Currently, we have three Basset Hounds. Not three Basset Hound mixes, but three genuine Basset hounds...short legs, long backs, droopy ears, deep bellowing bark/howl. Two are brother and sister, they came in together for their owners lost their home, and the other one's owners were hospitalized.
If you've never met a Basset you are truly missing out. Their personality (or is it canineality, or dogality) is unmatched by any other purebred. They have a flair for the dramatic. When they play, their stub legs gallop underneath them with their ears flopping in the wind. It is quite comical. But when a Basset Hound is done, he or she will let you know. They will just plop themselves on the ground, roll onto their side and let out a howl. Bribery doesn't work easily once a Basset decides she is done walking; kibble just doesn't cut it. Bring on the hot dogs.
These dogs have the uncanny ability to melt your heart. I'm not sure if it is those sad eyes, or big floppy ears, or maybe it is the whole package. I do know that hearing a chorus of Basset howls makes even the grumpiest of visitors smile.
