AJ FCI Retirement

AJ's retirement celebration!

FCI rules state that a hound must retire at the end of the year that includes their 8th birthday.
After that they may do practices/training runs.

AJ approves of the bed he was gifted by the Lorch club.

by Uschi Grewe,

Farewell race - AJ or Ali, as we call him, but his real name is Naadir Ali Baba ti-n Abou Teka.

AJ will be 8 years old in December 2020 and by FCI rules, he is not allowed to run anymore in official races.

AJ was born in our small kennel "ti-n Abou Teka“ in Germany in december 2012. He was a very active little boy and so we went to the near sighthound club in our area to meet the Schaber family with their 2 Basenji boys when he was short of 2 years old. One of them, Diego, had the running license. This was new at that time as before then Basenjis were not allowed to run in Germany. Well, we gave it a try and let him run a course around the track. After that run Schabers said "you must get the running license for him, he is so fast and know exactly what to do“.

Ok, we had the best mentors, Schabers and Diego for AJ. What to do first, we had no clue. The chairman people from there told us how to start. First AJ had to get used to the start box, which means he starts running through the open box, later the box was closed when he was inside. After that he had to sucessfully run a single round the track and show at the end how to kill the hare. All these license runs are registered on a training card from the sighthound club and had to be signed from the official watcher. First step was done on October 5, 2014.

Second step. We had to find at least 2 Basenjis (preferred) for the group licence run. AJ must allow to be passed from a Basenji and must pass one by himself without looking around or being grumpy. This would give a disqualification. He passed the group licence easliy on November 2, 2014.

The fun could begin. Always with Schaber family and Diego on our side. Diego was the best racing Basenji that time and a super mentor for AJ. With them we entered several races in 2015, AJ won some that year and also in 2016.

The year 2017 was HIS year, he won nearly all races. After the first 3 races in the start of 2017 no other Basenji could overtake him. He won every race and in the end of the year he was called "International Sandbahn Champion“.

I have to say it was always a joy to watch the Basenjis run, especially Diego and AJ together. In all these years both had not one disqualification in their running book (all the races are in there with time, placement how many Basenjis and remarks).

We had so much fun together these years and when Diego had his farewell run, 2 new Basenjis, 2 girls entered the scene in our area. They where thankful to have AJ and we to have them because for a official run you always need 3 Basenjis! Otherwise it will be only for exhibition (no points, not written in the race book), nothing what you really want if you enter a official race. Very nice people, lovely bitches!

But….Corona virus had different plans….no race in 2020, would have been his lasst racing year. So what…

And every Sunday (mainly every second Sunday), if there was training in Lorch, we went there and met Diego and the girls.

Diego and AJ love each other, so funny. Diego will not run anymore without AJ and AJ is waits for Diego at the hare to kill it together!!

AJ & Diego. So close; like one dog.