We are saddened by the news that Andrea and Todd Ditchfield, along with our Calgary basset community, have recently lost Sam to a prolonged battle with cancer. 10-year old Sam epitomized the true nature of basset-ness. Not only was he a sweet and gentle soul but he was truly, truly adorable and under constant threat of being stolen away by the Ditchfield’s friends and family who loved him just as much.

Some may remember Sam at some of the very early basset Waddles that the Ditchfield’s organized. He could be found perched in the family truck supervising the Waddle set-up from afar but still greeting all who arrived. Sam was a regular at many following Waddles, Basset Rescue Board meetings, and was a fantastic role model to the numerous bassets that his family fostered.

We are sad to announce the passing of Georgina Frazer, a long time supporter of the Calgary Basset Rescue.

Georgina, and her beloved basset Miss Becky, are famous for attending the first ever Waddle held in Calgary which happened to be organized by her friend Jan Cook. Her love of animals, particularly bassets, embodied the spirit of animal rescue. Jan says: “She did love her dogs and was a feisty gal. I’ll miss her”.

We are also saddened by this loss and send all of our thoughts to Georgina’s family and friends.

We are sad to announce the passing of Harley on September 7, 2016. Adopted by Chris Sowden, through the Calgary Basset Rescue, Harley will be missed as a beloved friend and companion. Harley introduced Chris to a great number of other people and dogs. Whenever either approached, he’d go into his alert stance and then you’d see him ask the question: “Friend or Foe?” FRIEND was always the answer!

Chris says this: ”I hope that those at the Rescue, who cared for Harley, will take solace by knowing that his final day started with a sleep-in, a prompt breakfast, then a walk on Nose Hill park on a beautiful sunny day where there were lots of other dogs to meet.”

We are deeply sorry for the loss of Harley and pass our condolences onto Chris and his family.

We are sad to report the passing of Lucy, a Calgary Basset Rescue alumni, on August 3, 2016, at the age of 13. A repeat adopter of seniors, Gladys Brown and her family enthusiastically welcomed Lucy (then nearly 12 year-old) into their home in April of 2015, and greatly enjoyed their brief time with her.

Like many bassets, Lucy had no problems with adjusting to Gladys’ household. The one thing, however, that made her stand out to her new family was her ability to talk and they now miss that about her the most. Lucy had lots of ‘people’ friends at the dog park. Everyone could hear her coming and they all wanted to stop and pet her and listen to her stories. Friends a block away from the family’s house would laugh as they would know when Lucy was outside as they could hear her talking. It is a good thing that the neighborhood enjoys all of the Brown’s different basset personalities!

Lucy got pneumonia a few weeks before she passed away. She was put on medication which perked her up briefly and she was back in business, going for car rides and walks and talking all the time.

Gladys shares this: “It is always hard to lose them and it feels like you never have enough time with them. Hopefully she knew how much joy she brought us and how much she was loved. Lucy was able to be Miss September for the 2016 and for the 2017 Basset Calendar. So this month, I am so proud to see her picture on my wall at work and say that’s my girl!”

Reba and Harley

It has been a sad year for John and Ann Grainger as they share with us the loss of both of their original Calgary Basset Rescue sponsored Basset Hounds, Reba and Harley. The Graingers, now living in Squamish, BC, first adopted Reba in mid-2010 at two years of age and then Harley in early 2011 to keep Reba company (they never really knew how old Harley was as he was picked up as a stray).

“You should never have just one Basset,” says John. These two remarkable Bassets were both cruelty cases but they quickly fell in with each other in a conspiracy to steal the Grainger’s hearts, and it worked. The two hounds became inseparable and flourished together in their new home as rescue Bassets often do, as truly a bonded-pair. Their lives were infinitely better with John and Ann than what had gone before – the two dogs responded well, both emotionally and physically with necessary vet care, good food and exercise, and lots of love to go around. They thrived in the own special ways in a life with John and Ann that was fun, healthy and fulfilling.

Their beautiful Basset boy Harley passed away unexpectedly on the morning of April 22 from hemangiosarcoma, a form of internal organ cancer. The family did not see Harley’s passing coming and he was his normal happy go-lucky, clownish self just the night before. They are utterly heartbroken to have lost their wonderful dog this way, so very suddenly. The entire family themselves all thought they would have him with them for a few more years.

Harley was a very special dog who brought the Graingers enjoyment and love every single day and he is terribly missed. He was everyone’s best friend, a total card/comedian, joyful and was always satisfied with what was going on. Harley did not have a mean bone in his body. He just kept on giving back to the family and fulfilled their every thought as to what a great Basset Hound should be. Harley formed a special, emotional relationship with Ann – he was always ‘her boy’.

Reba took to John right away which was surprising given her rough life of mistreatment before coming to the Graingers. She found in John solace in the kindness she was shown: a soft hand; a warm and dry place to live; and, the care and attention that was sorely lacking in her previous life. She reacted well as John gained her trust and love. If she was not leading Harley around the house doing that alpha-female thing, she did not stray too far from where John was. She loved long walks on the leash, ear rubs, belly scratches, camping and riding in the Grainger’s pickup truck, if only to be never far away from John. When out for walks with John she let the other neighbourhood dogs they would meet know that she was there to protect John, in no uncertain terms.

Even though Reba had only just turned 8, she seemed to be aging quickly, likely due to her malnourishment and poor treatment in the first years of her life before being rescued. She was fading fast in the last few months and sadly she never did recover from the loss of her friend. Her will to live had all but left her and their vet suspected kidney failure as well as possible cancer due to her significant, recent body mass/weight loss. She also had been suffering from painful backbone/hip arthritis (she was on a strong anti-inflammatory drug every day since February). Even on this medication she had difficulty getting around and something like getting up the driveway or stairs was very hard for her.

The Graingers had to make the tough decision to do what was best for Reba and her quality of life and had her put down in early June of this year. This was especially difficult after having lost Harley just a few weeks before.

So now the Graingers are down two Basset Hounds from their three at the start of the year, their first rescue dogs are no longer with them except in spirit. Their beautiful new Basset puppy girl Layla no longer has any companions but they will let a bit of time pass and then look for another rescue hound. Now it is up to Layla to carry Reba and Harley’s torch bright and high.

Here is a message from the Granger family: “Reba and Harley were two of the very best examples of why the Calgary Basset Rescue network should be valued and supported – thank you for bringing these two wonderful Bassets into our lives, even for the six short years they were with us. We know they will be waiting for us, side-by-side, at the Rainbow Bridge when we come along to once again be joined together, never to be parted.”

We are sad to report that Lady, a former alumni of the Calgary Basset Rescue, has passed away. Already a senior at the time, Lady was adopted into Wally Aufrecht’s Basset Family in 2012. She was 15 years and 3 months old when she passed this March.

You might already recognize Lady as she was “Miss January” twice in our Calgary Basset Rescue calendars. She also won the coveted Basset with the “Shortest Legs” prize at our annual Waddle. Although Lady loved cold weather, her only real interest was food. She was always hungry and would eat almost anything, even developing a taste for pickled herring with onions. Who wouldn’t, we say!

The term that best described Lady was “gentle.” Her peaceful nature made her a wonderful companion and a loyal friend. In short, Lady was truly a real lady.

To leave condolences for the Wally and his family, please reply below:

It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the passing of the Cottrell family’s sweet Beethoven this past April at the approximate age of 12 years.

After fostering Beethoven for the Calgary Basset Rescue back in 2010, the Cottrell’s fell in love with him and, of course, he became a foster failure! Beethoven lived another happy, joyful 6 years with the family.

Beethoven was the Cottrell’s very first foster and they are still fostering to this day. Beethoven is the reason the Cottrells are still very active with rescuing, giving so many hounds/dogs the love and stability they need before finding their forever homes.

Beethoven was the sweetest pup, loved his belly rubs, and had his unusual love of running his head all over the sofas. This handsome boy was definitely noticed everywhere the family went (especially since he howled the whole way around the dog park!) and was loved by everyone.

He will be missed greatly by the Cottrells as well as by Stan the Basset Hound, Roly the Dachshund, and Sedona the Great Pyrenees (another foster failure). His family says: “RIP my sweet baby, run free ….my old man xx”.

To leave a message of condolence for the Cottrells, please reply below:

It was with a heavy heart that Gary gave us the news of the passing of his dear basset Tanisha – who lost a very short battle with cancer. Tanisha, like her dad Gary, was a dedicated supporter of the Calgary Basset Rescue and had attended our Waddle for the past 5 years. Tanisha had just turned 11-years old this past October.

Gary says this: “She was my everything. And I will miss her dearly.” Any of us who have also lost our bassets can easily share this sentiment. They are always such an important part of our lives and we miss them dearly when they are gone. To leave a condolence message for Gary, please leave a message below:

Odie came into the Brown family’s lives in May of 2003. She was the last in her litter and, as they say, they saved the best for the last. She was the first dog her mom Gladys had ever owned and was a typical basset baby. She chewed everything that the kids left on the floor and stole food off of the counters (and even out of the neighbor’s hands!). If someone in the neighborhood left their gate or door open, Odie would walk right in and make herself comfortable. And just when the Browns thought there was no hope of getting her house trained, she got the hang of it but not before one of her human family members did a sit up right into a pile of poop. So is the price of fitness!

The Browns enjoyed going for walks around the neighborhood where Odie knew pretty much everyone and had quite the loyal following. People would come out of their houses to tell the Brown family how much they enjoyed watching them walk by every day. Two bassets and one blue heeler, each with their own idea of which way to go, is sure to entertain anyone!

Odie was lucky enough to live with two other basset hounds from the Calgary Basset Rescue. The first was Beauregard. They would play together until Beau would finally pin her to the ground, leaving Odie howling at the top of her lungs until he let her get up. They would also share the front seat of the car, often lying on top of each other.

After Beau passed away, Miss Lucy moved in and Lucy and Odie were lucky enough to pose together for the Miss September page of the 2016 Calgary Basset Rescue calendar. They did really well posing together until Lucy started to talk (she has quite a few stories to share). Odie, of course, was having none of it and that was the end of the picture taking.

Sadly, Odie passed away right before her 13th birthday. As the Browns look back at all of her pictures throughout the years, they remember things once forgotten. And with the laughter and many tears, they know that Odie will forever be with us all in our hearts. Click here to leave any condolences messages for the Browns.