Calypso Absolut Ace Of Space
'Ace'
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AKC # HM 87006103 born Dec 19,1999 sire: FCI Int'l
Am
Can Fin Blr Ltv Rus Gua/GCG Ch Terrarust Calypso Black Tie 4 pts toward AKC title
Ace is very loving and affectionate, although in typical basenji fashion, he requires time to get to know strangers and warm up to them on his own terms. Once someone is accepted into his special world, look out! he's all over his Loved Ones like a cheap suit!
 Ace 13 mths old Ace comes down from native African import stock on his dam's side, and is 1/8th African himself. He definitely takes after his native genes... he can be very sensitive about rough play, and often perceives there to be a threat or aggression in certain actions when none is intended. A household where the occupants and their guests take a 'less exciting' and gentle approach to life would be wonderful for him. Do not get the impression that Ace is a hothouse flower who lies around soaking up the sun and awaiting the delivery of the afternoon's martinis! NOT! Ace is one of our constant movers who wears a path up and down his 40 foot run during the day! This is a boy who gets a lot of exercize and looks it - he's in excellent physical condition, hard as a rock, very muscular and sleek. He is in top shape, something that will need to be kept up as this is one of the best defenses against possible future concerns as his hips were recently rated "mild" on the hip dysplasia scale by OFA. He is the first of our dogs to ever receive such a rating, but it was not a surprise as one of his maternal great grandfather's was rated dysplastic, although we did not know this at the time we were actively using that dog's son in our breeding program. All our breeding stock has OFA-certified hips. A home with children is NOT what we were looking for as Ace could misinterpret their sudden actions. The activity level could escalate his anxiety if there is too much going on for him to absorb. Ace is well-traveled, as he was already being shown, and has demonstrated himself to be just like his sire, Tux, with an "Excellent" rating on the Motel Dog scale! He loves to travel, and actually does better at meeting new people away from home (removes the territoriality concerns) with proper introductions. Ace is partial to men, so we were especially looking to place him in a home with a single man. Again, looking to the future, we are uncertain as to Ace's comfort level with children, and so someone getting married several years down the line and then having children, perhaps leaving Ace having to give up his family and come back here is NOT what we want for this dog. We want a 'forever home' for him, not a temporary placement. Such a situation would be cruel and unfair. It happens to basenjis all the time, and to have a dog develop deep bonds only to have them broken suddenly at the arrival of children is so hard on these dogs, it breaks their hearts. We have several dogs back here with us who came from just that sort of situation.. They go from being #1 son/daughter to 'take a number' here with us. It's hardly what we planned for them when they left us as precious babies! Ace could make a good obedience competition dog. I found that in training him for conformation showing, he took readily to training. He is very, very steady, and enjoys the attention that comes with training, and is NOT highly distractible the way some basenjis are - he pays attention to everything you do, and whatever you are saying to him. An EXPERIENCED agility trainer could probably turn Ace into an "ace" competitor, he is SO agile and fast. He is not motivated by specific rewards, but by NEED FOR APPROVAL. This is a dog who genuinely likes to please, but needs very concrete instructions and steady guidance. The african dog in him is always on the alert for possible threats, so that always needs to be uppermost in the mind of an owner/trainer - he will react immediately to any threat of physical danger - in fact, we have only ever had to express our displeasure to Ace of his actions VERBALLY. He is never physically threatened. He gets the point of what you are saying to him immediately, so no need for a human temper tantrum or Bad Dog Lecture 9,286 to be delivered. Homeland Security Alert! Ace will set off metal
detectors in the airport thanks to an operation he had at
age 10 weeks when he suffered a hairline fracture along the
growth plate in a femur. One of the country's foremost
veterinary orthopedic surgeons inserted a steel rod into
the femur along the fracture so that new bone tissue would
form around it - good luck breaking that bone now! There is
also a pin and what I call the 'zip tie' at the end of the
bone. And you know, it's been so long now, I can't tell you
off the top of my head if it was the right or left leg! You
can't tell by how he moves - recovery was complete, and we
call him The Bionic Basenji!
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