Saturday, January 28, 2012

Basset and her rescue sister

One thing that serves to stress me out and to relieve stress is involvement in a local all breed animal rescue. Unfortunately, there is a great demand for it in my area and so there are quite a few local ones but I picked one a few years back who were willing to help me out (I rescued a mother and her kittens when someone was about to be evicted for taking them in from the cold) and I continue to work with them to this day.

I have been trying to figure out some fundraisers that I can do and other crafty things that can help at adoptions. I came up with a simple and easy craft involving cheap items from craft stores or even from Wal*Mart that can help catch the eye of potential adopters at adoption events. Some of you may have seen similar variations from time to time and I know that these types of things are even sold on sites such as etsy and ebay.

Materials needed~
  • Bandanas - 99 cents at Hobby Lobby
  • Iron on letters - two different brands for under $5 each (WalMart and Hobby Lobby)


Equipment needed~
  • Iron
  • Ironing board
  • Scissors (optional)
  • Cotton cloth (optional, not pictured)


First, the decision needs to be made concerning what phrases should be used. Possible phrases are:
  • Be Mine
  • Pick Me
  • Adopt Me
  • I'm Yours
  • Best Friend
  • Kiss Me
Some organizations may desire to use these as a quick look at a dog's quirks, such as "social" or "no cats." After the letters are cut out or peeled, arrange them in the desired phrase on an ironed bandana. Then iron the letters according to the package directions.



Now they're ready to help your rescue dogs catch the eye of their new forever families!





Contact a local animal rescue to see if you can donate some bandanas of your own!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

How to Basset

Learning how to basset requires two things: a role model and a lot of time that you're willing to throw right out the middle. I have both.

My role model is none other than a certified registered Basset Hound. This girl is of the bow legged variety and she is the one who introduced me to the art of bassetting over a year ago with her sweet little face when we first got her. While I am not fond of breeders, I did help my boyfriend find a responsible one located over 5 hours away who truly has the betterment of the breed in mind. Adelaide is the product of two mahoganies, a tri-colored freckled little pooch. She is smaller than is typically seen for a Basset, but is within the average weight range (she is a little over 40 pounds at 16 months). The vet has congratulated us for keeping her healthy and ensuring that her weight is perfect. It doesn't hurt that when she steals her sister's food (a 5 year old 17 pound purebred mutt of mine) it is of the weight management persuasion.



Now that you have met the Addie, there is something that needs to be defined: Bassetting. Bassetting is the practice of laying back, enjoying the small things like head scratches or treats, and asking for what we want. Every Basset owner knows that if their hound wants something, they will get it. They may have to cry, whine, grumble, or even bark in the ear of whoever possesses what they want (and it is a LOUD bark) but they will get it. Watching her do this for over a year made me realize that I need to step up for what I want but also to lay back and enjoy what's going on around me.

That is the end that I am working for. I am working to make the act of taking what I want and deserve, instead of timidly sitting to the side and waiting for someone to maybe give me what I have earned.