As I write this I have two basset hounds curled up on the couch next to me. They stretch and sigh in their sleep and are content just to be near me. They love to be near their people and don't like to be separated from us.
Usually, if my computer is not on my lap, I will have one curled up in my arms with me supporting their length while they sleep. I love the warm smell of hound and the lazy way they stretch their head back over their shoulders to lay their their head next to my neck. A hound has a distinct smell and believe it or not, there are some people who don't like it. But I'm not one of them. They smell like wet wool when they are wet and when they are warm, they smell like a wool sweater that has just come out of the dryer. It is an acquired smell.
There are always other things that I could be doing but I like the quiet time I have to be near them. I love to feel their heart beat as it beats against my leg or arm whichever seems to be under them at the time. I love to lay my hand on their backs when they have dreams and see them quiet down knowing that all is well. I watch over them and they in turn give me complete devotion and watch over me.
To look at a basset is to know joy. Its hard to look at one and not smile. They look silly with their large body supported on short stubby legs. Their sad eyes and droopy ears just tend to bring a smile to your face. And to see a basset running towards you, could cause you to laugh out loud. There is no graceful greyhound here, no, there is a very short dog with a very large, loose, baggy coat coming at you. Yes, its a sight to behold.
A basset will always make you glad you came home. Such joy and celebration you have never seen! Whether you've been gone a few minutes to take the garbage outside or if you've been gone for several hours, the greeting is the same: pure, complete joy.
Who wouldn't want to have such joy surrounding them all the time? I don't know, but for me I can't imagine life without a basset. We are the owners of two....or maybe they are our owners. Who knows? All I know is that while sometimes it seems like all I do is let them outside only to bring them in again five minutes later and the food and water bowls need constant filling, I wouldn't give it up for the world. Because with everything I do for them, they give me back so, so much more in return.
Thank you Duke Jedediah and Maggie Mae!
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