THAT WAS FUN!!!!.....snore.....

Mom took me to the park! Mom took me to the park! Mom took me to the park! Mom took me to the park! Mom took me to the park! Mom took me to the park!

We ran and ran and ran and ran....ok, *I* ran and ran and ran and pulled mom along. She's SOOOO SLOW! She said we walked the entire 3 mile loop in an hour--whatever that means. I just know that I had SOOOO much fun walking on the trails, sniffing all sorts of leaves and grasses and strange poops.

And then I saw them! The BIGGEST doggies I've ever seen!!! They were 100 times my size, swishing their tails back and forth, and they were staring at little me. I AM NOT FOOD!!! Mom called them horsies but I call them the big scare monster dogs.

And then we went back to the car and I ran into the house to tell Buford all about it but I saw the couch and thought nap time first!

I hope we go back again, and soon.

----della

With Buford it is never easy

A month ago I took the guy to the vet because he had a sore at the middle of his tail and it did not seem to be healing. I had also thought he had been looking a little thin---and I was right. Buford was down to 51 lbs--his slimmest ever and that is NOT a good thing.

My vet walked into the exam room, was just starting to look at his file to find out why were there, and stopped, starred and said, "I never thought I'd see the day when I said Buford was too thin." And so it began---

I changed the boy's food from the weight control canned he has been on for over 5 years to the normal adult canned food that Della gets. I also put him back on his all time favorite Milkbone biscuits, the large ones! I thought he was starting to gain a little weight but was unsure. What I was completely sure about was the fact that his water intake and TRIPLED!

I needed to travel so when I do the pack gets boarded at the vet. I know they would rather be at home with someone house sitting, but that's another story for another day. Buford was due for his annual physical, shots, etc., so I added a urinanalysis to the list to see if he had a UTI.

Careful what you look for---his test came back with a slightly low urine specific gravity. This could mean anything, but with the weight loss the initial thoughts were diabetes, liver disease or kidney failure!!!! My vet wanted to do a CBC to take a closer look at everything because he was also down to just barely 50 lbs. So we did......

All test results came back negative! There was NOTHING wrong with his kidneys, pancreas, liver, glucose levels, etc. She could find no cause behind the weight loss and water intake/output.

So we watch now. His energy level is through the roof. He gets to eat more than ever (vet wanted him to go back to dry food....so I did what I knew I shouldn't do, and gave him a bowl of half dry/half canned and he gassed up and went bloated without the torsion part--thank God). He wants to go for walks again, he plays with Della for the first time EVER, and he has started chasing the cat again.

It's never easy with THE MAN, but I hope he's around for another decade of joy.

It Had to be Destroyed!

You leave your eyeglass case on the coffee table and go upstairs to take a shower---what did you expect me to do, just leave it there? Puh-Lease!

---Della

The Ability to Clear a Room

Tonight there is a green haze filling the Basset Mayhem abode. It is quietly seeping from the posterior end of the King, Buford. He is stealth, a ninja warrior. He attacks without warning because he's sleeping. Inch by inch the lethal gas works its way from one end of the room to the other. One by one people depart for clearer skies with their shirts pulled over their noses.

He is a master, and he now gets the couch all to himself. I'm thinking that it was all a plan from the very beginning.

Wine?! NOOOO!

He is absolutely relentless! Turn your back for one second because you foolishly think Buford is sleeping and the next thing you know he's got his entire face buried in your coffee mug and 50% or more is gone!

But tonight, the bugger tried to dive into my glass of wine! I grabbed that dog by the collar and yelled "NO!" while I pulled him away and moved the wine glass to the top of the entertainment center.

Needless to say, he's not at all happy with me but I simply do not care. (...brat...)

Howl-O-Ween!!

No need for a doorbell at this house---just go about your business and the moment the howling begins you know you've got little ghosts, gobblins, princesses, superheros, and the occasional bumblebee at your door.

Buford is NOT the one doing all the barking....he's lying patiently on the living room floor, staring through the baby gate at the big bowl of candy that is on the stairs. I KNOW he's formulating a plan, that, if executed, will result in a trip to the emergency vet. Let's just hope it is foiled!

Della has worn herself out with all the barking and baying. For a small basset (all of 48 lbs) she packs quite a punch with that voice of hers.

YIKES! Time to run---more vampires and look! There's Robin Hood with Maid Marian (who's sporting a set of wings...confused little 4 year old I guess.)

TURD HOCKEY!!

Yup, that's right--Turd Hockey. Actually, the NATHL is the North American Turd Hockey League for basset hounds! We are PROUD members of the St. Louis Nugget Nabbers. It's one heck of a commute but teh convenience of cyberspace practice and play makes things a litle easier on our busy schedule.

Della and I are part of the puck producing squad--we excel at our positions!

Coach Mowgli's mom is currently undergoing back surgery (we're sending extra drool for a speedy recovery) and we are practicing extra hard while Mowgli and Baloo are at her side during recovery.

We've got a game this weekend so:
GO SLNN!!!
(pawed by Buford while mom is resting her back...she hurt it yesterday....hope she can still help be get up on the bed tonight.)

Sleepless Nights

Guinness the c@t....as a kitten he was contantly put outside by his previous owners. This continued until he was 6 months old and came to live with me. He learned to be an "outside" cat and would come home each day when hungry, when cold, etc. He always knew where home was.

Guinness came home with a hole in his lower abdomen 11 days ago. Upon further inspection I saw the hole was a puncture wound and it was very puffy and inflamed. So off to the vet....turns out there were TWO puncture wounds and a bunch of sores and scabs all over him. The little bugger (ok, he's not little---14 lbs of cat!) had gotten attacked by something outside.

One rabies booster, one heavy duty antibiotic shot, one box of antibiotic liquid for 7 days, and one notice from the state later and Guinness is an "indoor" cat for 90 days! (DE state law when you are not 100% positive what caused the damage).

We're at 79 days and counting and I may just have to kill him if he doesn't let me (and the bassets!!) GET SOME SLEEP!!!!!

Incredibly Depressed

I took the pups to be boarded for the weekend. Della went happily enough--kind of like "Cool! Camp! See ya!" But Buford...poor, poor Buford. He went behind my legs and sat down leaning against the counter. And then he laid down on the floor and looked up at me like he was pleading not be left there. He was so sad!! He finally got up and went off to with the technician but he wasn't happy about it.

I know he is going to be just fine, but I'm so depressed about it. I LOVE the boy. He's getting older, and a bit slower, and I guess I just worry about him too much...but he is the sweetest and the most loyal of all.

...someone is going to get extra biscuits on Sunday...lots of 'em!

Non-Basset Post

I realize this is blasphemous--posting about something nonbasset related, but I have to.

Her name is Shallimar. She is between 6-7 months of age. She is my mom's new kitten. And she is a holy terror!

Mom's cat, Sheba, left for the bridge at the age of 19 years, 8 months. She was a sweet, wonderful cat and she is missed terribly. I was worried that without Sheba my mother would go stir crazy pretty quickly, but I needn't have worried at all. Within 1 day Mom realized the silence in her home was deafening and she called me saying, "I want a kitten." I tried to convinced her to get a CAT (you know, older, more settled, etc.), but nope. It had to be a kitten. So enter Shallimar, aka "Shali."

About 3 weeks ago it was time to have the little princess spayed. Why? Because she was going into heat and keeping the entire northeast corridor awake, that's why! Well, the precious little darling STILL hates me because I was the one who took her to the vet that day. I am convinced that she believes I was the one who did it to her!

Hopefully she'll come around and be my friend again...probably just in time for her to have to go back for her annual physical! And then she'll hate me all over again.

Frogs Don't Taste Good

Della here. I saw this hopping thing in the yard last night--thought it should be eaten. Bad idea. YUCK!

YIKES!

Sneezing, sneezing, sneezing. Della is sneezing and I've never seen her this out of control before! I can't tell whether it is a cold or an allergy, or Heaven forbid, something else.

She has gone on a string of sneezes numbering as many as 8!!!! And these are not simple little puppy sneezes. These are full blown adult doggie sneezes--heck adult HUMAN sneezes!

*(For my close friends)-- this morning the pup sneezed so long and so hard I thought George was in the house!!!!

I think I'll try a Benedryl on her tonight...although she's sleeping quite soundly right now. We'll see how the night pans out.

Poor baby girl!

Safe Journey Homer

We never had the pleasure or privilege to meet the OEBE legend, Homer of Pittsburgh, but it grieves each of us to have learned that he has made his journey to the Bridge.

Homer, you blazed through this world on a mission to consume anything and everything your slaves left within reach. You helped set the standard for all OEBE wannabes. Your family loved (and still loves) you more than they ever thought possible.

Watch over them Homer--watch over Esther and David and all who loved you. They miss you so.

---Buford, Della and Guinness (and their slave)

Oh Good Grief!

One would think that if the bassets like the snow, wet grass wouldn't be any big deal. But, nooooooo!

Being unable to mow the lawn this last week due to all the rain, the grass started to get pretty high in the back yard. Ok, "pretty high" is a relative term---it means "Mommy!!! The grass is tickling my belly!!!"

With a break in the weather I broke out the mower and as soon as I was done, the dynamic duo ran out into the yard and "christened" it. (I'm sure you all know EXACTLY what I mean.)

Crusty/Gunky Guy

This is Buford's new name. He decided to try something new. He decided he has never had conjunctivitis so he thought he would give a whirl. And just to make sure that he did it full out---he got it in BOTH eyes!

That's my boy! The Grade-A Medical Anomally named Buford.

What Goes Down MUST Come "Back Up"

Sure, go right ahead, eat all the leather off one sandal. It's leather after all and it MUST be eaten by a doggie. However, in the future Della, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE try chewing the pieces so you can digest them as opposed to swallowing them in 2 inch strips and then throwing them up all over the bedroom at 4:28 AM.

What's Old Is New Again!

If a basset takes a nylabone out into the yard, drops it on the ground, immediately picks it up and runs back into the house, is it a NEW toy?

YES!

Best Toy EVER!

All it takes is an empty toilet paper roll!! Nothing better than watching a basset take the tube out of your hand as if it were gold, and then trotting off happier than ever into their favorite room...and ripping and shredding the crap out of it!

Buford--oh how I wish he could speak

Buford is allergic to air. Ok, not air, but he's allergic to bee stings, spider bites, and has horrible seasonal allergies. I almost lost my little man on 9/12/01--right, the day after 9/11. Something bit him on the deck. Something that did not cause any swelling but hurt his rear leg very badly and sent him into a textbook case of anaphylactic shock. I got him to the vet just before he seized and miraculously they brought my baby back from...well, you know. He was "gone" and they got him back.

So whenever he starts acting "weird"--you know, anything that tweaks you a little--my heart skips a beat and I go into a small panic. I actually ask him in full panic voice, "What's wrong?" and "Are you alright?"

Fortunately we've never experienced anything like we did on 9/12....but I fear for the one day that I don't over-react to something...but when it comes to my baby, there's no way that I won't react as if it is life-threatening--even if it isn't. He is my world. I love all my fur-family, but Buford: he's a special, special soul.

Coyotes!

Picture if you will a quiet, peaceful night. Temperaures in the low 60's, windows open, a slight breeze--perfect sleeping weather. The entire "family" is crammed on one bed--a typical arrangement for basset lovers.

Suddenly, at 2:40 AM something wakes me up...and wakes up both dogs...and wakes up the c@t. But all is quiet. Until we all hear what woke us. Not quite a bark, not quite a whine, not quite a howl--something that combines all 3 in a high pitched vocal range. Yup, a coyote. But remember folks, coyotes don't travel alone.

Fortunately all "family" members were indoors....but I worried about the dogs in the neighborhood who live outside tied up (I worry about THAT for lots of reasons!) in their yard and were answering the call of the coyote. Difficult to get back to sleep.

Speed Demon Slowing Down

It appears as though turning 2 years old has resulted in Della's body realizing she is "basset" and not "greyhound!" She has always accompanied me on my two-mile walk in the early evenings but with bad weather of late she hasn't gone in about 2 weeks. I usually can bearly keep up with her--she wants to run the ENTIRE way! But tonight, the little darling reached the halfway point and slowed to a walk! Not even a trot--a walk!! So we turned around instead of finishing the full loop and it took quite some time to get home--lots of sniffing, stopping, etc. This is Buford's act, never Della's!


I guess the little speed demon has finally started to develop REAL basset tendencies!

NOT a Princess

Della is 21 months old. She has mastered counter cruising and is the reigning queen of cat bowling. (It is QUITE the site!) But all in all she is the sweetest little (only 44 lbs.) basset hound in the world--at least she is as far as I'm concerned.

BUT---

Della is NOT a princess. I thought she might be a good candidate for a BABE title, but I no longer believe she will achieve such status. No, I think she has made her choice and has chosen the path to OEBE-dom.

This morning I let her sleep on the couch in the family room with her brother, Buford, while I showered. When I came downstairs I found her sleeping in the living room. Everything appeared to be in order...until I got to the family room.

The sweet little girl has honed a new skill: unzipping the big zippered pockets of my briefcase. Now, I don't care about the zippers being opened, but now she had access to all the papers in the briefcase and this means only one thing: pull out all the papers and practice being a Basset Paper Shredder!

Nope, definitely not a princess.

Thirsty?

Thirsty?
Originally uploaded by hsarver.

WHAT?! Don't you get thirsty? And I am NOT going to drink out of the dog bowl! Besides, this water is nice and cold!! Mmmmm!

What's That?

What's That?
Originally uploaded by hsarver.

Mom put this stupid lead on my so she didn't have to keep going out into the snow everytime I wanted to go out. Problem is that I REALLY want to attack that leaf but I CAN'T reach it. MOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!

I don't like this

I don't like this
Originally uploaded by hsarver.

Winter was perfect for once! None of that nasty snow since December, temperatures in the 40's, 50's and yes, even 60's. And suddenly I wake up and I have to plow through THIS to get to my "spot!" WHY?! It's just not fair.