SING IT WITH ME!

To the tune of "Baby Got Back"

by Sir Mix-A-Lot

(check the song out on Jango if you've never heard it)

Splendid B butts courtesy of (in order of appearance) Willow, Daisy and Dash, Nailah, Benny, Shannon's pups, Njeri, CoCo, Eve and Jambi, Buster, (Nailah selfie with no butt) and last but not least Tess, who marks

Ivan and Peggy Spend the Day at the Vet Hospital

 

      Our little Ivan had dental surgery a few weeks ago. Due to his kidney issues, he had to have IV fluids for 24 hours before the surgery. This was potentially a big problem. In 2009, my puppy boy had bowel surgery and had to stay at the vet hospital for several days, so he really doesn't like being there. As long as I’m with him, he’s OK. I stand by the examining table and hold his head for blood draws, etc. and he’s really good.

     When we made the appointment, I told Dr. Jennifer I’d sit on the floor, anything, if I could stay with Ivan while he was getting IV fluids. And this is where a good rapport with your vet pays off.  Our kind vet allowed me to stay with Ivan most of the time, which was really better for everyone. Ivan would be scared if I left him, I would be sick with worry, and the vet staff would have a very difficult time.

    Ivan and I arrived at the vet the morning before his surgery and were installed in the comfort room. I had two little donut beds, his blanket, a fuzzy toy, his lunch and dinner in a cooler, treats, and a backpack with books, iPad, bottles of water, etc. It looked as though we were moving in. I stacked Ivan’s donut beds on the couch next to me and they hooked up the IV.
       As long as I was there to hold him when they checked his IV and tell him what an amazingly good boy he was, everything went well. They checked on us every hour, and we had a switch to flip if we needed help sooner. Ivan napped in his cuddle bed and I sat next to him, reading and talking to my little guy. Every three hours I took him out for a potty break. At noon, I fed Ivan and Eric stopped by to stay with Ivan so I could eat lunch. Ivan and I hung out together all afternoon and I served his dinner at six.

 

The vet staff had told me I couldn’t stay all night because there are fewer staff people around and it was sort of against policy. Dr. Jennifer and I discussed how to deal with this, since Ivan was not going to be happy when I left. They decided to give him a mild sedative that wouldn’t hurt his kidneys. They were going to administer this at 8:30 pm, but fortunately for us, they were running late and didn’t get around to us until a bit later. They gave him the sedative and Ivan was soon groggy. They said he should stay groggy for 12 hours. I was somewhat dubious about this. I told them I would sleep in my clothes and they should call me if there were ANY problems. I live close by and could come at ANY time.

I went home, ate dinner, showered, changed into clean clothes and went to bed. At 3:45 am the phone rang. I answered it on the first ring: Ivan was no longer groggy. The tubing to his IV fluids had come undone, and he wouldn’t let the vet staff touch him. I was out of the house in 5 minutes and arrived at the vet at 4:02 am.
    My poor baby was at the back of his crate, looking very worried. I took him out to potty, and then they reconnected the tubing. I believe a staff member was sleeping in the comfort room, so we settled in an exam room. They spread several blankets on the floor, I put Ivan’s little cuddle bed in the middle of the blankets and sat next to him. He soon went back to sleep.

       Dr. Jennifer came in around 7:30 and said, “They told me you had to come in.” I said, “No problem, I got about 4 hours of sleep.”  Eric arrived at 8 to pick us up. They unhooked the IV and off we went to the doggy dentist in St. Louis.

      Due to their insurance and legal requirements, I couldn’t hold Ivan for blood tests at the doggy dentist and my poor boy had had about enough. He tried to eat the dentist so had to wear a little cloth muzzle for the blood test to check his kidney levels. Thanks to all the IV fluids, his creatinine levels were in the normal range, so a quick sedative shot and then he was falling asleep. When he was a sleepy little noodle, I carried him to the operating table and then we Waited. He did beautifully.

   We were able to take my puppy boy home that afternoon. Dasa was so glad to see her Ivan, and we were all relieved to be home together again. Ivan’s face was a little swollen after the surgery, but he came through in excellent form.

       Fortunately, we have a very understanding vet who worked with me to make this procedure as stress-free as possible for our little puppy boy. A few days after Ivan’s dental procedure, I took apples, oranges, chocolate chip bars, and a thank-you note to our vet and vet staff. I’m very thankful for the kindness and consideration we receive at our vet hospital. I’m grateful they understand how much we treasure Ivan and Dasa. Sometimes when I arrive carrying one of the Munchkins, someone will remark on how cute they are. The receptionist will then say in a stage whisper, “They’re a little spoiled.” To which I reply, “They’re not spoiled, just loved,”  and everyone smiles at my baby.

 

 Ivan at home, convalescing.

Roscoe (VT BRAT) is ADOPTED!!!

Roscoe was adopted by a wonderful family in Upstate New York!  His foster mom and senji-friends at his foster home miss him very much, but they are so very happy for him!  He is a wonderful little guy and it sounds as if he has found an equally wonderful home!  He is adjusting very well.  He has a new human mom and dad and 2 new fur siblings.  He goes on daily nature walks and visits his new mom's art studio a couple times a week. Way to go Roscoe!!!

Roscoe and his new mom and "sister" Maple.

 

 

Roscoe and Maple running in the yard!

Roscoe enjoying a fall day!

Sleeping Patterns

Having lived with and fostered four basenjis over the past five years, I have seen varying takes on the old adage "let sleeping dogs lie".  Each of the four has had his or her sleeping quirks.

My first foster Guru and my first adoptee Bow would only sleep in bed beside me.  Though she flew half way across the country in a crate and arrived on a cold rainy November night confused and scared,  on her first night Bow settled into her standard bedtime pattern -- under the covers and snuggled into a comfy spot behind my knees.

Shaka and Audrey arrived two and a half years ago and vary on where they want to sleep.  If Shaka has settle on the couch or in his bed in his crate, that's where he'll stay until morning.  But some importantly, don't disturb him.  If, by chance, we three end up in my bed, the two manage to hog the bulk of the center or the bed, and Shaka will let you know in no uncertain terms that he does not want to be disturbed.  Touch him, and he will let out a loud snark.  In fact come within a foot of him, and he gives a warning growl.  If Audrey rises or turns two feet away, he will let out the "Don't even think of coming closer," growl.

Audrey will not complain unless she is picked up while sleeping.  And a typical pattern is that we three will watch the evening news on the couch where Shaka remains, and around 1 a.m., feeling lonely or cold, Audrey will join me in the bed.  And, even on her own she manages to take as much as space as she and Shaka do together.

Basenjis and Behavior Issues

From the AKC Meet The Breeds*: "Because  [the basenji] often worked out of sight of hunters, he can tend to be independent and aloof and prefers to meet strangers on his own terms." What exactly does that mean? We call them snarky or particular; preferring their comfy spot, possibly next to their favorite person and protesting when having to move. Perhaps they duck away, growl or snap at a well meaning pat or when an inappropriate item is being taken away from them.  Is this behavior OK?  Yes and no.  There are different reasons for the behavior, but the dog is making a statement that it is uncomfortable or unhappy.  People need to recognize and respect that and not push the dog, which could escalate the negative behavior.  (In the moment, offer a treat as a trade to get the dog to do what you want.  NEVER use force to get the dog to "submit.")

The first thing to do is eliminate a health issue as the cause of the behavior.  Just like people, when a dog is not feeling good, it can act out.  Hypothyroidism, misalignment/spinal issues, arthritis, diet/allergies, even a UTI can cause enough discomfort that would result in negative behavior.  Once health issues have been ruled out, you will need help defining the aggression and seeking out the appropriate professional to address the behavior. 

If you have a newly adopted dog or foster dog, contact the coordinator as soon as there are any concerns.  With the help of your coordinator and using the Links And Resources page on the BRAT website (http://www.basenjirescue.org/links.htm), you can find a certified trainer (http://www.ccpdt.org) or behaviorist (http://iaabc.org).  The ASPCA's Virtual Behaviorist (http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist) provides wonderful insight to behavior issues and also provides links to finding help local to you, as well as what to look for in a behaviorist/trainer and the questions to ask of the professionals in your search. 

If all else fails and you are overwhelmed or confused as to what to do, contact me.  I will be happy to help you sort out the issue and guide you.

Roberta Kosek

Vice President, BRAT
rlkosek2@aol.com
603-553-4822 

 

*AKC Meet the Breed http://www.akc.org/breeds/basenji/index.cfm

The Basenjis meet the new Baby

On September 7th, 2013, we welcomed a new member into our household: our new baby boy, Declan. Naturally, our two basenji fur-children were VERY curious about this new thing that smells funny and makes noises all the time!

Since this is the first time we've ever had a child in our family, I took care to try and introduce the baby to the dogs in a positive way: I treated the baby the same as I would any other new member of our pack.  That meant that I immediately took "possession" of the baby and showed the dogs that they could sniff if I let them, and then I rewarded them with treats when they did.  Any time I held the baby and the dogs came up for pets, I made sure I gave them, so no one would feel left out.  And any time they wanted to sniff the baby, I made sure that they could, and gave them lots of praise for doing it nicely. 

At first, our BRAT boy Biko was rather timid around Declan, and hid a lot in his happy places in the house: 

But slowly he started to sidle up to us when the baby was around, doing his usual thing trying to get as close as physically possible:

Biko would rather be an armrest for the baby than be away from Dad!

Now, I think the dogs are totally comfortable around Declan, since they seem to not be nervous around him at all, and instead concentrate on trying to lick his head (which he is not really a fan of), letting me know when he has a poopy diaper, or trying to steal his smelly burp cloths so they can roll on them. So basically, they're back to their usual basenji selves!

Biko checks for poopy diapers

 

Biko makes sure the burp cloths are clean!

Biko: "Did I do good, mom?"

Our Little Girl

 

Ivan and Dasa have very different personalities. I usually have more stories to tell about Ivan as I often find myself getting Ivan out of a pickle or picking up the pieces of something he has destroyed. Ivan stories are usually about adventures such as getting his mouth stuck shut because he attempted to eat an entire magazine at once. I adore my gorgeous puppy boy, but he’s like the child so frequently sent to the principal’s office that  his parents’ phone number is on the office speed dial.

 

Stories about Dasa, my pink-nosed princess, normally lack the drama, because she is very well behaved. She has a slight under bite, and an adorable pink nose. Eric teasingly refers to her as his ugly duckling. I say, “never mind sweetie. You can sleep in the big bed with me and Daddy will sleep in the garage.” Eric’s survival instincts are intact and he follows up by carrying Dasa to the couch to rub her soft tummy. Plus, he enjoys the worshipful looks she gives him when he strokes her soft ears. He receives gentle paw taps to encourage him to keep up the petting.

 

When I hold Dasa, stroke her soft fur, rub gently behind her ears and tell her what a good beautiful girl she is, I am  rewarded with her version of purring. Dasa’s purring sounds like a series of soft sighs.

   She sleeps with her head on my pillow or curled up under my arm. Snuggled up with her little paw resting on my arm while she sleeps, I am awash with contentment and joy. We are enchanted by our little girl. She is full of such goodness and sweetness, of sunshine, butterflies, the fragrance of cookies fresh from the oven, fall leaves on a windy day, lilacs and roses, soft grass and sheltering trees.  She makes my heart smile.