Karen P. Christensen

Not long after I bought my first house I started to seriously consider getting a dog. My brother thought I needed one, too -- though he thought I, as a single woman in an urban environment, needed a Rottweiler! My mother alternately questioned how I could live without a dog, and how I could even consider getting one what with my work and travel schedule. We'd had dachshunds and a mini poodle growing up, and I thought both were fine but not necessarily what I wanted. And I was busy, so the extent of my puppy-hunting was to peruse the classifieds of the local (Springfield, IL) daily and alternative papers.

My father worked for big conglomerates for his whole career, eventually becoming an executive who received a bonus each year as part of his compensation. He chose to share that bonus with a token to each family member. Early in February of 1988 I received a cute card with a check in it, card advising, "spend it foolishly!" Dad didn't want me using the money to pay the bills!

Puppy desire, foolhardiness, time and attention all came together a few days later when I spotted an ad in the alt rag, "Rare, exotic, Egyptian barkless basenjis! Puppies available." What?! A call to my brother and a trip to the library to view the AKC Breed Book and I had to go see them. I toted my boyfriend 30 miles south to visit the puppies and left telling the breeders I had to think about it, though I was completely in love. They were asking every penny of my bonus, no more and no less. What a fine coincidence! The next day I called and asked them to start calling the bitch without the dot on her head "Selket," and I would pick her up the following weekend. Then I called my dad so he could tell me what a fool I was with that money! Every once in a while, while he's visiting and we're surrounded by pointy ears and curly tails, I like to remind him he was the original enabler of my basenji consumption!

  Moot & Selket

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