The Basenji season came exactly a month early at Tambuzi. With Sierra followed by Willow then Halle coming into season. Obviously they had not looked at the calendar! There is much debate about the Basenji, which estrus once a year unlike its domestic counterpart which have two seasons each year. Is the season linked to the number of daylight hours, temperature, food availability or rainfall? Here in central Victoria we have had a very long spell without any 'ground wetting' rain. There isn't any green grass to be found in fact most of the dead shoots have been eaten by birds so the property resembles a ploughed field. Other plants are dead or struggling but that is much like most other years. Days are bright and sunny again most like the average. Temperature has been fairly consistent, we had a number of extreme temperature days earlier in the year.

A mating for Halle (Grand Champion Tambuzi At Light Speed), which will be her last had been well considered. Last year, after seeing him at the Victorian Basenji Specialty, I decided I would approach Ethel Blair of Wuliango Basenjis in Qld to use her dog Ch Wuliango Sweet Dandelion (AI) (Leo). At the Victorian Basenji Specialty in 2014 Leo came in second to my Harry being of a similar type with what the judge considered in her critique as having better angulation than those placed lower in the class. I felt that he would meld well with Halle. Leo's magnificent pedigree was also a consideration in my selection. I have admired American Grand Ch Reveille Push The Limit To MC SDHR (grand sire) for quite sometime. Although I have not seen photos of all his litter mates all 6 became champions of grand champions. Of those I have seen American Grand Ch Reveille Push Button and American Ch Tricycle Two are also quality Basenjis and a credit to their breeder Damara Bolte. The quality of the pedigree continues with Am Ch C-Quest's Just Push Play SDHR, Am Ch Reveille Boutonniere SDHR and further back Am Ch Djakomba's Spotlight SDHR to name just a few. Then to add a little of the 'unknown' Leos grandmother Avongara Luka is a recent export from Barango, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Health was another key consideration with both Halle and Leo being normal for fanconi syndrome and late on-set progressive retinal atrophy and Halle being normal for pyruvate kinase deficient (Leo's test results pending) thus eliminating the prospect of one of the puppies being affected by any of these diseases. Hips and eyes have also been evaluated all with very good results.

Halle progressed her season very quickly with an unusually (for her) steep rise in her progesterone level and was ready before the flight to Brisbane was booked. As a 'plan B' not knowing if it would be 'too late' when we eventually got to Brisbane I mated Oscar (Tambuzi Totally Taboo) to Halle. However, the likelihood of this mating 'taking' is extremely slim. I did a similar double mating in 2010 and on that occasion Oscar did not produce any offspring. All puppies I breed are DNA profiled at about 6 weeks, at the time the microchips are implanted, so identifying parents is not difficult exercise. All puppies will be sold with a parentage verification.

It will be a few weeks before we know if the breeding has been successful. More about this breeding can be reviewed here.

Pedigree (Leo x Halle) including health information