General Appearance:  Short, short haired, and lightly built.  Elegant and graceful, poised and curious.  Tightly curled tail.

Size, Proportion, and Substance:  Height-males, 17 inches; females, 16 inches.  Weight-males, 24 lbs.; females, 22 lbs.

Background:  The only "barkless" dog,  instead they chortle or yodel softly.  It's the ideal apartment dog.  In Africa, Basenjis are still used for hunting and retrieving because of their intelligence, speed, and silence.  What the Basenji lacks in voice, it makes up for in activity.  Basenjis are clean and cat-like.  They groom themselves regularly and are often found perched on the back of a sofa.  The Basenji is affectionate with his family and aloof with strangers.