Height: 16-17 inches
Weight: 21-24 lbs.
Life Span: 10-13 yrs.
Breed Group: Sight Hounds
Overview
The basenji is stubborn but very friendly toward family members, most children,
and other animals, although it can be aloof with adult strangers. The basenji's
hunting spirit surfaces when it sees cars. To avoid car chasing, this dog
must be leashed or fenced in when outside.
The basenji does not bark in the typical canine way, but yodels when happy
and screams when unhappy.
Appearance
The basenji's distinctive features include a wrinkled forehead, a tightly
curled tail, and a swift, effortless horse-trotting-like gait.
Its coat can be chestnut red, pure black, tricolor, and brindle (black stripes
on a background of chestnut red), all with white feet, chest, and tail tip.
The basenji may also have white legs, blaze, and collar.
Grooming & Exercise Needs
The basenji sheds minimally and needs very little brushing. A vigorous daily
walk or play period with other dogs will make the basenji happy.
Origins
This "barkless" dog of Central Africa probably originated thousands of years
ago. Images of similar dogs are seen in Egyptian tomb art.
Special Alerts
The basenji is not appropriate for inexperienced owners.
Breed-related health concerns: pyruvate kinase deficiency (fatal
enzyme deficiency causing destruction of red blood cells), immunoproliferative
enteropathy (a fatal intestinal disorder), persistent pupillary membrane
(strand-shaped remnants of the embryological structure that atrophy in most
dogs by eight weeks of age; if present longer, they may impair vision),
progressive retinal atrophy, fanconi syndrome (a hereditary disease that
can produce kidney failure).
Reference: AKC - American Kennel Club |
