Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take in a homeless dog as your companion? Do you sometimes think it wouldn't be worth the trouble of undoing bad habits, dealing with fears, teaching him to trust again? Please read the following, and then make up your mind! The following is a copy, by permission of the author, of a post that was recently sent to the Basenji-L (Basenji List). I think it answers the questions above very well! "Dear Listers. I've been meaning to write this for a while now...let's see if I can get it sent out this time. As most of you know I had a rescue Basenji named Loki when I lived in California, then moved to Oklahoma where Mike and I adopted Akili from the Stilwells. I guess you can consider both dogs rescues if you want to. Loki came to me with a lot of physical and emotional baggage. She had been beaten, locked up in a dark garage, passed along from one owner to another, and finally dumped. Karen Jones got her, sick, mad at people, and full of bad habits. Karen allowed me to take Loki with the understanding that I could bring her back if the dog didn't respond to life with me. It took time, patience, and understanding on Loki's part and on mine, but we made it happen. I say "we" because Loki worked just as hard to please me as I did to give her a new life. Then came Akili...again another Basenji given up on for all the wrong reasons. Akili was a real challange at first. He was scared, Loki hated him being here, this was a strange place, and he had been through his own traumas. Well, here it is, 9 months or so later......Loki adores him, Akili washes her feet, Loki washes his ears. They rough-house like kids, share food from the same bowl, show each other good sniffy spots outside, plot against Mike and I, and sleep curled up together. It isn't 100% perfect...but it works, and what is ever perfect anyway? If you are considering adding a rescue Basenji to your household, please, please, do so. All it takes is endless time, endless patience, endless tolerance, and endless understanding. The end results can be wonderful. Life without these two monkeys would be unthinkable. Thanks to Karen Jones and Linda & Richard Stilwell for trusting us.... Linda & Mike in Duncan, Oklahoma
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