[Dailydrool] Daphneyland Update: FIlming Day Done

[Basset911 at aol.com]

What does it take to prepare for a filming of 100 hounds to run leash  free??
Oh - and doing this with no cost involved, and no staff.  Volunteers  only!!
I can tell you, my trainers pals would not take on the challenge!
 
Let's start with the 100 hounds.
Just because 100 hounds exist in rescue, does not mean they can all play  and 
work well together - so evaluation has to be done and only hounds we KNOW  
can be involved in this type of a training protocol.
So - plea's are sent out for help - and we begin training the  hounds.  The 
producers tell us what they want, and we have to figure out  how to get it on 
camera!!  Trial runs were hilarious as we only had one or  two volunteers 
working the hounds, and we worked them all to determine who could  participate and 
who could not.  Our best pack leader hound is Wally without  doubt.  Sadly, 
Wally cannot work in a random group area as he does not like  thin blonds.... 
well - Wally enjoyed training the pack, that's for sure!  A  jack rabbit decided 
to join in one day and ran into the middle of the running  pack - half the 
hounds stopped cold - What is that???  The other half  didn't blink and eye and 
ran that rascally rabbit back to his den.  The  rabbit who never DID give us 
his name joined in again on the next run, but  evidently was too tired from 
training to join us on filming day.
 
Bath Day - for -2- days straight (and yes it rained) the need to bathe 110  
hounds, clean 120 ears with blue powder ear treatment, and trim 1780+ nails in  
rain, wind and cold - and the bath day folks signed up!
Jill Beniak gathered -2- tubs as a donation from _www.boosterbath.com_ 
(http://www.boosterbath.com/)  and MAN are  they WONDERFUL!!
Giant thank you's to: Jill Beniak and Barb, Bruce Garvin, Jim Strachan,  
Lance & Amy Wolbransky, Marti Razo & Frank Aldrete, Linda and Felix,  Barb 
Patterson, Candy & Rob Holman, Edina, Monique Tecson, The Elementary  School, Kim 
Kurland, Sherry SImek and Carol Ashley.
 
Next - "wranglers" are called for, and answer the plea. Alumni and Guest  
hounds are lined up and ready for action!
 
Kennel cleaning is of course still a daily need, and the day before a shoot  
is one where we work far into the night to get our chores done - huge thanks 
to  Rita Dluzak, Shari Mann, Jeff (Jeff spent HOURS stringing hurricane fencing 
so  we had a containment area for the run - sadly, our excessive winds ripped 
it  down by midnight and no restringing was possible), Sherry Simek and Carol 
Ashley  for putting their all into getting us as ready as we could possibly 
be - and  Rita - She'll hit me for telling you this, but Rita slept at the 
kennel to make  sure we were ready for the early open up this endeavor requires.
 
And then it was Film Day.
Hounds raring to go, they know something is up from the moment the doors  get 
opened at 7 a.m. - and the day is off and there is no turning back!   Human 
wranglers and help - whom are absolutely wonderful were:
Rita Dluzak, Jeanne Queenen, Sitina Queenen, Shirley Queenen, Jordyn  
Queenen, Hunk Queenen, Jackie Flores, Lance Wolbransky, Amy Wells-Wolbransky and  
soon-to-be-arriving baby Wolbransky, Dan Hickey, Sherry Simek, Cathy Derr,  
Nathan & Ashley, Edina, Jeff & Barb, Shari Mann, Linda Miller, Candy  Holman, Maria 
Bivens, Michelle, and Carol Ashley.  And then the film crew  arrived.
 
Trucks, props, cameras, a crane to get an aerial shot of the release of 100  
hounds (we had a few cancellations so we actually ran 92 the first run and 89  
the second) - grips and electricians, make up and the limo with cast and 
guest  star..... and then it happened.
CRAFT SERVICES ARRIVED AND SET UP IMMEDIATELY OUTSIDE THE RUN RELEASE  AREA!!
Now - if you were a basset - and you had the choice of running after a  
whacko woman on a golf cart singing in a bullhorn - or perhaps heading over to  tri 
tip, tortellini, chicken breast and all the fixings..... where exactly would  
you go?  It's called Deflecting the pack. ROFL..  Despite our best  
suggestions, begging and pleading, catering was there to stay and we all made  the best 
of it.... including a few hounds.  As the shot we were working on  we got on 
the second take (Wahooo!!!!) the day went reasonable well after that  and I 
can honestly say that the kids were soooooooooooo good!!  Its not  easy to be a 
star, but they managed to fill their role of basset hounds to a T -  
sunbathing, yawning, slinging drool, and of course Bodie the ham snuggled up to  a 
contestant and would not get off her.   You all know Bodie - when he  pins you to 
the ground you stay put. Joel thought the SUV was his personal  driver and 
kept trying to climb in!  Each and every hound is a shining  star, and our 
spotlight hounds were: UK Brit, Odin, Guiness, Mae &  Alice.
 
It was a really great day, and we had wranglers who worked well together  and 
made it all happen for the hounds!  Very special donations came in for  this 
shoot - Kim Kuwahara, Jackie Flores, Marilyn Bickell, Shari Mann, Barbie  Nat 
and Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California all added to the hounds day  by 
donating much needed beds, water buckets, pooper scoopers, dog houses, and  
some supplies!!!
 
When dinner and bed time rolled around and I was alone with the hounds  at 
the kennel - there was loud snoring going on - snuggling up in blankies,  laying 
on toys, worn out, suspiciously smelling of tri tip the hounds gentle  snores 
filled my ears and my senses - singling softly to the hounds "Lullaby of  
Broadway" was the nights finale and with all of that - 
 
Its a Wrap.
Thank you to EVERYONE.  The hounds shall have their day.
Airing in May '09 on Animal Planet - we'll let ya know when the time  comes.
 
Dawn (exhausted in the) West
Basset Rescue Network at Daphneyland
(Where the wild bassets run free - and get catered to - LITERALLY)
_www.barniatdaphneyland.org_ (http://www.barniatdaphneyland.org) 
 

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