Spring Basset Blast 2013

The Spring Basset Blast was a great success again this year. We had over 250 attendees and 180 dogs all off leash running around the Staples building in Rochester, NY.

The day was packed with a few great vendors, games and activities for hounds and humans alike. The Slobber Shoppe was there in full effect and sold alot of great Basset items; including the new Basset Hound Sweatshirt made exclusively for ABC (if you haven't gotten yours yet you can find it here http://theslobbershoppe.com/bhhoodies.aspx). 

We had almost 90 Chinese Auction baskets that were raffled off and a ton of silent auction items; which included lots of handmade basset/dog related items. All to benefit homeless Basset Hounds!!!




















Our Money raffle ended the day of the Blast and all of our winners were chosen. Here are the winners...

Winners of our Sweepstakes Raffle:

Grand Prize Christina Newman $1,000

1^ST Prize Peter Vinci $500

2^ND Prize Phil Bronstein $200

3^rdPrize Bernie Vincent $125

4^thPrize Tammy Smith $75
5^thPrize Marie & Tom Hegeman $50

We also gave out special benefits during the blast for our VIP members (Our VIP program is a monthly donation program). These benefits included early entry into the blast, a cookie reception, 2 for 1 raffle tickets for all raffles and free beverages for the entire event. We also had several attendees sign up for the VIP program during the Blast. Thank you to Elise Odea Geneseo, NY. Karen & Roger Meinzer, Lancaster, NY.Jeff & Lori Ross, Canandaigua, NY. Tom & Kandy Van Skiver, Rochester, NY. Annabelle & Julianne Guercio, Williamsville, NY. Lauren Barrows, Rochester, NY and our Foster Care Director Michele Lamare of Quaker St, NY. If you are interested in our monthly donation program you can find more information at www.liveloverescue.org.

We had several ABC supporters raise funds via First Giving pages during the months leading up to the event. The top 5 donors this year were Shelly Gordon, Melinda Capers, John & Theresa Morrison, Sommer Slavin, & Lisa Lucas. They were given special recognition during the event for all of their hard work in fundraising. 

Our royal court for this year was chosen from dozen's of applicants. 

Our Duke: Comet
Our Dutchess: Phoebe
Our Prince: Teddy
Our Princess: Princess
Our King: Theo (aka Norman)
Our Queen: Holly 

  

You can see some of the pictures from the event below. Thank you to John Elliott for taking all of these great photos for us!!

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

We would like to thank all of our amazing volunteers who helped to make the Spring Basset Blast happen this year...from planning to set-up to help during the event and to all who stayed for tear-down. If it wasn't for our volunteers we couldn't put any of this together and we couldn't continue to help all of the hounds that we do. Thank you so very much!!

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended this year's event!! Thank you for your continued support of ABC. We hope that you all had an amazing time. We hope to see you all next year back at The Dome!!!!!!

Available Dogs

This is Arthur. He is an 8 year old, male Basset Hound.

Arthur is a real gem. He is a laid back, super nice basset hound. He enjoys playing with squeaky toys and going for rides in the truck. He also likes long walks in the park. He is crate trained. He knows basic commands, walks well on a leash and comes when called. He is well behaved and loves adults, but should not be in a home with children. He has some resource guarding issues of his bed/crate with other dogs. We think he would do best being the only dog in the house.

This is Jasper. He is a 1 year old, male.

If you are looking for a dog with an old soul, then Jasper is your boy! Jasper is about 1 year old and what we call a "bagel" which is a beagle and basset mix. He is a gentle, sweet and empathetic boy. He gives his very energetic foster sister a serious run for her money. He is all play outside, but inside he is all gentle man. He is crate trained, house trained and aside from the occasional sniff to the table...he stays low. He learned what cats are and now avoids them, so he doesn't get swatted again. He loves kids and plays with them gently. He has some trust issues however but once you show that you are not going to hurt him, and possibly are going to rub his belly, he is yours forever. If you are looking for a hound that loves everyone and only wants your love in return then Jasper is the fellow for you!! He would do best in a home with another dog to play with.

This is Bongo. He is a 5 year old male.

Bongo is well behaved and adjusted to his foster home and blended with his foster family quickly. He is house trained and gets on well with the dogs and cats. He really enjoys having another dog around. Bongo is uncomfortable around children and would do best in a calmer environment with no children. We were told that he has some food aggression with other dogs, but his foster mom has seen no aggression of any kind. He loves and bonds with his adult humans. He loves to be pampered and loves to have his ears massaged. Bongo dreams of being the king of his couch. He is never far from his Teddy bear.

This is Mickey. He is a 7 years old male Basset.

Mickey came to ABC from a shelter in Alabama. He had to have surgery on his foot to remove a lump and wore a cone on his trip up to NY. He has healed very well since then. He loves other dogs and even likes cats. He has impeccable manners and is great with young kids. He is very mellow and will make a wonderful companion to a very lucky family.

This is Lacey. She is a 10 year old female basset.

Lacey is a lovely senior who would prefer a quiet home. It may take her longer to adapt to a new environment. She is not a fan of children. She likes other dogs, but has shown some food aggression with her foster's bassets. She is fine with her adult humans. Lacey has loved being on the couch or her bed and is really a gentle soul; even after all she has been through. She seems to be house broken and has shown no real interest in cats, either. Even at her age she is a counter surfer and likes to see what’s going on up there. If you are looking for a senior in every sense of the word…Lacey may be the basset for you!!

This is Daisy. She is a 8 year old female basset.

Daisy is a wonderful girl. She loves people and other dogs. She doesn’t mind cats, but can not be in a house with kittens (or other small animals). She is housebroken and will tell you she has to go out; if no doggie door is available. She will steal food and does not enjoy giving it back once she stolen it. She can go upstairs but needs encouragement and/or help going back down. She is good on a leash and likes walks. Daisy does excellent on car rides. Her favorite place to sleep is any place soft and cozy. Belly rubs are her prime amusement. She is good getting her nails trimmed and ears cleaned. If you’re looking for a great dog, Daisy may be the one for you!!

This is Siphera. She is a 6 year old female basset mix. 

Siphera is a basset/boxer mix who comes to ABC from North Carolina. She made a grand enterence arriving in New York on an airplane with Pilots and Paws. Siphera is a very young 6 year old and has plenty of energy to play and/or go for walks, but also loves to lounge around “Basset Style”. She is great with other dogs and loves to run and play with her foster brothers and sisters. Her favorite toy are empty pop bottles. She doesn’t seem to mind cats very much. She is good with all people and loves to give as many kisses as she can. She will need to put on some weight as she is underweight right now, but the vet says she is a healthy dog. Even though she is only half basset, we think this is a good mix for someone looking for another family member. 

Senior Month

As April comes to an end, we are also finishing up Senior Month here at ABC Basset Rescue. We have shared five Perfect Match stories of senior hounds that have found their forever homes. These stories remind us that young dogs aren’t the only dogs that make good pets and great companions.

When John and I first started looking for a dog, John was convinced that a basset puppy was where we should be focusing our efforts. After we started to foster for ABC, he soon realized why I argued against a younger do. Yes, it is a basset hound but a puppy is still a puppy no matter what breed it is. They all have super high energy, rip and tear things apart in the house, potty training woes happen daily, barking and running and causing a ruckus are all normal. After a few days of fostering Gump, John had to chase him around the house to get a sock that he was about to eat or at least chew to pieces. It never ceases to amaze me that things that they find to chew up or get into…things we hadn’t seen in a long time. John realized that an older dog would not only be easier to catch, but would probably ignore the sock sitting on the floor for a whole week before he or she ever noticed it and then would either sleep on it or walk by it.

The statement “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is one that has been proven wrong so many times, but we seem to continue to believe it’s falsity. There is a better chance that a senior dog has learned basic commands, advanced commands and lots of other good habits. Not every dog that you adopt has been taught the basic commands and sometimes they have even been taught bad habits, but with a little time and energy any dog can be taught to do what you want them to learn…even at an older age.

An older basset hound has more than likely already passed their chewing phase. They are usually not going to tear apart your house and/or your furniture. An older basset doesn’t need as much exercise and won’t be running around the house all the time. Well…I said “all the time” since I just saw many older basset hounds running around at the Spring Basset Blast.

The companionship that an old hound gives can’t be disputed and that is the one thing that kept coming up every time I asked people’s opinions on the subject. They all agreed that the love a senior hound gives couldn’t be compared. I think that we saw that in the stories of Phoebe, Trixie, Charlie, Barney and Annabelle in our Perfect Match Monday.

Yes, there are advantages to adopting (and heaven forbid…buying) a puppy. I’ve heard people give me all of the reasons why they weren’t looking at an older dog. I’ve seen people pass up perfect, beautiful bassets who need a home just because of their age. I sit here and wonder how this is any different then what we feel about human age. I think that if we find a basset whom we love.....age shouldn't matter. We care for and find homes for our older population. We don’t always look at age when finding a mate. 

Why should this be different for a dog?  

You can find the love of your life at ABC Basset Rescue's website at www.nybasset.org.