Basil

Basil - 7 year old male

Basil - adopted January 11

Basil went to his forever home today. He will be an only dog with his new mom and dad, Bill and Dawn. They are thrilled to finally have him after a long wait on our waiting list and Basil is thrilled to be the only four legger in the family.

Basil is ready for 2008 and you

Very yeasty guy and prone to itchies so will need a home that is vigilant about NO GRAINS, NO EGGS and NO LACTOSE products. His nose fold and ears will likely need to be monitored and cleaned regularly for life. I do not think he has a seizure disorder. I think the reported seizures were related to his anemia, but a new owner will need to know that he has had seizures in the past.

He is 95% house trained, but will mark especially if there is a male in the house. Basil is a real snuggler in bed. He would not probably not do well in a crate.

He does not understand play growling or any growling for that matter and will go into attack mode with a dog that growls. This can be managed--we've managed it here with Lola, the Growl Queen. He would, however, need to be either an only dog or with females--preferably older and lower key. He would NOT do well with a rambunctious puppy or younger dog.

He has been fine with my cats, but will want to play with them. Mine like to play with the dogs which completely freaks Basil out-- he doesn't know what to do with them when they respond. So any cats must be used to dogs. I haven't seen any cat aggression in him at all, but he will chase if they run.

I don't know how he would do with a bigger dog--I haven't seen any issues in the park, but I don't know how he would do with one in his own home. He has not had to go longer than 3 or 4 hours without going outside so I don't know how long it would take him to adjust to a home with someone working. He would likely have accidents initially.

He is pretty good on leash, but his recall needs some work--but is improving. He is an active boy at 7 and loves his people. I don't know how he is with children so would recommend a home with older kids (8+ years).

Update, December 5

Basil is a very affectionate boy who loves to be with his people. Although he had some issues with his first foster parent's male dogs, he has had no issues with my group--who are mostly female. He is a very happy and active boy and you shouldn't let his age deceive you. He is full of fun and loves a good walk or park visit.

He is slowly beginning to understand the whole concept of house training and has had no accidents in several days. The belly band system does not work with Basil (or maybe it works too well) as he is dry without one, but immediately pees when he has one on.

He is a big snuggler and loves to sleep close to you. He has completely ignored my two cats and been nothing but a gentleman in every way. He is going for his Rabies vaccination this week. He should be ready for adoption after the holidays.

Update, November 19

Basil went for his neuter and dental. He had 8 teeth pulled. They said that he was already missing 16, so he is down 24 teeth. Adult dogs have 42 teeth, so he still has 18 ish.

We will continue to work on his housebreaking. He is a smart boy and learned to sit, in a couple of days. I am sure he will figure out that peeing is an outside only event! For now, he wears a belly band.

Candace

Update, November 10

Basil had his initial check-up. All his blood work came back normal and his heartworm test was negative. He has a nasty yeast infection, in his ears and it could be in his body, as he is licking his paws and legs. The vet put him on antibiotics and I will be cleaning his ears and putting ointment in them. I will give him probiotics to help balance things out.

He is settling in and has gotten over his anxiety. What a playful, sweet guy. We heard that the owners said that seizures happened between 1 year and 4 years old. There hasn't been any since then. I will monitor him, for a couple of months. If there are no seizures, then we will give him a clean bill of health.

He will need to be neutered and have some dental, in the near future.

Basil and the boys (bottom to top - Mocha, Salvador, Mookie)

Introduction - November 8

Basil is a 7 year old, intact male. He was surrendered to Toronto Animal Services and turned over to our rescue. We don't have much information about him. We believe he has had a seizure, but don't have any medical records. He is quite trim and very handsome. His ears seem to be very tender and are bothering him. The shelter has done the standard vaccinations and dewormer. Basil will be getting a complete exam, to see what needs to be done.

The first couple of hours were spent wandering all around, sniffing everything and everyone. My three pugs were very interested in having an intact male in the house. Mookie and Basil had a marking contest and were quickly put in belly bands. That will calm down, once Basil feels more at ease. Once he is neutered, it will most likely stop all together.

Candace