Basenji

Basenji
A red Basenji with white markings
Other names	African bush dog African barkless dog Ango angari Congo dog Zande dog
Origin	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Traits Height Males 43 cm (17 in) Females 40 cm (15+1⁄2 in) Weight Males 11 kg (24 lb) Females 9.5 kg (21 lb) Coat short and fine
Kennel club standards Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog (domestic dog)

The Basenji (/bəˈsɛndʒi/) is a breed of hunting dog, originally created from stock that originated in Central Africa, including in the Republic of the Congo and other adjacent tropical African countries. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale places the Basenji in the Spitz and "primitive types" categories, while the American Kennel Club classifies it as a hound.^[1] The breed does not bark in the traditional manner of most dogs, rather vocalising in an unusual, yodel-like "talking" sound, due to its unusually-shaped larynx.^[2] This trait earns the Basenji its nickname of "barkless"^[3] dog, a similar feature seen and heard in the New Guinea singing dog.

Basenjis are athletic little dogs that can run up to 30-35 miles per hour, which share many distinctive traits with the pye or pariah dog types of the Indian subcontinent. In addition to their uniquely similar vocalisations, the Basenji, the Australian dingo and the aforementioned New Guinea singing dog all only come-into estrus once per year, as does the Tibetan Mastiff; other dog breeds may have two or more breeding seasons each year. Basenjis lack a distinctive odor, or "dog smell".^[4] The modern breed's foundational bloodlines were created from dogs originally acquired from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.