2009 Adoption Follow-Up Stories

6/23/09
We are the Crawford Family---we adopted Nick---but we changed his name to Banjo and it really suits him

SO very well! I wasn’t sure it was possible for a dog to have a sense of humor but Banjo REALLY does!! He is so cute and goofy—he loves to make us laugh!! He has completely changed the life of his big

brother (Vegas—a full blooded Basset).

Vegas is happier, healthier, and all around a better dog!! Banjo has made our family feel complete…we cannot imagine life without him…it’s like he has always been with us! Banjo also has two sisters that are cats—one named Maggie and one named Nina. Nina and Banjo love to play --- our friends are amazed at how much they play together. Maggie is the eldest, so she is a little hesitant about Banjo, but she’s warming up to the idea of a new little brother.

Banjo is our baby boy and we are so very proud of him in every way. He is going on 5 months and already potty trained, and knows over 5 commands and is completely crate trained—as a matter of fact, his crate is his very-favorite place when he is sleepy! He is SUPER smart and so, so funny!! BHRA is and always will be a blessing to us…thank you for our baby boy…he has us wrapped around his little paw J

The Crawford Family

6/14/09
Hey, just wanted to give you and update on Gretchen. She is doing very well, but she is still stranger aggressive. Some times that can be a good thing though because nobody comes in our house without asking. She is a very playful and loves her people. She loves to go on her walks and play with our boys. We have a bed for her but she would much rather sleep with us on the pillows. She has a baby herself it is a stuffed teddy bear and dares anyone to mess with it because the chance is on. We love her very much and we believe God made her just for us. She is our baby girl that we never had. Thank you so very much for her.

The Phillips Family

5/12/09
Just wanted to update you on Sam, adopted in March. When we decided to adopt a Bassett my husband's only request was that we get a boy. With three daughters, he needed another male in the house. Sam has become his buddy. They go out on "male outings" together all the time. He absolutely was meant for our family. He is showered with love and kisses from little girls all day, and gladly returns the love. We are so thankful for him, and to BHRA for rescuing him! Thanks Guys!

Love,

The Kinder Family

5/13/09

We wanted to send a quick update on Daphne! We absolutely love Daphne! We are just amazed how quickly she has become a part of our family! We have had the best time getting to know her!

We have discovered she is stubborn in a very lovable way! Also, if it is possible for a dog to have a sense of humor, we think that Daphne has one! We have also learned (by multiple experiences) Daphne gets car sick if she rides within 4 hours of eating! It has bothered the kids more than Daphne (they've been concerned that something was truly wrong), but we finally put the pieces together and realized that she is not an eat and go kind of girl!

While she was described as a "cat lover" we have not seen a single neighboring cat that used to be a regular in our backyard since Daphne moved in here! We have some feline allergies in our household so that suits us just fine! Also, she is working over the moles who have been regulars in our yard! What a good girl!

Initially our kids' guinea pigs were a real problem for Daphne - she was all barks and drool! We were afraid if the cage door was left open by mistake our pet population was going to plummet at the hands of Daphne; however, she has really settled down about the guinea pigs!

Thanks to all the BHRA volunteers! We love our Basset!

Laura, Scott, Eleanor and Charlie

Hi Everyone,

Hartford and I ran into Trudy and Dylan at the Hoover Petsmart on Saturday. We had a great time hanging out with Dylan and her as well as all the other hounds and BHRA folks. It reminded me that I needed to check in with you all. I also wanted to give ya'll a quick update on Hartford. He is doing great! Other than some mild behavioral issues (jumping up on strangers and trying to steal our food) he has been wonderful. He's currently enrolled in doggie kindergarten at Dominion Dog Training and he loves it! Although the instructor about died laughing when he learned "stay" so well that he decided to lay down and take a nap. No amount of cajoling would get him up until we gave him a hot dog. You'll see the picture below of him and the true "alpha dog" of the house, my cat Malty. They have developed a strange "keep your enemies close" relationship. Where ever one goes the other follows.

Have a good one!

Lori

4/5/09 I am writing to give an update of Miss Bella the southern belle of our house. Since Bella has been here she has been a wonderful therapy dog for Jimmy for the first time he actually let another man other than David pet him with tail up in the air wagging like a normal dog. We have a space heater that if tipped it is supposed to cut off but one morning it did not and Bella sat beside it to let us know something was not right until I checked it out, I thought it was strange as normally she gets on the couch to sleep in the early morning and also she would not move when I called her for a treat until I checked the heater. If I had left the house that morning it would have burnt down. She has also eased the pain of the loss of my old cocker spaniel sitting in my lap and greeting me with her loud 1/2 whine 1/2 howl she does. She loves our family so much she tore up a brand new wire kennel trying to get out while we were at work so now she resides in the laundry room when we are gone and is very happy because that is the closest point to the door we enter. She loves to play with Monkey the 6lb Chihuahua. He attacks her and she drops to her back and whines like he has broke her heart. She is not your average basset. Also since I carry monkey to bed when I go I also have to carry Miss Bella. She will not move she waits to be carried. She also loves to go bye-bye with her family…her favorite being going to the bus-stop aka “Bella the bus-stop babe”. Bella is very special to our family and is the true southern belle of our pack. Marilyn Stagner and Family

3/11/09
Here is Daisy Mae happy in her new forever home with her new best friend! Adopted by Cecilia Bonham!

3/8/09

Greetings,

Thought you like an update on Juliet. We adopted her in July 2008.
She has certainly worked her way into our hearts. She helped me heal my heart after losing my dog in April of 2008. We also have two retired racing Greyhounds and she helped them too. Our eight year old Greyhound plays with Juliet each morning when they go out. I never thought I would see the Greyhounds play ever again. They are getting older. One is 12 and the other is 8.

As you know, we travel extensively in our RV. Juliet, now known as Maggie, is now a little over two years old, but everyone who meets her thinks she is a puppy. She loves to be outdoors, and when another camper walks by, she cries to get the camper to stop and pet her. She loves every person and every dog. Everyone and everything is an opportunity to play! She is such a happy dog, we watch her closely when she is outdoors, so that she doesn’t try to play with the wildlife. I am sure that if an armadillo, possum, or raccoon visited our campsite, Juliet's' response would be “Let’s play”

I wanted a smaller dog that would “snuggle” with me at night. Boy was that wish fulfilled! When I go to bed each evening to read or watch TV, she trots right behind me and asks to be picked up. I put her up on the bed and then I receive about 30 minutes of Basset loving.
Belly rubs, nuzzles me, and etc. After the loving, she will then lay in my arms and sleep. For hours!
We have trained her for life in an RV. NO jumping out the door without permission, etc. We have 2 doors in the RV, one in front and one in the rear. When she needs to go out and take care of business, she will run from one door to another, and actually “shake” the trailer! Her new nickname is now “Thumper”.

She has fulfilled my expectations 200% Thanks you for allowing us to become her caretakers. You don’t own a Basset, they own you.

Joe & Debbie Homich

2/4/2009

Hi Everyone,

Mikey (now known as Batou) has been settling in nicely. He and Mason became quick playmates and have worked out some great toddler/dog compatible games. Batou even enjoys going down the slide, he just followed Mason right down one day and now slides frequently. He's a fantastic cuddler and has won over many family and friends with a warm lap. He loves to meet new people, and doesn't seem to understand why anyone would pass by without stopping to say hi.
Batou was able to navigate our ramp into the dog yard by the end of his first week, and most importantly knew what we wanted him to do once he got down there, accidents are already infrequent. He's taken quickly to cleaning the floor under Mason's chair, it's been a big help. Batou had his first check up with our vet last week. He weighed in at 14 lbs and got his next round of vaccines. So far there's only been the expected frustrations, and he's learing quickly. Mostly, he's a big bundle of joy, a great lap wamer, and we are all very happy with him.

-Laura, Floyd, Mason and Batou

Revised: 12/30/10.