Tutsi memories by Erin Fogarty

Since it is still coat weather in the northeast - Wearing Coats (October 2000)

Tutsi here.

If basenjis don't want to wear a coat, basenjis don't have to.

Here's what you do.

Mother puts on coat.

Basenji does as follows:

1. Roll your eyes and make your whole body rigid.

NOTE: Most important is that legs stay rigid so lock your joints. If you don't know how, ask a horse, they do it to sleep standing up.

2. When your mum gets really grumpy & calls you & tugs on your lead & tries to make you move, fall over sideways & pretend to be dead. Stay rigid.

3. If you can't get away with not moving, walk with VERY STIFF LEGS. Under no condition pee or poop. If you pee or poop it means you've bent a leg. This is not allowed. This is whimping out. Be a basenji. Be strong.

Get your own way.

Eventually, in desperation to get you to pee or poop your mum will remove your coat.

Dignity will once again be restored.

I did this so many times mum eventually packaged up the coat and gave it to a "more deserving dog, you spoilt little wretch". Did I ask for a coat? Did I? Did I insist Mum spend $124 on a coat for me?

I know who should be in charge of the purse in our house. I could have had a small flock of spring lambs for $124.

With dignity,

Tutsi the Takapuna Princess.

Not to forget about Ed!

2012

Stories from 2004:

We always say Ed's dyslexic because he doesn't gulp, he glups.

The only other words he knows are "Robber, robber, robber, bra" which he
shouts at Tutsi when he wants her to play. Tutsi, like us, has no idea
what he means but we suspect Ed has seen Zulu's page where he drew Tutsi
in her human sister's underwear she had stolen (that's Tutsi the thief,
not the human sister). Ed obviously has underpants and bra mixed up, but
he's that kind of dog.

My silly Eddie who is actually a foxie x whippet (but thinks he's a b,
right down to the weird noises he makes) dislikes water as much as Tutsi.

In the middle of winter this year we were having a walk through the local
golf course very early in the morning. The course has a large irrigation
trench (concrete) running through it about 6' deep and 6' wide. We'd had
torrential rain and the water was flowing briskly.

The banks down to the trench were steep and slippery. Tutsi was on the lead
and Eddie was roaming around free. He made his way down to the edge of the
trench and I could see his nose twitching like crazy. There was something
interesting on the other side. I saw him investigate the water, then sit on
his haunches and attempt to clear the trench. Of course he landed in the
water which was swiftly carrying him away.

Tutsi was screaming and dragging me, I was trying my best to not fall into
the trench as well, as the sides of the bank were so slippery. After what
seemed like an age I managed to get hold of Ed's collar and haul him out.
He looked embarrassed more than anything else.

Well, last week we were going around the golf course and had got midway and
I asked the dogs which direction they'd like to go. Jokingly I suggested we
re-visit the scene of Ed's swim and the dogs seemed keen so off we went.

The trench was about half full with the vertical sides very slippery with
slime. We're wandering a long when suddenly, SPLASH, Ed's gone in again! I
couldn't believe it. What made it worse this time was that is was full of
debris and he was getting caught in the branches. I kept trying to call him
back but he was so frightened he wouldn't respond. Tutsi's screaming like a
fishwife and I'm calling Ed ... what a commotion.

By this time we have an audience of bemused golfers.

Ed reached the other side, reached up with splayed front legs and his
little back legs were peddling like crazy on the slimey sides as the tried
to get some purchase to haul himself out. It looked like something from a
cartoon and I became hysterical with laughter. Finally I got him to release
his grip and swim over to Tutsi and I where, once again, I hauled him out.

I was busy explaining to him how daft he was to fall in twice. Thinking you
can walk on water, once, is almost acceptable ... trying to improve on a
previous spectacular failure like Ed had experienced beggars belief!. So
whilst Ed is receiving his little lecture I suddenly hear SPLASH!. Somehow,
Tutsi has fallen in the trench. So I haul her out and I have two drenched
dogs. I laughed until the tears were running down my face (and so did the
golfers).