[Dailydrool] Dailydrool Digest, Vol 41, Issue 6

[Charlie Meyer]

Well, if one wants perfect English, go to Norway.  Apparently there  
are 'real' and 'merkin' English tracks taught in schools there.  
Learned that on the passage from Fishguard to Rosslaire. If one is in  
a place where they don't know the language, find the Dutch.  They know  
all the other languages because as one Dutch person told me on the  
ferry from Cork to France: "nobody speaks Dutch." Very helpful twenty- 
odd years ago wandering about southern Spain armed with an Amex card,  
and a vocabulary pretty much limited to "Si, No, & Cerveza." One basic  
food group.

Before I was in rescue, I got Humphrey from a BYB farmer that was  
getting out of Bassets. My eeyore (ATB) came from a BYB near  
Charlottesville, VA. I had lived enough years insulated inside the  
Beltway, that I thought the sire, named 'Dale the Intimitator', was an  
odd name, with something to do with temprament. A Brood bitch and her  
litter in an outdoor doghouse with a heat lamp.  In January. Horrors  
in retrospect. Years later, having spent time in rescue, I was ready  
for a typey 'indulgence'. I got my Savannah from show breeder Peggy  
O'Brien, who takes back dogs of any age, and rehomes them.  I wish  
more breeders had that lifelong commitment to their dogs.  The  
responsible, caring gems are out there. BTW, having flunked Intro to  
NASCAR 101, I am waiting for the WV Department of Immigration,  
Culture, and NASCAR to deport me.

Sometimes the 'Bassetese' is entertaining to read, and sometimes I  
skip those posts when I am pressed for time or not in the mood. Take  
it or leave it, in celebration of freedom of expression.

Sylvie shows, breeds, and rescues. Not a knowledgeable voice I would  
want to stop contributing.  The longer I do this Basset thing, the  
less I find I actually know.

If we were dull and compliant lemmings, we'd all have Labradors, lying  
on the floor of kitchens with appliance colors such as 'Avacado Green'  
or 'Harvest Gold.' Unfortunately, not all of us had the 'benefit' of  
cutthroat, take-no-prisoners, skin-thickening initiation I had aboard  
submarines a long time ago.  All of us are passionate enough about  
Bassets to be on this list.  That passion brings us laughs, tears at a  
Bridge trip, but occasionally some pain.  In the aggregate, I  
personally remember and cherish the grace, empathy, and caring called  
the Drool in my time of trial and tragedy.  I am thankful every day  
for the healing power of drool.  It's a joy to tell the uninitiated  
that it's bigger than the dog.

As far as the 'activists', none of us 'own' Bassets. Bassets have long  
'owned' us slaves.  Being a wiseguy, I take solace that PeTA's Ingrid  
Newkirk had herself sterilized. Spay and Neuter works to improve the  
breed. Your mileage may vary.  :-P

I am sure Sister Mary Josephine would flail me with the red pencil,  
but she went to her great reward decades ago, bearing the only black  
mark on her soul: Little Carrot-top Charlie resisted all attempts to  
compel him to write with his right hand.

The mirror sez there ain't as much carrot left on top.


Charlie Meyer
West Virginia Coordinator
Basset Rescue of Old Dominion, Inc. (BROOD)
Droolassic Park
Keyser, WV

Basset Hound Rescue: Work With Women. Pick Up Dogs.