WEIGHT: 26

Gambit is a young dog, about two years old, with a lot of puppy left in him. He has tons of energy and loves to run with his foster brothers and sisters. He loves to wrestle with them too. Gambit loves to cuddle and will fall asleep easily with a human and start snoring away. He loves TOYS, all toys. In fact, if he can't find someone to play with, he'll just entertain himself. When it's time to go to bed, Gambit will happily hop on the bed with his foster mom and dad as well as his foster siblings. He likes to be touching either one of his foster siblings or foster mom or dad while he sleeps.

Click HERE to learn more about Gambit!

Looking for a Basenji rescue in your area?
Many more are listed on the main BRAT page.