One Family’s Love Affair with Basset Hounds

By JILL SMITH Special to the Palisadian-Post Imagine the typical basset hound, happy as can be, as it meanders down a street, nose to the ground, tracking a scent, with its proud owner trotting behind, vigilantly keeping up the slack on the leash. What is it about this simple scene that possesses otherwise seemingly normal, circumspect adult drivers to slow down, pull over, and shout “BASSET!” or “I LOVE YOUR DOG!” as an opening line to a conversation? What is the aura of this unassuming animal that strangers become your instant friends, telling you about the basset of their childhood or the bassets that they watched on TV over the decades? The floppy velvet ears, the sad red droopy eyes, the de rigueur dewlap, the body a block long and the legs mere inches, the huge front paws, the extra skin, and the wrinkles (the basset is proof that God has a sense of humor, one woman told me), seem to resonate with people of all ages. The basset calls to mind old fashionedness, days of innocence, a halcyon childhood. When we moved to Pacific Palisades in June 2005, we learned about the annual Fourth of July parade and the march of the Patriotic Pups. One month later, we were proudly accompanying Ruby Wrinkles, our three-year-old basset hound, along the parade route to the sounds of constant cheers and whoops from spectators as they caught a glimpse of her red fleece booties that protected her delicate albeit large paws from the scorching Sunset Boulevard asphalt. The coup de grace came when, as she approached the eastern end of the parade route, the heat caused her to violently vomit what seemed to be a never-ending outpouring of yellow foam at the feet of some people seated curbside in front of their home. Rather than be repulsed or offended, the gracious neighbors immediately offered water and assistance. Until Ruby, we were a pet-less family. Both my husband and I grew up in families with no animals and we both have allergies to dogs. Owning a dog was something we never considered or wanted. Then one day when our son Jordan was about 11 years old, he caught a very contagious “basset hound fever.” His obsession with bassets grew to the point that I began gifting him with multiple basset hound calendars every year and the entire family began to talk about basset sightings. We were living in Lafayette, California, and I did some quick research to discover that a basset hound show was coming up in Sacramento. We planned a trip to drive to the state capital, take in the sights. . . and visit the basset hounds. At the show, we fell in love. We were surrounded by hundreds of bassets who had come with their owners by truck, van, and RV. The sight of these gentle, doleful beasts sitting in their huge crates and pens, or lumbering by on foot, many with their heads crowned in fancy custom-made shower cap-like bonnets (a cottage industry) to keep their ears pristine for the show had us in hysterics, and captivated. The strong aroma from within the convention center, however, sent my husband, Harris, and Jordan’s twin sister Stephanie, back to the hotel room, but Jordan and I lingered for another two hours. We couldn’t get enough of it. About two months after the show, having done much research into the basset hound breed, and against the advice of our allergy doctor, Harris and I decided we wanted to own a basset hound. Stephanie, who initially wanted any kind of dog except a basset hound, was ecstatic. But Jordan was incensed. “What do you mean–you’re going to buy a basset hound. I never said I wanted one, I just like looking at them.” By then it was too late. We went to a breeder in Santa Rosa and bought Ruby Wrinkles and our lives were forever changed. Ruby Wrinkles has made us all better people, even though over the years we have acquired enough basset hound material goods to fill a museum (including a 6′ tall basset hound lamp) and to make others question our aesthetic sensibilities. A common misconception is that bassets are stupid or lazy. Ruby understands and responds to countless words and commands. If she doesn’t obey, it is because she doesn’t want to do something. Bassets are stubborn, not stupid. And they aren’t lazy. Ruby loves to walk but if you had to support her 49 pounds on three-inch-high legs, you’d get tired too. When Ruby gets tired, she plops. It’s an instant drop to the ground in one motion so dramatic that people have rushed over to ask “Is your dog okay??” Basset hounds are fairly low maintenance dogs. Although they are moderate shedders, they have short hair that does not need to be clipped or groomed. Because bassets are scent hounds, they will wriggle on the ground to imbed a scent into their voluminous folds. The aroma is manna to the dog, but can become strong for its owners, so we bathe Ruby at least two to three times a month (sometimes weekly) in our large farmhouse-style kitchen sink to keep her from becoming too pungent. Bassets are very gentle and great with children but they are heavy dogs and they have been known to knock unsuspecting adults off their feet. When it came time to move from Lafayette to Southern California, the neighbors started to talk. They didn’t say, “The Smiths are moving.” The word on the street was, “Ruby?s house is for sale.” Ruby loves the Palisades. So many stores in the Village are ultra-dog friendly, with the shopkeepers offering treats to the pets. And there are a plethora of bassets living here. People continually come up to us and share news about the other bassets, such as “We play with Clementine at the park” or “Have you met Gipper?” or “Did you know Albert?” Fast forward to April 2007. We are now the owners of a second female basset hound puppy, Chloe Low E. We are truly addicted, but blissfully happy. Oh, our house? It’s the one with the basset topiary in front. Jill Smith worked in brand management at Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati after receiving her B.A. and MBA degrees from UCLA. She later worked for various advertising agencies in management, and now serves on the boards of USC Hillel and Temple Isaiah. Her two children, now juniors at Cal Berkeley and USC, have provided collegiate team apparel for Ruby and Chloe to wear during football season. Meet Clementine, Monty and Friends My husband and I are fortunate to have so many basset hounds in our Palisades neighborhood. Even before we moved into our new home, we had already heard rumors about 100-plus-pound Albert Einstein, nicknamed the “Mayor of Hartzell Street.” Within a week of moving in, actress Denise Crosby introduced herself and her dog Clementine to us after she spotted our Ruby at the Swarthmore Farmers Market. We see Gipper and Monty walking in the ‘hood, have met Bridget and Honey, and have been told about at least five other bassets that reside in the Palisades. What possesses people to own bassets? For Ginny Boyce, who was Albert’s loving mother for ten years until Albert passed away, it was her fond memories of a friend’s basset hound when she was a young girl. Like any serious buyer, before taking Albert home as a puppy, she asked to see what his parents looked like. Ginny said they looked like cement sacks, but that didn’t deter her. Not surprisingly, Albert’s mere appearance used to stop traffic in the Palisades and people pointed at him like he was a celebrity. Despite his girth, he was as sweet as could be and wouldn’t hurt a fly. He was just pure love, although he could be stubborn and occasionally needed a push now or then. Clementine, a two-year-old basset, came to stay with Denise Crosby and her family for one week when Clementine’s original owner, a family friend, was ill. That week has turned into three years of loving ownership. Clementine is a fixture at Friday night roller hockey games at the recreation center, where her (human) brother Augie plays regularly. Clementine can also be seen romping through one of the local parks on a daily basis and is a hit with the kids who call her name from the Corpus Christi school playground. “Clemmie” has a penchant for belly rubs and can crawl on command. Denise lovingly refers to Clementine as the “grande dame” of the Palisades bassets due to her stately comportment. Susan Maxwell bought her basset hound after researching dog breeds. She was looking for a dog that would exhibit low activity indoors and medium activity outdoors. Her basset Monty fit the bill. It was love at first sight when she brought shy Monty home as a puppy. Three-and-a-half years later, despite having eaten two Gameboys, two remote controls, and three cell phones, Monty joins Susan and her family on multiple walks every day and is good with people and kids (just not electronics).