Cooper

Cooper came into our lives like a bolt of lightning. We were living a fairly staid life, comfortable but missing the two dogs we had lost this year. We had adopted a Rescue Staghound as a companion for our other two dogs, and she was a gem, taking over as queen of the pack with scarcely a ripple. We had feelers out for a Basset Hound, looking for a mature dog to replace the Basset mix I once had. In-stead, Donna Lim of GGBR offered us a puppy, a starveling of 10 weeks or so that GGBR had rescued from death at the hands of the Sacramento City Pound. Sallie looked at me and said “A puppy!?” “I'll take all responsibility,” I replied, not remembering (or choosing not to remember) past puppies I had raised. We agreed to take him. His name was Cooper. When we picked him up he looked like a big-headed dachshund with legs like tree trunks. He couldn't move forward without stepping on his own ears. He pooped and peed and threw up in the car on the trip home, then nestled in under my arm with his head in my lap. I was hooked. Since then it has been a little like opening Pandora's box. Not that anything evil ever came out of this little guy, but he was a constant whirlwind of chewing, romping, bookeating, toiletpaper unrolling, wastebasket exploring,peeing and pooping, a dog who wanted to taste everything life had to offer. We had had him three days when he had to go to the emergency room at VCA in Sacramento. He had to stay overnight. The next day when we came to get him, he romped all over the car, threw his toys in the air and gave little yelps of joy. He was so afraid we were going to abandon him! He's now a 5 mo old adolescent, knows to sit and wait for food, to go to the door when he has to go. Our Staghound has taken him under her wing and taught him some doggie manners. She is his doggie mom, and they play together for hours. He has been quick to learn some human commands and he will start Basset school soon. He can still be a goofy puppy. We love him.

Dory

We adopted Dory (who we named Bailey) in October. We were married in September, 2009 and have no children yet, but had been discussing getting a dog for awhile. We wanted to rescue a dog but also wanted a puppy so the Finding Nemo Litter was the perfect compromise for us. When we went to visit Kendra's, we fell in love with Bailey immediately. She came right over to us and had the funniest, spunkiest personality. We also loved the way she watched and followed around the children that came to visit as well. Since we took her home, she has fit in to our family perfectly. We have two cats and the three of them have fun chasing each other around the house. Sometimes when Bailey gets a little too excited, the kitty's give her a light swat to remind her who is in charge! There is never a dull moment around here anymore... Bailey loves to go wine tasting with us and sits calmly in the tasting rooms people watching and taking it all in. She is a very social and people-loving dog so she goes everywhere with us and loves it, which is exactly what we hoped for! She has grown so much in the few months we have had her (a little more than what we had expected) but she still thinks she is a tiny puppy who can sit in your lap... We just don't have the heart to tell her she isn't so little anymore! We are so grateful to the Golden Gate Basset Rescue for sponsoring these beautiful dogs and we are especially thankful to Kendra Fortino for being the angel who took in Lucy and gave our puppy such a good start in life. We can't imagine our life without our beautiful Bailey girl!! Amy & Tim O'Connor (and the kitty's Bootsie and Theo) Novato, California

Georgia

Georgia has been with us for about 2 months now and we are totally in love with her. We never hesistated when it came to adopting an older dog. Although she's 9 years old, we've taken her on 5+ mile hikes, no problem! She's equally happy running around the dog park as she is sleeping on her doggy bed, which makes her a great fit in our small apartment home. Plus, she came completely house broken! She is sweet and gentle, she loves to play with her squeaky toys, give hugs, and get her belly rubbed. We adopted Georgia thinking we were going to be able to give her a happier life and, in return, she's given us a happier life. -Scott and Rayne Loder

Zoey

Thank you GGBR for bringing Zoey into our lives. She is the most amazing little dog. Damian and I wanted to get a dog and he was interested in basset hounds. After a lot of searching for the perfect dog, Zoey appeared one day and Damian knew she was the one. She has brought so much happiness to our lives. She is friendly to everyone she meets, people, children and other animals. She even has become good friends with my 11 yr old cat Cleo, they often chase each other and sleep in the same bed. Zoey also loves playing with us, her mommy and daddy, but only on her terms. She loves chewing on anything she can find, socks are her favorite. We love taking her almost everywhere we go. She insists on sitting in my lap and sticking her head out the window of the car, but not on the freeway, its just too fast for her. Zoey hates water, she tolerates bath time, but she despises swimming and sprinklers that can get her wet! We are so excited to watch her grow older and get wrinkles. UPDATE 12/6/2010: Hello Golden Gate Basset Rescue! Happy Holidays! I just wanted to give you an update on Zoey and her super spoiled life. Well, we adopted a second dog. See photos attached. His name is Broady and he is a 10 month old Lhasa Apso/Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen mix. We adopted him through GEPDA (gepdaus.org). Just like Zoey, when we saw his picture on petfinder we knew he was the dog for us. Zoey and him are getting along so well, playing all day long and getting into trouble together. I hope you understand why we decided on this smaller male dog as a companion for Zoey, a male basset would have been too big for our small home and family. Well we still recommend GGBR to anyone who asks about Zoey and were to get a basset. We even frown at people who say they got their bassets from a breeder. Zoey has a ninth nipple and short ears for the standard, but she still is the best female dog in the world, so we will forever disagree with puppy mills and standard breeding. Thank you so much for everything, and I greatly appreciate all the updates and information I get via email.

Betty Jo (Peanut)

Just a little update on Frankie (formally Betty Jo) who was one of the many rescued from the kennel in Red Bluff December 2009: Frankie came to live at my house in March and immediately fell in love with my other dog Otis. She has snuggled her way into a very close friendship with him. It is taking her a while to completely warm up to me still, but we have a good routine that we stick to and we both know when the good times are and enjoy them to the fullest. She quickly learned that she could jump up on my bed and that seems to be where she feels the safest. Mornings are when she gets silly and playful. And bossy --- she barks orders at me while I fix her breakfast. Mornings are when I feel she is her most Basset'y. She still has moments of timidness but I think back to where she was a year ago and know she is so much better off...and I think she knows too. She enjoys her freedom at my house, the "conversations" we have, the warmth or cool air as she needs and nice healthy (and abundant) food. I have to be patient for them, but she gives plenty of kisses of thanks when she is ready. All in all the three of us are very happy with Frankie. She has brought much joy and enlightenment into our home.