A spitz breed of dog developed in C Africa for hunting; pale brown and white; short coat; keeps itself meticulously clean; cannot bark, but makes a yodelling noise.
| Basenji | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alternative names | ||
|
African Bush Dog African Barkless Dog Ango Angari Avuvi Congo Dog Zande Dog |
||
| Country of origin | ||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
| Classification and breed standards | ||
| FCI: | Group 5 Section 6 #43 | Stds |
| AKC: | Hound | Stds |
| ANKC: | Group 4 (Hounds) | Stds |
| CKC: | Group 2 - Hounds | Stds |
| KC (UK): | Hound | Stds |
| NZKC: | Hounds | Stds |
| UKC: | Group 3 - Sighthounds and Pariahs | Stds |
The Basenji is a breed of dog considered by some, particularly in North America, to be a member of the sighthound family;
Appearance
Basenjis are small, elegant-looking, short-haired dogs with erect ears, a tightly curled tail, and a graceful neck.
Basenjis typically weigh around 20 to 24 pounds (9 to 11 kg) and stand about 17 inches (43 cm) tall at the withers.
The AKC recognizes the following colorations: red/white, black/white, tricolor (red/black/white), and brindle (black stripes on a background of red)/white.
Temperament
Like wild canids, Basenjis do not bark.
The Basenji is as fastidious as a cat about its personal grooming, even washing itself with its paws.
Most Basenjis, like cats, have a strong dislike for contact with water, and will go to great lengths to avoid getting wet.
Basenjis are highly intelligent and learn quickly, but they also have a cat-like independence and "self-motivation" which can make them somewhat casual about obedience.
Quick and fast on their feet, Basenjis love to run and chase, so much so that they are sometimes competitively run in lure courses.
History
The Basenji is one of the most ancient dog breeds.
The Basenji had almost totally disappeared from the West when Europeans came across it in the Congo in 1895. However, it should also be noted that in Arabic, dogs from Africa were referred to as 'be'zenji', meaning 'of the tribe of blacks', while during colonial times the term 'shenzi' (Swahili: 'wild' or 'savage' via Arabic 'Zanj' meaning 'black African') was a derogatory term that could be applied to anything shoddy or native, but was used particularly to refer to native dogs (as in 'Shenzi dogs').
Several attempts were made to bring the breed to England, but the earliest imports succumbed to disease.
Basenjis in popular culture
The title character of the 1954 novel Good-bye, My Lady, by James H.
On August 13, 2006, the story of a Basenji named Trumpkin was featured on the radio show This American Life.[] The show featured several stories about situations in which people tried, but were unable to get rid of something.
The dog returned, however, and the family found the dog running along the highway and decided to keep him. Later in his life, the family took the dog to the vet for an X-Ray, and found the dog had been shot repeatedly by neighbors.
Health
Some Basenjis are prone to an inheritable kidney disorder called Fanconi syndrome.
Basenjis, along with certain other breeds of dog, have been known to be carriers of a simple recessive gene which, when homozygous for the defect, causes genetic Hemolytic Anemia (basenji.org).
As with other breeds of dog, Basenjis sometimes suffer from hip dysplasia, resulting in loss of mobility and arthritis-like symptoms.
Malabsorption, or immunoproliferative enteropathy, is an autoimmune intestinal disease that leads to anorexia, chronic diarrhea, and even death.
The breed can also fall victim to progressive retinal atrophy (a degeneration of the retina causing blindness) and several less serious hereditary eye problems such as coloboma (a hole in the eye structure), and persistent pupillary membrane (tiny threads across the pupil).
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