Merry Christmas 2013

To our basenji friends far and near, the ones we’ve met in person and the ones we know online, to those who find forever homes
for basenjis in need, and those who adopt basenjis and give them a second chance
for love and a family, to all of you
we send our very best wishes for a
Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.

(Click on the link below for our photo card.)

Merry Christmas 2013

Christmas Decorating

Years ago when all we had was greyhounds, our Christmas tree had beautiful ornaments on it.  Some would spin, some would sparkle, all would be pretty.  We had shimmery garland on the tree that shone like diamonds when the lights were lit.  In those days we had a little magnetic skating rink, you’ve seen them.  The people of the town would skate around in circles and figure 8s and the little trees would dot the bank around the pond.  In those days we wrapped gifts and carefully put them under the tree where they would stay undisturbed for the week or so before being unwrapped.  We had a precious little nativity scene complete with the barn and straw which my mother-in-law had carefully made and placed the baby, the wise men, the kings, the sheep, and especially the straw.

Well, guess what?  We still have greyhounds but have added 3 basenjis to the mix.  No ornaments, only silk poinsettias.  No garland.  No skating rink as all the towns people lost their arms and magnets and the trees where destroyed by some natural disaster known as hurricane basenji.  And certainly no nicely wrapped packages under the tree until we are only minutes from ripping the paper off ourselves.  The nativity scene was just too full of tasty straw to be left alone so it is carefully packed and safely stored in the attic until we move into a house where we can place it up very very high.

So Christmas decorating has changed but because we love our little furry family we are very much ok with the changes.

Judy Murray

December Birthdays

December is birthday month in our house.  This year Shaka turn eight on December 13, and Audrey turns six on December 15.

It has been a good year with both being healthy and getting a clean bill of health from the vet on December 5 for their semi-annual physical.

After two and a half years of Audrey having hotspots and issues with her coat, it is finally just about perfect.  A great way to end the year.

Head Licking

I don't think it's unusual that my basenjis like to lick heads; from what I hear it's a pretty normal basenji "quirk."  I always thought it was because most peoples' foreheads are slightly salty, so that's what draws the dog to lick. But if that's true, then why is my basenji Biko obsessed with licking our new baby's head??? Take a look:

As you can see, the baby isn't too happy when Biko licks his head, so I try not to let it happen, but sometimes it's hard not to because it's just too funny!  Maybe the dog is trying to "groom" the baby as would a mother dog with its young?  I don't know, but I think we're going to have to teach Biko that the baby isn't a puppy :-) 

We Celebrate Tuesdays

 

We celebrate Tuesdays. We celebrate quiet miracles of normalcy because they are the moments of joy we build our lives on. Not fireworks, not New Year’s Eve, not grand glittering events, but the small smiles, the sighs of contentment. We celebrate tail wags, snuggles, baroos, and “talking” from our babies. We savor the sight of them lying in the sun, or sprawling in the grass. We caress soft ears and rub endearingly freckled tummies. We bury our faces in their sweet fur. We live our lives in small fleeting seconds of joy.

We celebrate Tuesdays and evenings when the sky is so clear we can see stars everywhere. We rejoice in perfect vibrant leaves falling in our backyard as the Munchkins jubilantly assist in raking multi-colored mountains. We celebrate the owl who visits our pine trees. We applaud the ordinary, which isn’t; we marvel at the normal, and we count our blessings during our usual evenings snuggled together.

Our Munchkins are now seniors with health issues, and we tweak their routines a bit, change their diets, make no plans to travel.  Their walks are shorter and they let us know when they’re ready to go home. We try to make changes almost before they are needed to make life easier for the Munchkins.

 Although she still leaps and twirls when her food is about to be served, Dasa gets tired and sometimes has difficulty jumping onto the people bed with its high mattress. We added  small carpeted pet stairs by the sofa and bed.  She looks askance at these new things. It takes Dasa a while to get used to anything new, so the stairs are there waiting, giving her suspicions time to fade. Gradually, our little Doodle will realize these new obstacles a) will not eat her and b) might be handy to have around.

I’ve been using treats and a clicker to coax her up the steps. I’m having some success with this, although she is still not sure this is a good idea.  Ivan leaps onto the bed, taking the fast track to the treats. Dasa follows the treats step by step, but she has the air of someone who is patiently humoring me, hoping I’ll tire of this new game. 

 

 

We celebrated little Doodle’s 14th birthday on November 22.  I believe 11/22/99 is among the luckiest of numbers, bringing most uncommonly good fortune and blessing us with Dasa. And yet, and yet, time runs merrily along, a river of days, hours, bright moments rushing past us. Time is a force stronger than gravity. The speed of sound, the speed of light, the speed of life. All those moments we try to savor flow through our fingers and somehow, we are miles and years from where we were such a short while ago.

We celebrate because the day comes, and always too soon, when ordinary, simple, usual, small joys and routines are replaced by heartache and oh how we wish for ordinary once again. So we hold our dear ones close, and we celebrate Tuesdays.

Cammie's Corner revolves to River's Run

It is with mixed emotions that I post this blog.  It has been quite awhile since there has been a post under the pen name of Cammie's Corner. Cammie was diagnosed with renal failure in late 2011.  After a lengthy year of many vet visits, Cammie was assisted across the rainbow bridge on April 17, 2013.

Cammie

Needless to say the first few days were quite difficult - no one to walk, no one to feed, no hearing of the paws prancing across the floor.  Thus, the search for another Basenji ensued.  Since there were no BRATs in the Southern Ohio area, we started searching shelters.  A basenji was found in a rescue organization in Detroit, Michigan.  I reached out to my known BRAT contact in Michigan via Facebook - Suzanne.  The rescue organization would not adopt outside of an hour radius of Detroit.  However............... Suzanne tells me about a foster Basenji she has had about a week.  After much discussion between Suzanne, Beth, and my husband, we officially adopted River 3 days later and picked him up on April 27th. 

River's ride home

Hence, the change from Cammie's Corner to River's Run. 

Now, for the fun part..... adjusting to a new forever home.  River came with lots of paperwork.  In reading through all of the paperwork, it was discovered River somehow had quite a run through BRAT.  He was brought into BRAT as a 6 month old puppy in his home state of Missouri.  He then proceeded to live in Virginia and Illinois.  In doing all the counting in his 6 yrs, we were his 6th family and his 3rd forever home.

Hence, River's Run through the adjustment period began once again.  River is hoping we will be able to share his adjustment over the coming months on the blog in order to help others understand how to address the challenges of adjusting to a forever home.  So until next time...please welcome River to the blog.

Dear BRAT volunteer,

 

2013 is rapidly coming to a close.  This has been an active year for BRAT and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of it. 

Maybe you fostered one or more dogs during the year.  Perhaps you coordinated the placement of dogs or helped write up the descriptions of these dogs for the website.  You may have done home visits, assisted in transports, screened new applicants, checked shelters, or helped in any variety of activities.  It is the volunteers who make it possible for BRAT to help basenjis in need. 

BRAT recognizes that not every person who wants to help has the time to do so.  Some people with the time to actively participate still feel that they could do more.  BRAT appreciates every volunteer, no matter their level of participation.

If you haven't had the opportunity to get actively involved in BRAT yet, we encourage you to keep your eyes open for volunteer opportunities.  If your schedule is too busy for a high level of volunteer work, or if you feel that you want or are able to do more, please consider a donation to BRAT in your year-end giving.  We have many ways to donate; please visit our website to choose the one most convenient for you. http://www.basenjirescue.org/Donate.htm

A copy of our 2012 tax return may be viewed here: http://www.basenjirescue.org/990s/990s.htm

A full list of our recent donors (updated quarterly) can be seen here: http://basenjirescue.org/Donors.htm

Thank you for all you do for BRAT.  We are deeply grateful for your continued support.  We wish you a happy holiday season and a prosperous and healthy new year!

Sincerely, 

BRAT Board of Directors 

Liz Newton 

Debbi Johnson 

Jackie Kuhwarth 

Chey Miller 

Roberta Kosek

TIME TO GO TO WORK

This is how Nailah escorts me to work each morning. No wonder I love my job!

What rituals or habits do your dogs have that especially brighten your day?

Elves

 

 The Victim

I recently sent a letter of apology, a check, some brownies, and a photo of Ivan to a library in a neighboring community. A book I requested from that library suffered grievous injury when it was set upon by elves and possibly other unknown ruffians. Eric, who operates on a rational, logical plane, said Ivan was the most likely culprit. I smile at that sweet innocent face and know logic has nothing to do with it. How can you look at that adorable face and suggest such a thing? I’m sure Ivan is not guilty, but we could hardly blame him if he had chewed the book. It has a photo of food on the front of the book jacket; this is practically entrapment.

 

 I’m pretty sure it was elves. Elves are held responsible for not a few incidents at our house, and with good reason as they’re always trying to set up the Munchkins to take the blame for some mischief they’ve caused.

 

Dasa has occasionally been found at the scene where a cardboard box has been chewed, and sometimes even has a bit of cardboard sticking out of her mouth as she finishes chewing. This is all circumstantial evidence, and I certainly don’t think it proves anything, except how cute she is, wagging her tail when she sees me. And really, it’s just a box, the contents are seldom damaged. So it was ready to be  mailed or contained neatly sorted items for the thrift shop? It isn’t her fault the elves choose inconvenient targets for their naughtiness.

We received a return letter from the neighboring library, agreeing that elves can be sneaky at times, and absolving Ivan of all guilt. They also said they loved Ivan’s photo, so they certainly won points for recognizing that he’s innocent and gorgeous. Those elves, however, get no quarter from us.

BRAT's 2014 Calendars Now on Sale!

I am excited to announce that BRAT's 2014 calendars are now on sale!  http://basenjirescue.org/calendarcontest

 

Every year, we hold a contest for the best basenji photos submitted by volunteers, adopters and this years friends of BRAT.  The top 15 photos in that contest can be viewed at http://basenjirescue.org/calendarcontest/default-order.asp .

 

2014 BRAT calendars cost only $20.00 each plus postage and handling costs.  We are calculating postage based on the number of calendars ordered, so you will save shipping costs if you order more than one to the same address. 

 

Once again this year, you can use your credit card to order calendars.  Credit cards will be processed through our PayPal account, but it is not necessary to have your own PayPal account to use a credit card.  A check or money order may still be used as well. 

 

We include scores of photos in the calendar so if you entered a photo in our contest, consider buying a calendar to see if your photo was included.  If it was a good one, odds are that it is featured somewhere in the calendar.

 

We have only a limited number of calendars available and when they are gone, we are unable to order any more.  So order one or more today!  Also, we would appreciate if you could share information about our calendars on your Facebook or other social media accounts so that we can get the word out to the entire basenji world.

 

The calendar project is our biggest fundraiser of the year.  All the net proceeds from the project go directly to the dogs.  Please consider making an additional tax deductible donation to BRAT when you submit your order.  In a large percentage of BRAT placements the vetting costs exceed the adoption fees.  Your generous donations enable us to continue to rescue many basenjis each year who are either elderly and/or in need of extensive vetting who would otherwise be put to sleep by their owners or in shelters.  After restoring them to optimal health they are adopted into loving homes.

 

Thank you again for your support of basenji rescue.  To learn more about the mission of Basenji Rescue & Transport, Inc., click here: http://www.basenjirescue.org/BRAT_Info/default.htm.  Special thanks to Jacque Holdaway who designed the calendar, Chey Miller who mails all calendars, and Debbi Johnson who processes the calendar payments.

 

Liz Newton

President

BRAT, Inc.

 

Welcome home, Remi

As I prepare for a transport today to bring Remi from Kansas City to Baton Rouge, I realize that 2013 marks my 5^th year as a BRAT volunteer.  I am still a relative newbie, and remain humbled by the depth and breadth of the expertise of the BRAT organization.  I found BRAT like many of you, searching online on the website, wanting to add to my single dog family.  Iggy definitely needed a playmate.  As my first B, from an established show dog breeder, he rules the roost.  And I was tired of being his playmate 24/7. 

So I found BRAT.  I registered to help…as a transporter, home visitor and foster.  Because there are so few basenjis in Louisiana, I thought my chances to foster would be limited…and considering other parts of the country, they are, but I have had the wonderful privilege to foster.   It has not always been easy…there’s the epic basenji battle that landed Iggy and Tristan in the emergency room, the destroyed furniture, the chewed up electronics…but I can honestly say, it’s always worth it.

My first opportunity came quickly, just two months after registering to volunteer.  Roxy, forever first in my heart, was found wandering the streets of New Orleans.  Heartworm positive. 14 pounds.  Almost didn’t survive the heartworm treatments.  She didn't make it to the View Basenji Rescues postings on the BRAT website; I adopted her. She had a great life for four more years until she succumbed to a damaged heart from those heartworms.

I was hooked. 

There have been more opportunities to foster during these five years:
·         Tiger, aptly re-named for his aggressive nature that caused his owners to surrender him.  Turns out he just needed thyroid medication, and he’s doing fine now in California.
·         Tristan and Genny: forced to produce babies in a puppy mill somewhere in Texas.  A bonded pair.  Happily living in Pennsylvania now after a failed first placement in Maryland.
·         Macy, underweight, was still lactating though no puppies were found with her.  Found locked in a shed in an abandoned house in south Louisiana.  Lived at a shelter for a month til she was pulled.  She came into my life at the exact moment I needed her.  She never made it to the adoption postings; I adopted her just as my sweet Roxy was leaving this life.
·         Bebe, the 18-month-old puppy who had already had a litter of puppies.  I am convinced there’s a backyard breeder in St. Bernard Parish…if I can only find it.  Three of my fosters have come from the same area, wandering the streets, unknown origins.  Bebe’s now a Southern belle in Savannah, Georgia.

And so today, I travel to Little Rock as the last leg of an owner surrender that starts in Kansas City, MO.  Remi is 15 years old.  She is going to be confused, leaving the only home she has ever known.  But thanks to four willing volunteers who are helping to safely and lovingly transport her, we will get her to Baton Rouge. 

I already know how this story will end.  She’s coming to foster with me almost at the exact time Roxy did five years earlier.  She won’t be a replacement for Roxy, but I’ve learned that I have a tender spot for the older Bs. 

She will have a soft pillow, a bright sunny window and even a warm fire to live out her days.  She likely won’t make it to the adoption postings either.  I don’t know her yet, but my heart already does. Welcome home, Remi.