Maggie's Travels

We adopted Maggie from Basenji Rescue in February of this year. Never having owned a Basenji, we were grateful for all of the information Basenji Rescue provided during the adoption process. By the time we picked up our B girl we felt nervous but well prepared for the “challenges” of owning a Basenji.

Our meet and greet was in a parking lot in Yuma, Arizona. Maggie was totally indifferent to us; she was more interested in all the smells in the parking lot. Knowing how cool B’s can be upon meeting strangers and based on Maggie’s foster Mom’s description of Maggie as a “wonderful, sweet, loving female who minds well, doesn’t dig, climb or try to escape, loves to go for walks and rides in the car like a perfect lady,“ we scooped her up and headed for home 600 hundred miles away.

We were warned it could take months for Maggie to adjust to her new surroundings (NOT!).  By the time we got home Maggie had settled in and never looked back. Three months later we set out for a four month trip to Alaska in our 5th wheel. Maggie was so calm and well behaved that we were able to take her with us almost everywhere. She rode ferries, trolley cars, and mine trains with such aplomb you’d have thought she did it everyday! Maggie was a magnet for kids; they would throw their arms around her, lay their heads on her, and kiss her. Adults marveled at how calm she was and wanted to know all about Basenjis.

Alaska was great fun for Maggie. Her nose stayed in overdrive with all the Heavenly smells from moose, fox, bears, caribou, wolves, sheep and buffalo. As you can imagine, with all those strange and wonderful new animals came the opportunity to “check out” poop. If we didn't pay attention, Maggie would roll in every poop pile she came across!

Yes, life is good for our B girl. Everyday she makes us laugh with her silly antics. She likes to “drop dead” at our feet, her signal for a tummy rub. She prances around like a Lipizzaner Stallion trying to keep the mosquitoes off her ears (this technique came in handy in Alaska). We call her the Princess because she likes to sleep in until 9:00 AM, she expects to be rewarded with a treat for EVERYTHING she does, she will go on a sit down strike when she’s had enough walking, and of course, she only comes when she wants to!

Our grandchildren call her Maggie Waggie because her tail never stops wagging! She is the most patient dog ever. We dress her in silly costumes (holiday photos to send our grandkids) and she just sits there with an expression of sheer contempt on her face. We are so grateful to Basenji Rescue & Transport for allowing this wonderful B girl into our lives.

-Laura & Jim Massie