| "In Memory of Miss Winnii" |
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The Basenji is a small, short haired hunting dog from Africa
which hunts by both sight and scent.
Special Characteristics:
The Basenji is known as the "barkless dog."
The Basenji should not bark but is not mute He makes yodelling noises.
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The wrinkled forehead, tightly curled tail and swift, effortless gait
(resembling a racehorse trotting full out) are typical of the breed
Basenjis have "cloven hooves" just like cows. (Actually, cloven
paws) The two middle digits are connected.
It is short backed and lightly built, appearing high on the leg
compared to its length.
The wrinkled head is proudly carried on a well arched neck
and the tail is set high and curled.
Elegant and graceful, the whole demeanor is one of poise
and inquiring alertness.
The balanced structure and the smooth musculature enables
it to move with ease and agility.
In 1943, the AKC accepted the Basenji for registration.
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| If we were, we wouldn't abide the scratches on the door frame, the holes in the screen, the darkened shine of worn spots on the chair. We would wince at the mottled carpet and fret at the hair clinging to our clothes. |
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| We don't. If anything, we lovers of dogs are a tolerant lot, finding greater value in the unabashed affection of our friends than in immaculate sofas. Shoes can be replaced, but heroic retrievers are timeless. |
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Without dogs, our houses are cold receptacles for things. Dogs make a fire warmer with their curled presence. They wake us, greet us, protect us, and ultimately carve a place in our hearts and our history. On reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.
Paul Fersen
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| 1. Dogs are never permitted in the house. The dog stays outside in a specially built wooden compartment named, for very good reason, the dog house. |
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| 2. Okay, the dog can enter the house, but only for short visits or if his own house is under renovation. |
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| 3. Okay, the dog can stay in the house on a permanent basis, provided his dog house can be sold in a yard sale to a rookie dog owner. |
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| 4. Inside the house, the dog is not allowed to run free and is confined to a comfortable but secure metal cage. |
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| 5. Okay, the cage becomes part of a two-for-one deal along with the dog house in the yard sale, and the dog can go wherever the heck he pleases. |
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| 6. The dog is never allowed on the furniture. |
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| 7. Okay, the dog can get on the old furniture but not the new furniture. |
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| 8. Okay, the dog can get up on the new furniture until it looks like the old furniture and then we'll sell the whole damn works and buy new furniture...upon which the dog will most definitely not be allowed. |
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| 9. The dog never sleeps on the bed. Period. |
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| 10. Okay, the dog can sleep at the foot of the bed. |
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| 11. Okay, the dog can sleep alongside you, but he's not allowed under the covers. |
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| 12. Okay, the dog can sleep under the covers but not with his head on the pillow. |
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| 13. Okay, the dog can sleep alongside you under the covers with his head on the pillow, but if he snores he's got to leave the room. |
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| 14. Okay, the dog can sleep and snore and have nightmares in bed, but he's not to come in and sleep on the couch in the TV room, where I'm now sleeping. That's just not fair. |
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| 15. The dog never gets listed on the census questionnaire as "primary resident," even if it's true. |
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We will always miss our Miss Winnii
1993 -2003
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