[Dailydrool] Intro and Newbie questions

[Jerry White]

Hi All,

My name is Jerry. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am married,
and we have one child, a very mature nine year old girl. She's not a
real active kid, more of a reader and storyteller. In other words we
don't ride our bikes and go hiking every weekend. My family is
considering our first dog. We went to a dog show to look at all the
breeds and meet the owners, and we fell in love with Basset Hounds. A
bit of history - My wife and I both grew up with dogs. Weimeraner,
German Shepherd, Golden Retriever. About ten years ago I raised a Lab
pup, but tragically she died of cancer at age three. So I do have
adult experience raising a dog. I loved that Lab but I also remember
how energetic she was.

The Bassets appeal to us because they might be a good fit for our
family - don't require a ton of exercise like a Lab or Golden would,
are cute and cuddly, family oriented, and just about as big in size as
we could expect to fit in our Prius. Our preference would be to get a
rescue dog who's already housetrained and has a reputation for being
good with cats (we have two.) We would also consider a pup from a
reputable breeder. But I have to say now that I've been reading about
the Bassets I am not so sure anymore. I'll put it out to the experts
here to set me straight.

Housetraining: Is it true that they are difficult to housebreak, and
it could take up to a year? That would definitely put us off a puppy.

Cats: Most of the rescue listings say "not good with cats." Is
cat-friendliness a rarity in Bassets? Would we have better luck
raising a puppy?

Noise: Do they really bay when left home alone? My wife doesn't have a
9-5 job, but she is in and out quite a bit during the day. I'd say we
are the typical active family, sometimes not home for a few hours.

Counter surfing: What's the deal with this? We cook, food does get
left unattended on a countertop sometimes.

Ear maintenance: How hard is it to maintain good ear health? How often?

Stairs: We read somewhere that pups shouldn't climb stairs until they
are 1 year old. That would be a dealbreaker for us, our bedrooms and
office are upstairs.

What am I missing?

I appreciate any knowledge you folks can give. We think we can love a
Basset Hound, but want to go into it with our eyes open.

Thanks,
Jerry