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<DIV> The only people who think basset hounds are dumb are people who've never been owned by one.</DIV>
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<DIV> They are, almost universally, dumb like a fox. Yes, we all know the really goofy, good-hearted yet rather clueless bassets out there. Sometimes, they ALL act like that. But get food involved---especially forbidden food, out-of-reach food, humans-only expensive food (read: prime rib or a bakery cheesecake), or food for other critters, like co-habitating kitties---and basset hounds become the sneakiest, craftiest, most Oscar-worthy, CIA-recruitable schemers in the universe. They are master manipulators. Why do you think we dub ourselves "basset food slaves"? </DIV>
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<DIV> Bassets are not the most easily trained dogs because they are not out to please their people first, nor have they been bred for following instructions like the police-dog and service-dog types. However, they ARE trainable, and they are aces at figuring stuff out on their own if they think they can benefit from it. </DIV>
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<DIV>Auntie Anne</DIV></BODY></HTML>