The Basenji is a well-defined natural breed. Nothing about him has changed in thousands of years. Not his size, his shape, the color and texture of his coat, his temperament.
It's origin dates back to 3,000 BC in the central part of Africa, once known as the Congo. If you were to look at a map of Africa today and followed the Nile to it's source, you would be in the general area where this dog was from and where it still exists today.
Living in isolation from the outer world for thousands of years in the heart of Africa, the Basenji has not been altered by the demands and whims of man.
The Basenji made an appearance in civilization at the dawn of history as a palace dog of the Pharaohs, so long ago that he watched the Pyramids being built. His likeness appears in bas-relief and sculptured in stone as far back as 4000 B.C. He even leant his ears to the dog-headed god Anubis. The Metropolitan Museum of Art owns a bronze statue of a man and a Basenji-like dog, including curled tail and wrinkled forehead. It is identified as Babylonian, 300 BC.
Ancient empires disappeared and so did the Basenji, seemingly without a trace. In 1682 explorers caught a glimpse of him in the Congo he describes them in Dogs and Their Development, as, "... red-haired, have small slender bodies and their tails turned up on their backs." Only as recently as the latter half of the 19th Centruy were Basenjis re-discovered in their original habitat -- the headwaters of both the Nile and the Congo, in the heart of Africa. There they are the hunting dogs of native tribes, and so highly esteemed are they that they are regarded as having equal rights with their masters.
About MIJOKR Basenjis
- Active in the breed since 1983
- Member of Wright County Minnesota Kennel Club
- Member of Minnesota Dog Judges Association
- Member of Dog Judges of America
- I provide information, breeder referral, advice, limited rescue services. All pets are sold on Limited AKC Registration and with Spay/neuter Contracts.
- All pups leave here with shots, pedigrees and an extensive guarantee.
If you think this breed is for you, email me and I'll help you find a reputable breeder in your area!
Diana McCarty
