The Rip Van Wrinkler,
Volume XV, Issue 3, August 2011

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R O L L I N G.....
is the NEW Contest!
Violet does what we call the Post-Meal Head Dance. Even after 12 years we find it highly entertaining. The cat is not impressed. Apparently, we're just easily amused.
Nice artsy prizes. Enter stories or PHOTOS by OCT. 1st, 2011
Contact me.
Photo above by Rhoda Johnson-Byrne
Original question by Donna Hess, & discussion, so far, by RVW members, on our fb page.

Donna: Strange question for you;  Nora decided she likes ants. You know when you pick up a flower pot or a rock or move your tunnel, and there is always an ant nest under? Well, Nora now goes crazy rolling on the hundreds of disoriented ants. Basenji thing, or has Nora just taken her crazy another step??? I Googled ant rolling and found that birds or chickens do this for grooming, but dogs did not come up.

These are not fire ants, just those tiny little brown house ants.

Nora has always been obsessed with head smell; pillows are to be rolled on and licked thoroughly in the AM.  And when you are working outside, she wants you to sit at the picnic table, so she can stand on it and wash your sweaty head.

SK-M: Only thing I can thing of is that there is some smell to these ants that she thinks is sexy. Mine are crazed about hair products, for example, & under-arm stuff.  Gotta picture a Ba running up to a person sun bathing on a beach, & rolling in their armpits.

Lisa Stewart: I said I hoped they weren't fire ants & wondered if there is some smell to these ants that she thinks is sexy. Mine are crazed about hair products, for example, & under-arm stuff. Trog and Gambit like to roll in my mint plantings. Gotta picture a Ba running up to a person sun bathing on a beach, & rolling in their armpit.

Karen Christensen: They aren't fire ants in this part of the world but they do bite. Cherry also very fond of ant funk & likes to roll in it. The others appear to just grok the scent.

Andrea Stone: Zepar DETESTS ants. He makes the most horrible face when he spots one (which he can do from across a great distance) and will proceed to smash said (teensy tiny black ant) with his paw. And then make a yuck face and spit (you know, like they do with scabs?). It's really funny.

Other than cow poop and dead things I can't think of anything they roll in. Well, I take that back. Regan adores Kip's stinky armpits and his chest hair sprigs. She rubs her face on them and them tries to pull the hair out.

Oh, and Zep always rubs his face on the ottoman after a good meal, like he has to get the crumbs off cos it was sooooo good.

Debby Mayer: I think Lulu would be more likely to bat the ants. She does love hair products, though they make her sneeze.

Seeking Basenjis on Safari

Seeking Basenjis on Safari

AKC Breeder of Merit Participant Damara Bolte Reflects on Her Trip to Africa Seeking Native Basenjis.

In the 1950’s, AKC Breeder of Merit participant Damara Bolte worked as a kennel manager for Bettina Belmont Ward in Middleburg, Virginia. It was there, that she first learned of the native Basenji in Africa. Dr. James P. Chapin, an ornithologist for the American Museum of Natural History, acquired a Basenji named Tiki Tiki from the upper Congo. The dog had already lived with Dr. and Mrs. Chapin for two years at their home in Bukavu when Bettina heard of the dog and asked if she could have him. Damara was on the receiving end when Tiki Tiki was shipped over. Continued in link below.

Recently Damara spoke with AKC's Mari-Beth O'Neill and discussed more about her trip to Africa and its impact:

Mari-Beth: Describe the first encounter your group had with the native Basenjis and their owners.

Damara: When we arrived, villagers sounded alarms (drums), and the native people came, on foot or on a bike, in the mornings with dogs and puppies for us to see. We saw many dogs that were being used for hunting.

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