(photos in this post are taken with my phone... not the usual quality I take...)
The doggies are settling in, and starting to actually have some energy, so they are not sleeping all day any longer. They do have long bouts of sleep, but are usually awake when I am home, and are interested in taking more walks.
I would like to send a shout out to Dr. Ann at Remarkable Care in Rockwall - she is BRAT volunteer Arlene's chiropractor, and said she would see Neon about her back pain... so I made the 45 minute drive to Rockwall to see what could be done, and though Neon vocalized alot, it helped Dr. Ann find the spot and loosened some of the stiffness. That was a week ago, and since then, there was only ONE night Neon woke up screaming in pain - YAY! Please support her helping these rescues!
And that one night was probably because I was at my wits end with giving her meds, and so she didn't get them that day... I have tried everything, pill pockets, cheese, peanut butter, meat, cheese covered in wet dog food, even leftover mild chili meat and beans... this dog just has no interest in treats. And, when it is wet meat, she chews through it and spits out the pill. I have always had big dogs in the past, and they usually just swallow a meaty treat whole, but not this one. I am now trying to crush the pills and mix it with wet meat, but she is being a picky eater in the mornings, and I don't know if she is getting it all.
I have taken the pair out, once to my Mom's house where she has 3 other dogs (1 male Basenji), and they all got along fine, though Scottie marked inside the house 4 times that day. He did the same the first day I had them, and I was afraid they really weren't housebroken, but there hasn't been an issue until this day at Mom's. I have also had them at my boyfriend's house numerous times, but thank goodness, no marking there. After about an hour of sniffing around, they find a place to settle, or just follow me around wherever I go. Scottie took to Daniel right away... that male bonding thing, I guess... ;)
These 2 don't respond to their names, so I don't know if it really was their original names... again, I think she is mostly deaf, and he is either partially, or just stubborn. I think they are more like a Fred and Ginger kind of pair.
The other thing about Neon is she has started this grass eating thing, and it doesn't seem to be any certain time of day, so it is random, but she does throw it up right away, so we can at least accomplish that outside. There was vomiting before mealtimes, and I think I have curbed that by giving them a more regular time to eat, but the middle of the day is when the grass eating happens, and she doesn't like treats, so... grrr. They are on Nutro Natural Choice Senior food... maybe I need to try something else.
They are WONDERFUL and LOVING and CUDDLY!
Let's find them a forever home!
Interesting observations… I have been pretty consistent with a walking schedule, giving them a nice, brisk, calm/assertive walk, around 20 minutes twice a day, and a couple more let-out-to-potty times, and after the long walks, followed by a meal, Scottie would go to the door and whine like he needed to go out again. He would pace for a bit, and really act like he needed to go out again, but that really wasn’t the case, so I wonder if that was some ritual he did with his previous owner after eating…
As of yesterday and today, I haven’t seen that behavior any more.
There is no food aggression with these two at all, and in fact, they like to share each other's bowls, which I thought was fine until I realized that he was still eating while she walked away, and so I think she was just letting him have it without an argument, and thus is ending up thinner, so I have begun to feed them in separate rooms so she can get her entire meal.
As for the crate, they go into it pretty easily, with a treat incentive. The first couple of nights, I crated them (there were some potty accidents in the house the first day, and I was wondering if they were really housetrained, but I think they were just messed up from the shelter life, as there hasn’t been a single accident since), and they complained a bit, and then settled down. Once, I crated them before I was leaving, and then was in the other room for about 5 minutes, where they whined and then stopped and went to sleep. I see evidence of nesting, as the bathroom rug I put under the crate pad has been loosing its threads, but that is it.
So, then, the sucker that I am, I left them out the 3rd evening, as they were fast asleep on the couches at midnight. I heard Neon’s pain scream around 2am, which also woke Scottie up and they both ended up on my bed.
They slept through the rest of the night, and every night since, probably sleeping much better than I have been because, even sleeping single in a king sized bed, and long pillows everywhere, they end up against me, and I am afraid that I will end up smothering one of them, so I’m still trying to figure out how to get around that!
One morning, I think it was Tuesday, I had an hour class to teach, and both were asleep in the couch, and so I left them out, and saw Scottie's head pop up when I left through the door. I came back and all was well.
So, Wednesday evening, they were sleeping, and I 
thought I would leave them while I had a 4 hour stint of teaching… Scottie saw me leave… and I came back to a cardboard box massacre all over the living room (actually it was probably 3 boxes), and some of the bottom of some blinds torn down. Well, I had to try, anyway. Nothing valuable, just a mess, and both were sleeping soundly when I came in and cleaned it all up. So, crating it is.
Soon after I posted, Neon developed a cough, and Scottie started on Tuesday. Not really a cough, but more of a phlegm-stuck-in-the-windpipe kind of thing. At one point for each of them, I thought they were going to pass out from lack of breathing properly. I got them to a vet Wednesday morning (after continuously and unsuccessfully trying to reach the previous owners to find out who their vet was), and got them on antibiotics. They also had some serious scratching going on, especially in the ears, and they had some major yeast growing there, so we got some ointment for that as well.
Also, dear Neon, who is much thinner and seems a bit more frail, woke up Sunday night after sleeping for HOURS with a scream that would raise every hair on your body – I swear I thought she was dying right then and there. I observed that after that lasted for about a minute, she then walked with a hunch in her back for a little while. It continued to happen at least twice a day or more, usually after her long sleeps. I started her on some baby aspirin, but she is particular, and not really interested in any treats, and had no interest in regular cheese, peanut butter, or even a pill pocket. I recorded one episode on my phone, and showed it to the vet, and she prescribed some Tramadol. I also got the suggestion from Arlene about putting the medication in processed cheese, and that worked! I stopped the aspirin, as I’m not sure if she should be taking both…?
It seems to be helping, as she’s only had one screaming episode per day, usually in the middle of the night, where I am afraid my apartment neighbors might complain…
Friday, they seemed to become a bit more playful… a moment of chasing the tail, doing the bow down to run away thing once, that sort of thing. Yesterday, Saturday, I gave them a bath again, because they were scratching so much, and I found some oatmeal dog shampoo I had and tried that on them (After about an hour, they scratched more than ever, so now I’m not sure what to try.), and after they both were bathed and towel dried and I let them out of the bathroom, they went on one of those crazy running back and forth streaks that I haven’t seen in them yet… and it seemed that was a good breakthrough!
We have not done a cat evaluation yet, because of their illness, but 
one night we passed a cat in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and they looked at it and kept walking… same with a bunny and a squirrel… but I never make a big deal about them, and we just keep walking. Also, another dog owner with some unbalanced dogs were across the parking lot once, and made a big fuss about us, but we just kept on walking, and all was well. I have not been able to assess them with children yet, though there are many in this complex, and I will assess the right time for that. They have no problem with meeting new people.
Still looking for a forever home!
For more information... Basenji Rescue and Transport
I also wanted to take home a yellow Lab, a Chocolate Lab and 120 lb Rottweiler with the sweetest face... find more loving pets to rescue at PETFINDER.com .
Don't forget the SPCA! They are awesome also!!
Please... DO NOT SUPPORT PUPPY MILLS!!Blessings! :0)
