|
Now it is time to introduce ourselves.
I am born 1977 and live with my husband Steve (born 1975), our daugther Felicity Sky (born 2008) and six Basenjis (Aragorn, Amber, Troy, Casia, Demian and Skadi) in idyllic Bullenheim, at the A7, between Wurzburg and Ansbach in the middle of wine paradise Franconia. I study jurisprudence, European right, sociology and politics at the Würzburg University. My husbands occupation is aircraft technician.
How we discovered the Basenji:
I have seen a documentary as a child. It was about the dogs of this world. They introduced the dingo and the more or less domesticated races of Central Africa. I was completely taken and wanted to have a dog for the first time in my live, because I had gotten to know the Basenjis.
Now there he was, the Basenji. Not simply a dog, but something quite special. A hundreds, if not thousands year old breed. Never really domesticated, like other working dogs and so wonderfully. The elegance and charm of the Basenji intrigued me and it was clear to me that one day I would like to have a Basenji. I do not know any more how old I was, I think approx. 11.
Some years later I moved into my first own flat. I had the pieces of furniture just there when I was on the way to the pet ayslum. Time to look for a dog, because I had already almost forgotten the Basenji. Nevertheless, all dogs there were to doggy for me and because our cat had passed away many years before I decided to take two cats home with me.
At that time I had my cats, however, during the weekly visits at the city library a dog book got in my hands one day and in it I re-discovered the Basenji. I had never found this special breed in any other book back then. The cats were already two years with me and I thought if it was possible to add a puppy to our small family.
Thus the search began. The only address and telephone number, was the one of the Klub President at that time. I called and left several news on the answering maschine. Finally i got to talk to someone on the phone but was told that there are no puppies available, since the breed is very rare, expensive and exclusiv. I was told one could ask a foreign breeder and would call back. The phone call never came.
After I waited many weeks and tried to reach the people I was disappointed and, apparently at the end of my search, since there was no Internet ... but there was the telephone counsel. I called and asked whether there is something to be found about the Basenji. Nothing at all. But the nice lady suggested to look up everything concerning dog breeders and really, there was the VDH. But there was one problem, i was told that there are no puppies in Germany ..., however, maybe in an other country.
I asked for all Kennelklubs and got an answer for Poland, Austria and Denmark. First I tried Austria. I was informed that there is a breeder and got the phonenumber. Unfortunately, I could also not reach anything but the answering maschine. Next i tried Denmark were I reached Lisbeth. I found out that she had two litters. Tricolor, black / white and red/white puppies.
From now on letters went to and fro almost daily. I also got many photos of the parents and the babies. When they were four weeks old I drove to Denmark. I was very excited, to get to see the Basenjis and their puppies live.
I was received stormily. All dogs jumped up on me and yodeled. What a sound, but the biggest surprise was the size of the dogs. I have tried to imagine, how big they would be but they were much smaller and more elegant than i exspected. I was in love immediately. Whitte, Donna, Faron and Boo had impressed me very much and Lisbeth welcomed me like an old friend.
And then the babies... incredibe. Till today I think that 4-8 week-old Basenjis are some of the nicest animal babies in the world. They are already elegant and not so awkward as other breeds puppies. They are incredibly curious and so of full life energy that one can hardly keep ones hands of them. I stayed for three days and had a lot of time to talk to Lisbeth. I absolutely wanted a red / white dog before I saw the little ones, however, changed my mind directly after seeing a little b/w girl, called Paloma.
The breeder told to me, Paloma was very gentle and friendly. Lisbeth asked me whether I wanted to show the little one. " Do exhibit? What does one do there? " I had no notion. After she had explained to me about it I smiled and said, I would only want a new family-member. Breeding? Exhibitions? No, thank you. My choice was made. It should be Paloma. Paloma - the peace symbol for such a gentle puppy. Perfect!
After four extremely slowly passing weeks I drove the second time to Denmark to pick up Lömi. On the driving home she has briefly cried once and then slept the whole way firmly. At home again all doubts whether the cats would like the newcomer were scattered. They were one heart and soul.
In the meantime I became a member of the German Basenjiklub to whom I got contact through a dog show in Saarbrucken to which I went as a visitor. By a club show in Trechtingshausen I got an infection with the hardly remediable exhibit virus and although Paloma did not do so well, I went regularly to shows and was glad all the more about the first title points. I realized that there was hardly any black-and-white Basenjis. So the thought developed to breed with Paloma since the b/w Basenjis seemed to have very special charakter.
Later we took Palomas son Aragorn to us. But the most important rule of a Basenji owner is: A Basenji remains seldom alone. Thus Amber (Thai of Swala Pala) joined our family a year later. Steve has picked out the roly-poly himself. We left Aragorn with friends, while we picked up Amber in Rouen to spare him the long journey. When we came home he was cock-a-hoop and Amber was terribly afraid of the big black dog. She hid behind the hanging leades and Steve picked her up to introduce her to Aragorn , who had to learn that Amber would stay with us and to give her some rest from playing some time. He was in love with her from the first moment on and still is so very much.
Amberg was the happiest puppy which I have ever seen. She yodels and waves her little tail at every<one she gets to know, even the judges at the dog-shows.
Aragorn sired his first litter in 2004 and we decided to take his daughter Troy to us.
Then on December the 30th '04 the first " Old Legend´s " litter was born. Amber and Aragorn were the parents and the puppies have developed fantastically. We are incredibly proud of our meanwhile seventeen puppies, who are loved very much by their new families.
A dream came true for me.
|
