Molly (3/13)

When we started our search to add a dog to our family, I knew we had to give basset hounds a try. After all, with a 3 year old in the house we need a trustworthy, patient dog that also wouldn't chase our cats. Not an easy task, or so I thought. We went to pick up Molly and loved her from the start. She is friendly, has giant paws and loves to go for walks. She is also sufficiently lazy that she does not demand attention or wake up earlier than the rest of the house. She fits in perfectly with our family and has made lots of friends at the dog park and the kid park. She loves to lay out in the sun on our patio and is trying desperately to befriend the cats. We are looking forward to participating in the local pet parades and GGBR events with our new family member! Alison

Maggie

My name is Maggie, also known as Maggie-Poo, Magpie and Sweet Baby Girl, depending on Mom’s mood. I am a South Fork Kennels survivor and I had glaucoma. Both of my eyes were removed in January, 2012. My new Mom came to meet me at the veterinary hospital on the day I had my stitches removed. I was afraid nobody would want to adopt me, being blind and having no eyes, but guess what?!? A lady in Stockton contacted GGBR specifically ASKING for a blind dog!! Mom says I’m exactly the little girl she was looking for. I have a brother, his name is Mo. He’s half basset and half Aussie. Mom calls him a Bassetralian Shephound. He has short legs and a long body just like me, but his ears stand straight up and he has long, silky hair. He’s a couch potato with a strong herding instinct and he’s the best brother I could ever have wanted. Mo is trying to teach me to play with toys, something I never had a chance to learn when I worked at the puppy mill. I’m really happy in my new home J Lynda Beckler

Miss Gracie

Gracie is another foster failure. She is just the sweetest. Once again my daughters and I drove to Salinas …. This time to pull 2 female bassets who had been dumped by the side of the road near a farm labor camp. Gracie was a little thin and obviously overbred but not in too bad shape otherwise. The shelter was full and these girls reached their out date and I pulled them both. The other basset (Ruby) was picked up by Susan R at my home. Gracie met Snoopy and LuLu (my resident bassets) and made herself at home. Gracie is gorgeous and there was an immediate (like within a week) inquiry for her. She wasn’t even spayed yet (it was scheduled). I spoke to the folks and I told Donna that I just didn’t feel it was a good fit. After discussing it with my family we realized that there was no home anywhere which would be as good a fit for Gracie as our home, and so she stayed. Part of it probably has to do with our loss of Cyrus (a lab who was nearly 9 who succumbed to a bought of the flu) on 8/1. Snoopy and LuLu took to Gracie like a duck to water and as did we all and couldn’t deal with another loss so soon. Gracie and LuLu love to wrestle and play …. They are each others favorite chew toy. Gracie has a bit more puppy in her than LuLu did, she steals stuff and she makes mischief and she chews on remotes and she counter cruises. She’s adorable and she knows it …. So she gets away with a lot. We brought her home on 8/12 and she’s really been very easy. I claim she’s a dickens but she’ll go 4-5 days between accidents …. Which is wonderful for a dog who has clearly never been a pet before … and getting better all the time. She steals stuff but only really chews up paper. She’s learning to snuggle, at first she would only cuddle other dogs but these days she will curl up and let me hug her for minutes. LuLu is my kissy girl but Gracie is picking it up. In the photo, Gracie and LuLu (can you believe how much alike they look, probably the same #*I@ puppy mill).and Snoopy are on the 3 dog couch, which is where they hang out when I work from home. It amazed me how these hounds love each other like they’ve always been together. Snoopy is another rescue …. Do you almost 2 years ago about a hound who came into the South County Santa Clara shelter bonded to a rather aggressive Austrailian shepard …. The shelter said austrialian shepard rescue took the other dog and left Snoopy …. And I came and bailed Snoopy out before GGBR could grab him … he has his own story, that’s for another day.

Molly

On Saturday, February 5th, Molly's owner - a young soon to be college student, drove to my home in the Placerville foothills with Molly. She wanted to see for herself that Molly would be living in a "country" home on 5 acres of land. My husband and I were finishing up securing the 1 acre fenced area around the house when they arrived. Molly was let out and was met by a curious and little bit reluctant "Chico" our macho little Chihuahua. It took some time and some treats and soon Chico realized everybody was his friend. Naturally, Molly was curious about Chico and wanted to sniff him and Chico was being a little bit agressive so we put him inside so Molly could relax. Molly wanted to meet and greet me an my husband. She was very friendly and personable. But what she wanted most was to explore! She smelled a critter hole and started digging. This was OK because most of our property is "natural" and not landscaped. She was a little bit scared of the horse, mini horse and goat in the ajoining pasture. But she was very subdued and did not bark at them or provoke them in any way and they appreciated that about her and were curious and friendly toward her, willing to be her friends. We showed Molly and her owner the inside of our house and how parts have gates so that dogs can be carefully monitored on carpets. Chico is a little dog and sometimes has a problem in big spaces when left alone. Molly's owner had brought all her toys and her bed as well as all her favorite snacks. We put Molly's toys with all the other dog toys. She started to pick out some of the new ones and play. She showed us how good she was at making the toys squeek! Molly was adorable. As the day drew on Molly's owner reluctantly realized it was time for her to go. I knew how hard this was for her. She was genuinely relieved and happy to see that Molly was going to be happy in her new home. As she drove away through the property gate she smiled through her tears and we promised to keep in touch and let her know she was welcome to visit any time! I had Molly on her leash and we continued along the road. We walked to the neighbors who have a beautiful property full of rock formations, trees, and interesting planters and natural gardens. She also loves animals and has 5 dogs and 14 cats! She rescues dogs and cats and has a Basset Hound that is 14! Molly was happy to visit with the dogs and explore the area. The cats were smart and stayed out of sight. Everyone was very excited to meet Molly and happy that she would be the new neighbor. After the visit I took Molly on down the road for a long walk. We went around the lake nearby. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and the air warm. Molly settled in easily and it has been 2 weeks and she has not had any accidents. Chico warmed up to Molly and they tend to go out at the same times and sort of hang out. We have 2 indoor cats and and one outdoor and Molly is still learning to control her urge to chase them. She tries really hard. We know from past experience that at some point the urge will be gone. We acclimate her to the cats who are both very docile and sweet. The outdoor cat likes to hang out with dogs and has his own way of "training" new ones. Molly is no longer afraid of the horses or goat. In fact one evening I had to walk the horse because he had signs of collick. I walked him all over areas of our property even unfenced areas and Molly stayed close by without wandering off. The horse acted gently toward her and seemed happy that she was not the type to tease or herd. Molly is very sweet and loves to hang out and be close. She is a great cuddler. She is adorable and plays with all kinds of toys. She sleeps through the night and eats well and is an all round great dog. We are so pleased to have Molly as part of our family. Thank you to everybody at Golden Gate Basset Hound Rescue for all that you do - for making this match possible. Sincerely, Judie Stanley

Mr. Mackey

We have been so happy with Nabby and he seems to be very happy with us! Even since he came home, he has been a very easy dog. He likes to play with our older dog and our friends' dogs. He likes to take walks and have his tummy rubbed. He makes us laugh with his sometimes funny expressions and the way he will run around the kitchen with his little squeaky toy. He did very well in puppy class and made lots of new friends. At night he likes to cuddle up on his little bed (or next to us on the couch!). After awhile he goes right into is crate and sleeps through the night. We feel so lucky to have this precious little dog! Thank you Golden Gate Basset Rescue! Thanks again, Elizabeth