Happy Tails
Favorite things about your Basset (i.e., goofy grin, silly bark/howl, counter-surfer):
Happy Disposition, loving nature, mournful howl, intelligence
Challenges you faced and overcame:
They did not seem to be housebroken (on their web page it indicated that they were) and did not understand basic commands, know their names or have the ability to walk on leashes together. The first few weeks were difficult. I hired a trainer, installed back yard fence, as well as hired someone to help me with daily care. Given Harley’s size (90 lbs) and issues with joints, it was difficult for me to lift a 90 lb dog to assist her with the steps. She has since lost some weight and seems to be able to handle steps better.
How do other people and animals react to your Basset?
They are the neighborhood stars. All of the neighbors know them and find them amusing and loving. Harley and Colby love to lie in the front yard in the evening while I sit with them, so they can greet and interact with people who are walking down the sidewalk. They are very social guys and love other dogs in the neighborhood.
What do you like to do with your Basset?
Short walks in the evening, sitting in the yard so they can get their social interaction they love, belly rubs, cuddles and kisses nightly before bedtime. Love to spoil them with affection and attention. They have settled in and are very happy.
Favorite things about your Basset (i.e., goofy grin, silly bark/howl, counter-surfer):
He’s so friendly with everyone and dogs, he loves to play, loves to adventure to new places like beaches and parks, and he loves our boat! He also loves to play with our cocker spaniel and dachshund.
Challenges you faced and overcame:
He’s a counter surfer for sure! We’re working on it!
How do other people and animals react to your Basset?
Everyone loves him at first sight, the usually want to know where we got him too.
What do you like to do with your Basset?
Long walks, play in the yard, and snuggle on the couch.
Please include any other comments:
Boomer is a basset hound/labrador retriever mix, he displays traits from both breeds. He loves to sniff and retrieve too!
Favorite things about your Basset (i.e., goofy grin, silly bark/howl, counter-surfer):
Larry is a total mush and is made of pure love! He is a total snuggle-bug and he loves body contact. He will find a way to curl up in your lap (even if he doesn’t quite fit), or lie at your feet with some part of his body touching you at all times. Like when I’m standing at the sink brushing my teeth, he’ll lie down in the bathroom and rest his head on my foot. So sweet!!! He is also very particular about certain things. For example, Larry does NOT like ice cubes in his water bowl. Each time we place an ice cube in his bowl, he trots over, picks it up out of the bowl, and places the ice cube back on the floor. This will go on as long as we keep putting the ice cube back in the water. He’s such a clown!
Challenges you faced and overcame:
We’re still working hard on training. Larry is doing great with “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and “touch,” and is getting great at walking nicely on the leash. He loves to meet other dogs and is still learning that not all dogs share his zealousness for playtime. He can be a bit stubborn at times, but that’s to be expected, especially since it runs in the family!
How do other people and animals react to your Basset?
We get stopped on the street all the time by people who want to meet Larry (and he is always eager to meet new friends) and who “ooo” and “ahh” over how handsome he is! We are very proud dog parents, to say the least!
What do you like to do with your Basset?
Cuddling on the couch wins first place. We also love taking long walks on the Old Croton Aqueduct trail and through the Rockefeller preserve. We can’t wait to spend days lounging and picnicking in the park once Larry can learn to remain calm amidst lots of stimuli.
Favorite things about your Basset (i.e., goofy grin, silly bark/howl, counter-surfer):
Xena is a love bug. She wakes you every day with a thousand kisses. She needs hugs sometimes throughout the day. She’s just full of love. She has a goofy streak too. She can run like the wind and zooms around the house like a dog possessed.
Challenges you faced and overcame:
She couldn’t be kept in a crate. If she smelled food anywhere in the house and she couldn’t get to it, she would howl and scream and make all manner of unhappy noises. We live in a condo and we couldn’t have that at 4:30am. We eliminated the crate completely and the issue went away. She’s potty trained and so far hasn’t destroyed anything at all, so it hasn’t been a big deal. She has a pretty big fear of strangers and we’re working on that, too. How do other people and animals react to your Basset? Everyone thinks she’s adorable. So many people wanna pet her and love her. She, of course, wants none of this. She’s content to sit and observe people at a distance.
What do you like to do with your Basset?
We take pretty long walks every day. We’ve been to the local parks. She enjoys being outside with us. She’s VERY good at fetch. We love to teach her things. She’s already learned sit, stay, give me your paw, lay down, come and she will sit and wait for her food until you tell her it’s okay to come and get it. She loves to sleep in bed with us and she’ll wag her tail like a crazy dog if you wake up and smile at her.
Abby (originally Aubree) has adjusted perfectly to her new home. She is just a joy and so great with all of our grandchildren. She is one happy girl.. We love her!
Favorite things about your Basset (i.e., goofy grin, silly bark/howl, counter-surfer):
Daisy (renamed from Mazie) is a very sweet girl with expressive eyes. She loves to snuggle and be near her people. She of course also loves snacks and does what looks like a tap dance whenever a treat is nearby.
Challenges you faced and overcame:
Daisy was afraid of a lot of things when she first arrived, including dog toys which she is beginning to warm up to, especially kongs filled with peanut butter. She is not always sure how to interact when meeting new dogs, but this is getting better too. She gets along well with our other dog, Q, and she loves playing with my parent’s Australian shepherd.
How do other people and animals react to your Basset?
Daisy loves meeting new people, and most people seem eager to meet her as well. We’ve actually had cars stop driving just to comment on what a beautiful dog she is.
What do you like to do with your Basset?
Daisy is a great snuggler, but she also loves going on walks which is great since my husband and I enjoy hiking. We recently took her on a camping/hiking trip to Shenandoah, and she seemed to have a great time.
We adopted Lucy from tri-state bassets 6 months ago. She is a bundle of energy with a big heart. We love to watch her play with her sister (a beagle-basset mix we adopted a few years prior) and snuggle her and receive her many kisses. Everyone as tri-state basset we had contact was lovely and we’re grateful she was in such good care before finding her fur-ever home. Her foster family was sad to see her go, but happy knowing she’d be in a good home. We love our Lucy Goosey!
Jessica Ondrof
My daughter Theresa and I adopted our first Basset Tucker from Tri-State about 3 years ago. Tucker was 9 years old and so perfect and sweet. We only had him a year and lost him to cancer. I felt like we had Tucker forever and missed him so much. Then we saw Leon. He looked a lot like Tucker but a little younger and was positive for heart worm. I was uneducated at the time about heart worm. I spoke with my vet and became more educated in heart worm. We now have had Leon for 2 years. He is heart worm free and I wouldn’t give anything in the world for him!
Karen Rineer
Favorite things about your Basset (i.e., goofy grin, silly bark/howl, counter-surfer):
Bella is the most lovable pup on the planet. She is the first to greet you at the door with a wagging tail. She treats her toys as if they are her own pups, very gentle and kind. Bella loves to snuggle and have her belly rubbed. When you start to scratch her, she sometimes falls right to the ground! Bella has big feet, which seem to get into her way sometimes. She is quite clumsy! We feel so lucky to have adopted her and she is the perfect piece to our family.
Challenges you faced and overcame:
One of the great things about Bella that has also been a challenge is her fierce protectiveness. Although she is incredibly loving to those living in our home, she has a hard time warming up to new people. Bella frequently growls and barks at new guests in our home, especially men. Despite the fact that she does calm down, she has a tendency to growl very close to new guests when they stand up or make sudden movements. To work on that, we have been bringing Bella outside to meet our guests. It eases the transition and makes her a little less territorial. We are also use positive praise when she is being nice to ensure she knows how much we like it when she is welcoming! With continued practice and a new enrollment to dog school, we anticipate a wonderful host!
How do other people and animals react to your Basset?
Everyone who meets Bella immediately thinks she is adorable! Once she warms up to them, they fall in love with her. Bella has not had too many interactions with other animals thus far. We want to allow her to get comfortable in her new environment first!
What do you like to do with your Basset?
Bella loves to go on walks. We go frequently throughout the neighborhood. She also LOVES the car. Whether it’s an hour ride or five minutes, she is trying to leave the house with us to get into the car
Favorite things about your Basset (i.e., goofy grin, silly bark/howl, counter-surfer): Likes to climb, snuggle and give lots of snooter kisses!!!
Challenges you faced and overcame: We still like to pee pee in mommy’s car every time we go for rides
What do you like to do with your Basset? Snuggle in bed and go on walks.