[Dailydrool] Basset Question - Does your basset talk to you?

[Dan Hickey]

Yes! In a number of different ways. Saturday night Ruby and Emerald after
their Strut Your Mutt Waddle baths got to stay upstairs with the humans.
Diamond, who usually slimes the girls after a bath was unhappy. He whined a
bit then with no response out came the almost whispered arooos, long and low
"come get me, I'm not happy. I'm just going to annoy you. If it were any
louder you might be angry." 

Or some mornings at 3:00 am Ruby will decide it's play time, Standing in the
middle of the kitchen projecting up the stairs her very loudest single bark
repeated about once every 10 seconds to get me to come downstairs and settle
everyone down. If I don't show, she doesn't stop. 

Sometimes in the car Diamond will complain about my driving, especially if
we're in stop and go traffic. Many times it's a whine, but often it sounds
like someone talking in the next room. You can almost understand it, but not
quite. It goes on until I tell him, "I'm doing the best I can. We'll be
there soon." Soon is a concept he understands, If we DON'T get there soon
his complaints start anew.

Sometimes I'm sitting on the floor in the family room and Diamond will stop
about 3 feet away and say "WoewWoewWoew" kinda quiet and then rush me and
put his mouth over my nose. "I guess I like you, and I'm feeling really
demonstrative. Don't expect this very often." 

Mutya, our 14 year old, has a one size fits all low gruff "woof" once every
other second. It can mean "I'm hungry" or "I'm excited" or "she just stole
my pillow" or maybe "I'm feeling confused and disoriented." Sometimes she
forgets to stop after a while and must be reminded it's been long enough. A
touch works better than talking to her.

All these sounds are situationally unique. I hear them no other times.

Dan Hickey