The other day we were out walking our pups and a young lady parked her car nearby. She got out of the car smiling and exclaimed "that's a funny looking dog!". There was no doubt she was referring to Delilah.
Besides her deceptively calm demeanor at the pound, Delilah's adorably odd features drew us to her. Her short legs are disproportionate to her toned muscular torso. She rivals Spartacus in length but is 1/3 his width. Her colors and markings are almost identical to Sparty's, but she's flanked with subtle merle spotting. She has a ridiculously long neck, and sports permanently oversized paws.
Delilah's giant ears take on a range of expressions that change her whole face instantly.
Each ear is an individual, making decisions independent of the other.
Her lips are pursed and her amber eyes are determined. When she makes eye contact for treats we can practically hear her counting the seconds in her head. Her eye contact is intense!
Full grown at 35 lbs, we think Delilah is probably a Basenji mix. Maybe some Corgi or Daschund to account for her dwarfed legs. Maybe some Australian Cattle Dog, Jack Russell or Feist type dog. Her temperament matches the description of Basenjis to a T: alert, energetic, curious and reserved with strangers...has a strong prey drive...should not be let off the leash, for they are swift, agile chasers who are impossible to catch...will develop selective hearing if there's something more exciting to pay attention to (are there any dogs that don't fit that description?)...
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| Delilah compared to a purebred Basenji. See the resemblance? |
Whatever this funny looking dog is, we couldn't be happier with our silly Delilah! Spartacus is our rugged handsome boy and Delilah is our delightfully bizarre little girl.
What breeds do you see?
Delilah is adorable, and I love her name, too. I was CERTAIN Ruby was a Basenji mix, but according to her DNA test she is primarily Border Collie and Jack Russell, which make complete sense now that I know her personality. If I had to guess two breeds for Delilah, they'd be Corgi and some bully type!
ReplyDeleteRuby's DNA results do sound really accurate. Gotta love our giant-eared little girls. One of these days, we're gonna get those tests done on our dogs. I'd never thought Delilah had any bully in her, so now I'm really curious to find out!
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