Our first basenji was a wonderfully cute little puppy that you could not help but love. We named her Lucy and quickly became a beloved member of the family. After about a year and a half, she had "mostly" outgrown her puppy stage, and we felt she needed a friend...a forever friend, so to speak. We found the BRAT webpage and looked at all the wonderful dogs who were looking for love. As we live in Tennessee, we of course looked frequently to see if there were any "local" puppies. We soon found Peaches.
A stately red and white lady with a piercing look and a beautiful face, Peaches had been found wandering the streets around Nashville and was estimated to be at least 10 years old. We filled out the BRAT application and waited. After being contacted by one of the wonderful BRAT volunteers who was fostering her, we discussed why we felt we were her forever family. She was described as being a little older, somewhat sedentary, but full of love. She would greet her foster parents with a welcoming baroo and a little dance on her front feet (she does that for us now too!). A mid point was picked, a time was set, and our family (mom, dad, son, and Lucy) went to meet our newest family member.
Wow! Friendly, sweet, and a beautiful Jane Russellesque figure! A true full figured gal with a heart to match. After some sniffing -by the dogs, not the humans- we loaded up the car and came home.
While Peaches is a wonderful name, we wanted to welcome her into her new home with a new name. Vecmamma is Latvian for Grandmother. As I said earlier, she is a stately lady and the name seemed to fit (we have friends who are Latvian).
Vecmamma has been with us a little over a year now. She and her younger sister Lucy love each other... most of the time. Vecmamma likes her food bowl and treats, and Lucy loves her attention, so sometimes there are little disagreements, but mostly just love.
We think she is older than 10. Vecmamma definitely has the characteristics of a lady who was once in a loving home. We found in the first few months that she does not see very well--mostly shapes and light and dark. And of course she sees all treats! She also cannot hear at all. But there is a puppy in there somewhere. She loves her stuffed toys--throwing them up in the air and holding them in her mouth and shaking them back and forth. We thought it would be nice to adopt an older dog since they sometimes have a harder time finding a forever home. We sure got lucky! She is full of love and we love her back. Puppy is a state of mind -- our girl is a puppy at heart and forever in our hearts.
Christopher D. Alexander
La Vergne, Tn
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