Trivia Thursday – Basenji
For Trivia Thursday this time around, I thought I would discuss the Basenji breed. Basenjis are perhaps best known as the Barkless Dog!
Now, you may wonder if it is true that they do not really bark. Yes, it is true. But are they silent? Absolutely not!
Below is a picture of a much younger me with a Basenji I once had named Penelope.
When I first got Penelope, she was obviously a puppy, and I thought no barking meant she would be quiet. But I was definitely wrong!
Basenjis make a noise that is often characterized as a sort of yodel. There is a sort of range in the noise they make – it is almost melodic-sounding. However, many Basenjis do not like to be left alone, so this noise can quickly become a problem! If you do just a little bit of Googling, you will see various stories about how the police were called because the noise made by the Basenji sounded like a human being tortured!
When we got puppy-Penelope, I couldn’t leave her in the bathroom at the hotel due to the noise she made, and I had to sleep with her.
The Basenji is considered to be part of the Spitz family – that sort of dog often has pointed ears and a tail that curls over. Some examples include Siberian Huskies, American Eskimoes, Samoyeds, Schipperkes, and Pomeranians.
They only have one breeding season per year, and they don’t really have a distinctive odor. They originated on the African continent.
They are short-haired dogs that tend to weigh 20-24 pounds. They have white feet, tail-tips, and chests, and they come in either red, black, brindle, tricolor, or trindle (a tricolor with brindle points). They have erect ears, curled tails, and wrinkled foreheads. They are as long as they are tall, and the males tend to be larger than females. While they are intelligent, they are difficult to train.
Basenjis aren’t really big on strangers, and they are prey-driven dogs. Some Basenjis climb, and some groom themselves like cats.
While it may seem cool to own a dog that doesn’t bark, because of the dogs’ dislike of being alone and the difficulty in training them (not to mention the danger that you could have the cops on you because your pup is feeling lonely!), you might want to look for a different breed when trying to decide whether to bring a new dog into your home. I recommend checking out a website like Petfinder.com to see what dogs are offered by shelters near you! Basenjis tend to be on the rarer side. While they are graceful and almost horselike when they run, I would definitely not recommend them for anyone who has never owned a dog before!
Still, they will always hold a special place in my heart!
Resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basenji
3 thoughts on “Trivia Thursday – Basenji”
While I have never owned a dog of this breed, the owner of one of the homes I renovated as a contractor had a Basenji. Apparently they went away for a couple of days and left the dog behind to guard the farm. They returned to find a young man perched on the kitchen refrigerator!
This enterprising chap had broken in a few hours after they departed. He got as far as the kitchen, where the dog met him, so he jumped on the fridge to stay away from the animal’s teeth.
As he was led to the police car, he told this homeowner that this was the first time he had seen a dog like that and it freaked him out. Not only did the dog not bark, but it never uttered a sound!
Needless to say, the dog was well rewarded for keeping the criminal in the same place for a day and a night. Of course, the fellow didn’t smell very nice when he came down from his perch, for reasons I am sure you can understand.
Hahaha. Wow, that is a great basenji story!! I am glad to hear the dog was well-rewarded!
Good point, makes a sence especially when one is experienced in the topic. So keep righting and share your thoughts and experiences.
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