The Spring break in Mahia was as much about a holiday for the basset hounds as it was for me.  In their short life they’ve led a rather sheltered existence.  A splendid existence though in the country with lots and lots to smell.

One of the big holiday treats for all of us was to go to the beach.  Now before you get carried away with your ideas about building sandcastles, surfing and the like.  This is still only Spring and to be honest a tad nippy still for those beach holiday activities.  The bassets were up to more exciting things anyway.

“Our” beach – Mahanga beach – was less than 2km from where we were staying.  This is a pristine beach with miles and miles of open sand and plenty of dunes to explore.  It was the dunes that gave the bassets so much pleasure.  Not because you can do that sliding run down and end up to your knees in sand because when your legs are a few inches long that can be a bit traumatic.  No, dunes have dune grass and what’s trapped in dune grass?  Yes, you got it, smells.

To put this into perspective, bassets have a capability to smell that is about 50 times more powerful than humans.  So that’s a lot of smell.  Fortnum and Mason were so excited they exhausted themselves with their smell adventures.  It was a delight to watch, here’s why!

Hmm, something to smell – let’s follow this

Oooo, getting stronger, follow me

This way I reckon

Oh yes, definitely.  Just sniff this in!

Oh, you have just got to take a deep sniff at this – Close your eyes and you can really feel it!

Oh hang on, she wants to take my picture.

Yeh, yeh, whatever. I’m going to lie here and see if she’ll notice me!

Sorry bro’ I think it’s me she’s after for the best shot

Perhaps if I hang my tongue out she’ll go for a comic pose?

Look here’s another smell. Follow me. Wait, where you going?  Didn’t you hear her – ice creams.  What a holiday this is turning out to be!