We are a Bassett Hound Family thanks to Suncoast Basset Rescue!
My Dearest Basset friends, you are my family!
I am so just so happy to share with you all that my husband and I have expanded our family.
It's been near 11 months since we laid our precious Jethro to rest, and 4 months since our darling Oreo joined his brother – forever bonded because Suncoast Basset Rescue brought them into our world. For those 4 months, we learned that his being the one and only, was not the same for him, having lived always with Jethro and other Basset brothers since he was 2 years old, when he became ours. We knew that he needed a friend.
On March 11th, we received an email from our wonderful Suncoast Basset Rescue Organization (SBR), who has provided us with our last 4 Bassets since 2010. They had a sweet girl, 8 years old, whose Dad died. She needed a foster home. We were asked by Ms. Barbara if we would foster her. My husband and I read this message together, looked at each other, knew God's embrace in our lives, and teared up as we responded: Yes! Sure!
And, because of SBR, Molly found her way to us on Saturday, Mar. 16, a 3-leg trip from Sebastian Fl to St. Petersburg thanks to a 4-member volunteer team!
When Molly first walked with Oreo at our favorite park on St. Patrick's Day, we knew they would love each other. For that one day, my Irish husband, called her Molly Malone!!!
Having 11 dog pillows in our house (we were used to having 4 Bassetts at one time), Molly made her pillow selection that she has claimed, and we knew that she has adopted us! She now had a forever home!
SBR allowed us to adopt her officially on St. Patrick's Day! Our Pot Of Gold with no end to the colors in our rainbow! Molly and Oreo learned about each other, sniffing and wagging, barking a passers-by in the front yard together, while Molly's howls sing for all to hear.
One month after Molly’s arrival, Ogden arrived – the Basset puppy that my husband dreamed of and I finally said Yes to. We had not enjoy the innocence, joy and wonder of puppies since 1996!! Our hearts and home was open, Ogden, then 4 months old, arrived April 17, and our lives were forever changed – all our lives. Oreo became his daddy and Molly became his mommy. Together they shaped Ogden’s transition from a farm in Missouri to a forever home in St. Pete, Fl.
One month after Ogden landed and 2 months after Molly adopted us all, we knew that Oreo was not just aging, he was not thriving. Three weeks later, we got the diagnosis – lymphoma, advanced. Molly and Ogden embraced him, and we all were family forever for all our days.
With the passing of Oreo, Molly has been the best adult female mommy that Ogden could every have. The play, discover, romp, bark, and visit everyone in their journey through life. They are so filed with life and joy, with wonder and love. Ogden would be lost without Molly and Molly would not be as happy and playful without Ogden. My husband wanted Ogden, a puppy, but the Lord, through SBR, sent us Molly for us and for Ogden, and everyone she greets.
Our lives have been filled for over a decade with such love and fulfillment as we gave forever homes to 5 bassets : Rusty, Mr. Goober, Oreo, Jethro, and Molly.
All the people, volunteers that breathe life into SBR are phenomenal people, giving so much of themselves to save the lives of these wonderful pets at all stages of life, illness and wellness. Their energy, passion, devotion and mission lives and breathes in all whom they have touched and engaged to support the activities, fund raising, and SBR family.
I always say that not everyone has had a Basset Hound in their lifetime, but all smile to see a Basset Hound. If you got to see Molly and Ogdent, they would run up to you with wagging tails and smiles in their eyes, awaiting your welcoming arms, smiles and pets.
Please join me in thanking those who made from SBR who made possible for Molly to come into our home:
Barbara Weber
Karen Young
Alysa
Shelly
Jacquie
Amanda
As Barbara writes in her email signature: “Saving one dog won't change the world but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever”.
May Blessings be with you, wherever you go, each and every day, with the unconditional love of a Basset Hound by your side, bonded forever – always with you.
Pat Quigley
pquigley1@tampabay.rr.com
Previous Stories
Please enjoy our precious Oreo and Jethro, both 13.5 years old - birthdays 3 days apart by coincidence! We are forever thankful to Suncoast Basset Rescue, Inc., who rescued them! We've had Oreo since he was 2 years old, our proud second Foster Failure, and Jethro since he was 2 1/2 years old. We are going for 15 years! Jethro, living with hip dysplasia, and Oreo, living with shoulder arthritis, are still walking, can see and loving life! We are so grateful! In return, we contribute to a couple of Suncoast Rescue bassets to help them stay in foster care and hope that all will continue to give forward to our foster families. Thank you. Pat and Chris
I got Hammy (Hambone) in May 2016 when he was 13 years old. He brought me so much joy just in who he was. He very quickly made it into our hearts where he as remained ever since.
Suncoast Bassett Rescue really took the time to meet with me and check out my home to make sure it was suitable for Hammy. They were wonderful to work with and I would not hesitate to adopt from them again.
We have adopted 3 of our 5 basset hounds from suncoast over the past 2 decades . They are a wonderful organization. We adopted our current little girl Rosie from them in 2020 but she needed another basset to keep her company. At the time of adoption suncoast didn’t have a suitable companion for her. Well, her foster mom searched and searched other rescues for us and found Rosie her little Barney. Her foster mom went above and beyond to make sure Rosie has a companion. The volunteers at suncoast are amazing and I highly recommend them
We rescued our sweet Basset Casey from Suncoast Basset Rescue in June 2016. She was about 2-3 years old & the absolute best dog we’ve ever had. She passed away October 2021 from an aggressive mammary tumor. My heart & soul aches for her every single day. Her & I had an irreplaceable connection. Suncoast is amazing! Their staff & hounds are the absolute best! I plan on rescuing from them again in the future
I have adopted three bassets from Suncoast Basset Rescue from 2008 to 2023. All three of my dogs were well cared for as SBR foster dogs, and are important parts of our family now. I have also volunteered with transport of foster dogs to their adopted or foster families and helped with home screenings. Everything in our power is done to save dogs and find a loving family. No money is wasted- it all goes to the needs of relinquished pets.
We adopted our first Bassett Hound from Suncoast Basset Rescue in 2012. He was the sweetest boy but he was heartworm compromised when we adopted him. Six more months of Heartworm slow kill therapy and he was heartworm free, but still the damage was done. We had six wonderful years with Beauregard before he succumbed to heart issues due to the earlier heartworm infestation. Please please please make sure your furry family members are on a heartworm preventative. after Beau passed, we were heartbroken and it took a year to even think of another dog in the house. Then… When checking the Suncoast Basset rescue website, I saw DC and we knew he was perfect for us. He's been with us for over a month now and he is the perfect gentleman. We love him dearly and are happy to have him here in his new forever home. The basset hound on his back in bed is the new addition to our house, DC, the two Bassets with the chickens are two of our boys that have passed...Riley is the lemon and white and Beauregard is the tricolor. I absolutely love Bassets. We've had them in our house for 40 years. They are the best breed on the planet. I may be a little biased.
Complicated Adoption Made Easy
Suncoast Basset Rescue
We fell in love with two bonded female Basset Hounds on the Suncoast Basset Rescue website – Emma and Ellie. But there was a major problem. We were going out of the country and were reluctant to adopt them and immediately put them in a kennel.
Problem solvers – Suncoast adoption coordinator Brad and wonderful volunteers Jodi and Rich who arranged for us to meet Emma and Ellie ahead of time and then temporarily foster them until our return. And so Emma and Ellie arrived in their new home just in time for the holidays – and a wonderful present for us. Thank you so much to Suncoast Basset Rescue and especially to Brad and Jodi and Rich.
Ron and Linda
We would have posted this earlier, but we just discovered the correct link.
Flash was found on the side of the road in South Carolina and now he is the King of the Road. I was able to adopt him via SBR in 2021 and my life has never been the same. He is so laid back and a real people person. His temperament is gentle and loving. As he plays with neighbor kids he just sits and lets the little ones fall all over him, tug on his ears, and hug on him. He has such a gentle, yet gregarious nature that I have taken him and me through TherapyDog training via Alliance of Therapy Dogs www.therapydogs.com. We go to memory care units, nursing homes and a cancer institute here in town. When I had very major surgery in Sept of 2022, friends from SBR stepped in, took Flash to their home and kept him for almost 2 months as a temporary foster saving me much anxiety and of course, money. SBR is an outstanding organizaton of all volunteers saving Basset dogs and owners one dog at a time.
When i moved to Florida, i found a wonderful basset rescue called Suncoast Basset. I have since rescued several older hounds as part of our family. I have found them to be responsive to inquiries and the needs of people adopting as well as caring for the dogs in their care.
We were looking for a sister for Bronson. I reached out to Suncoast Bssset hound for adoption. They found me Miss Alabama. 2 weeks before placement in my home I was in an accident. Her foster mom kept Alli in her care until I was able to take her. What a kind lady Linda was. Alabama came to live with us on Bronsons 2nd Birthday and we were excited to have her. She had some medical issues and had to have surgery. I gave my coordinator an update on Alli and Suncoast payed for her surgery. I am so pleased with Suncoast efforts in placing a dog in the proper home. Thank you so much for my Alabama girl. The Warnstedt family.
For the love of the breed, Mother Nature’s clowns!
In the beginning and with the help from Suncoast Basset Club of Tampa, we began rescuing. All of the countless hours and enormous love from volunteers and supporters, SBR is where it is today, and hopefully for 25+ more years. I couldn’t be more proud and humbled by all these hounds we have saved and the fabulous two-leggers who love them.
We have had rescue Basset Hounds since 1997. We have Rescued 3 Basset Hounds from Sun Coast Basset Rescue, Our last Basset Hound, Blue was abused, according to trainers that we used to help. She was scared of towels, being touched at night and food aggressive. After a few bites, from this loving hound , that was normally so sweet and attached to us, we reached out to the Sun Coast people. We did not want to give Blue up and they gave us so many ideas to help Blue. After trainers, medication, and feeding Blue away from the other dogs. she has really improved. I can pet her when she is sleeping and dry her with towels I think the morning rides to the local parks help her too. The great people at Sun Coast called to get Blues progress .
When we moved to FL in 2019, our dog was lonely and depressed. My husband suggested we go to the Suncoast Basset Rescue annual basset waddle. We met amazing people who obviously cared about bassets and had a well run rescue. We met Paris and it was love at first sight. SBR did a thorough process of vetting us as parents and Paris has been a wonderful addition to our family. I can’t say enough great things about this organization!
My wife and I had just lost our precious Bagle, Dylan to a cancerous mass. We weren't ready to have another pup in our home, but something was missing. She spoke with Robert Sayre and we volunteered to Foster. Our first fosters were Jake and Joey, a pair of "Bonded" brothers who were full of surprises. We thoroughly enjoyed the boys until they were adopted. Our next foster was Eagle who was a beagle/basset, but he was more beagle than basset. He was a snarky little guy who we ended up Foster failing with and he spent 3 1/2 years with us before crossing the rainbow bridge in 2021. Freddie was the next foster who was with us for 5 months before he left us for health reasons, It was a rewarding experience. We have also helped with transports too, getting a Hound to their foster family or their furever family. Mark & Lynn Dolezar
Outstanding organization. Not a single officer or board member of the organization is paid; all donations go to helping the hounds. I first learned of SBR after my beloved half-basset passed away. I offered to foster a basset and SBR folks checked out my home, my references and my background before placing a hound with me. That little guy went to permanent parent shortly afterward and I then fostered Rufus. He was 10 years old at the time. Three weeks after he moved in, I officially became a "foster failure" and adopted him. He's 16 1/2 now and loves going to the annual Waddle where 100+ bassets compete in silly games and howl to their hearts' content. Love SBR!
We lost our basset in 2018. We were lucky enough to find Sam (beagle/basset) with Suncoast in 2019. He has been the best thing that happened to my family. He brings us laughs and smiles everyday. He is also beloved by all of our friends and neighbors. Thank you Suncoast for helping find the perfect addition to our family.
I lost my wonderful lemon and white boy in November, 2017. We had been fans of SBR for quite a while so I contacted them. Just before Christmas, they called and said that they had a boy that needed me. After they came to visit, we picked Jax up from his foster on New Years day. He was 11 mo this old, still under weight despite all the love from his foster and pretty nervous. Within a week he was inseperable from his big brother and little sister, who was 2 months younger than him. In 2 months his weight was up, he was healthy and the biggest snuggling. He is 6 now and I thank SBR every day
Such a dedicated group of volunteers! These folks put their hearts and a lot of time into saving as many Bassets (and Basset mixes) as possible. They arrange transportation out of sad situations, foster homes, medical care, and either long-term foster or adoption. They are passionate, responsive and well-organized.
I've been a volunteer with Suncoast Basset Rescue since early 2019. Each basset my family fostered had medical and or behavioral needs. Suncoast made sure they received everything they needed in order to live their absolute best lives from vet care, medicines, special procedures and behavioral training for past abuse. Suncoast has a thorough adoption procedure that ensures potential adopters are carefully screened and can provide the best forever home for a basset once it's been medically cleared. Suncoast is an all volunteer run rescue and has no paid employees which means almost all of it's funding goes directly to the care of the bassets.
I’ve been a volunteer for several years and I’m currently fostering my 3rd basset for Suncoast Basset Rescue. They are such an amazing organization that helps so many relinquished, stray and abandoned bassets and basset mixes. My first foster was a bassador and the sweetest boy that was seriously neglected. He was skin and bones when he came to me. Suncoast got him the best medical care and did all they could for him. My current foster is a breeder female from a backyard breeder. She has never been to a vet in her 5.5 years of life and has lived her entire life outside on concrete. She is heartworm positive plus she has tapeworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Suncoast will treat all of these, in addition, she will be spayed. Then she will live a wonderful life in a home, with a family and no more puppies for her.