BassetsRus

2011-12-24T02:56:00.000-08:00

Are they waiting for Santa or is something good cooking in the kitchen?

2011-12-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

As Bruce and I near the one year anniversary (December 23) of arriving in New Hampshire- I think back to an almost more important date of Dec 21st - the day we left Kansas. We left a place where we had lived for most of our adult lives - a comfortable place - a safe place. It was early evening on a Tuesday - we had packed for nearly 4 days. We were tired and anxious. Picking and choosing what e...lse would fit in the moving truck was a difficult task. We were blessed to have neighbors David and Elaine who put us up for a few nights. And to other friends and neighbors who helped and hugged. It was a tough task to decide what to take and what to leave behind - stuff is stuff. And it tests your limits to decide if particular stuff will be needed or necessary in your life going forward. And then there are the people that we left behind in Kansas - I know in my heart of hearts that some of them I will never see again. But some have already been to visit and hopefully more will come to visit in the future. And I know that we will be back in KS in 2012 - Bruce has his 40th high school reunion - so we will make a trip out of it. "What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” ― Henry David Thoreau

2011-08-27T03:57:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Irene. The last report is that here in New Hampshire we could see winds up to 60 mph and 2 to 8 inches of rain depending on how this storm tracks. Ziggy is not too worried as you can see. Bruce and I will move all the outdoor furniture, swing, grill, etc. into the garage part of the barn. This morning we will move the pot bellied pigs, Norman and Tuesday, from their summer barn area to the stall in the regular barn.

2011-06-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

A 3 basset morning... a sight I see as I get ready for work - luckily Bruce goes to work later in the day than I do and the hounds get to stay in bed til he rises. Left to right are Willie, Ziggy and Romeo.

2011-06-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

Our home in Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire. We moved to NH in December of 2010 to be closer to family.

We arrived on 12/23/10. Henry David Thoreau wrote that most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.
I believe Bruce and I are singing our song. Not sure if it is country, rock and roll or hiphop. But we are singing...... Bruce has taken a voice over workshop and I just finished a creative writing class.
This has truly been an adventure for our 30+ year marriage. Many, many laughs, some tears, lots of snow. Winter in a 150+ year old house on 11 acres is a daily challenge - but a glance out a window and the views are amazing. Most thought we were crazy - a few thought we were brave. I think we have surpassed many odds - we are both gainfully employed and loving our new jobs - driving to work or for work (Bruce) the views are amazing. We have made it thru our first winter. WE are so enjoying all the times we are getting to spend with Katie and Dan. Such fun we are having.
All the bassets, pot bellied pigs and cats are doing great.
So now we wait for the garden to be tilled and we will be planting our first NH vegetable garden soon.

2010-07-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly 3 years since I posted to the blog. My last entry is of Leroy who went to the bridge in January 2008 and I just had a hard time bringing myself to post to the blog.
But I must turn over a new leaf and introduce you to my wonderful senior bassets.
This is Roy who came to us last fall because his owners were empty nesters who no longer had time in their lives for him. He is absolutely a character. We are sure in a previous life that he was either a politician or a preacher - as he has a lot to say and an opinion about everything.
Moof, Moof, Moof.... he says on many occasions and I usually just agree with him.
This photo was taken at our local Walk for Life with is the dog version of the American Cancer fundraiser Relay for Life. It was a hot day and we were just resting in the shade.

2007-10-26T12:59:00.001-07:00

This is Leroy in his costume for the contest he entered at the OMBR (Ozark Mountain Basset Rescue) picnic that we attended last weekend.
We had a great time and enjoyed helping the folks at OMBR raise some $$ to help the hounds.
We really enjoy the opportunity to travel a bit with our bassets - we have some houndies who really enjoy getting out and about and mingling with the crowds.
Leroy had a great afternoon and slept the whole way home.
We hope you all have a great fall weekend. It is so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 4 weeks away. The bassets are expecting us to roast them their own turkey this year.
It will be a busy weekend as Elmo will be going to his new home in Omaha. And Snickers and Gravity will be going to their new home in Wichita. And we have a new 10 year old boy arriving from Arkansas. (His owners did not think it was worth it to pay the impoundment fee to get him out.)

Have a great weekend and enjoy your hounds.
Kim

2007-09-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Just Playing....
This is Romeo and Oliver - just playing - lots of alligator mouth in there... ARgggghhh, ARgggghhhh, they can be just so noisy and they are just playing and making as much noise as is possible for two basset boys.
This is nightly entertainment during that rerun season on the television.
Gotta love Bassetvision.
Have a great weekend.

2007-09-20T10:21:00.001-07:00

We love happy endings.....
Here is Shorty and Duds (Dunley) in their new home. Dunley is a uniquely colored bassador - basset and labrador mix.
A note from their adoptive home says -
"Well its been over a week and the Dynamic Duo Duds and Shorty are getty along pretty good. As you can see from the pics they do fight over toys every once and a while. Its funny to see the differences in their personalties. They both crave alot of attention. You can't start playing with one without the other coming along real quick to get in on the action. But where Duds is happy sitting next to me on the couch, Shorty is happy sitting on top of me on the couch.

Shorty is a welcome addition to our family

Thank you very much"

2007-09-19T13:37:00.001-07:00

Meet Shorty.....
Bruce and I picked up Shorty from his foster home and took him to his new home a few weeks ago.
Shorty is a young male of ~ 2 years old and loves everyone. His favorite playmate at his foster home was a young male doxie - they had the best time.
Shorty was adopted by one of our previous adopters who had adopted Dunley - now know as Duds. Duds and his family desired to add another basset to their household so contacted us and we found that Shorty was a great match.
It is always such a great feeling to find that furever home for one of our bassets.

2007-08-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Just Chillin' by the Pool....
This is my handsome boy, Willie, just chillin' by the pool. His mother was a puppy mill survivor from about 4 years ago.
He has been practicing his sidestroke as he will be going to one of the Lenexa, KS pools this saturday for a Doggie Swim day sponsored by Lenexa Animal Control and Lenexa Parks and Recreation. BassetsRus will have a booth with goodies to sell to help the hounds at the ranch.
We have been busy making cement pawprint shaped garden stepping stones to sell.
Hope to see you there.

2007-07-19T13:56:00.001-07:00

Don't Worry.... It is a friendly licking my chops kodak moment.
Shane kitty has lived with us nearly 7 years. He has no idea he is a cat - he wonders in and out with the bassets just like he is one of them.
Boomer on the left was rescued from a kill shelter in MO in 2004. He was approx. 8 + years old then. He was heartworm positive and went through the treatment.
He was available for adoption for several years but recently decided he would accept the offer to be a resident retiree.

2007-07-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Leroy doing the "I am a happy basset rolling on my back on the grass dance" - Leroy is one of our most senior hounds both by age and the length of time he has been at the ranch.
On this past Tuesday Leroy had his teeth cleaned and several lumps removed. He had to have several teeth removed. On Wednesday he was a bit punky but these pics were taken on Wednesday evening and he is a feeling pretty darn good for an old basset boy.
The week before he had his senior physical - bloodwork, eye exam, urinalysis, ekg, etc.
He would like to say a big thank you to his guardian angel who donated the $$$ to take care of his recent vet work.
He does have the most velvet of ears as I think he keeps them so soft because he is an ear sucker - usually in the evening during quiet time he can be seen sucking his ears - first one then the other. I have to be quicker some time and get this on film - or video better yet.

2007-07-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here's Herbie...
We recently rescued little old Herbie from the shelter in Tulsa, OK where he was due to be euthanized. What a little doll he is. He arrived here almost 3 weeks ago and had some pretty nasty upper respiratory stuff going on so he stayed at the vet for 5 days.
He is happy at the ranch now and is approx. 7 years old and weighs in at only 34 lbs.

2007-06-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Katie's back in Kansas.....
Katie is our wonderful daughter who we are so happy to say is back in Kansas at least for a year or so. Katie was residing in Pasadena, CA and working at a local family owned theatre as their stage manager and also at the Los Angeles Zoo as a vet technician. After much soul searching she made the decision to return to college to complete some pre requisites so she could apply to vet school.
She already has her B.A. which she got from the College of Santa Fe with a major in Theatre and a minor in Biology. So she is working on science classes and then she will begin the process of applying to universities that offer vet degrees.

Katie has been an animal lover since she was a small child. She always tells people that she knew more about puppy mills at the age of 8 than most adults will every know. She has been involved in rescue work for many years while growing up in our home.
so we are happy to introduce you all to Katie.

2007-06-15T14:06:00.001-07:00

Sorry, sorry, sorry we have not posted to our blog lately. We have been busy, busy, busy with hounds and family. Will post some news this weekend.
Have a great Father's Day!!!!!

2007-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hello there.... it's me Tobie and I have my nose to the wind checking out all the smells of the country life.
How does a basset get the neighborhood news? Through it's nose of course.

Of all a dog's senses, it's sense of smell is the most highly developed. Dogs have about 25 more times olfactory (smell) receptors than humans do. These receptors occur in special sniffing cells deep in a dog's snout and are what allow a dog to "out-smell" humans.

Dogs can sense odors at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can. They can detect one drop of blood in five quarts of water!!! Sniffing the bare sidewalk may seem crazy, but it yields a wealth of information to your dog, whether it's the scent of the poodle next door or a whiff of the bacon sandwich someone dropped last week.

When a dog breathes normally, air doesn't pass directly over the smell receptors. But when a dog takes a deep sniff, the air travels all the way to the smell receptors, near the back of the dog's snout. So for a dog, sniffing is a big part of smelling.

A dog can sniff out all sorts of smells  that human noses miss. Because of this keen sense of smell, we can train them  for jobs such as tracking, rescue, or drug and bomb detection and to detect a  wide variety of specific scents, such as drugs, fruits or the feces of  particular animals. Dogs that make a living by sniffing are trained to alert  their handlers to the presence of these things by pawing, barking, or in the  case of something dangerous, sitting quietly. They are trained by the promise of  a favorite toy or play time each time they successfully sniff out the target  scent.

I am so glad I could give you this lesson in how a dog's nose works.
Have a great weekend.
Tobie

2007-05-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

He looks pretty comfy to me - what do you all think?
This is Oliver - adopted from us back in 2003 and returned to us a few weeks ago because the child in the family is allergic to him. He is a great basset but is now approaching middle age so is not so attractive as an adoptable basset.
He has settled back into our home like he has always lived here.... it is always amazing how quickly they remember that they once lived under our roof and are happy to be here again.

2007-04-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

If the hounds could talk...
Maybe they could tell us the story of where they have been and how they got their war wounds.
I heard the following song for the first time last night and thought how appropriate it was for many rescued animals who have wounds and heartache that they cannot tell us about so we go on forward day to day always wondering.
This picture is of Roscoe's ear wounds that we will never know from where they came.
Many bassets in our care have come from puppy mills and other terrible situations that they cannot tell us about - so we shower them with love and affection and make all the rest of their days wonderful ones.

The Story by Brandi Carlile

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true...I was made for you

I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
Yeah you do and I was made for you

You see the smile that's on my mouth
Is hiding the words that don't come out
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed
They don't know my head is a mess
No, they don't know who I really am
And they don't know what I've been through but you do
And I was made for you...

2007-04-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

OUR NEW LOGO....
We are so proud to present our new logo - done by a past adopter of many, many years ago.

Our primary focus will be to provide a retirement environment for senior and special needs bassets. We will also continue to provide rehabilitation to bassets who have lived in commercial breeding environments better known as puppy mills.

And as our current adoptable bassets find forever, responsible, loving homes it will be our desire to "rescue" fewer adoptable bassets - we hope that area rescue groups will make room for the adoptable bassets in our part of the country. We will direct prospective adopters in the direction of several area basset rescue groups who have wonderful adoptable dogs.

We would like to concentrate our efforts on the health and happiness of our seniors and special needs.
Have a great weekend.
Kim and the hounds

2007-03-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

WHAT A LIFE!!!!!!!
Bowser, our long legged basset youngster, lounging on one of the many dog beds.
What a clown he is - he really endeavors to be a lap dog and will be in my lap any opportunity he gets.
But when that lap is not available he will settle for a cushy dog bed instead.
Current dog bed count in our house is:
Kitchen - 2
Dining room - 7
Living room - 6
downstairs bedroom - 4
Of course they also have a couch and several toddler beds to enjoy.
We have made extra washable covers for most of the beds.
Laundry is a full time job around here.

2007-03-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Just a nap in the sunshine.....
This is Leroy enjoying a snooze on this past sunday afternoon. Leroy is approx 12 years old and is one of our resident hounds.
He came to us many years ago and was just one of the bassets that moved in and said "I'm Staying!!!" He came from Manhattan, KS where he was hit by a car and taken to the vet school hospital there and no one ever claimed him.
Leroy has attended many events with us serving as one of our ambassador hounds. He loves to go to work with me on occasion also.
He is truly a gentle old man and sleeps around 23 hours a day. One of his favorite things to do is be assisted in climbing the stairs to our second floor bedroom - and thus getting to sleep with Mom.

2007-03-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

After a busy spring day....
These 2 bassets are getting a much needed nap. The hounds spent most of the day out in the yard yesterday as we did some spring time chores.
This is Bosley on the left and Bowser on the right.
They are both longer legged bassets and are both about 2 years old.
We are getting ready to put in a new back door with a new dog door. They are such great helpers.
Have a great week.
Kim

2007-03-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Meet Roscoe....
Roscoe (age 11) and 3 females were recently rescued from a backyard breeder in Arkansas where they lived together in an 8 x 8 pen in horrific conditions. Roscoe and the girls were badly treated and terribly neglected.
The 3 females were younger and more adoptable so they are being fostered and placed for adoption thru Ozark Mountain Basset Rescue.
Roscoe needed a place to enjoy the last of his senior years so he came to us at BassetsRus.
We have a special place in our hearts for those who have endured many years of irresponsible breeding - with little personal attention. We hope we can make up for lost time with Roscoe and he can thoroughly enjoy his "retirement" with us.
He does not want to make eye contact which is common in a dog so neglected and beaten down.
He has healed scars on the top of his head and the top of his ear. His ears are pretty ripped up on the ends.
After a few hours with us last nite he was very responsive and all about wagging that happy basset tail.
Stay tuned for more updates on Roscoe.
Have a great weekend.
Kim

2007-02-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

We love happy endings......
Meet Dunley - came into rescue in Spring of 2006 and waited til December of 2006 to have a forever home.
He has a great home with some kids to play with. He is lovingly known as a bassador - mix of a basset and a labrador. Lots of great qualities from both breeds.

as ever,
Kim

2007-02-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Heart Day!!!!!

We all wish you a happy day. This is Bowser, our long legged basset, who has a heart on his side.

Have a great day,
Kim

2007-02-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hi there - my name is Pokie. My mom mostly calls be Pokie Bear. I am a little man - I only weigh about 30 lbs but it is all muscle. I have lived at the ranch for nearly 5 years. I came from a not very nice breeder in Oklahoma and I had some real leg problems when I first arrived but with therapy and time I get along just fine.
I thought a couple times about getting a new adoptive home but I talked to the head food slave and I just can't stand the thought of leaving here so I am a permanent ranch basset.
One of our BassetsRus supporters sent this care bears comforter for us to test out and I find it a very comfy thing to have on the couch.
as Mom would say "Have a great week!"
signed,
Pokie

2007-01-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Spencer gets a ride.....
Spencer found himself in a shelter not too far from the retirement ranch and a Golden Retriever Rescue in Colorado was accepting him into their program but he needed a ride so we were happy to give Spencer a ride this past saturday. We drove him from Osawatomie, KS to Topeka, KS where he met the next relay driver.
Spencer is a great senior golden and we could have kept him in a heartbeat but there are so many senior bassets that need us.
Have a great day,
Kim

P.s. yes that's me with Spencer.

2006-12-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

Meet Bowser....
Thought I would take some time in the next couple weeks and introduce you to some of our resident bassets.
Bowser is approx 18 months old - the youngest hound in our household.
He is a long legged basset - double in height to his house mates.
He is also what I lovingly call a "dot dog" - he has a dot of red on the top of his white head.
Bowser is a real lover and even with his long legged size he desires to be a lap dog whenever possible. He curls up like a lamb sometimes when sleeping or sleeps on his back with those long legs flopped this way and that.
have a great week,
Kim

2006-12-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

Meet Penny.....
Penny has been with us since 1999. When she came to rescue we thought she was a puppy but the vet diagnosed her as a "dwarf." She is very small for a basset and since being in rescue has lost her eyesight in both eyes.
She is seen here happily chewing on a nylabone. And she has the best nose in the county. Just let one piece of kibble from dinnertime roll under the upright piano and she will fuss and fume til we move the darn piano just so she can get that one morsel of kibble.

We've read that the typical dog has about 220 million smell receptors in its nose, compared to about 5 million receptors in a person. We figure Penny must have twice the normal number for a dog!
Penny loves to lay in your arms like a baby and has been to many events with us and ususally spends the whole time in someone's arms.
Have a wonderful week.
Kim

2006-11-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

Boxer Alert.....
Don't worry it is just one of the neighboring boxer girls. But part of the gang had to run to the fence and alert us to the nearness of intruders. It was a wonderful, sunny November day and we were out in the yard raking leaves and poop scooping. Of course all the hounds need to help and we keep the camera close for those "kodak" moments.

Closest to the camera is 10 year old Abby (given up a year ago when she was tossed into the backyard of an ex-husband who did not want her). From left in the picture are Bowser (our 18 month old long-legged basset), Romeo, Bonnie, Willie and Speedy (who is completely blind but joins in with the gang at every opportunity and at the moment of the camera click was shouting ahhhrrrroooooooooo.)
Have a great day,
Kim

2006-11-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hurry Roger..........
Roger is our furnace repairman and was here this weekend to do maintenance/upkeep on our furnace in the
dining room . We live in a 100 year old farm house so most days are an adventure. As you can see he had some helper bassets to assist him. (Not that they were much help as they were sound asleep.)
He is so wonderful with the hounds and his wife also comes with him.
That is Speedy on his right and Abby on his left. When this heater is running many of the hounds bask in the blowing warm air. We lovingly call them the "heat hogs."

2006-11-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

We love Boomerang I.D. Tags
We all wear boomerang tags on our collars. These tags are donated by a wonderful friend of BassetsRus. Each tag has our name and several phone numbers and our address - and if the tag is for a blind dog it lets people know that.
And every adopter gets one for their new family member with all their personal information.
I.D. tags are very important and they are life savers many times over should a dog get lost for any reason.
visit www.boomerangtags.com to order one for your four legged family members.
Have a great weekend,
Kim, Bruce and the houndies

2006-11-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome Foggy (short for Foghorn),
Foggy came to us from a shelter in southern Kansas where he came in as a stray. He was never reclaimed and was rescued by a wonderful local animal lover.
She delivered him to BassetsRus just a few days ago.
Bruce took Foggy to the vet and he got all his vaccinations, was heartworm tested (which came back negative) and was given a clean bill of health except for the fact that he needs to gain about 15 lbs. (he only weighs 38 lbs) --- he was already neutered and is very personable so some where along the road of life somebody did give Foggy some attention. Why he ended up in a shelter and went unclaimed we will never know.
So Foggy is on his road to weight gain in a BassetsRus foster home.
sincerely,
Kim

2006-11-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

2 Handsome boys.....
I just had to post this picture of two of my boys. On the left is Willie who will be 4 this month. We purchased his mother from a puppy mill auction and she delivered a beautiful litter of basset pups a short time after she came to rescue. Willie is a big boy of ~ 65 lbs but just a lover at heart.
Romeo on the right will be 2 this month. He is a dwarf sized basset with crooked legs and only weighs about 30 lbs. But he is my protector - he will let no harm come to his Mom.
I was sitting in an easy chair across from them busy with some crocheting but I try to always have my camera close by to catch those "kodak" moments.
Enjoy!!!!
Have a great weekend,
Kim

2006-11-03T06:36:00.000-08:00

A new girl on the ranch.....
Meet Sophie, an 8 month old little basset girl. She was given up by her owner who did not have enough time for her. She gets along famously with our house hounds and is available for adoption.
She is resting here on one of our "flip foam beds" - she had a busy evening playing in the fall leaves.
Have a great day,
Kim

2006-10-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

My Favorite bed, too
This is Romeo, our almost 2 year old. He is a dwarf sized basset and has crippled front legs but is just a dynamite personality.
He also loves this bed - luckily we have 2 of these rainbow beanbag beds.
Have a great weekend,
Kim

2006-10-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Bed
Hello my name is Speedy. I came to the ranch in February of 2006 from Oklahoma. My owner had gone to jail and the attorney involved in the case did not want me to end up in a high kill shelter so he searched until he found this wonderful place for me to live. You see not every one wants to give a home to a blind basset, but I got really lucky and came to this basset retirement ranch.
I got a ride from a volunteer who flew me to Kansas in a small passenger plane. I was totally blind when I arrived here but I still had to have surgery to remove my painful, diseased eye. It hurt me so badly that I rubbed my head to make the pain to go away.
Now I am fit as a fiddle. I have learned my way around the house and yard. I know that when I go out the dog door that I turn left to use the ramp.
For the first few months here I did not venture around too much in the house - I stayed in the dining room and slept under the piano. My dad, Bruce, plays the piano and my mom is learning.
Now I wander around the whole house searching out the most comfy of beds. This is one of my favorites.
Have a great day,
Speedy

2006-10-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Meet our new boy Watson. Watson was relinquished by his owner because they have a new baby coming. He is almost 7 years old and just the nicest boy. He is getting along famously with the house hounds and has adjusted to the dog door.
He is very adoptable but is welcome to spend the rest of his life with us on the ranch if a suitable home cannot be found.
Have a great day,
Kim

2006-10-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

NOT A BASSET but....
we wanted you all to meet one of our other residents. His name is Otoe and he is the 2-leggers retired quarter horse. He thinks he is a basset but he has a terrible time with those ears.
We have tried to tell him that biscuits are better than grass but he insists on mowing the lawn.
He really likes it when Mom gives him apples from the apple trees. He is 23 years old.
signed,
the hounds

2006-10-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

What a way to spend a rainy fall evening. Snoozing on the sofa. This is Willie and Philbert catching some zzzzzzzzzz's while they wait for monday nite football to start.

2006-10-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to BassetsRus blog. We hope to post from day to day about life here at the ranch with nearly 20 bassets hounds. We are a retirement /sanctuary community and share our house and lives with numerous bassets.

We focus primarily on senior citizens but just recently had the pleasure of fostering an 8 week old bouncing basset boy for nearly a month. We named him Woody and he went to his forever home this past weekend.

He managed to keep all the senior houndies very busy and they spent a lot of time informing him of the proper ways of "bassetude". Since his leaving they are resting uninterupted.

Have a great day,
Kim and the hounds