Sunshine (was Bailey)

SUNSHINE (originally named Bailey) Wow, its been almost a year since Sunshine came into our lives. We were originally only going to foster her but four hours into taking care of her we realized there was no way she was leaving our care. Sunshine was about twelve to fourteen months old when we got her from GGBR. We went to go pick her up at the Hayward shelter and the staff there were so sad to see her go. She was a little tentative when we got her but warmed up to us almost immediately. The first night she stayed with us, I put her in a dog bed in the hallway where she was going to sleep. It took me more than twenty times to get her to stay there instead of sleeping with us in our bedroom. I had read how stubborn and willful the breed is and knew from the get go, that I had to establish who was the dominant female in the family. A challenge that has diminished greatly (that’s not to say she conveniently forgets her name when she wants to). Although now that she’s so in our hearts its hard to say no when she jumps up on the bed to say goodnight or to take a “nap” with either me or my husband. She is one of the sweetest creatures I have ever encountered. I know I am bias but every single person who passes her on the street or meets her comments on how beautiful and cute she is. See the attached pictures. She makes us laugh and chuckle every day. And she is not only cute but very smart, willful as all get out and an amazing runner! One of the funniest things is to see her flying around Joaquin Miller Dog Park with her ears flapping as she chases the larger dogs. And folks respond, ”Wow, she’s really fast!” Another of her favorite things to do is to make friends at Point Isabel. She recently has discovered swimming and now likes going into the ocean or into the water to play with other dogs. Adopting Sunshine was one of the best things my husband and I have done during our newlywed year. I feel like we have a real family. Five months ago we adopted a kitten so Sunshine can have a play partner and its amazing to see them wrestle, chase and play with one another…complete joy is in our home. I wish we had a larger house and more time so we could foster at least one more basset but I’m hoping as Sunshine continues to get more settled we can foster another beautiful basset. When we first got Sunshine, folks would stop us on the street and exclaim how they grew up with bassets and how they love the breed. I was a little surprised at the passion and vehemence at how folks extolled the virtues of the breed. And now, since we have one of our own, I understand the extreme delight of a basset hound owner. I am truly a convert now. Can’t wait until next year’s Waddle…it was our first GGBR event and such an amazing time. At least three times a week of extol the wonders and importance of GGBR and tell everyone who we meet that if they are interested in fostering or adopting this wonderful breed they should contact GGBR. I hope that some people have followed up on the wonderful opportunity to bring bassets into wonderful, loving homes.

Sherlock & Sapphire

Dear GGBR, picking up the bassets went well. They are beautiful. The drive down and back went great. They are doing well. They started off slow and scared. Sapphire is the girls name and she took a little longer to warm up but she is still some what scared. Sherlock is the boys name and he is funny. He is starting to chew, play and we heard him bark for the first time today. Thank you very much for telling us about these bassets. They are beautiful. Both bassets went to the vet for a check up and they are healthy. Sherlock is going in for eye surgery for a cherry eye. Now they have been with us a few weeks, Sapphire has warmed up to me but is still a little scared of the guys. Sherlock is now sleeping on my son’s bed. They are beautiful. The cherry eye surgery was a complete success as you can see from the photos. Thank you once again for sending us to these dogs!

Sugar

Sugar has been so lucky to find the perfect match for her new forever owner. Stephen Jenner tells the following story: "I sold my MINI and got a Pathfinder because, among other things, it has more room for her. No matter how much room I give her in the back she wants to be up front with me. Yes, she still has moods. If she doesn’t want to do something it isn’t going to happen and if she wants it to happen it will. She’s big on pouting. Fortunately we’re compatible enough. She is quite aggressive around food with everyone except me and when there is a chew toy involved she’s even aggressive with me. I just learn where her boundaries are. I feed her when we are alone. She hasn’t acted badly around children, but I decided it’s better if I just don’t let children come up. Other than all that she is the most affectionate critter I’ve ever had. Oh, and she eats her beds. I’ve also never had a dog that needs so many baths. I’ve had three bassets and could usually get by with once a month, she needs it every week, sometimes more often. Fortunately there is a dog wash at a local Pet Food Express store. She’s a flirt at work. Whenever any of the guys comes up to pet her she rolls over on her back for a tummy rub faster than you can blink. I could hire a team of people to do nothing but rub her tummy and it wouldn’t be enough! We're planning on being at the Waddle in July!" Sugar's story shows that even dogs with issues can find themselves a great home that understands those issues and finds a way to work with them. Congratulations Sugar!!

Sadie Mae

We adopted Sadie Mae 2 years ago from your organization. Sorry it has taken me so long to let you know she is doing so well! She adapted to our household very quickly, and although not terribly fond of cats, she now has 3 that she does very well with, along with any foster animals I bring home from the Humane Society where I work. She whines an awful lot, but it's something we have become quite used to, and although she is now about 12 years old, she is still going strong and we anticipate several more good years. Thank you for all your hard work! Sadie Mae is wonderful, and I do believe that Gloria had to hold onto her for a couple days until the volunteer could come and get her and she drove her nuts with her whining! anyway, yes, things are great, and when Sadie Mae travels to the Rainbow Bridge, although I imagine it will be a few more years, I will be looking to adopt another older female. Possibly even sooner, who knows?? Thanks, Holly Hautala & Stu Graham

Seymour (formerly Hector)

UPDATE - Happy holidays! I wanted to give you all an update on Seymour (formerly Hector). He is the love of our lives doing very well. He's about 44 lbs now (way up from the 32 lbs when SPCA first found him), and as one of our friends put is, is quite 'svelte'. He's a really active and playful pup, and is always happy to chase other dogs at the dog park, go for a walk by the marina, or run circles around us in the living room. Pretty much everything Seymour does cracks us up! You know those springy door stoppers on the back of many doors in the house? He enjoys batting at them with his paw to make them go "sproing" and then he barks at them. He'll also bark at other dogs at the park if they ignore him. Luckily he doesn't bark otherwise (only in play), and we've had no worries about him when he's home alone. We have discovered the many things he enjoys chewing on. Besides his usual kong and rope toys, he loves our socks, plastic bottles, and paper (including dollar bills), so we do have to be careful of what is left out. Especially on the coffee table, which is just the right height for him to take anything off of (remote controls). Good thing he can't reach the kitchen counter! Another of his quirks are some of the things he seems to be afraid of. Usually if its something new he hasn't seen before (we think) he'll shy away from it. Like a handful of bubbles from a bubble bath! He was really funny about it - he'd back away when he saw the bubbles, but later if they were on the floor, he'd come up and then get bubbles all over his snout and ears. Overall, Seymour is a great dog, and makes us smile every day. We'll will never tire of looking into those big brown eyes, or scratching behind all those furry folds. We are very grateful that we lucked out with such a wonderful dog, and really appreciate the efforts GG Basset Rescue to place him with us, as well as caring so much for all the other bassets in need. Please feel free to share our story and photos with others. You'll see that Seymour was a scuba diver for Halloween - he's such a good sport! Cheers, Diane and Rob Haas November 2008. Original story: Seymour (Hector) is doing great! He's starting to respond to his name and eat well. He's been to the local dog park a few times and he has a blast - he's so fun to watch. We even met another basset there yesterday! He does seem to get a little intimidated by some tall people (but he knows Rob now), but hopefully he'll grow out of it. Everyone loves him, and we're so happy he's part of our family! Thanks so much for all of your help in providing us with a wonderful little guy. --Seymour was adopted in June 2008