Sunshine (was Bailey)

SUNSHINE (originally named Bailey) Wow, its been almost a year since Sunshine came into our lives. We were originally only going to foster her but four hours into taking care of her we realized there was no way she was leaving our care. Sunshine was about twelve to fourteen months old when we got her from GGBR. We went to go pick her up at the Hayward shelter and the staff there were so sad to see her go. She was a little tentative when we got her but warmed up to us almost immediately. The first night she stayed with us, I put her in a dog bed in the hallway where she was going to sleep. It took me more than twenty times to get her to stay there instead of sleeping with us in our bedroom. I had read how stubborn and willful the breed is and knew from the get go, that I had to establish who was the dominant female in the family. A challenge that has diminished greatly (that’s not to say she conveniently forgets her name when she wants to). Although now that she’s so in our hearts its hard to say no when she jumps up on the bed to say goodnight or to take a “nap” with either me or my husband. She is one of the sweetest creatures I have ever encountered. I know I am bias but every single person who passes her on the street or meets her comments on how beautiful and cute she is. See the attached pictures. She makes us laugh and chuckle every day. And she is not only cute but very smart, willful as all get out and an amazing runner! One of the funniest things is to see her flying around Joaquin Miller Dog Park with her ears flapping as she chases the larger dogs. And folks respond, ”Wow, she’s really fast!” Another of her favorite things to do is to make friends at Point Isabel. She recently has discovered swimming and now likes going into the ocean or into the water to play with other dogs. Adopting Sunshine was one of the best things my husband and I have done during our newlywed year. I feel like we have a real family. Five months ago we adopted a kitten so Sunshine can have a play partner and its amazing to see them wrestle, chase and play with one another…complete joy is in our home. I wish we had a larger house and more time so we could foster at least one more basset but I’m hoping as Sunshine continues to get more settled we can foster another beautiful basset. When we first got Sunshine, folks would stop us on the street and exclaim how they grew up with bassets and how they love the breed. I was a little surprised at the passion and vehemence at how folks extolled the virtues of the breed. And now, since we have one of our own, I understand the extreme delight of a basset hound owner. I am truly a convert now. Can’t wait until next year’s Waddle…it was our first GGBR event and such an amazing time. At least three times a week of extol the wonders and importance of GGBR and tell everyone who we meet that if they are interested in fostering or adopting this wonderful breed they should contact GGBR. I hope that some people have followed up on the wonderful opportunity to bring bassets into wonderful, loving homes.