Zippers
My family had cats when I was growing up. There was Billy, then
Buttons, and lastly Zippers. Unfortunately, I developed an allergic
reaction to cats in my late teens. When I moved into a Condo I began
looking for a dog. I wanted something not too large or noisy. The
Basenji seemed to fit what I was looking for and they were also
described as cat like. I adopted "Cirrus" through rescue. He was two
years old. During that time I become a member of the Evergreen Basenji
Club and longtime breeder Melody Russell became my mentor. Later that
year I received a call about an adult female Basenji needing a
temporary home. I had room for another dog and was willing to foster
her. I decided to keep her after she bonded to me after only a few days
and renamed her "Ruby".
Ruby was only three generations out of Africa and was descended from
the Avongara line of recently imported Basenjis from Africa. I became
interested in her background and in other Basenji imports from the
past. I became involved with the
BCOA African Stock Project and
helped get it on the web. In 2005 I moved into a house, making it
possible for me to have two more dogs. In February and March of 2006 I
traveled in Cameroon with Brenda Jones-Greenberg to see the aboriginal
dogs and we brought back seven dogs. Three came home with me. I kept
two and one went to another home. I have been back to Africa twice
looking for native dogs. In 2010 I went with local Basenji breeder,
Bryan and Laurie Gregory, and Lisa Saban to the D.R. Congo. We acquired
five dogs. The most recent trip to Africa was in 2015 to South Sudan. I
went by myself and acquired two dogs. Unfortunately, one died in
quarantine. Agility is one of the performance events that I have been
involved in. My first dog I tried in competition was Cirrus. Although I
never got a leg in any of the trails I entered with him, I enjoyed the
challenge of running him and training. I also am involved in Showing, Lure Coursing and Barn Hunt.
About Basenjis
Ruby
The Basenjis is a medium sized dog with short hair, erect ears and
curly tail. Studies comparing dog DNA show that the Basenjis is an
ancient breed. They live in villages in the tropical forest of western
and central Africa. The African tropical forest does not have any wild
canids living there and the dogs are very much dependent on the food
available around human settlements. The dogs eat any garbage or scraps
they find or are given to them. Some tribes eat their dogs. Most tribes
use the dogs to hunt for game in the forest. Hunting bells are put
around the neck or hind quarter of the dogs to help keep track of the
dog and scare the game. The dogs go into forest and to find the game,
flush it, and chase it toward the humans. Hunting methods vary. Some
tribes string up nets in a semi-circle in the bushes and trees to trap
the game the dogs flush out of the forest. Others tribes use spears or
bows and arrows to kill the game flushed out by the dogs. Basenjis hunt
without direction from humans. This makes them independent and
self-reliant. Basenjis are registered with AKC as a sighthound, but
they very much use their noses when hunting as well. Being an
independent and self-reliant dog means that training can be more
challenging. Lots of food keeps their interest. They learn quickly but
can get bored with repetitive tasks. A bored Basenji left alone can get
into things you would not want them to. Basenjis can be stand offish
from strangers but very much attached to their family. Basenjis are not
for everyone. To learn more about Basenjis see the
BCOA College for Basenji Owners
and the
Basenji Breed Standard.
About Dibu
Kiri
My kennel name Dibu (dee•boo) is a proto-western Bantu word for dog
bell. The philosophy I follow in my breeding is to produce a balanced
dog that has good health, temperament, structure, intelligence, and
type which will make for a good performance and companion dog. I bring
back new Basenji founders from Africa to introduce new genes into the
Basenji gene pool. I cannot look back to the founder's ancestors to see
trends in health. Therefore, I do health evaluation and testing that
are required for registering new founders and recommend for the Breed.
See list on the
CHIC site. To ensure proper
socialization with their litter-mates and humans I will not let puppies
go home until their tenth week. I will evaluate the puppies
temperaments and match them with their new family. When you adopt a
puppy or adult from my kennel I want to be your source of information
and support for the lifetime of your Basenji. If for any reason a puppy
or adult acquired from my kennel cannot be kept by their family, then I will either assist with re-homing or accept them back to be re-homed.