Bo Jacob Mitchell Flores, King of the Bassets

Here is a great story about one of the very first hounds BHRA found a home for...he was actually number 26! This is the story as recounted by founding BHRA Trustee Eunice Cleeland:

"I will never forget Christmas Eve, 1999 when Stretch and I loaded the truck very early and headed for Meridian, MS where we finished the first leg of the journey for Bo, a precious all-black-and-white basset who was adopted by Ricardo and Jackie Flores, as Jackie's Christmas gift. His destination was Dallas, TX and he made it around 11PM - just in time for Christmas. We met a motor home in the parking lot of K-mart in Meridian where they warmly welcomed Bo and made a nice comfy spot for him. The Flores family finally moved to California where they became involved in rescue. Bo was about 5 years old at the time he was adotped 10 years ago. We will never forget that Christmas Eve. "

Here is an update on Bo from his devoted food slave, Jackie:

"I can't believe it has been 10 years since we got Bo. My how things have changed. Bo is doing great and still rules the house. I didn't think it was possible for him to be more spoiled but he definately is. He has a bed in every room and eats whenever he wants. He jumps around and barks when he is hungry or wants treats. Right now he thinks he is a hobbit and eats 4 meals a day with treats thrown in often. This maintains his weight at a steady 52 pounds. He still has a spring in his step and trots around the house. Of course he spends about 20 hours sleeping and just trots from bed to bed.Ricardo and I have decided that he wags his tail more than any other dog that we have ever had. He brings joy to our lives daily. We can't thank you enough for taking a chance with us all those years ago. Just looking at him makes me smile. Even when he is being naughty I can't get mad at him. I try but he just wags his tail at me and I end up smiling. So spoiled…so loved!!!"

A Christmas Note from the Lee Family

Wilbur & Orville participated in the Santa Paws Walk today! It’s a fund raiser for TREATS (an org. promoting free spay/neuter) The photo shoot was hilarious – the antlers kept falling off & they kept looking at Santa instead at the camera. The photographer was really quick however, & got a couple of cute ones. This one is my favorite, even if Wilbur’s antlers fell off! We want to make it into a Christmas card. Ron was bribing them with treats!

Don’t let the roses fool you, it was very cold this morning.

Update on Miles (aka Jo Jo)

Hi! I just wanted to send a quick E-mail to update you on Miles, who I adopted from BHRA recently. I have had him for only a few short months, but he has become the most wonderful addition to our family! We had a recent tragedy. My boxer mix, Remy, unexpectedly passed away. Having Miles was a huge blessing during and since Remy's passing. He has kept me and my basset mix, Libby, great company, and he has really come into his own. He was skittish and shy when I first met him. I learned from his foster what difficult circumstances he was rescued from. It was so apparent that, being a smaller dog, he relied on his pack-mates and keeping a low profile for survival. As he learned to trust me and to feel secure in his surroundings, he has blossomed into a true character! A charmer, for certain. He makes me laugh with his antics, and he and Libby get along famously. We still take a long hike every day, though Remy's company is still deeply missed, and Miles and Libby are both very true to their hound bloodlines. Both on the hunt for every chipmunk that crosses their path. But both are so loyal that they never stray far from my side. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, and thank you for what you do. If everyone would just give a rescue dog a chance, they would know what true companionship looks like. These dogs seem to know when they've got it made and respond in kind.

Thanks!

Karen Douglass

Weezie (aka Dixie)

UPDATE..............

November 15, 2008 was Weezie' s (f/k/a Dixie) Gotcha Day..........1 year later she is living the Basset life to the fullest......... she is such a sweet sweet squishy girl......65 lbs but loves to lay in your lap like a baby ! ! ! She does raise an eybrow when her team scores ! ! !

Thanks to all that BHRA does for these precious babies............

RTR..............Sheila Granger! ! ! !

Rico and Barry at Home in Tallahassee, Florida!

Here is a great photo of Rico and Barry with their new dad, Ronald Lee of Tallahassee, Florida! They are obviously in hog heaven in their new home with their new proud papa! Thanks so much for giving these great hounds a wonderful forever home!

The BHRA Dog Food Fund

With the high number of dogs we have in Rescue at any given time, the cost of dog food can be overwhelming! Anyone with multiple dogs in their home knows that the cost to feed them really adds up quickly! In order to help our foster families feed all of these dogs, we started a program to raise money for food. The way the program works is we will buy gift cards with the donated funds that will be mailed to our foster homes so that they can purchase dog food. We will start with families fostering multiple dogs and if the funds are available, we will pass money along to other families on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to donate funds to help us buy dog food, you may visit our website at www.bhra.org or click here! Thank you for all you do for BHRA!

Callie (aka Kahlua) Finds a Wonderful Forever Home!

It has been just 4 weeks since Kahlua aka Callie came into our home. We wanted to let the BHRA know that she is doing just fine and appears to be bonding with Mr. Fred. Although at times, he is overwhelmed by her energy.

Callie is coming up on eight months old and still is full of puppy energy. She is extremely curious about everything in the house and loves to run from the grassy area of the back yard down into the ivy covered area known as the dismal abyss. She has a pillow in the den and has staked out the sofa as her private sleeping area.

She gets along fairly well with Mr. Fred ( a BHRA alum from 2001). They both get upset with dogs in the neighborhood who get out and will let you know if something is not to their liking.

Callie is a very loving affectionate puppy who loves to be petted on and cuddled. She weighs about 40 lbs and stands about 14" at the shoulder. Her face and eyes are just beautiful and goodness those long long legs. We have come to the conclusion that while momma may have been a basset, we think daddy was a german shepard/ lab mix. In any regard, Callie is growing into a wonderful puppy dog.

Mr. Fred has taught her about afternoon walks and early morning chicken strips... mmmmm good.

Pat and our son David and I feel that she is learning and responds well to basic commands... most of the time. We have had some housebreaking "accidents" but we seem to be on the right track and she does respond to "liver treats" with praise when she conducts herself in a ladylike manner.

Well, I will close for now, we just wanted to let our friends at BHRA know how things were going with our new little baby.

Ben, Pat & David Brehmer & Mr. Fred (the wonder dog)

BarkIt! Market Is This Saturday!

BarkIt! Market will be held Saturday, September 19th on the Green at Ross Bridge Welcome Center near the Renaissance Ross Bridge Hotel and Spa. The event will take place from 8:00a.m. until noon! Come out and support BHRA! We'd love to see you there!!

Don't forget to visit our Calendar of Events on our website at www.bhra.org to keep up with everything going on with BHRA!

Pellee Nelson...A SuperStar!

We have a BHRA celebrity! Our sweet little Pellee, who was adopted in August of 2009 by the Nelson Family of Hixon, Tennessee was recently featured in a newspaper article! If click on the image here you can see her feature. Congratulations Miss Pellee!!

Mark Your Calendars!

New Events Coming Soon for BHRA!

We have several events coming up! We are excited to show off the hounds we have for adoption, look for new foster homes and hopefully find some great dogs loving forever homes! This is what we have coming up:

1. Bark for a Park Outdoor Festival - October 3,2009. 10:00 - 3:00 pm. We will have an adoption day and vendor tent to sell some of our stuff and participate in this great effort for a Dog Park. City of Homewood location.

2. Ocktoberfest, October 31, 2009 Moody Al - This is an annual event that Dr. Nelson of Crossroads invited us to attend. There will be an Adoption Day and vendor tent to sell some of our stuff. We will also be participating in a great community shindig. Hours to be announced later

3. We will be also at the last Barkit Market at Ross Bridge! More info coming soon!

Please come out and support BHRA!!

BHRA Store!

I have something really cool to share with you today and a great way to support BHRA! Did you know we have a store on our website? Well we do and we'd love for you to stop and buy some of our products! 100% of the proceeds go directly to support the hounds of BHRA! As the store becomes more active, we hope to add items to it.

We are currently offering BHRA T-Shirts, BHRA Bumper Stickers and Basset Hound Dish Towels.

Our very popular t-shirts come in red, blue and grey. We have a few small and medium sizes left in the pink.

Our Bumper Stickers are a GREAT way to show your support for BHRA and to tell everyone about us everywhere you go! One day I was in the Starbuck's drive through waiting for my Venti Mocha Frappachino Light, when the lady behind me honked her horn and tried to talk to me about Bassets. It was really funny because I did not understand much of what she was trying to tell me...but my bumper sticker definitely caught her attention!

These Basset Hound Hand Towels are made by a neighbor of one of our Trustees and they are just about the cutest things around! Talk about an exclusive...you can't get these bad boys anyplace but BHRA!

If you would like to support BHRA by shopping in our store, please visit our website at http://www.bhra.org/ and click on the BHRA Store link OR just click here to go straight to the store www.bhra.org/bhra_store.htm

From all of us at BHRA...thank you so very much for your support!

Molly and Max Bingo Night Photos!

A GREAT time was had by all at the BHRA 10th Anniversary Basset Bingo Extravaganza hosted by Molly and Max! Some much needed funds were raised for the hounds of BHRA! A VERY special thanks goes out to all who worked so hard to put this even on...especially to Molly and Tom Bloetscher and Susie and our Bingo Caller Dr. Bill Hitchcock! Please enjoy these photos of the event...and we hope you can make it to the next BHRA event! We'd love to see all of you!!

Lulu and Merry...two BHRA Hounds!

Our Bingo Caller Bill Hitchcock!

Two Bassets checking out a crazy tall albino Basset...oh wait...that is a Great Dane named Pink!

A shot of the crowd deep in a Bingo induced coma!

This is Harley Bains...I think he had a little bit too much pizza from California Pizza Kitchen!

Some more Bingo enthusiasts!

Who is going to win?

This is another CRAZY looking furry Basset...OH WAIT!
This is Buddy Bains...a Golden Retriever...my bad!

As you can see we had a full house and lots of fun!

Say cheese!!

Susie is a great Bingo Caller Assistant!

You're almost there, Leanne!

Hanging out between cards!

So much fun!

BHRA Trustee Diane Garret and her husband Steve are deep in Bingo glory!

Nope...not a Basset either...we love all of our four legged friends!

Thanks to everyone...

For coming out...

and supporting BHRA!!

Foster Home Help Needed!

BHRA is in desperate need of foster homes!

If you can open up your home on a temporary basis to a wonderful hound in need, please contact our Foster Home Coordinator.

How can you resist this cute little face? And we've got an endless supply of these!

REMINDER...BINGO THIS SATURDAY!!

When: AUGUST 1, 2009
Time: 5:30 - 7:30

Come One, Come All!

This is a great time to be together and have some fun
and raise some money for our Bassets who need our help.
Great Prizes!Food, Snacks, Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks
Special Honors to our wonderful veterinarians and volunteers.
Let’s all Celebrate big for the wonderful 10th Anniversary.
If you are not able to attend, donations would be greatly appreciated!

To make a donation, visit our donations page at www.bhra.org/donations.htm

Thanks!!

Our Spotlight Hound AJ!

This handsome fellow is AJ pictured here with his foster mom Tracey. He is a very cuddly, snuggly boy with a great personality. If you would like to learn more about this great hound, please visit AJ's Page on the BHRA website. He would love for you to take him home just as long as you cuddle with him like his foster mom does!

Meet Simone and JoJo!

This handsome black and white lad is JoJo and he is quite the looker! This gorgeous tri-colored gal is Simone. They are new to the BHRA family. Please visit http://www.bhra.org/ to learn more about them and all of the hounds currently available for adoption!

We are also in desperate need of foster space. If you can open your home up to a needy hound on a temporary basis, please contact us today!

When: AUGUST 1, 2009

Time: 5:30 - 7:30
Come One, Come All!

This is a great time to be together and have some fun
and raise some money for our Bassets who need our help.

Great Prizes!
Food, Snacks, Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks

Special Honors to our wonderful veterinarians and volunteers.
Let’s all Celebrate big for the wonderful 10th Anniversary.

If you are not able to attend, donations would be greatly appreciated!
To make a donation, visit our donations page at www.bhra.org/donations.htm

Thanks!!

Flash Will Never Leave His Foster Home

That is because his foster people, Brandi and Jared Olvey of McCalla, Alabama, love him so much that they could not bare to see him go. They have now officially adopted this sweet dude! Congratulations to you, Flash!

Update on Bentley (aka Zeus) and Miss Mamie

These two gorgeous hounds are Bentley and Miss Mamie. They were adopted by Irene and David Stiehl of Madison, New Jersey! "They are tanning themselves in the garden and loving life!" His parents tell us that Bentley is a little hard headed...but "ADORABLE!" Both of these babies are cuddlers and have brought a lot of joy to the Stiehl's home...so much so that maybe we'll be able to talk them into a 3rd hound soon. We love to see these homeless dogs find wonderful loving forever homes. Thanks for the update!

One Last Puppy...Miss Kahlua

This is Kahlua! She is the last of the Puppies of 2009 left at BHRA. She is just a fabulous little girl and she deserves her own forever home just like all of her brothers and sisters. Please visit our website to read more about Kahlua!