Perfect Match Monday-Jeb

Today’s Perfect Match Monday is an amazing love story between an amazing basset and a great ABC volunteer. This is the story of Jeb.

Jeb was an owner relinquish to Carolina Basset Rescue in NC. He made his way up to NY in July of 2012. He had fleas, an ear infection and needed all of his vaccinations updated upon arrival, but the biggest thing was that his eyelids were turning. They treated it with eye drops, but after further vet examination in NY they found that he needed an upper eyelid entropy. He ended up having 1 cm of his upper eyelids removed before any damage was done to his eyes. Due to his “eyelift”, he has to have eye drops daily for the rest of his life. 

Dana was walking around the community yard sale in her neighborhood and stumbled upon a house with the bright red ABC Basset Rescue van in the driveway. She had decided that she wanted to help the rescue, so she walked up the driveway to see what she could do. She met ABC’s very own President, Shelly Gordon, who encouraged Dana to foster. Dana agreed to try to foster for ABC (today she is ABC’s secretary as well).

Dana picked up Jeb from a volunteer who brought him up to NY with her. When she first brought Jeb home, he didn’t move his tail for the whole first week. She thought that maybe his tail was broken, but after the vet looked at it, there was nothing apparently wrong with it. Dana gave him another week, moving his tail for him when it was in the way, and after a whole other week, he finally started wagging it. It seems it wasn’t broken at all, but he was so sad that his family gave him up that he just wasn’t happy enough to wag his tail during the first couple of weeks at Dana’s house.  

Dana tells us that “she’s not sure when I fell for Jeb”, but from the first night she had him in her house, she would put him to bed and kiss him Good Night and wonder how she would ever give him up. Well, she decided that she just couldn’t bear to let him leave her house and “foster failed” after only a couple of months having him.

Jeb is Dana’s perfect shadow and follows her everywhere she goes. He doesn’t really like to share her with other fosters, so she can only take on a foster for a short period of time. He loves his nightly walks around the neighborhood and truly loves to play fetch.

Dana and Jeb found each other like many of us have found our bassets. Volunteering and fostering has some benefits that we don’t always realize right away. Some times you find your true love in a foster and can look back and say, “Adopting him was the best decision of my life!!” For that, we think this is a Perfect Match.

First posted 8/12/13

Perfect Match Monday-Eeyore

This week’s Perfect Match Monday is the story of a basset that spent most of her life living outside and now enjoys “the good life” while helping others. This is the story of Eeyore.

In 2008, ABC took in two 6 month old puppies named Diesel and Andi. Diesel and Andi’s new owner couldn’t housebreak the two puppies that they had bought from a backyard breeder and relinquished the dogs to ABC. The Gordon’s fostered Diesel and foster failed with him (Diesel’s Perfect Match Monday was posted last January).

Shortly after they adopted Diesel, an ABC supporter got information on a basset that was being sold in the paper. When Shelly got a picture and information on the dog she realized that Eeyore was Diesel’s mother. She called the breeder and told him that two of Eeyore’s puppies had been relinquished to ABC. She explained that she had adopted Diesel. She then asked him to relinquish Eeyore to ABC. When he refused to turn her over without a payment of $300 she argued with him, but he wouldn’t budge. At that time, Eeyore was almost 5 years old. A few months later she saw his ad again in the paper. She contacted him again and her gave her the same argument. In July, the breeder called her and told her to come get Eeyore.

Shelly and Don went to pick Eeyore up and were devastated by the conditions that she was living in. Eeyore was being kept out in the far field of the breeder’s house. The only thing keeping her from the elements was a plastic doghouse. She had a bowl of yellow water that had obviously not been changed in awhile. The grass was so high in and around her fenced in area that it was hard to even see her as they walked up. She had been bred so many times and not cared for, but she met Shelly at the fence.

They took her home and Shelly gave her a bath in their backyard. Shelly thought that Eeyore would fight her, but she stood there letting Shelly bathe all of the filth off of her. When Shelly was toweling her off, Eeyore looked at her with those big brown eyes as if to say “Thank you” and that is when Shelly knew she wasn’t going anywhere but to her couch.

The very next week they celebrated Eeyore’s 5^th birthday with a cake and a birthday party. They were sure she had never celebrated anything and certainly not her birthday. She had quickly grown on them. She was loving and cuddly and enjoyed much time with Diesel and their other bassets.

Diesel and the Gordon’s other basset Duke were both doing agility. Shelly wanted to have some “mommy and me time” with Eeyore. She took her to do the Canine Good Citizen test and she “killed it”. From there they got her into the SPCA Paws Love Program and ever since then Eeyore has been visiting a nursing home in their area every week. She brings joys to all of the residences and knows the patients who need some extra special time with her.

This past weekend, Eeyore lead the way throughout “her” nursing home as all of the bassets (and their owners) followed behind to visit with as many of the residences as they could during ABC’s Breakfast with Bassets. When Shelly is given praise for her work at the nursing home she humbly replies “Eeyore does all the work…I’m just her ride”. For that, we think this is a Perfect Match.

First posted 3/10/14

Perfect Match Monday-Josey

This week’s Perfect Match Monday is a comeback story that we can all is proud of. This is the story of Josey.

Josey was a stray that was picked up and taken to a shelter in Alabama. She was severely underweight, full of fleas and needed a lot of attention. ABC stepped in and with the help of Basset Rescue of Alabama got her the vet care that she so desperately needed. She was updated on all of her shots and was spayed. Then Josey made her way up to New York with several other bassets from Alabama.

When Josey arrived in New York, the incision from her spay surgery was infected. This didn’t stop little Josey from rolling over on her back wanting every one she met to rub her tummy. Her foster family got her to the vet as soon as they could and she went on antibiotics. Soon after she was feeling better and was able to go directly to her forever home.

Mary was looking to adopt a basset hound and found ABC Basset Rescue. She saw pictures of Josey before she even got to New York and looked past her emaciated looks to the basset that she was going to be. She committed to adopt Josey when she arrived in New York.

Today Josey is called Rosie. She has gained a tremendous amount of weight and is a whopping 54 lbs. She loves to go for walks and laying out in the yard in the sun. Her favorite spot is on the love seat right next to Mary. Her brother, Max, and her are inseparable. She still loves her belly rubs and will run in front of you and flop on her back so you can rub her belly.

Rosie (and Max) has been selected to be in the Tri-Cities Opera’s incredible MUTT-ropolitan Opera Dog Calendar for 2014. She is debuting as Carmen in the calendar and their picture is very impressive.

If the picture above doesn't say everything about Josey finding the best forever home possible, we don't know what would. For that, we think this is a Perfect Match.

First posted 11/4/13

Perfect Match Monday-Austin

For our first “Perfect Match Monday” we are featuring Austin and The Brown family. Austin’s story is so amazing that it had to be the first story that we shared here.

Austin was rescued from a puppymill in Texas in January of 2012, but stayed in foster care until May when he was adopted by the Brown Family. He lived in such deplorable conditions at the puppymill that he was scared of everyone and everything. He had never lived outside of a cage or had enough food to eat, not having the “finer things in life” like toys or treats.

One big issue Austin had was with bathroom time. He had to be coaxed in and out of the house to go to the bathroom. His mom, Tracey, tells this amazing story…“Once he was outside, he started to act more free.  He did not feel as trapped as he did in the house.  We would make some progress with him following me back in on a leash, just to have a day where he would refuse to move unless he was carried.  I will never forget the battle of wills we had in a major rainstorm.  Austin had walked in and out on his leash the whole day, but that night he just refused to budge.  I also refused to back down.  I told him "You are walking in on your own four paws or we are going to stand here".  He tried to call my bluff, but I stood with him in the rain for an hour until he finally relented and walked in with me.  He has walked every day since.”

Another big issue was dinnertime. Tracey tells us this…“He did not want to eat.  I bribed him the first few days with American cheese but it was crucial he start eating a more balanced, appropriate diet.  One day I made homemade chicken soup.  I poured it over his nuggets and he ate so fast even he was surprised.  I knew his weakness!  There have been GALLONS of homemade chicken and turkey soup made in the past few months.  He gulps it down every time.”

Tracey has done a lot of work (even more then we shared here) with Austin since he arrived at their house. He has made so many strides at being a “normal” dog and enjoying life for more then what he was given when he came into this world. For that, we think this is a Perfect Match!!

First posted 1/7/13

Perfect Match Monday-Stella Sue

Today’s Perfect Match Monday is a basset whom needed a little “extra attention” when she came into the rescue and found a great home along the way. This is the story of Stella Sue.

Stella Sue came into ABC Basset Rescue in August of 2012. She came to us from Carolina with pain medication and specific instructions for dosage to reduce pain in her knees. She would run and her back leg would limp. When Stella’s foster mom in NY, Alicia, took her to the vet he suggested physical therapy for Stella to help with the muscle pain. After two sessions of PT, she wouldn’t need to be on pain medicine for the rest of her life. ABC decided that it was worth a try and thought it would increase her chances of finding a forever home.

In September, Jan couldn’t resist Stella Sue’s pictures on the ABC website any longer and she decided to adopt Stella. The problem with this was getting her from Buffalo to Brooklyn. Stella bummed a ride with The Morrison’s to Droolfest in Saratoga Springs, NY in October, but to Jan’s dismay she had gotten sick and had to send her husband, Aaron, on the four hour ride to pick her up. After almost a month, Stella had finally made her way home.

Stella Sue had a routine of physical therapy exercises to do, but Jan has told us that she doesn’t really need them anymore with the runs in the park, frequent walks and all the stairs in the house. Her leg seems to be doing just fine these days.

One of the cutest things about Stella is her tongue. It seems to stick out of her mouth most of the time. You can see the perfect example of this on ABC’s postcard mailer (she is the cutie on the left-hand side…on her back with her tongue hanging out). When she lays on her side, with her tongue sticking out, the cats enjoy laying with her.

She loves her walks and pulls ahead when the whole family goes out. She makes sure she looks back to make sure everyone is still with her. She “calls out” along the way to all of the cats and other dogs on her walks and barks enthusiastically to them to say “Hello!” Jan tells us that she even “seems insulted if a dog doesn’t respond, wagging and barking back at her”. It seems that she has caught the eye of Max, a neighbor’s 3-year-old Pit bull. When they get in front of Max’s house she will stop dead in her tracks and wait to see if he is looking out for her. He makes sure that his parents know that he wants to go out and play with “his favorite gal”.

The Stern’s have given Stella Sue an amazing forever home where she is running without a limp, has cat friends who love to snuggle and a way younger beau down the street. For that, we think this is a Perfect Match.

First posted 3/4/13