Tipsy

How happy are we as ‘parents’ of 3 year old Spencer (left) and 5 year old Tippy (right), shown in this photo relaxing following a fun day of play after the annual GGBR Spring Fling. Tippy came to us several years ago surrendered by her loving parents who were not able to provide the care she needed for the glaucoma affecting her eyes. Following removal of her eyes, she lost her companion dog last summer to cancer and was very lonesome. Along came Spencer who was very loved by his owners who could not keep him due to housing issues. Tippy and Spencer bonded immediately and spend their days stalking squirrels together, parading around the neighborhood on walks with their ‘parents’ receiving adoration from everyone they meet, and lounging on the terrace together in the sun. And did I already say, being totally loved by their parents??!__Mike and Sally M., August 23, 2023

Sally

Sally is doing well. The vet guesses she is now approx 5 yrs old. She was found wandering along a rural road, presumably dumped, and spent a couple weeks in a shelter before we rescued her through GGBR. Since we adopted Sally, she was spayed and had some dental work completed since she had some broken teeth. (Vet thinks she likely was chewing on a chain). She loves her walks and is an excellent tracker (the best in 43 years of owning bassets). I think she could match a bloodhound! She puts herself to bed at 6 pm and is out for the night. She has filled a huge hole left by our dear departed Luke. We call her the Ethel Merman of basset hounds because she can really belt out her barks when she wants her walks! __C.P. August 23, 2023

Scarlett

I've had Scarlett for almost 5 months. She still gets a little nervous when she hears a loud sound. She follows me everywhere and sleeps with me! I just love her. So glad I have her.---C.C., August 22, 2023

Angel (Los Banos)

Angel is the tricolor Basset Hound in the accompanying photo. I adopted her from GGBR in August, 2022. She is the sweetest dog ever! She loves ear rubs and gives kisses all the time. The lighter dog in the photo is Molly. Molly turned 15 in February. I rescued her from the Front Street Shelter in Sacramento, when she was just a puppy. The first time I saw Angel on the GGBR website, I wanted to adopt her right away. But, initially Angel was part of a bonded pair and I couldn't care for three dogs. Later, however, GGBR contacted me about considering Angel'™s œpartner, Larry, since their foster mom eventually came to the conclusion that Angel and Larry were not particularly bonded, after all. I went to the foster home to look at Larry, with the intention of taking him home, but Angel had another idea! Larry and Angel were both there. Larry wasn't too terribly interested in me, but Angel said, œI'm going home with you! We've had some challenges, to be sure. Angel wanted to be the queen over everyone, but I've told her, œI'm the queen and you are a princess. She has learned this rule. Angel is amazing and I love her more than anything in this world. I just cannot think about life without her. I was hesitant to take a senior since I just put my 15-and-a-half-year-old dog down in October 2021. However, I have no regrets or second thoughts about adopting a senior dog! Senior dogs will love you more than anything in this world, so please give them a home. The Iove you get from them is so rewarding. The photo shows Angel, Molly and me on our recent vacation at Dillon Beach. Dillon Beach is a dog-friendly and off-leash beach. I highly recommend it! Please come and enjoy all the times we do! Thank you very much to GGBR for everything you do. You are so appreciated. Nothing keeps Angel down; she is a blessing. I get so much joy out of her every single day. All she has to hear is,'let's go bye-bye' and she's bouncing around barking, because she just loves to go for car rides. ---Heidi C, Molly and Angel, April 2, 2023 (edited, 4/2/2023 FM)

Bubba (Lodi)

When our basset hound, Jerry died last year (2022), I started looking for a smaller dog, one that would be easier for us to lift into and out of the car, and less likely to pull us off our feet, when out on walks. It seemed like a sensible plan. However, in the middle of my search, my husband, Mark admitted that he really wanted another basset hound. So, we volunteered to foster 9-year-old Bubba for GGBR. Instead of the little 30-pound mixed breed dog that I thought would be our next dog, we got 65-pound Bubba. As one friend of mine observed, "Parts of him weigh 30 pounds!" Bubba was surrendered to GGBR by an owner who was about to lose her home. We met Bubba at the home of a friend of his owner. Bubba was hiding in their children'™s playhouse, in the far corner of their yard, where he had been for a few days, avoiding the people and other dogs. The owner'™s friend had originally considered keeping Bubba, but said that Bubba was "œjust too sad" and thought he would be better off finding another home through GGBR. At our house, Bubba was very skittish, at first. It was difficult to coax him near enough to put a leash on him and bring him into the house. From the beginning, Bubba showed a clear preference for women and was wary of most men. Gradually, Bubba warmed up and it started to take less coaxing to get him to approach. Bubba has a bed in the house, where he feels safe and sleeps contentedly. He staked out a shady, secluded spot in the yard, under the deck, where he spent most of his days last summer. At the end of July, we borrowed a buddy for Bubba, a friendly and outgoing 8-year-old male basset hound named Ford to be Bubba'™s "œemotional support animal." With Ford here, Bubba started to spend less time under the deck and more time outside our sliding door, interested in coming indoors. In spite of still being afraid of Mark, Bubba seems happy with his life. Mark loves Bubba; he just knows that it is going to take some time for Bubba to love him back. Bubba is mild-mannered and easy to live with. He i™s gentle, housebroken, good with the cats and other dogs. Bubba walks nicely on leash and he rides nicely in the car. He is a ham and loves to pose for the camera, too. In December, we finally realized that Bubba was here to stay, another foster failure. Bubba has now been with us for 11 months. He recently approached Mark for the first time, from under the breakfast table, for some pets. It has happened only once, so far, but it was a moment of joy for us! --- Fran and Mark Madden, Ford and Bubba__March 2023.