Huxley

Huxley joined our family just about a week ago and is settling in nicely. He came to us from a family who had him the first four years of his life but could not keep him due to long term travel conflicts. So, this was a big change for him to have new digs and new humans all at once and all of a sudden. He was very nervous and anxious for the first couple or so days. Gradually, we are seeing his true personality and his very basset traits come through! Today we took him for his first bath and he behaved like a dream. He is very used to having weekly baths and seemed to like most of it except for the drying with cool air part. He is enjoying two walks a day and receiving lots of attention from the three adoring children and two adults in the house. He only barks a little or whines at first when we leave the house for a while and waits in the backyard for us to return. He does have two or three habits which we are working on breaking him of, namely jumping on the couch (dogs do not go on the furniture on our household which is somewhat against basset philosophy!), mouthiness, and jumping on people when excited or meeting new people. Some of this, we hope, is due to the newness and will subside once he is more settled in over time. Nevertheless, we are working on this and he knows when he is being naughty! We have introduced him to marrow bones from the butcher and he is quite happy gnawing on them for extended periods of time. Another of his "habits" is stealing socks and other soft items such as stuffed animals and small pieces of clothing and going on his dog bed for a good slobber session. He is very affectionate, prefers sitting on your feet, and enjoys a good belly rub at the drop of a hat. Comical behavior he sometimes engages in include chasing his tail, sudden bursts of energy where he rips around the house at high speed, and this morning he growled at a fly. He is very good in the car and we can't wait to take him to our family cabin in Lake Tahoe and see if he will swim in the lake or just touch the edge of the water with his paws. All in all, he is a welcome addition to our family and he brings such joy and life to our daily routine. Right now, he is like a new toddler in our home for all of us to take care of while he learns the ropes of his new household! Thanks, Jamie Pehanick and family

Sherlock 2009

Sherlock came to us from the Merced County shelter in early July 2009. He was somewhere around a year and half old, but everyone thought he was elderly because he was so filthy and underweight. He could barely walk and weight 45 pounds. He's now 65 pounds and the energetic, silly basset he was always meant to be. We were his foster home for about 2 weeks before it was obvious he would never be leaving us. Now he's a happy healthy boy who loves absolutely everyone and has taken his proper place on our bed. He knew he was home the second he came in the door and has been sleeping with us ever since. He was quite fearful of most anything at first and would hide his head if you raised your voice even a little. We didn't hear him bark until he had been with us for 4 months! Now he knows there's nothing to be afraid of and is a complete snuggle hound, asking for belly rubs from everyone at any time. He didn't even know how to play with other dogs but quickly caught on after some education from our 7 year old basset, Josie. It's taken time and some work, but he's become settled with almost all of his fearfulness fallen away. We're sure he'll get past the little bit that's left in time and with lots of love. Thank you for letting us be a failed foster home to this truly wonderful dog. Best regards, Marian Waldman

Walter 3/11

Our family is thrilled to have our newest member Walter. He is such a great dog. We had just lost our basset hound dog Harley to cancer several months before. It was such a sad time for the family but we knew that we wanted to bring another dog into our home. I had heard of Golden Gate Basset rescue at "Woofstock" and knew that was where we would find our new family member. My daughter saw Walter's picture on the website and immediately knew he was the dog for us. Since we brought Walter home he has been so much fun, we took him camping and he loves to chase birds. He is so silly and very energetic. He loves to chase the children around the house. We are so happy that we can give Walter a forever home! Thank you Golden Gate Basset Rescue! Angela Burrows

Bradford

We adopted Mr. Bradford a month ago from GGBR. His foster parents, Melinda and Quincy, have done a great job on his weight loss program. We have continued Bradford's diet and exercise program, and he has been looking leaner and more energetic these days. All that loose skin from the weight loss makes him more "smooshy". Bradford is a very sweet and SILLY dog. He loves belly rubs and purrs when stroked and petted. For a basset hound, Bradford is quiet but that may mean he is sniffing around and being mischievous. We have not heard Bradford bay but he barks incessantly at the garbage truck that interrupts his beauty sleep (and ours, too) at 5:00AM on Tuesdays and Fridays. Housetraining Bradford is getting better; he's learning his boundaries and we've had fewer accidents. Riding in the car is still a work in progress. We are discovering new things about Bradford each day. We've noticed that he is highly food-motivated and will easily do tricks with a food reward. We were surprised to discover that he rolls over on command. We've learned Bradford has mastered the art of stealthily pulling table linens to drop food on the floor. He loves to sniff into any container in search of food. Thanks to GGBR for giving us the opportunity to have Bradford in our lives and all the ongoing support. Our lives have become more comic and interesting with Bradford. Rafael & Aileen Banaag

Bowie

Nathan wrote: Sam (Bowie) and Jake are having a great time being brothers. 2 long walks pretty much everyday in the Sierra Mountains above Carson City. Sam is one oversized Basset Hound. Very smart and full of Basset Hound love!!! Few bad habits but he's learning. Very few things they can't do in this home.... Personal chef (me) and grain free dog food. Sam is quite the hunter. We suspect from being in the wild for so long. We love him dearly and he has truly landed in a field of clover! Thank you! We will send a pic now and then...HugZ