Happy Tails
Our names are Michael & Colleen Kochik. In June of 2013, we were blessed to have “Earl” join our family, after losing our beloved Hank to a stroke. We had another Basset, Pacino and an elderly English Setter, Gunner. Pacino seemed to be the most heart-broken of the remaining two. After the application process and a visit by one of your volunteers, we rec’d the call that “Earl” would be available. We set the appointment for June 2nd, and came home with our boy. When we looked at him, we couldn’t help but keep his name the same. He looked like an Earl and it fit like a glove. We believe that his age when adopted was 2-3. His paperwork said his DOB was 7/28/12. It would make sense, because he gives us that look like a terrible two year old:).
Our favorite thing is that he is a cuddle bug and loves to around his humans. He has definitely taken a liking to women, more than men. My mother recently moved in with us and she loves her daily breakfast visits as well as his afternoon cat nap visits.
His biggest challenge is that after about the first week, he kept looking out the door like he wanted to run away. Almost as if he missed something. He heard kids playing one day at our neighbors and as soon as that door opened, he took off like a rocket. Thank god it has never happened again. He seems very happy at his home on 8 acres. He LOVES rides in the car and loves his walks at the lake. He has become a full member of our family and we love him to death.
He gets along well with the others. We lost our English Setter in late October. While we love the hounds, our house needs the craziness of a Setter bouncing around. So, being the responsible people we are, we attempted to adopt a Setter and had no luck. No one would allow us to adopt as we don’t have a fenced yard. So, enter the two smart ones….the idea was to get a puppy. Not sure we’ll ever do that again, because we haven’t had a puppy in a loooooong time. Earl wasn’t quite sure what she was or why she was so small, but he has learned to accept her. He’ll put her in check every now and then, just like a big brother will do, but right now they all get along just fine.
Attached are some pictures of Earl when we got him and recently. He really is a great dog and we are so pleased that your organization gave us the
chance to help him out.
Adopted March 2014. Sugar Bear has brought so much laughter, love, and happiness into our home. She and her 4 legged Rottweiler sister, Bella have become inseparable too! I thank my lucky stars every day that Tri-State brought this beautiful girl into our hearts and lives!
Ben (formerly Butter Bean) is the dog we dreamed of and so much more. What a pleasure you all are and we will never forget the honesty and kindness you showed us. Ben is fine and all settled in. He really is a snuggler and quite a lap dog. Thank you again.
We adopted Boo (aka Jackson) in January 2014. He just graduated from Princeton Dog Training Club Beginner I Class! He enjoyed the class especially the one-on-one time with his Dad. He goes for a short walk every night, loves his doggy brothers and kisses the 2 cats! Here is a picture of Boo with his diploma and a picture of Boo relaxing in the bay window. He is a great addition to our family and there is nothing in the world like a Basset to make a house a home!
Josephine & Brian
I hesitated far too long to adopt a dog. It was Christmas of 2013 and my 8 year old daughter reminded me daily that all she wanted was a dog for Christmas – no other gifts. I grew up with dogs and finally decided that I couldn’t deny her anymore. A dear friend showed me a photo of a dog on the Tri-State Basset webpage. I got the call on Christmas Eve that he would be ours. Shadow is the center of our family, a mellow dog who likes to go for walks but just wants to be loved. He sleeps in bed with my daughter, she doesn’t have nightmares any more and she sleeps through the night. We have already taken him on vacation with us – he loves to run in the sand. We are lucky to have him and he has changed our lives. This was the best thing I could have done for my daughter. Thank you Tri-State Basset Rescue for this great addition to our family. Anyone who is hesitating, please don’t. Remember that you will have more unconditional love than you could ever ask for. I’m grateful for the reminder of this and we are so grateful for our Shadow.
We adopted our sweet girl on Valentine’s day and what a love she is! She was apprehensive for the first day or so but with lots of love and attention she warmed right up and quickly became one of us. She has brought a love like no other to our our family. She is my daughter’s BFF, those are her words! We look forward to many years shared with our new love.
I saw Robin’s picture on the TSBHR website and couldn’t wait to meet her at Septemberfest. We had just sent our foster dog off to her new home and I was hoping that Robin could be our next foster – if she didn’t get adopted at Septemberfest. At the end of the event, we learned that there would be an application coming in for Robin, so we decided to foster her short-term rather than have her go back to the kennel. No application ever came in and it didn’t take long for us to fall in love with this spunky senior hound. She is my cuddler and makes little squeaky sounds to talk to me. I can’t imagine life without her!
Betty came into our lives and all of us could not be happier! She loves every person she meets!
When Gretta came to us she was a big ball of anxiety. We could hardly get her to sit still. Now she’s outgoing and loves to lay around on the couch! She’s a perfect fit. We have had her for over three years now.
We adopted Angel (now named Fiona) about 4 months ago and she is an absolute delight. We just love her so much!! She loves to go hiking all day and then cuddle up on the couch all night. She protects the house at all times from squirrels and rabbits!! She is the perfect addition to our family. Diane and Chris Donnelly