The Barkless Dog from Africa
The Barkless Dog from Africa
To appreciate the uniqueness of the Basenji you must learn something of the
history of this breed. You need to close your eyes and travel back to a
distant land, a land of many gods where pharaohs ruled and vast pyramids stood,
the ancient culture of Egypt. This civilization began in 3000 B.C. and was
the most amazing culture the world has ever known. Egyptians had a
remarkable ability to preserve their past in art and this today shows us a small
dog with pricked ears and a curly tail sitting under the throne of his
master. It is believed that these little dogs were brought up the Nile as
gifts for the pharaohs. The Egyptian dynasties ended around 300 B.C. and
yet this dog was still preserved over thousands of years by natives living
in the African jungle. Many African tribes prized this dog for it's
hunting ability, so important to their way of life that it fetched a price
greater than that of a wife. To survive such harsh environments it had to be smart, adaptable and
somewhat cunning. Western Society would
not rediscover this ancient dog until explorations into the African jungle in the late 1890's.
Later, when some dog enthusiasts first brought the small African hunting dog back to England it's immune system could not cope with Western diseases and many died of distemper. It was not until 1930
through dedicated enthusiasts that this dog named the Basenji (bush thing) was finally
able to breed on in the Western World thanks to perseverance and advancements in vaccines.
Today the Basenji lives on for us to preserve and admire. A unique breed that is barkless as you would expect from this primitive dog so closely linked to the wolf. It is not mute and can make all other doggy sounds but also what is known as chortles, yodels and baroos. These sounds are shared with us on happy occasions which is quite often with this delightful dog. The Basenji like the Dingo comes into season but once a year another sign of it's ancient ancestry. Puppies are born once a year normally during the winter months, around June or July. This small African hunting dog was an important part of the hunt and it was necessary for a hunter to be able to carry the dog around his shoulders. Males grow to around 17" at the shoulder and bitches slightly smaller at 16" and weights are 11kg and 9.5kg respectively. The Basenjis long legs, lofty well arched neck give an elegant grace and this proud little dog carries itself with a swift, swinging gait which is much admired for it's effortless action. The coat is short and fine with a soft silky feel and sheds little. The smart looking Basenji has four beautiful coat colours of red & white, black & white, black, tan & white and brindle. The Basenji is very clean and regularly licks itself very much like a cat and lacks the normal doggy odour. The pricked ears and tight curly tail add to the neatness of the breed.
Email davina@kanibaru.com
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