Re: Basenji

@PugLove888, Thank you for your kind words and suggestions. I do not play with mods anymore. Had them for a while and after the last big update my game crashed with fury. I couldn't even open the game until I removed all mods. I haven't worked with Cats and Dogs enough to know there were wolf sounds. That would be more appropriate.

I've had hundreds of Basenjis through my home via rescue. Each one is as different as the shapes of snowflakes. Not one of them with credentials (registered) ever barked. Even the puppymill dogs will make the normal Basenji sounds, despite having been housed in close quarters with a variety of other breeds. I have a Fauxsenji at the moment. She is a multibreed blend with very fortunate coloring. She has trained her own tail to curl almost a full circle and she chortles when alarmed.

The developers nailed the Basenji personality. Aloof, independent and loyal is the typical Basenji. They do need to work in the distinct catlike cleaning habits. A true Basenji will have no odor. You can pet them and your hands will not smell of dog. The only odor of note would be that their feet smell of Fritos. No idea why, but it is a breed trait.

I currently have 2 Basenjis, aged 16 and 14. The elder is very vocal, making all the delightful Basenji sounds. The younger has the typical demon like growl, but her yodel sounds like a high pitched crow. There is never a dull moment in the Basenji household.

@Thiablue, I understand about Mods!  I played with them in TS3, but they messed up my game (not as badly as you experienced ) so I removed them, and then never used them for TS4! 

The fox sounds for dogs (and the racoon sounds for cats) are located in the upper left corner of the CAP screen.  The fox/racoon choice in on the right of the voice selector! 😉  The reason why these sounds are included is because you can make a racoon using a cat template and a fox using a dog template.  While the fox might not sound exactly like a Basenji, it is at least both canine and not a dog! 😉

How wonderful you rescue Basenjis! 😇 What coloring does you Fauxsenji have?  Do you know her other breeds?  I didn't know that tails could be trained to curl! 🤨 That is amazing! :eahigh_file: I'm a huge fan of curled tails (which is a good thing as a Pug owner!).  The Pugs in the game if you use the breed selector has the curl in a horizontal direction, but most Pugs I've seen have their tails curled in a vertical direction.  My senior Pug that passed away had his tail in a big circle like a doughnut, but my young Pug's tail is tightly curled, more like a Basenji's. The senior was a rescue, but the young one isn't.  

I've heard that Basenji's were aloof , but the one I met wasn't, at least not with me.🙂 I Did not know about the feet smelling like Fritos! 😃  My senior Pug smelled like Fritos, but that was because of the food we fed him. He was on a diet to keep his weight down.  I use different food for the young Pug but when I got low and the store didn't have a shipment in, I would supplement her food with her brother's -- and then she started to smell like Fritos too! 😃  But that wasn't just their feet, but their whole bodies.  I wonder why Basenji's only smell like Fritos on their feet?  🤔 Very interesting! 

My senior Pug we rescued when he was 5 or 6 years old and we had him 10 years.  He was such a sweet, funny, happy dog!  He was the classic fawn with black markings like you see in my avatar.  My little girl is solid black and is 2 years old and a handful!  Pugs are very funny dogs!  🥳

Your Basenji's sound very entertaining as well! ❤️ Do your neighbors ever think you have a strange animal in your house since they don't sound like other dogs?  It sounds like you have a lot of fun ! :eahigh_file:

@PugLove888 My Fauxsenji is the lovely red and white most recognized as Basenji. She only has two white feet, conformation requires all four be white. The tip of her tail is not white as Basenji confirmation requires. She is also about 5 inches taller and her back is much longer than a Basenji--they are quite square in regards to length and height. I was told her mother was Jack Russell, but that is highly unlikely as she weighs over 30 lbs. Her back legs/feet appear similar to a Boxer. I just say she's a good'ole Texas blend. I once fostered a Lab mix who taught his tail to curl a bit and picked up a few B vocalizations. Basenjis truly believe barking is rude and are quick to correct any canine in the home of proper language.

I've had all colored Basenjis through my home. Brindle (my favorite), Black & White, Red & White, Tri-Colored and Trindle (Tri-colored with brindling in the otherwise black areas). You can see the full range of colors at www.basenjirescue.org, as well as details about their many quirks. Neighbors are often amused by the occasional yodel and frightened by their demonic growl. I once had a new neighbor complain my dogs were barking and being a nuisance. Of course, the local animal control officers were quite acquainted with my pack and informed the neighbor that was quite impossible. The new neighbor stopped by out of curiosity and was warmly greeted with wiggling tu-tus (my name for their cute curly tails). My Brindle boy crossed the bridge in 2017, he was truly my baby. I still have a red/white girl aged 16 and a black/white girl aged 14. My days of rescue have been cut short by health issues, but I am still a call away for rescuers and owners needing advice. I still get emails with photos of those I've placed. Oh, Basenji tails are supposed to curl like a little donut laying to one side or the other. Curling up and over the back is a fault. My black/white girl has an up and over tu-tu along with other anatomical abnormalities seen in poor breeding.

Frito-feet may be common in other breeds as well. My Fauxsenji doesn't have it though. From what I've seen, the developers did an amazing job on the breeds I'm familiar with. I understand it is impossible to get everything spot-on. I'm just happy my Sim families have the joy of living with my favorite little imps.

I do enjoy our exchanges.

@Thiablue, Thanks for describing you dogs! They sound beautiful! ❤️ Your Fauxsenji still might be part Jack Russell, if the mother was perhaps mostly Jack Russell with the addition of a heavier breed that would account for the 30+ lbs! 🤔  Or perhaps the mother was a breed that looked a lot like a Jack Russell, but was really another type of Terrier. (Maybe a Jack Russell was as the nearest breed in looks that they were familiar with.) 🤔  "Texas blend" sounds like coffee! ☕ 😃  I grew up with a Scottie/Schnauzer mix in Texas, so maybe I should have described her as a Texas blend! :eahigh_file:

That is fascinating that some dogs can teach their tails to curl! 😎 I always thought either the tails curled or they didn't!  Must be like riding a bike. 😉  Very cool also that the Lab mix picked up the Basenji "lingo" a little bit! 🐶

Your Basenji's might of liked my Senior boy Pug who almost never barked, but they wouldn't like my little girl Pug who can be very insistent with her barks! 😃  But she still makes the other Pug noises. ❤️  She is also a very sweet dog! 😇

Thanks for the link!  The Basinji I met at the vets was a tri-color one.  And yes, it leaned on me, just like the rescue site said! :eahigh_file: So sweet!  😇  I agree that brindle is beautiful!  It has always been one of my favorite patterns in dogs! They are such quirky dogs but sound so smart and full of personality! 😎

So funny about your neighbors reactions!😃  I couldn't help wondering about that! I love how you call their curly tails "tu-tus"!  We call curly tails "wuggies" as in Puggy-Wuggy! ❤️  Pugs are known to lick everything: the bed, the walls, your pants, your socks, their paws, the blankets, and even the air!  We always knew our boy was happy and comfortable when he started licking. ❤️  Pugs also need to be with their people.  But they are flexible -- they are active if you are active and couch potatoes if your are a couch potato!  You just have to be careful with them in extreme temperatures, and they can overheat very quickly! 😞  But that is true for all brachycephalic dogs (dogs with smushed faces).. I don't know if a curled tail on a Pug that goes over the back is a fault, but most of the wuggies I've seen curl to one side or the other.  Their tails usually curl anywhere from a single curl to the coveted double curl!  My boy's was a single curl that usually laid on his left side.  My girl's tail curls one and a half times, almost 2 times!.  Pugs will also spin in circles a lot!  My boy used to spin all the time! 🥳  He went over the Rainbow Bridge in 2018 😢 , so perhaps he is now playing with your Brindle boy! 😇❤️ It sounds like Basenjis live a pretty long life for a dog!  

I'm sorry health issues prevent you from being a Rescuer. 😞  But that is lovely that you still get updates and pictures of the dogs you have placed! ❤️

You are correct in that it is difficult for the developers who did the Cats & Dogs EP to get every breed 100 % correct.  There can be a lot of variation!  For example, dogs with short legs (Daschunds, Scotties, Corgis, Basset Hounds, and many other Terriers) can't be 100% anatomically correct in the game.  In fact, they didn't even include Basset Hounds! ☹️  But despite all that, I agree that they did a wonderful job with all the breeds, and there are quite a lot of them! 🥳  And my Sims games are never complete until there are pets (especially dogs) in the game! ❤️

I enjoy these exchanges too!  😉