It is highly unlikely that little Emily is even slightly related to a Basenji. I was just pointing out that the 'pariah' (potlickers) dogs in Belize have a similar type to others in the world. The Basenji yodels or sings rather than barks. There are one or two other barkless dogs that we know (such as the Papua New Guinea Singing Dog) of and they are usually related to very old cultures. It is thought that this lack of bark may have been highly valued by hunters keen not to have the dogs give the game away during pursuit. Cross breeds even of the first generation often do not look anything like their pure bred parents so it can be virtually impossible to guess a cross bred dog's parentage. This is why when you go to a shelter - never believe them when they tell you what they 'guess' the dog's parentage is. No one will ever know (unless they were witness when the deed was done), but at least with a crossbreed you know that your dog will be unique. As for debarking, it is not allowed in the UK, so the only barkless dogs we see are Basenjis.
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