[Dailydrool] Mier the Basset

[Frans Breytenbach]

Hi Guys

On the issue of bassets being burnt and so on, can I share a story with you with a happy ending.

Being a geologist by trade I work at all sorts of out the way places. So recently I ended up in the kalahari desert in a wedge of South Africa sticking up between Botswana and Namibia. It is a dry, desolate part of the country, with only a few villages here and there. The area where I worked is called "Mier". When the original explorers entered the area, they mistook the numerous salt lakes in the area for fresh water lakes, and called the area "Meer", which is the Dutch or German equivalent for lake or sea. Eventually "Meer" was abberated to "Mier".

In any case, in one of the lonely, dusty, poor and desolate villages I came across a basset male. He was neglected and in a poor condition. His owner did not want him, claiming he eats too much and is not really good for anything (except for trying to get his dachshund bitch pregnant). In fact, he was looking for somebody to take the dog off his hands. He told me he rescued the dog from somebody who burnt him with a hot iron everytime the dog did something he did not like. Several scars are visible on his flanks and back to confirm this. Anyway, after some negotiations I bought the dog from him. I took him to a vet in the nearest big town some 300km away. The vet treated him and cared for him for four days until my work was completed in the area. After that I picked him up and brought him home to share the good life with Klara and Sally. 

The dog did not really have a name, but has now become "Mier" after the village where I found him. Even in the poor condition I found him, he weighed 66 pounds, so he has all the makings to become a huge dog. Apart from the scars on his body, it appears as if there is a problem with his right hip. However, he is a happy chappy and adjusted well to the energy saving mode on a soft bed that bassets perform so well. We live close to a fresh water lake and go for a walkies every night with the bassets. Coming from a desert, the water is the one thing that Mier can't fathom out. There appears to be no phsycological scares and he is a sweet and playful one, romping about with who ever is prepared to play. He selected his favourite sleep site as a pillow in front of our bed.

Regards

Klara and Sally with Frans and Mariette Breytenbach, now also with Mier.
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