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Minnesota Basset Rescue is an all-volunteer group of Basset Hound lovers whose goal is to rescue bassets and find them a furever home.
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Since Jan 1, 2021, MNBR has:
- Taken in 38 hounds
- Adopted out 30 hounds
MNBR Currently has 11 hounds in foster homes.
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Cleaning out your closets and needing to rehome those shoes no one wears anymore? MNBR is still collecting shoes.
The following vet clinics are collection sites.
Don't drive by those clinics? Email us to set up a time for a volunteer to pick up your donation. MNBassetRescue@gmail.com
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Alumni - Where Are They Now? |
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Just after Minnesota Basset Rescue was formed Hope (a full Basset), and her Basset/ Labrador daughter Faith came into the rescue. There was some debate as to whether or not given her distinctly “Un-Basset” look Faith would be able to find a home through MBR. But stay she did as it wouldn't have been right to accept Hope into the rescue and leave young Faith homeless. So she went into a foster home for a while and was treated and cared for just like every dog that comes into MBR.
Donn and Vicki Granros heard about Faith, and within a couple of minutes (it might have been less), they decided to adopt Faith. Donn grew up with dogs who were always considered a part of the family. He knows there are so many dogs that need homes that adoption seems to always be the right thing to do.
Faith joined Beau and Miley, the couple’s two other Basset rescues. Donn and Vicki describe themselves as “a bit older” and weren't sure of how they would handle a 1-1/2 year old busy young hound. They live on a lake and figured that being part Lab, they could tire her out swimming. Turns out Faith hated the water.
Out in the yard Donn was stunned to see Faith easily jump their fence and head off at high speed to check out a couple of people walking by with their dog. From there Faith ran up the street and Donn said he hadn't a clue as to how to catch her or even find her for that matter. They were worried, concerned and clueless as to what to do. Knowing they had to try and locate her, they got in the car to try to find her. But Faith had made her own decision where she wanted to be. As Donn describes it, on the way to get the car out, he found Faith sitting at the gate to the back yard. She never ran away again, she was home.
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Faith tends to be nervous and skittish. With her nervous disposition Donn suspected training would not be easy but for the most part there haven’t been too many concerns. “She is highly intelligent and figures things out on her own. If she has a bad trait, it is maybe barking too much. She watches over the yard carefully and we don't worry too much about Miley and Moby, our newest hound member. She puts on a good front in terms of looking like a guard dog but she would never bite or harm anyone or anything,” Donn shared.
Faith is going on five years old now and has grown up with her Basset step sister Miley. Moby has joined their crew and Faith watches over him and accepts him as family. Over time Donn and Vicki have lost their wonderful Max, a long-haired Basset, and Daisy, “a problem hound” they took on that was never a problem, as well as old Lucky, who was old and passed on way too soon. “Faith watched over all of them as she watches over us. We love her and she loves us. I think things are supposed to work that way,” Donn reflected.
Donn shared a bit of advice to those interested in adopting. “There is a transition phase where things might be a bit unsettled. It will pass, and from our experience, pretty quickly. A lot of times we have adopted older hounds that were five years or older. In the case of our Miley, she was seven months old and Faith was 1-1/2 years old. I took Miley to training which was fun and Faith just seemed to listen and learn.
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Archie's Weight Loss Story - Jody Grack |
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Over 15 years ago I adopted an amazing, old, overweight hound named Hannah, and due to her I have been determined to keep my hounds healthy and trim. Due to the excess weight on her basset frame, Hannah developed back issues which ultimately led to her living her remaining years in a wheelchair. My experience with Hannah made me much more aware of the many problems those extra pounds can cause. That being said, having had 5-6 hounds at a time for the last 15+ years, I understand the challenges and frustrations of keeping your hound on the slim side.
A person once said to me you can’t trust someone with a thin basset. I countered that an overweight hound should be taken very seriously. Basset hound culture seems to encourage, or even celebrate, a chunky hound. People talk so positively about Super Chunky Bassets or Big Bassets, when in actuality those hounds need to lose weight for their health, well-being, and longevity.
Has your vet ever told you that your beloved hound was overweight and should shed some pounds? Did you feel a little guilty but let it go in one ear and out the other? They don’t own a basset. X doesn’t think my basset is fat. My hound is just big-boned. They don’t know my baby like I do. Right? Now, do you take your vet’s advice on medications, supplements, or vaccinations? You trust your vet for those recommendations, why would a discussion about weight be any different? Your dog’s weight is a vital part of their overall health.
Fostering and adopting chunky hounds has given me first-hand experience with shedding excess weight off basset hounds and getting them to a healthy weight.
The most extreme case was my Archie who I adopted from the rescue back in 2015. He came in weighing almost 100 pounds! Archie has a very long body and is very thick-boned, but at 97 pounds Archie couldn’t run. Walking without tripping was nearly impossible. He was only 5 years old back in 2015 and was supposed to run and play, but just coordinating his body to walk was work for Archie.
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I am sure Archie’s original owners loved him a lot, but in all honesty, that kind of love was going to kill him. For Archie, 97 pounds was not a weight that was conducive to a long, happy, and healthy life. Over the course of a year, Archie was able to whittle down to 60 pounds. As he started to shed the weight, he became more active, played with his dog siblings, and stopped tripping while moving around the backyard.
How did we get him down to 60 pounds? The first step was discussing a plan of action with our vet. We limited his food and increased his daily activity. Each dog’s calorie needs are based on both their size and their activity level. We, as their humans, control everything that goes in their mouth. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but if our dogs are overweight, it is because we are over-feeding and under-exercising them.
Why is this topic so important to me? I want my dogs to be with me as long as possible, and ideally without them suffering from health issues like joint problems, reduced mobility, decreased life expectancy, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and respiratory disease that are all linked to extra weight.
I understand the effort that goes into keeping your hound trim. It’s challenging to feed them the appropriate amount of kibble, limit their treats,or increase their daily activity, all while they stare at you with their sad houndy eyes, begging for more. It can also be a chore to weigh them more frequently so you should also get comfortable with the “feel the rib” test to help you manage their weight.
For me it comes down to this; if keeping your hound at a vet recommended weight could give you more time with your hound, why wouldn’t you do it? There is no down side to a hound at a healthy weight and more time with your best friend.
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Summer in Minnesota means mosquitos, so it’s the perfect time to talk about heartworm disease and prevention. So, what exactly are heartworms, how can your dog get them, and what should you be doing to protect your pooch?
WHAT ARE HEARTWORMS?
Heartworms are foot-long worms that live in the heart, lungs and blood vessels of infected dogs, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body.
HOW ARE THEY SPREAD?
Just as you would expect from those awful pests, mosquitos play a major role in the transmission of heartworms. Adult heartworms produce microscopic baby worms called microfilaria that circulate in the bloodstream. Mosquitos bite an infected animal picking up the microfilaria and then deposit them in another animal when they bite again. It takes approximately 6 months for the larvae to mature into adult heartworms and start producing their own microfilaria.
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR PET?
The best way to protect your pet is to follow the American Heartworm Society’s guidelines and have your pet tested annually and give them a heartworm preventative. Dogs that test positive for heartworm must undergo months of treatment, restricted activity, and close monitoring.
The scary part is that most dogs show no symptoms in the early stages of infection, so without testing it’s difficult to know if your dog is infected. Later stage signs may include a mild persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue after moderate activity, decreased appetite, and weight loss.
While heartworm disease is more common in the southern United States where mosquitos are more active year-round, cases in Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities where rescues are pulling from southern shelters, have been steadily growing.
Heartworm testing and preventatives are inexpensive compared to the cost of treatment, and many preventatives provide other benefits like protection from other types of worms like hookworms, roundworms, or whipworms. Treatment is long, difficult, and unpleasant for both you and your dog and the infection can still have lasting effects even if they recover. Protect your pet and test them annually.
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Drinks for Dogs - Unleashed Hounds & Hops
Thursday, July 15th, 2021
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Unleashed Hounds & Hops
200 E Lyndale Ave,
Minneapolis, MN
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Dog Days of Summer
Saturday, July 31st, 2021
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Alimagnet Dog Park
1200 Alimagnet Pkwy #2
Burnsville, MN
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Bark in the Park
Thursday, Aug 19th, 2021
5:00 PM
Swanson Dog Park, 9150 Central Ave NE, Blaine
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Help us rescue, renew, and rehome.
Donations are essential to our continued ability to rescue, renew, and rehome more dogs and take on cases that others cannot afford such as extensive surgery, hospice care, and prolonged therapy. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation towards animals in need.
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