rehfeldt

Rehfeldt

Wes &
Karla

Tina

The Rehfeldt Clan is pretty large. Wes and Karla were blessed with 5 wonderful kids; Renee, Shelley,
Tanya, Richard, and Tina. They also have 2 son-in-laws, a daughter-in-law, 2 amazing grandsons, and 2
beautiful granddaughters. Of course you can’t forget about the 5 dogs that replaced the kids living at home;
Wayonte(husky/chow), Tabitha(husky), Toby(black lab), Mokee and Zoie(basenjis).

Daisie and Roommate Cricket.

We’ve always had dogs; we just haven’t always had basenjis. Mom and Dad’s first tackle at this peculiar
breed was in 1970 when Dad gave a little basenji pup to Mom for a wedding gift. The idea was this dog
that didn’t bark and barely shed would be perfect in an apartment. I guess it would help if Dad actually read
up on the breed. They are not mute; and their yodel is actually one of my favorite features. Mom owned
Terrytu’s Banji for several years. She had 3 litters with this female. Some of her puppies did pretty well in
the ring and in life. She later owned a male named Deerfield’s Prince Bucko, who she believes would’ve
had his champion if he had a better bite. With a growing family and someone interested in buying her dogs,
Mom decided to get out of the basenji fix. This was all before my time. The only basenji I ever saw was
from my mom’s pictures and what I imagined when she told me stories. We owned mutts, wonderful mutts,
for a long time.

I decided I wanted my own basenji and wanted to be a part of the excitement my mom always talked about
in showing. In 1998 my wish came true. We picked up my New Years born baby, Deerfield’s Mighty
Mokee, on Valentine’s Day. Mokee never stepped into the ring until almost 7 years later. Lady Zoie of
Deerfield, who shares Mom’s birthday, was brought home in February of 2005. We started showing and
learning together, but never added any points to her name. After an unfortunate problem pregnancy, she is
a happily spayed girl. After I moved out of my parents’ house, and spent 2 whole months with no dog at all,
I got my wish again. I added Signet Girls with Guitars, “Daisie” to the mix May of 2008. Buying that girl
was the best decision I ever made, but of course still have a special place in my heart and life for Mokee
and Zoie. My dogs mean the world to me and my parents. They are just as important as any member of
our family.

Owning a basenji is amazing. They really are like 2 year olds on 4 legs. They are incredibly smart and
independent, but are so much worth the work in training. You have to be strict, but make things fun
because they get bored with the same routine. They are wild, crazy, and always entertaining.

My parents and I joined this club to have a network of friends who cared about the breed as much as we
did. It’s a great way to keep up with things that are going on. To be honest, I was really intimidated when
we first joined the club. I had this set idea about people who showed their dogs. I was afraid since we
were new, inexperienced, and tried showing a dog that didn’t come from a fancy breeder we would be
laughed at and given the cold shoulder. I was surprised at how friendly everyone was and how quick they
were to give us advice. Everyone has been wonderful and supportive. That’s what is great about this club;
you don’t have to have this great and special dog, they believe that every single dog is special. And after
Zoie lost her puppy, everyone sent emails to us for support. Its really a gift to have friends you can call or
email for any reason, and know that they have probably been in your position before and really understand
what you need. I recommend that anyone join this club. Even if you own a basenji and don’t participate in
any event, or if you are just curious about the breed, you are among friends here!

Mokee

We were very active in conformation shows with Zoie, and will be again when Daisie is ready to jump in the
ring. We are also involved in lure coursing. It’s really amazing to see the dogs fly. Mom and Zoie have
been taking obedience classes and will hopefully compete in that ring in the near future. I am also really
interested in getting into agility, starting straight line racing, and maybe even tracking. With their natural
skills, and a lot of patience, a basenji can do anything.

Zoie

Driving Miss Daisie!