Welcome to our website where you can learn a little about the Basenji Breed and get to know some of our dogs. We live in a seaside town in Victoria, Australia and have raised a family of 3 beautiful daughters. We are a small kennel where our Basenjis are part of our family receiving individual attention & are house dogs not just dogs out in the kennels. Our puppies are lovingly raised and socialised in our home where they become accustom to all the normal hustle and bustle of a household. Even though showing and breeding Basenjis is a hobby of ours we still take our breeding program seriously and we firmly believe that we are responsible for the puppies that we breed which means that we make ourselves available for advice, information & ongoing support for the lifetime of the dogs that we breed. We feel that we can only achieve this level of commitment if we do not breed too frequently plus we also have an active busy lifestyle aside from our doggy activities and I am also involved in rescuing Basenjis bred by others that are in need.

Welcome to our website where you can learn a little about the Basenji Breed and get to know some of our dogs. We live in a seaside town in Victoria, Australia and have raised a family of 3 beautiful daughters. We are a small kennel where our Basenjis are part of our family receiving individual attention & are house dogs not just dogs out in the kennels. Our puppies are lovingly raised and socialised in our home where they become accustom to all the normal hustle and bustle of a household.

Even though showing and breeding Basenjis is a hobby of ours we still take our breeding program seriously and we firmly believe that we are responsible for the puppies that we breed which means that we make ourselves available for advice, information & ongoing support for the lifetime of the dogs that we breed. We feel that we can only achieve this level of commitment if we do not breed too frequently plus we also have an active busy lifestyle aside from our doggy activities and I am also involved in rescuing Basenjis bred by others that are in need.

Leeloo giving a High Ten

• We consider ourselves very privileged to have bred Australian Champions, International Champions, numerous Group winners & BEST EXHIBIT IN SHOW winners in Australia, Finland & Italy & are very proud of the top winning progeny of our dogs in Finland, Norway, Italy & Germany!

On holiday on the Greek Islands Our first litter of Basenji pups

• We endeavour to breed true to type, Basenjis exemplifying both form and function combining elegance, athleticism and correct sound movement with stable temperaments and good health.

Our area
The area where we live

African animals

~ Our Story ~

Helens love affair with dogs began when she was given a Border Collie puppy as a gift from her Uncle at the age of two. After growing up surrounded by and breeding a variety of animals and owning several different breeds of dogs her interest in Basenjis began after reading some fascinating newspaper articles about the peculiarities of the barkless African Basenji.
She was also raised to have an appreciation for the Australian primitive dog the Dingo which are similar in some ways to the Basenji. David aquired a Keeshond when a teenager, but he was also intrigued by the African Basenji at the same time.

Dusty
Dusty

After our Keeshond grew old and passed away we decided it was the right time to add a couple of Basenjis to the family. So in 1995 we joined the Basenji Club Of Victoria and booked our puppies. A male “Zurii ” from Mick Lindsay of Tengku Basenjis and a female; “Mali ” from Denise Doyle of Helios Basenjis. Our Basenjis have totally captivated us & we have found them to be an entertaining, beautiful, unusual & sometimes challenging breed and we can't imagine ourselves without at least a couple of Basenjis in our lives.

Dogs favorite beach

Local beach at sunset. One of the dogs favorites !

~ Our Philosophy ~

We are continually learning about this wonderful breed and greatly appreciate the guidance we have had from several longtime breeders over the years. In particular Denise Doyle (Helios) and Doreen Duffin (Makuba) have openly shared their knowledge and love of the breed with us and for this we are very grateful!

Our aim is to breed Basenjis that conform as closely as possible to the Breed Standard along with good temperaments and health. Of course the perfect dog has never been bred but its fun trying and something to strive for !

Our Basenjis are exhibited and evaluated by licensed judges which helps us to validate our dogs' physical construction and movement. Each breed of dog exists for a job or particular purpose and judges should consider these functions when evaluating the dogs in the showring. Basenjis are still used to hunt for food in Africa so it only follows that a well constructed Basenji is going to be more efficient & capable at getting the job done in the African heat & terrain; so a judge will be looking for a Basenji who is able to move correctly and soundly and have enough breed points to look like a typey Basenji. A poorly constructed dog will tire easily and sustain more injuries making it difficult to hunt efficiently for food & at the same time making them easy prey for predators. While life in Australia is certainly much easier than life in Africa it follows that having a well constructed Basenji will result in a dog who will have more stamina to play, enjoy walks & runs with his family, and will be less likely to develop injuries & arthritis in old age. Of course if you are interested in doing Agility, Tracking or Lure Coursing with your Basenji then it is of utmost importance that they be well constructed to withstand the physical pressures of these activities.

Tuuli winning a Lure Coursing race
International, Nordic, Baltic, Fin, Swe, Nor, Rus, Est, Ru, Lt, Lv Ch, LTW-08 Afrikenji Hot Sumabreeze
Tuuli competing in lure coursing in Finland

Since our goal is to breed happy Basenjis who will also live a long healthy life all of our Basenjis have their health checked to give us as much information as possible behind our breeding program. Thanks to Denise Doyle of Helios Basenjis and Doreen Duffin of Makuba Basenjis health testing their lines we have many years of testing behind our pedigrees.

Our dogs eyes are evaluated by a qualified animal Ophthalmologist at 8 wks of age, again before being bred & finally after 8 yrs of age for a final eye clearance certificate
Thyroid function including Tgaa is tested
Most of our dogs are Hip X-rayed after maturity for an accurate assessment of their hips
We also DNA test for Fanconi Syndrome before breeding
We openly share these test results on each of our dogs pages & also in a nutshell on our Health Page

We feel strongly about preserving the excellent Health status of our beloved breed in this country and to protect future generations from any possible health problems that may creep into the breed. As the saying goes: “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure!”

When deciding to breed a litter of puppies, a great deal of consideration and research is involved in choosing the right stud dogs to suit our bitches. After our puppies are born, they get as much human contact and stimulation as we can give them & since they are raised in the house it is easy to observe their temperaments and personalities. Even at 8 weeks of age, an experienced breeder can get a good idea of each puppy's temperament which is taken into consideration when deciding which type of family environment each individual puppy will be best suited for. We strongly encourage new owners to continue on with the pups socialisation , by enrolling their puppy in a Puppy Preschool or Puppy Kinder and taking their new puppy with them to as many different places and to meet as many different types of people & well behaved gentle children as possible in the first two months and into adulthood & making sure that all of these experiences are good ones.

Yodels
David & Helen Veless
Afrikenji Basenjis - Australia

We are Members of :
Victorian Canine Association (VCA)
Basenji Club of Victoria (BCOV)
Basenji Club of NSW (BCNSW)
Finnish Basenji Club
Hound Club of Victoria

Hayley with Basenjis at the beach

Web Site by Afrikenji Web Design

Afrikenji Basenjis, Victoria, Australia

~ Our Story ~

~ Our Philosophy ~