The Red Dog Inn

Hiding out from fireworks

On July 4th, Lula took up defensive positions on the couch plastered against my left hip.  Butters became the best foot warmer ever created.  But when friend, Julia, shared this photo of her basset, Barkley, I almost fell off the couch!  Yep, that’s Barkley hiding out from the fireworks in the dryer.  Where does your dog seek cover?

I heard an interesting statistic while watching an interview with Prince Lorenzo Borghese, who started Royal Treatment pet products, on KTLA Morning News. He said, “If 25% of the people who bought their pets would have adopted them instead, we would have no more kill shelters.”

Here’s the thing. If purebreds are your thing, there are scads of purebred rescues! Just do a little research. Butters and Lula were adopted through friends who could no longer keep them.  Do I love them any less than I would an animal I paid $500-$1000 for? Not a chance. 

Will you get a perfect pet? Define “perfect”.  You get what you put into your pet.  

Nonetheless, I firmly believe that there are breeds that are made for special people.  There are pitbull people, and great dane people, and yes, basset hound people.  Do your homework, but don’t be afraid to adopt your next pet.

SENDING LOTS OF WARM FUZZY HUGS TO OUR FRIENDS AT DAPHNEYLAND Basset Hound Rescue!  Miss Henrietta whelped 9 basset-mix puppies yesterday.

Today, we ventured out in the hopes of attending our very first basset hound meet up! We arrived at the park, hopeful that the rain would hold off for an hour or so, but we had no such luck. We did meet some lovely folks from the Southern California Basset Rescue who were apologizing for the rain. 

While Lula greeted her brethren, Butters really tried to not step on them. The coordinator, Nancy, was the picture of calm as eight basset hounds and one “John Wayne All*American Dog” (Butters) swirled around our feet entangling us in a web of leashes.  (Incidentally, if you need something lashed down really well, basset hounds may be the best ropers on the planet!)

Over the past couple months, I’ve met some really neat folks who work with bassets. Among them are Nancy who organizes the basset hound meet ups, and Dawn who runs Daphneyland, home to 100 bassets eagerly awaiting their forever homes.

The upshot is this. If you have dog, find other folks who have the same breed of dog. If you have an independent breed, like a basset, or a particular breed type, like a giant breed or a sight hound, it helps to know you’re not alone.  Whatever the breed or breed type you have, you can learn from each other, get training tips and more.

I LOVE:: the basset hound folks who help make Life with Lula even more fun!

Learn more about the Orange County, CA Basset Hound Meet-Up here: http://www.bhrsc.info/