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Before You adopt...
Before you make the important decision to adopt, ask yourself these questions:
- How many hours am I home? Will that be enough time to feed and exercise my new
basset, in addition to my other activities? (Bassets need lots of
attention. They love people, and want to be near them, when possible.
Adding a basset can sometimes be as time-consuming as adding another child.)
- Is my house set up for a basset hound? Do I have a doggie door and fenced yard? If I
don't have a doggie door, am I home every four to six hours to let the dog
out? (Bassets are like any other dog. They can't and shouldn't have to
wait more than 4 hours between bathroom breaks.)
- Do I have new carpet or furniture? Will I be upset if they get ruined by chewing or
housebreaking problems? (Bassets of all ages love to chew, and will
happily chew furniture in addition to remote controls, electrical cords,
and other expensive toys. They are also notoriously hard to housetrain.)
- Do I make enough money to provide yearly vaccinations and two or three vet visits
per year, assuming the basset I adopt remains healthy? Can I provide
quality food, chew toys, a bed, and other assorted necessities? (Most vet
visits with vaccinations or medication run in the neighborhood of $60 to
$100, but can quickly go even higher when there is a health problem.)
- Is my home situation stable? Am I planning to move soon? Am I renting from a landlord
that doesn't allow pets? Am I starting a new relationship or ending an old
one? Am I expecting a [human] baby? (These are not good times to bring a
new pet into a home.)
- Am I willing to take on all responsibilities for the LIFE of the dog, including
special care as the basset ages? (Bassets have been known to live up to 15
years, but 12 to 13 is more common.)
- Basset Hounds in general do not swim well (if
at all) and therefore can be a high risk for drowning if left with
unsupervised access to a swimming pool. Please be aware that if your home
has an unfenced pool AND you have or will be using a doggie door, AZBHR will
NOT place a dog in your home unless provisions are made that the access to
outside through the doggie door is fenced so there is no access to the pool.
What about homes with small children?
If your family has small children under the age of ten, please think
carefully before making the decision to adopt a dog. We recommend Childproofing
Your Dog by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson as a good book to read
before making any decisions. Small children and dogs lack the capability
of knowing what they should and should not be doing when left alone
unsupervised. Adopting a dog into a home with small children will take
extra effort and training by all family members to be successful. Please
make sure you are willing to take the extra time, effort, and sometimes
money for training classes, that it will take to integrate a dog into your
family.
Still want to adopt?
GREAT! Now comes more important decisions - male or female, purebred or mix, young or old...
Male vs. Female
If you are new to basset hounds, you might be surprised to learn that many
male bassets are laid back and mellow, while some females can be territorial
and more prone to alpha dog behaviors. This is not true for all males, or
all females, but a majority of our volunteers and adoptive homes have found
this to be generally the case. If you are looking for the easygoing
"hush puppy" type of basset, a male is probably best for you.
Here's a testimonial from a happy family:
I will admit, I was one of those folks that put 'female only' on the adoption
application! Save for one old male mutt my family had when I was little, we
always had females. Reason? I was afraid that a male would be constantly
marking his turf. Well, after I met Baxter, he stole my heart! After [my
husband] met Baxter, we knew he was coming home with us! And our Sammy girl
just loves him!!! I think if prospective food-slaves get to meet a sweet
rescue boy, they may change their minds, just like I did! Don't give up!!!! -Dana S.
Purebred vs. Mix
Many basset mixes have the same personalities as purebreds and do not always
suffer from the same health issues. If having a purebred dog is not a
priority, please consider adopting one of our mixes. They are all great dogs
that deserve a second lease on life in a happy home. The number of mixes
that AZBHR is able to help is dependent solely on the number of adoptions.
Young vs. Older
Basset hounds tend to slow down a little as they get older, which can be a
blessing! AZBHR usually has several dogs ages 5 and up that make terrific
pets. They are usually housetrained, affectionate, and take a few more naps
than their younger counterparts. Many families that have opened up their
homes to older bassets have told us that the dogs fit into their daily
routine from the moment they arrived. The gratitude these hounds express to
their new owners is amazing to behold. If you are looking for a basset hound
puppy, please click
here for more information.
content created for Arizona
Basset Hound Rescue by Dena Pierrets
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