[Dailydrool] Calendar Day

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

I've almost let this year's calendar day pass me by. Today's hounds  
are our friend Owen, who lives with his human Jennifer, and our  
Elsinore and young Charlie, who live with me and Ken. Owen and  
Elsinore are alumni of Basset Hound Rescue of Alabama, and Charlie's  
a foster failure from Bluegrass. We're guessing that Owen and  
Elsinore are about ten now, while Charlie is five chronologically but  
about two in his heart.

We met Jennifer some years ago when she and her first basset, the  
late Macy, moved into the house catty-cornered from us. We had our  
late Jane Basset at the time, though not for long. Jane died soon  
after Jennifer moved into the neighborhood. Thankfully, Jennifer  
began taking a night course and needed someone to feed Macy and let  
her out on those evenings. Before long I was able to coax Jennifer  
into letting me enjoy Macy's company every day while she was at work.  
This made my grieving for Jane so much easier. Although Macy wasn't  
Jane, she was still a basset and a dog. She gave me back the whole  
dog-care routine I'd lost when Jane died, keeping me company during  
the day while I worked from home, just like Jane used to. Macy, and  
Jennifer, were truly my friends in need at one of the saddest times  
in my life.

Owen joined Jennifer and Macy's family about six months later. At  
first I wasn't sure I would be able to love Owen much because I was  
so very fond of Macy. But Owen's a wonderful boy, and I discovered it  
was impossible not to love him. That spring I decided I was finally  
ready to find a successor for our Jane, and that's when Elsinore came  
into our lives and extended pack.

It's been fun watching the friendship between the three hounds in  
today's calendar photo develop. Owen and Elsinore developed an almost  
immediate love for each other. Initially they played hard and cuddled  
up close. Over time their relationship has come to resemble that of  
an old married couple, despite living in separate houses and seeing  
each other less frequently. They may grump at each other and push  
each other's buttons, but the affection they share is deep and true.

When Charlie was a puppy he hero worshipped Owen, following him  
around the house and yard with an awestruck expression on his face,  
eager to do whatever Owen wanted to do and looking thrilled when Owen  
wanted to interact with him. As time has passed, Owen's slipped off  
his pedestal a bit, but Charlie still thinks the world of him.

Charlie also looks up to Elsinore. At first, when he was still a  
puppy and very new to us, he was afraid of her. I regret to say,  
Elsinore took advantage of that. She thought it was funny to run up  
behind Charlie and spook him. But after a couple of weeks with us,  
Charlie began to feel more comfortable with her, and then all of a  
sudden he was tightly bonded with her. She is everything to him, and  
he looks to her whenever he's unsure of how to handle a situation.  
Elsinore could take or leave Charlie at first, but now, after having  
him in her life for over four years, she's as bonded to him as he is  
to her.

I feel very blessed to have this wonderful extended pack of bassets,  
which unfortunately no longer lives as near to each other as it once  
did. Jennifer continues to be just as generous with her dogs, though.  
In fact, sometimes she'll call to say Owen's feeling depressed about  
being the odd man out with his two non-basset sisters and can he come  
stay with us for a week or so? Of course he can! Our hounds also get  
to visit one another when one of us humans has to be out of town.  
They love being together, and it's even better when we humans are  
able to join them and make the pack complete.

Elizabeth