Aside from their independent, stubborn and ignorant streaks, bassets are totally devoted loyal and loving creatures.  Especially when you have food in your hand. They spend most of the week when I’m working from home lolling on the sofa in my office waiting for me to get up and do something more interesting.  Especially get [...]

Despite spoiling the bassets rotten they are suffering the winter blues.  Can’t blame them really since we’ve had a succession of icy blasts cold enough for me to don gloves and my possum fur lined deerhunter hat that keeps my ears warm.    Our resident indoor dog Little Basset is of course relishing the opportunity [...]

The only rushing around a basset hound is normally related to food.  Otherwise you’ll find them making themselves comfy and taking in the view.  That is of course if they are not stretched out and snoring loudly.  With all the toing and froing in the garden recently they’ve mastered the art of hanging out together.  [...]

In the dog world Basset Hounds are at the top of the brains league.  For example, Mason knows exactly where his Lordship’s work bag is that contains the sometimes not quite empty sandwich pack.  Fortnum knows the perfect opportunity to have his revenge on having to have a bath at the weekend.  

Left to their own devices I’m sure Fortnum and Mason would go au natural as far as personal hygiene is concerned.  But as house dogs there is a limit to how much pooch perfume I can tolerate.  Basset bath time requires plenty of cunning though for our smart hounds can sense when it’s time for [...]

Howling winds and driving rain have confined us to barracks today.  Wellington is as wild and windy as I ever remember with reports of flooding in the city.  If the long-range weather forecast is to believed this is just the start of what winter is going to be like this year.  Warmer than average and [...]

Dogs generally sleep for half the day and sometimes more.  Fortnum and Mason fall into the more rather than less sleep category enjoying a snooze all day if they can.  Certainly on my working at home days they do sleep or doze for as long as I’m at my desk – normally 5-7 hours at [...]

For so many years our neighbours were people we waved at briefly whilst we scuttled from into the house.  Nowadays we know our neighbours a little better and we tend to all look out for each other.  It’s not a hot bed of neighbourly social events but rather a comradery about country living, sharing of [...]

Our pampered pooches live such a sheltered life meeting other dogs out on a walk is a cause for special attention. Mason pays particular attention by screeching to a halt for a considered stare.  Bassets are such fun loving placid hounds that they pretty much think every other dog they meet wants to be their [...]