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One of the oldest breeds in the world, Basenji like dogs are depicted on the tombs of ancient Egyptian Pharoahs dating from 2,700 B.C. Their history from that time to the end of the 19th Century remains a mystery. Victorian explorers of darkest Africa often mentioned an unusual breed of barkless dog, the German Dr. Schweinfurth wrote in 1860 a great deal about the dogs of various tribes, descriptions reminiscent of the dog we know today as the Basenji. There is some debate as to how this 'Egyptian' dog found its way to the rainforests of Central Africa (modern day Zaire, formerly known as the Belgian Congo and Southern Sudan in the main) where it remained far from civilisation with its native owners, undiscovered for thousands of years. It is presumed that with the decline of the Pharoahs the Basenji also fell into obscurity, but remained treasured and preserved by various tribes. Basenjis were prized for their hunting prowess and were sometimes valued as highly as a wife - twelve hairpins and a wife being considered fair exchange!.... read more
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