[Dailydrool] Senior Basset Thread

[Basset911 at aol.com]

I've found this thread really wonderful.
It's been very interesting to read how many of our droolers are over the  
puppy nightmare years and are truly appreciative of their seniors.
 
We have on any given day 90- 100 bassets looking for homes.  When one  gets 
adopted, a new hound comes in and fills that spot.  Our numbers have  not 
gone down in well over a year, despite many adoptions and many adoptions of  
senior as well as special needs hounds.  Of our 100, half are seniors, in  
my world I classify a senior as 9 years or older - although you may want to 
talk  to the 15, 16, 17 & 18 year olds about a 9 year old being a senior.
 
All rescue groups have their own criteria, their own adoption fee scales,  
and almost all will waive an adoption fee for a great family - although a 
great  family by definition is one that understands the throat strangling 
financial  drain that rescue truly is.  On any given day we are always thinking 
to the  future - where will funds come from?  Will doors have to be closed?  
 Can we accept a special needs hound into the program given our numbers and 
those  waiting to be rescued in the shelters?  A vicious cycle and one that 
keeps  getting worse.
 
I can firmly attest that heaven is indeed a nice warm spring day, seniors  
snoozing in the sun, on beds, under trees and the smart ones - under the AC  
vents - and when air traffic goes over, we often have planes circling low - 
and  circle they do.  I have to wonder if they might think we are the 
Guyana of  bassetdom.  lol.
 
Senior adoption awareness is a very difficult thing for rescue  groups.  
Many adopters have recently lost a senior and cannot bear another  heartache 
too soon.  Others are of the uneducated mind set of "you can't  teach an old 
dog new tricks" which is the most ridiculous thing I have ever  heard.  
 
We just had to whelp a litter of pups here - just as Holly Noelle and the  
Blizzard pups were leaving to their homes.  5 puppies.  Sure, they are  cute 
when they are born, until their eyes open and they become monster  demons.  
Please kill me now.  Give me 50 seniors over one litter of  pups ANY DAY!!!
 
The economy is closing the doors of rescue groups nationwide, I don;t know  
which group had this idea, but if they can find quality homes for old 
hounds to  snuggle and snore their lives away - kudos to them!  A senior on 
average  takes 9 months to a  year to place, and that freezes up rescues 
resources,  space and funding.
We take criticism all the time..... All you have is old dogs! (the glass is 
 half full crowd)
We prefer to think that half our population is priceless gems, and we get  
them in the golden phase - seasoned to perfection.
 
Dawn
Daphneyland - where the wild bassets roam (and the seniors snore!)
_www.barniatdaphneyland.org_ (http://www.barniatdaphneyland.org) 
See the Hounds of Daphneyland on Animal Planet
Groomer Has it - June 6, 2009
 
 
 
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