* 10 Wonderful Years *

Our handsome houndy Bosley left us at 6pm Mon 3/16/09, he was 13.5yrs old. The depth of our grief is overwhelming, but his passing was gentle, in peace and embraced by love. Undoubtedly, it was just Bosley's time. We miss you so much already Mr. Bozz, you will NEVER be forgotten. Thank you for 10 wonderful years of memories! Waddle free sweet boy, thump that strong tail, ahhhhhrrrrooo loudly, give lots of slobbery snooter kisses, counter cruise all you like and let those beautiful velvet ears flap in the breeze - we'll see you on the other side. Love, your Furever Family

UPDATE: 03/16/11

Today marks two years since we said goodbye to our beloved Bozz... he was our first rescued Basset and the reason we were introduced to the wonderful world of WABR. Thank you Mr. Velvet Ears for sharing so much unconditional love ~ you made indelible marks on our hearts and changed our lives for the better, forever...

We lost our beautiful boy to Cancer. That drive home from the WSU Veterinary Hospital in Pullman, WA was the longest 2hrs of heartache that Paul & I have endured, but I'm so glad we were together.

Guilty 'Til Proven Innocent - In the Beginning...

A faint scent wafts along the air and they turn to look with the eyes of an assassin... nothing is stronger than their powers of manipulation and absolutely no one. They will play games with your mind to get exactly what they want, when they want it. Every mission they select is accomplished and they take no prisioners. This elite team of special ops experts is known only as - the Basset Hound.

Molly is the ring leader. She is tough, a solid powerhouse and ready to tackle any obstacle in her path to get what she wants, regardless of the consequences. Others have described her as brutal and a complete Bitch, yet those who love her know she has a softer side that involves lots of "me" time and snuggling on the couch.

Bosley THINKS he is the leader of this pack, but is constantly reminded by Molly "that dog don't hunt." He is constantly trying to get promoted within the ranks, but the chain of command says no, so he must bow to his superior power.

Tucker is the new recruit, green to this game so he is constantly re-evaluating his strategy and order in the unit. Unfortunately, he will always be last in role call and must understand his greatest strength resides in the power of cute and just being in the right place at the right time. Timing after all, truly is everything.

But let's not get too far ahead. In the beginning...

My heart has always been struck by the deep, soulful howl of a hound, I love to watch them waddle and adore those long, velvety ears – yet was not owned by one myself until 1999. The Basset Hound is a low-slung breed and we describe it as a big dog in a short body. They really are solid, weighing-in from 50lbs and up and live on average to be 10 to 12 years old. Males usually weigh more than females. They were originally bred in France to hunt rabbits and are known to be scent hounds. They have the best sense of smell in the dog kingdom, second only to the Bloodhound. This makes them intensely curious, brave explorers and absolute "Food Whores!" Unfortunately they are only one-way trackers, which means they catch a scent and pursue it with passion. When they stop, they are unaware of their surroundings and often can't find their way back home. This is one of the reasons you MUST have a fenced yard to be owned by a Basset!

I’ve always been an avid reader – as a young girl, one of my favorite books was “Where the Red Fern Grows.” They weren’t Bassets, but Hound Folk will say, when you have a love of hounds, you love them all.

I assure you the reasons I watched "The Andy Griffith Show," "Columbo," “The Dukes of Hazard,” “Smokey & The Bandit,” “Coach,” "King of Queens," "Judging Amy," "An American Werewolf in Paris," "American Pie 2," "Nanny McPhee," "Spiderman 2," and many, many other TV shows and movies had little to do with the quality of the productions and everything to do with the hounds that would steal the scenes and make me go Ahhhh, so cute!

I also LOVED Droopy Dog cartoons and the Fred Basset comic strip as a kid. When I met the Basselope in the comics during my teen years, it was then that I knew I would always love Opus and Bloom County. Are you sensing any type of theme here?

I suppose it will also come as no surprise that I've always had an affinity for the MayTag brand of home appliances. Call it being easily influenced by advertising, but it wasn't that repairman who never had work that got to me but rather his trusty Basset Hound friend. I also own my fair share of Hush Puppy trademarked items - go figure! Yes, it's become quite a compulsion at times - my husband calls it my Cult. One can never have enough Basset crap though... or can they?

Perhaps it’s genetic – maybe I have “I Love Bassets” typed in my DNA? It’s quite possible, because they have quite a history in my family.

Long ago, my maternal Grandmother was a reputable Basset Hound breeder. She loved these low-riders and worked with a distinguished bloodline for many years. Growing up, when our Mother would tell us stories of her youth, inevitably, there was a beloved Basset involved. While I have few photographs to document them, my mind imagines they were awesomely beautiful. My Mom and her sisters would dress them up, play with them, help ready them for the show ring and of course, they would fight over who got to snuggle with them in their sleep.

At retirement, my Grandmother gave my parents her last houndy puppy as a gift for their 1-year wedding anniversary.

This magnificent red & white named “Lulu” was instantly a family member. Eventually my older Sister Karen arrived and the Basset had a new best friend. I can still hear my Father reminiscing about how good that dog was around children. Mom said that when my Sister was a baby, Lulu would sleep protectively under her crib. When she would wake, Lulu left the room to let them know Karen was stirring and wouldn’t stop “talking” until someone went to check on her. As my Sister grew, she would lay down on the floor with her Basset to play. There are many times Karen fell asleep with a Basset pillow underneath her head. My favorite story though is of the day my Mom was baking and Karen dressed Lulu in an apron and played with her in the kitchen. Unfortunately, they lost this Basset too young.

When I was growing-up, there was always at least one dog in our home, often more – all well-loved and different, but none like these sweet Bassets.

It would be almost 30 years before another Basset Hound joined our family's pack…