Basset Hound, the Warning Label

A little over a year ago, I made a warning-label-may-be-ignored-decision that I sometimes regret.

But, you just have to understand. I received an offer I couldn't refuse. I could have a FREE basset hound.

She was described as a slightly over-weight, three-year-old, black-brown-and-white, AKC-papered and locator-chip-endowed female basset hound.

I was quite familiar with the looks of a Basset Hound. In the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit" I moaned and groaned with Cledus as he struggled to get his basset hound, Fred, back in the truck.

It wasn't the shorter-than-short-shorts of Daisy Duke or the devil-may-care antics of Bo and Luke Duke that held my attention. I was affected by the disaffected attitude of Flash, the basset hound that belonged to Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. There was wisdom behind those deep, dark eyes.

Bassets seem to have a perpetual sorrowful face. Their eyes seem to droop and they are fodder for caricatures such as Rosebud in the comic strip Bloom County. My personal favorite was Droopy Dog. Like all basset hounds, he was identifiable by his low to the ground stature and his slow, sluggish, almost mournful style of motion.

I admit it, I had read about how basset hounds are stubborn.

"The Basset has the tendency to become stubborn by listening to their nose, rather than their master. "

"They might seem clumsy, not very agile and stubborn."

"The Basset Hound has the tendency to be stubborn, but never timid."

Stubbornness can be a good thing. It was with dogged determination and stubbornness that my husband overcame his disability.

And, in yet another charming way, this breed called the Basset Hound clearly, very clearly, resembles my dear husband.

"Clumsy, not very, agile, never timid nor sharp in manner."

"A droopy faced sad looking dog, and loveable but stubborn."

All of these traits were familiar and endearing to me. After all, my husband set that standard.

However, feeling compelled by responsibility, I performed a perfunctory research and discovery before accepting the dog. I glossed over the paragraph on Wikipedia that stated "... Basset Hounds are often difficult to obedience train."

I consoled myself with 'often' does not mean 'always'.

I did not need a dog to do tricks. Rolling over and playing dead was a cruel joke; and catching Frisbees in her teeth would require much more energy on my part than I had to share. So, with all of my vast understanding and minimal research of the breed, I accepted the dog.

Preparing for this article I found the most important Wikipedia fact that I'd overlooked before I brought our dear, darling Celia home.

"Many Basset Hounds will obey commands when offered a food reward, but will "forget" the training when a reward is not present. Bassets are notoriously difficult to housebreak."

Well, gee, doesn't that explain just about everything!