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| Height |
16-17 inches |
| Weight |
21-24 lbs. |
| Life Span |
10-13 yrs. |
| 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.
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| 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.
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| Grooming & Exercise |
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. |
| Other |
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).
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