r/Basenji

Narrator - “He in fact did not come in peace.”

I've been dreaming of having a basenji for years. I'm finally at the right time in my life to have one. In the search for puppies, I found a breeder wanting to rehome a 3yo champion, the only "price" would be getting her spayed.

We welcomed her home on Thursday May 6. Very skittish, but would stare at me a lot, and sit sort of close to me but keeping her distance. She will pace around the living room nonstop, will run away when we try to approach her. But she will come up to us and let us rub her chin and ears, but then goes back to the pacing. She paces around the living room couches nonstop for hours if we don't try to get her attention onto something else, or if she's not sleeping in her crate.

i don't think the pacing is due to boredom. Friday I walked her up and down hills for 40 minutes, we both came gone tired, and she immediately started pacing. The breeder gave me some trazadone for her, but even on it she's pacing.

I tried clipping her nails by holding onto her leash and lifting one paw at a time, she let me, licked my hands and put my hand in her mouth very softly, telling me she didn't like it. She is very docile and a very good girl honestly.

However,

Yesterday, my uncle left the door open and she ran away. I chased her like my life depended on it. I obviously tried kneeling and calling her to me at first, but it didn't work. She jumped into a river and I jumped right after her, losing the sandals I was wearing when I did. I was screaming and crying when I lost sight of her for a good 10 minutes. She finally appeared and started coming my way but keeping her distance. A neighbor heard me and we cornered her into his yard. She paced in his backyard for like 10 minutes, until finally she got close enough to me that I was able to grab her, she lost her collar in the midst of everything so I grabbed her by the body.

She bit me incredibly hard on both hands several times, but I didn't let go, I shoved her inside the neighbor's house. She was taken home safely and I was taken to the ER. Horrible bite wounds, scratches all over my legs and arms from the thorns and plants by the river, wounds at the bottom of my feet.

I have not even a shred of anger for her. She must've been so scared, she probably doesn't even understand why she bit me, we were all terrified at the moment, she must've been too. I know I probably have never been more scared in my life.

Today she feels a little more distant than before, she follows me to every room I go to, but she keeps very far from me. When I put in her leash this morning, I picked her up and held her in my arms for a while, she let me, she's docile and a good girl.

I knew bonding would be hard at first, but it feels like because of this accident it's going to be really hard.

How can I bond with her if she's an adult? If she's away from everything she's ever known? How can I earn her trust? Does she see me as an enemy for chasing after her and grabbing her like I did? Will things get better once she's spayed? Why is she pacing so much? How to get her to stop?

…high prey drive, serious dogs. The basenji in question: 🤡

March of the Basenji!

Five basenjis gathered on a partly sunny Mother’s Day morning in Washington Square Park, New York City. All visitors today were veterans: Ichi Toko (male, four-months-old;) Bitzie (female, yearling;) Sailor Jerry (male, two-years-old;) Mia (female, nine-years-old;) and Kepler (male, eleven-years-old.) Starting temperature: 57°F|14°C

Happy

Whatever makes you happy, my boy

Well, Roo doesn't seem to mind...