| Getting Along with Your Basset by Jim Connelly |
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. By the way, my wife is from Berlin. In German'. a 'Fritzie' describes a personality not unlike our 'Dennis the Menace.' She aptly named her hound! |
| This site was created by and is maintained by Belinda Winters for BFH Bassets. If you have any questions or comments about our Basset Hounds, email belindawinters@bfhbassets.com |