Kansas City Basenjis
Peka

Before and after pictures of Peka's teeth. The vet removed 10 decayed teeth and cleaned the rest.

Peka The Kansas City Rescue
by Denise Vertrees
On Tuesday October 21st, 2003 a little dog’s life changed forever. Actually, almost 160 dog’s lives changed that day. A former show breeder from many years back had become a “collector” of dogs in the Kansas City Area. After an anonymous tip, Kansas City Authorities paid a visit to the home of Memory Wismer and her daughter Karen Brewer. The conditions were horrible with dogs living in filth in crates, no running water and filth so high you couldn’t see the floor. The dogs, all basenjis except for a few basenji mixes, were taken to the local shelter. Through a tip the Basenji Club of America, and the basenji community at large, sprang into action and the extremely extensive work was started. This is the largest rescue undertaking the basenji community has ever experienced so the coordination and efforts of all the fosters, BCOA rescue contacts and BRAT rescue folks should be commended for their efforts.
The shelter spayed and neutered all the frightened dogs, gave them shots, and microchipped them. As this was done the dogs were taken from the shelter and placed in foster homes throughout the United States. On November 15th, I met the some of these rescues for the first time. A friend drove out to transport these dogs to waiting foster homes in KY, GA, VA, and OH, including a few fosters for me. That was a rainy Saturday morning, and her arrival at 7:30am started a long day of getting these 19 babies to their foster homes.
The smell and condition of these dogs is almost undescribable. They ranged in age from approximately 3 years to upwards of 14 years old. All of them had noticeable kennel cough and a few even had pneumonia. They were ALL very scared, timid, and sickly. One old man walked with his head tilted to one side. We thought perhaps he was blind and had some neurological problems. Later, his foster home said he was having seizures. These basenjis were so underdeveloped in the rear legs that some could hardly stand. Their coats were sparse, and brittle. Many were very emanciated and all their bones could be counted. It was a very sad morning to see these dogs and know that the former owner was unable to sell her dogs “because she loved them”. What a horrible sickness to be unable to see how bad she was hurting these dogs. The following is my account of my Kansas Foster:

Saturday November 15, 2003: I met my little guy, a black and white male basenji approximately 5 years old. He is a small guy, probably only 15 ½ inches tall, and very timid. I placed him in a nice area in my garage, as a quarantine area. I placed a crate, with the door open in an exercise pen, along with newspapers, fresh water, a warm blanket in the crate, and outside the crate, 2 space heaters, and a few toys. You can tell by the look in his eyes that he is thankful. He’s probably never had so much room to move. He is so very afraid of people, and human touch, that he cowers in the back of the crate, or in the corner of the expen if you reach for him. Not a grumble or a growl at all, he is just unsure of people, probably from not being handled very much. Once I got a hold of him he relaxed in my arms. I fed him and left him in the warm quiet comfort of his area to rest. This was probably the most rest he had had in a while and I would bet it felt good to be away from the noise and commotion of the shelter. I did notice that the white on his feet was almost a brownish red and the toenails were so incredibly long. Probably from standing in the filth of his crate for so long at his previous home.
Sunday Nov. 16, 2003: To keep from spreading any funk to my own dogs, Peka is not allowed in the back yard with the other dogs yet. He gets let out into an outdoor expen for lots of potty breaks and gets to run around in the garage for a bit more exercise. I’d love to walk him, but he is so scared on a leash that the flight risk is too great. You can tell he has never experienced cars passing by, sights and sounds of folks in a neighborhood and he seems fascinated, but frightened by such things. His Kennel Cough is a bit worse, but we’ll be getting antibiotics tomorrow. I was told that these dogs had horrible teeth and finally got a look at my little guys. These teeth are completely black, and would probably fall out if he tried to bite me. Many of them are already missing. There is so much gunk that you can barely see the gums. It has to be so painful! He’ll need a dental as soon as he’s well enough. I think he is a bit confused at having been fed twice a day, AND allowed potty breaks 6 or 7 times a day. He looks confused at that. I tell him that he no longer has to potty in his crate. I have just been going out and sitting with him, talking quietly, and telling him that his life has made such a change for the better. He just watches me.
Monday, November 17, 2003: The vet saw him and gave a Rx of antibiotics. She thinks he is much older than 5, but I am not so sure. He only weighs 18 pounds, but his weight isn’t bad. The vet said his lungs sound pretty good. Oh, and on the way to the vet’s he pooped in his crate, and then proceeded to tell me about it the rest of the way there by yodeling! Whenever he yodeled, I’d yodel back. We had a nice conversation! He took cheese from my hand. This is a plus as he is still timid. He looks for me now and even yodeled a time or two. He seems to be relaxing a bit more around me. He let me dremel his toenails with no problems at all. In fact, he was better than most of my other dogs!
Thursday,November 20, 2003: I think we have decided to call our little guy Peka, short for Topeka (even though he can from Kansas). He must be feeling better as he did a little play thing in the ex pen while out for a potty break. He ran around, batted his front paws on the ground, and play-bowed! He did this twice, I think because he could hear the dogs outside playing in the yard. He hears the dogs and is curious about them. I let him look out the garage door and see them. He just watches them. He has started to let me pet him a bit on his own. This only happens when he is in an ex pen and when he asks for it.. ie he puts his front paws on the pen and stands next to me. He’s a bit unsure of Brian, but then Brian doesn’t want him here anyway and I think he can sense that. Brian is also a bit rougher with the dogs, so naturally, Peka will be more afraid. Last night he must have yodeled for 20 minutes! I think he’s lonely and wants to investigate things. I think he wants to see the other dogs too. Today will be bath day too as I think he feels well enough, and the weather is cooperating (warm, dry and sunny). It’ll be good to smell a new dog! I wonder if his feet will come clean.

12/04/03
Little Peka is doing well. He still will not come up to me willingly for me to pick him up, but he does sniff. So far he has gotten along with all the dogs he has been out with. Laurel thought he was neat. She kept going over to his ex pen and pushing the sides in so that Peka would be stuck in a corner so I decided to let them play to see what would happen. Laurel can be like her momma and wants to be the ruler over the dogs, but not with Peka. He wiggled his tail at her and they played the rest of the time in the yard. No food aggression either.
When I let Peka play in the house after being outside for a potty break, he usually just runs around the kitchen table and then will stand and stare at his reflection in the sliding glass door. Last night I had him out with Cindy (a 13 year old basenji I am watching for a friend) and Max, the pit bull. Peka loves Max BTW! Cindy, Max and I were in the living room where Peka would never go (way to far from that sliding door and he is absolutly amazed with the big screen tv). I decided to sit quietly and see what he would do. Well, he eventually ventured into the living room, sniffed Cindy, and then ran back out. A few moments later, he came back and rolled around on all the dog beds, my shoes, and even tried to steal Max's blanket. Of course as soon as I moved an inch he scurried out of the room and back to the sliding door.
It's a small step in the right direction.
We have the darndest time catching him even by offering food. He'll come up and take the food, and then run off. We basically have to corner him to pick him up. There is never a growl, or hackles or anything. He just runs away, or, if cornered, crouches down. I'm going to try just holding him and feeding him his favorite treat.... cheese! I need to get him used to being held and used to being picked up. When I do hold him, he just sort of melts. No emotion or anything. I swear, its sort of like those fainting goats. They faint when they are nervous. Peka just turns into a rag doll when he gets nervous.
If you have any ideas on how to get him over this let me know. Oh.. and he goes tomorrow for bloodwork so he can get his teethies cleaned next week. I do hope they can save a few at least.
Denise

12/18/03
Good Morning all,
Little Peka (we call him that because he only weighs 19 pounds and is a short little boy) got his teethies cleaned yesterday. You can see what they looked like on the KC basenjis website before the cleaning. I am happy to report that he now has sweet smelling breath and pearly whites!! The vet removed about 10 more teeth and she said she actually found huge cavities in many of his teeth after she got under all that tartar gunk. They called me about 3 pm yesterday to let me know that he was wearing a hole in the cage that he was in :) and asked when I would be picking him up. Apparently he was simply pacing back and forth the whole time!! Funny little dog!
He's now more comfortable coming into the living room, instead of staying in the dining room. He'll steal toys and takes them back to his spot in the dining room.
I was able for the first time to actually give him a petting the other day. He'll cower down in the expen, but no longer runs from me when I get him out. I was able to scratch him behind his ears AND I even got a tail wiggle! I was thrilled to say the least!!! Will he let me do this when he is not confined.... Nope! not yet anyway. But it is a start. He won't go up the basement stairs, but will go down them on his own. I let him do this alot because he still needs to build up some muscle tone. The stairs are a great excercise for this. I've been working with him to teach him to go up them, but he says no at this point. Down is much easier for him.
He will be going to his "possible" new home on the 31st. It is with my good friend Terry. She already has 1 basenji, Jina, who is 13 and was a puppy mill rescue. She lives right here in town, so we will both be able to work with Peka (who she wants to re name Joe... we call him Peka-Jo right now) and continue to watch him grow and learn to be loved. Terry also has Mortz, a grand basset griffon vendeen, Bob, an Australian Shep/RR mix, and Marty, an Spitz Mix. She's brought them all over so they could meet Peka and we could see how Peka and her dogs would react. the actual adopting will depend on how Mortz and Peka work things out. Mortz wants to mount Peka and Peka doesn't appreciate that. Then Peka will try and mount Mortz. It's a strange cycle! I think they can work out who will be the dominant one though. We'll see. Terry is very experienced with dogs and rescued so I am thrilled that she will be taking Peka. That's the updat for now!
Denise Vertrees