[Dailydrool] Basset Puppies

[Jennifer Martin via Dailydrool]

I looked at Davis' Southern Bassets website this morning. Personally, I
would back away as fast as I could and look somewhere else. Why? They have
some very serious signs of being a potential puppy mill. They have more
than one litter at a time. Most of the excellent breeders I have come
across, only have one litter at a time. They almost never have more than
1-2 litters a year if that. These people are letting the puppies go at 6
weeks. Current information is showing that puppies should stay with the mom
and the litter longer than that. 8-12 weeks is significantly better. I am
here to tell you that the older your puppy, the more you will sleep at
night and the quicker housebreaking will go. I have also had a lot better
luck with breaking the nipping habit when the puppy stays with the litter
longer. Nothing teaches a puppy not to play too hard with others better
than another puppy that will haul off and correct the sibling when they are
getting too rough.

They never state that the puppies are checked by a vet before going to
their new home. They don't say anything about requiring you to use heart
worm prevention. The puppies are not raised in the home. They are raised in
a shed. I have found that puppies that are born in a house with people all
around get better care and sleep better, as well as being socialized better.

I would go to the AKC Bassset Hound Club page and look for breeders there.
If you can, goto some dog shows and see if you can met some of the people
that are breeding and showing. Don't forget that you can occasionally find
puppies in rescue.

My Beauford was born in rescue. I got him at 9 weeks. His mother was only a
year old and had never been vaccinated, but his foster home was fantastic.
They made sure the puppies were vaccinated as soon as possible and received
an extra set of shots. They were not allowed outside because of the chance
of parvo. He was in a house in a living room and his momma was helped out
with parenting skills from the two females in the house that are show
quality. I got him at 9 weeks old and he has been a delight except for the
housetraining and destructive chewing when he was small.

My Browyn also came to us from rescue. We would have gotten her at 9 weeks,
but she contracted kennel cough and parvo when she was in a shelter for a
day before the rescue picked her up. So, we brought her home at 16 weeks to
make sure she was all better and she wouldn't pass parvo on to the family
that agreed to do the meet and greet, or my Beauford or Bugsey.

Through rescue, I paid $350 each for them. I could have gotten $100 back if
I had gone to a vet through the rescue. I wanted to go to my vet and was
willing to lose the $100 and pay for spaying and neutering.

Bugsey came from Beauford's foster mom's personal dogs. She shows. She
breeds once in a blue moon. Like she has a litter every 4-6 years.He was
born upstairs in the room next to her bedroom. When they were 2 weeks old,
they moved to the living room in 3 ex-pens connected together and on a tarp
to protect the floor. They learned to sleep while all kinds of house
cleaning chores were done. The boy is an excellent sleeper. He was a cinch
to housebreak and he was checked out by the vet at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8
weeks before I took him home at 9 weeks. He was more than welcome to stay
longer, but Beauford had become an only dog and was literally chewing up my
house. I was hoping that Bugsey would give Beauford something else to focus
on rather than chewing up all my furniture.

I am not anti-puppy. I have raised 7 of them. Ihave also rescued 3 from 4-7
years of age. The seven year old still has a very special place in my
heart. We had him for 6 years. I have lost three females at age 4 to
serious health conditions. I only bring this up because there are no
guarantees in life. Just because you get a puppy doesn't mean it will have
a long and healthy life with you. Of course it could. I have had 3 bassets
make it to 13+. I am hoping that this crew lives longer since so many
improvements in health care have occurred over the years, but we will see.
Cancer sucks and you just never know what will happen with it or several
other diseases.

I am hoping someone on the Drool knows a great breeder in the South. I
don't. I got my original three in Texas. The only one I would be willing to
get a puppy from again died this past fall. The other breeders I know are
in the Midwest. Only one has a litter planned in the near future and the
waiting list for one of her puppies is very long. I would take one in a
heart beat, but I am now in a city that limits you to 3 dog/cat combos. I
am at 3 and the ordinance is strickly enforced.

Good luck!

Jennifer with Beauford, Bugsey, and Browyn the Fairy Princess
timandjenmartin at gmail.com
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