Lily (9/12)

Our love story with Garnatxa started 7 years ago, so please bear with us until you judge her exquisite name. We got married 7 years ago and have been planning to have a dog since then. Major disagreement point: the breed. Wife was crazy about basset hounds. Husband wanted a "smarter" dog. Finally, in conjunction with the 2012 primaries, the basset hound campaign started for real! Husband was opening his mind to the breed, specially after we were introduced to the wonderful work of the Golden Gate Basset Rescue. Our house was inspected by two dear bassets, we went to the Basset Hound Waddle in Novato and that was it. Mission accomplished! Husband is in! Yay! All forms are filled! Yay! We got approved by the diligent people of GGBR! Yay! But... wait! Where is our dog? All we wanted was a young dog because this was going to be our first dog and we were not ready for a senior one yet. We waited, we waited, we waited. Three months went by... We decided to go on a trip and try another breed after we came back home. We were wine tasting in Spain and we finally got the email! There was a girl for us! Even before meeting her, we knew she was ours and we immediately picked a name: Garnatxa (the Catalan word for grenache, the wine grape). Of course, we didn't think about the unpronounceable aspect of it, we just stuck to it because it was a very important moment for us (and probably because we had tasted a little bit too much). Your guess is right: people do have a hard time in understanding it, but you know what? They don't forget it! Because Garnatxa is unforgettable, unmissable, irresistible. She has been such a gift! She spontaneously went to her bed at bedtime on day 1 and even came housebroken. She has been learning some commands at a "smart dog" speed. Because she is smart. Because basset hounds are smart and one should not be fooled by their omnipresent emotional side. Garnatxa can outtrick us with her workarounds and proactive requests. She talks with her eyes all the time. She has the funniest way of stretching herself. She barks sparsely (our greatest fear) and she lets us have dinner quietly at the table. She takes center stage every time she is at the dog park. A problem? She needs some modeling classes because it is impossible to take a good frontal picture without her moving towards the camera. In case you ever bump into us, you better start practicing pronouncing her name: Gar.na.cha (like the Mexican nachos, the unique scent coming from her ears, as from her foster parents' assessment). And the husband? He can't wait to take her to work wearing her Sherlock Holmes costume on Halloween! Thank you so much to the wonderful people of GGBR, specially Donna (the maestra), Fran (our house inspector), Melinda & Quincy (foster family). Best, Izabel