That
so many Basset Hounds are in rescue centers bears tragic testimony to their unique
personalities: They are special animals. Having owned several dogs, I thought
I knew them. But that changed when I married the owner of a Basset Hound.
Filled with unwarranted cockiness about "my knowledge of dogs," I was reluctant
to believe what my wife told me about her hound, Fritzie. Shrugging it off
as advice from an overly protective female who had never before owned a pet, I
enrolled Fritzie in obedience school. Put delicately, Fritzie had no aptitude
for it. No, he was neither dumb nor unwilling. He simply couldn't
see the point of all the exercises: the unwarranted importance given trivial matters.
Over the first few months of our marriage, I began to see the truth of what my
wife had been telling me all along--BASSETS ARE DIFFERENT.
Therein
lies the source of misunderstandings that often end in a tragedy. Once one
accepts that they are different and resolves to live with it and even to celebrate
it, life with a Basset becomes a joyous adventure. The difference?
Well, the Basset does not have a spirit of subservience. They are full partners,
with considerable integrity and independence and monumental intelligence.
In these areas, the Basset is more like a cat than a dog.
Getting along with your Basset is easy-- if you have a sense
of humor, are philosophical, patient, and secure within yourself. Otherwise,
get a Labrador, a Shelty, or some other breed: but no Bassets. Beneath their
lugubrious exterior lies an ocean of joy, a fountain of happiness, and enough
mischief to liven up a funeral parlor.
