About the Breeder
and my philosophy

Okay, so you want to know who I am and what's the deal with dogs?

Good questions!

I'm Andrea Stone, living in the Seattle area where I share my home with five Basenjis whom I adore and one human; my husband Kip. I have a BFA, having graduated from Parson's School of Design and have worked as a veterinary technician with horses and cats and as kennel/grooming/handling assistant to a Poodle breeder. After a stint in the computer biz, and running my own pet sitting business I'm currently working at a kennel. My dream is to obtain some land and open my own doggie daycare. It's a lot easier to get a loan when you have a job with a reliable paycheck than when you run your own small, burgeoning business.

I am a member in good standing of the Basenji Club of America, the Evergreen Basenji Club and the Rip Van Wrinkle Basenji Club.

Now, what's my situation with dog breeding, you ask?

Quite simply I believe in producing quality, not quantity. Additionally, I believe that I have a duty as guardian of a primitive breed of dog, the Basenji. I strive to continue producing Basenjis that:

• Retain that je ne sais qoi that makes the Basenji special. There is a fire, a spirit that sets this breed apart, temperamentally, from other dogs. This inquisitive obstinance has, in my opinion, seen the Basenji through thousands of years in Africa's jungles. It would be a shame to see it disappear today in an attempt to produce cookie cutter temperaments that appeal to the masses.
• Are sound and healthy of both mind and body.
• Are both pleasing to the eye, and look like Basenjis, not canine runway fashion models. Dogs of yore (and in Africa) and today should clearly be of the same breed.

Simple goals, but perhaps not simply achieved. I feel that it is my responsibility to educate myself in all manners possible about Basenjis and Basenji health. I do my best to be honest and to share what knowledge I have openly. It is my goal to breed Basenjis that are true to the original type, that are functional as companions and as hunting dogs, not only competitive in the show ring. Since the Basenji may be threatened in his homeland thanks to deforestation, modernization and war we in the West may be charged with preserving this very special breed of dog. I hope to carry out this duty to the best of my ability.

I often hear the phrase "form follows function", coined by the Bauhaus movement, tossed around with regard to our beloved breed. I do admit I sometimes wonder if the utter-ers know that this does not mean that form is less important than function. It describes how the form of an object (it's dimensional appearance) is descriptive of how the object is used. In other words, the function determines the form. A dog that must go through heavy bush and resist cuts will have loose, pliant skin that is difficult to puncture and heals quickly. A dog that must be able to trot all day and be capable of short bursts of high speed will resemble neither breeds-for-speed nor trotting dogs. What the dog looks like speaks of how he works.

It doesn't mean that any Basenji that can course or capture game is by definition a good example of the breed, though by all means any "good hound" should be able to do these things. Nature is not wasteful. It is probably safe to assume that each feature of the Basenji is necessary in some fashion. If we don't know why, we need to look harder. Why yes, I do sit around and think about these things!

I don't pretend to have all the answers, or indeed that many answers at all. But I do my best as a student of the breed. The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn. If you love this breed as I do, join me on my journey, won't you?