The Basenjis and the Possum

(A true story – mid-October 2004)

Last night I was snuggled all cozy in bed under the covers, with Ellie curled up on my right with my arm wrapped around her and Taj stretched out against my left side with my arm around him.  Ahhhh -  all was peaceful on this first truly chilly night of fall.  I had my quartz space heater on -my furnace is broken- but I wanted the lovely fresh air to breathe, so I left the sliding glass door in my bedroom -which does not have a screen- open about the width of a Basenji's head at the ears.  I drifted off to sleep cuddled with my babies.

Some time later, Taj shot out of the bed like a rocket.  Given that he is a 20-month old B-boy, that wasn't terribly unusual .  However, he didn't jump off the bed.  I opened my eyes and saw Taj at the foot of the bed, silhouetted by the glow of the space heater, staring fixedly at something on the floor - and then I heard the growl.   RrrrrRrrrrrrrrr.  Not Taj.  Not Ellie.  The thing on the floor. 

My first thought was "oh, crap, one of the neighbor's cats came in the slider."  Then there was another growl -RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR- and it sure as heck didn't sound like any cat I've ever heard.  It was too big.  Too resonant.  Too something.  As Taj leaned down to take a closer look, I hollered "NO!" and the thing shot across the room.  Now its growling, hissing, and snarling was located halfway between the slider and my bedroom door.  Taj backed up to the head of the bed and Ellie was now on full alert.  I slowly reached up to the reading light attached to the headboard, turned it on, and -

ME:  AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

THING:  RGRRGRGRGYOWLRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRhissssssssssss!

Bs:  (wide-eyed alert silence)

It was an opossum!  The HUGEST possum I have EVER seen in my life!  Its body was as big as a basketball and it was sitting in my bedroom at 1:30am, screaming and cussing at me and the Bs.  As I pondered what to do, Taj apparently decided he would protect Ellie and Mama and charge the marauder.  I again hollered "NO!", but Taj leapt down, followed by Ellie, and the possum bolted behind the barely open bedroom door.

Now, we all know Bs are smart dogs, but sometimes they can be a little flaky.  While our visitor hastened herself behind the bedroom door, my kids sped OUT the bedroom door.  I took that opportunity to leave the room rather quickly myself and slammed the door behind me.

I stood in the hall breathing hard, not really sure whether this was actually happening.  Honestly, I don't know of anyone else who has been thrown out of their bedroom by a possum.  Ellie and Taj were racing all over the house, trying to figure out where that critter went.  Finally, they determined it was behind the bedroom door and commenced scratching and whining while the possum uttered more obscenities.

It was then I made my decision.  I am The Alpha Female of This Pack and this was My Responsibility.  I bribed the Bs into my second bedroom with some treats and shut them in.  I returned briefly to my bedroom and pushed the slider wide open, went back out and shut the door. 

I considered waiting for the possum to leave.  However, it was cold and damp outside, and warm and dry in the bedroom.  No right-thinking creature would willingly make that trade.  So, I picked up a long narrow box and slowly opened my door.  I figured if I reached around and gave the possum a few taps and pushes with the box, she'd take the hint and leave.  Instead, she sunk her teeth into the box and nearly pulled it out of my hands.  So much for that.  I dropped the box and shut the door. 

After another minute of thought, I fetched my yardstick, because I sure as heck didn't want to open the door again if I didn't have to.  I figured maybe poking Ms. Possum a few times from under the door might motivate her.  All my first tentative pokes did was confirm that she was an extremely well-fed creature that definitely weighed more than either Taj or Ellie.  While the Bs kept up a commentary from the other room and I thought of my nice warm bed, I thwacked the possum a few times on the side with the yardstick, then poked it rapidly into her ample hind end.  I felt her lift off the yardstick, heard her charging away, and then silence. 

I cautiously entered the room, concerned whether she had perhaps gone under the bed, but I had reasonable proof she had left.  There was a steady trail of possum poop heading straight out the sliding door.

After a bit of cleanup and SHUTTING THAT SLIDER, I let Taj and Ellie out of the other room.  Of course, they had a lot of exploring to do before they came back to bed.  Ellie vocalized for about ten minutes after she crawled back in bed with me and Taj was up and down for about an hour. 

When I woke up this morning, I doubted for a minute whether this whole thing had happened.  Then I looked out the slider.  There was a trail of possum poop leading to the back yard. 

Hoping tonight will be more peaceful,

Linda Krajewski, Redlands, CA  

Ellie (can't we get some sleep around here?)

Taj (I can kick that possum's butt, Mom!)    

Native Basenjis in South Africa

One of our BRAT volunteers and fosters, Heather Stanton, recently came across this article from "Mail and Express Magazine" circa 1900.  She thought it was quite interesting, so she has generously shared it with the rest of us!  Thanks, Heather. :)

Toesies

Aren’t little white basenji feet miraculous and elegant?

In a previous blog entry, http://tinyurl.com/12-18-10-blog-post,  I talked about getting the Munchkins’ nails trimmed. Chris, the wonder groomer, shows up at our house once a month to dremel nails quickly and without angst for any of us.  It’s over in minutes, Ivan and Dasa get treats, and the humans (OK, mostly me) don’t spend the day fretting about making Two Small Dogs unhappy. Chris is a skilled groomer, and dremels as near to the quick as possible without actually causing any toesies to bleed, which is good for everyone.

Both Ivan and Dasa get their nails done every month. Ivan’s nails are short, neat, and look well-groomed. The quick in Dasa’s nails doesn’t seem to recede, so they stay longer, despite getting dremeled at the same time Ivan’s do.  Chris said she has other doggy clients with longer nail quicks that don’t recede in response to grooming. I wonder if other basenjis’ nails do the same thing?

I tried to take photos to illustrate this difference when they were freshly groomed. This did not go according to plan. One might think it’s simple to snap a few quick photos of small white feet, but one would be mistaken. Any undue or excessive focus on a particular body part is viewed with suspicion by the Munchkins They might blithely stand around displaying their feet to perfect advantage, but only until I pull out a camera. Then they decide this emphasis on their feet is unseemly and unacceptable. Dasa allowed me to hold her foot while she was in a cuddle bed, but I had to catch Ivan unawares, which made a fine game and kept him entertained. What other reason could I possibly have for following him nonchalantly—which never fools him, lying in wait at one spot in his circuit through the house, or finally crawling around with the camera in one hand and a treat in the other?  Ivan thought this was fairly decent entertainment on a rainy evening.

 

Ivan's nails 

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Spring for the Badsenjis‏

Well, we had a few warm days here on Cape Ann. And the Badsenjis took full advantage, lounging outside my apartment door ( on a blanket of course ).

After some sunbathing and parking lot watching, it was nap time. Life is So hard for Seamus and Nina... My beloved Badsenjis. Lol!  Next stop...80 degrees. 

-Mandy Hazen

PRICELESS!

Big honkin' pile o' dirt: $271

Large wheelbarrow: $176.50

Laughing hysterically as basenji digs halfway to China - PRICELESS!

New Available BRATs: Ginny, Josie, Eddie, Chigaru & Pepper

Name: Ginny
Dog State: New Hampshire
DOB: 12/1/2002
Gender: Female
Color: Black and white
Weight: 19

If you love basenjis, you must meet Ginny! A petite girl with a tightly curled tail that resembles a black and white rose, Ginny is a loyal companion with great style and intelligence to match. At ten years old, her age is evident only by the sprinkling of grey hair on her muzzle; Ginny is energetic and agile with keen hearing and an good appetite.

Click HERE to find out more about Ginny!

Name: Josie
Dog State: Illinois
DOB: 1/1/2003
Gender: Female
Color: Tricolor
Weight: 21

Josie is a sweet dog that needs a very Basenji-experienced home without children. She must meet her new family on her terms. Josie wants to slowly observe you and learn your noises and movements. When she is ready, she will come to you. Once she gets used to you, Josie is a joy to have around.

Click HERE to find out more about Josie!

Name: Eddie
Dog State: Iowa
DOB: 11/29/2011
Gender: Male
Color: Red & white
Weight: 22

Meet Eddie! This adorable one-year old boy brings the zip! and the zing! to every day life! Eddie loves people and he loves fun. If you're looking for a high energy little guy with a darling personality, Eddie will win your heart.

Click HERE to find out more about Eddie!

Name: Chigaru and Pepper
Dog State: Virginia
DOB: 2/1/2008 (C) / 12/2003 (P)
Gender: Male
Color: Red and white (C) / black and white (P)
Weight: 27 (C) / 25

Chigaru and Pepper are a bonded pair of male Basenjis looking for a new family to love. They get along great together and would do best if they can both go to the same home. Given a choice they would prefer a home in which they can be included in all the activities of their family, including snuggling under the covers in bed at night.

Click HERE to find out more about Chigaru and Pepper!

More Basenjis are available on the main BRAT page. Please take a look!

Off the Table

Definitely falling into the category of "I love my basenjis, but..." is my boy Shaka's habit of table jumping, the dining table to be specific.  He knows better than to jump when a meal is being served, but when he has come in excited from a walk or thinks he might see something interesting out the back window it's a different story.  It started a couple of weeks after he arrived, and then when I moved a couple of chairs nearby that he used as a launching pad, things improved.

But the past six months he has been back to the old bad habit.  I've read about a number of preventatives including mouse traps (which I refused to try, having read horror stories of tongues caught in them) and spray water bottles (not very pleasant, and not effective with my two).  We got for a few weeks without an incident, and then it starts up again.  I haven't given up on it, and I know that life with a basenji is always about trying to outsmart them.  But Shaka is currently in the winning column for this game.

All My Children

Fate and timing are wondrous things. Think about when you met your spouse or just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Think about how by chance you were given, through the blessings of fate and Divine Intervention, a wonderful gift.  Meeting Eric was the most serendipitous of these occurrences, and together we’ve experienced this several times with our canine children. I believe we were meant to have each dog that came our way, that they were heaven sent.

We happened to drive past an apartment building just as Reno’s first owner had him outside on a leash. We could easily have turned right instead of left out of our condo complex. We could so easily have missed our Crown Prince and First-Born Basenji. I hate to think what would’ve happened to him if kismet had not given us a firm push in his direction. His first owner was a student, her boyfriend didn’t like Reno, and he probably would’ve ended up at the pound. And we would have missed one of the greatest loves and gifts of our life. Fortunately, the angels were watching out for all of us because we were absolutely meant to be together.

When we lost Reno, our world tilted sharply on its axis, wobbled erratically, and seemed to be spinning completely out of control. How could the same fates that brought us together take our boy so soon?  That’s the problem with great gifts, at least in this life. We three could communicate together on such a deep level, we shared such an unshakable love; the cost for such a gift is very dear.

Providence and the angels took pity on us, such lost and heartbroken humans. Providence also surely has a sense of humor because the next happy convergence of forces sent us Ivan.  Such a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm, of certainty the world revolves around him, of motion and exuberance. We brought Ivan into our home and unleashed the invincible combination of awesome powers of destruction, irresistible Bambi expressions, affectionate snuggles, and voracious appetites for everything—food, attention, paper, bunnies, earthworms. Such a little force of nature is Ivan that we were pulled back from the abyss by the sheer intensity of his personality.  Divine intervention took the form of a gorgeous playful basenji who saved us. We were destined to be together.

 

We had no intention of becoming a two dog family. Ivan commands extra doses of attention and energy. However, the angels loaned us one of their own, and we were privileged to live with Leo for eight short months before they came to claim him. I feel certain we were meant to share Leo’s last few months, just as I believe Leo was an angel in disguise.

 

Again, when we lost Leo, we were not looking for another dog. We felt Ivan was more than enough to keep us busy. This time, fate landed gently because God knew we could not survive another dog like Ivan. We were sent Dasa, a shy, quiet, good little girl who provides a lovely foil to Ivan’s world domination. Now, I can’t imagine not having Dasa. I can’t even begin to think of all we’d miss without our sweet tiny girl.  I know she was meant to be ours.

 

 Sometimes, I think I should listen more carefully for what destiny has in store for me. The record so far has been outstanding. We’ve been given the best gifts of our lives together. We can’t take credit for it, but we’ve been given the best four dogs we never asked for, and how how much richer our lives have been because of them.

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