The Basset Rescue Network of Great Britain

#NOBASSETGETSFORGOTTEN

Name: Barney

Sex: Male

Age: 11

Location: Isle of Mull

Some of you may remember Barney from his Week in the Life of a Foster Hound diary published on our website. If not have a look and there’s a full week of his life for you to enjoy and get to know this boy.

A week in the life of a foster Hound – Basset Rescue Network of Great Britain

https://brngb.org/blog/a-week-in-the-life-of-a-foster-hound

Here’s what his foster family have to say about the wonderful Barney

Barney is our first foster dog and he has been an absolute delight.

He came to us when his previous owner sadly died and he settled-in fairly quickly on his arrival. On reflection and seeing his change in mood, he was possibly a bit depressed as he was a little subdued with a bit too much barking.

A few weeks on and his real character started to shine, we gradually saw his playful side appear, much to the delight of our two resident dogs. Now not only will he join in with their games but will also instigate play.

We have also seen his affectionate side blossom. He has become more interested in interacting with us and loves a cuddle and some attention.

He is absolutely brilliant on a lead. He walks at a good pace with no pulling.

When he came to us, his toe nails were extremely long and uncomfortable but he is more than happy to have his nails cut or kept short with a grinder. With his newly cut nails, walking became a pleasure again and he always gets excited when he knows he is going out. We have also tried him off lead in secure areas and will stay with the group and hasn’t shown any inclination to wander off. He loves a good sniff but will equally break out into a run, if the mood takes him.

He travels well in the car. He is a very large boy, at over 30kg and it does take two of us to lift him into the boot. He has no problem with being picked up but his new owners will need to be good at weight lifting. We haven’t tried him yet with a ramp.

He has loved being with our two girls. Although he has been a lone dog, we feel that having seen him interact with our two, that he would really benefit from having doggy company. The girls have really brought the fun back into his life.

He did love to bark when he arrived but he responds to whispering and so will soon relax and be quiet.

We are not sure how many commands he knows. He is a basset after all but he is such a good natured boy and follows the lead of his new siblings, so we rarely need to give him any specific commands.

He has met lots of people, of all ages and many different animals since he has been with us. He can benefit from people and animals taking a slower approach with him, due to his failing eyesight, just so he can take in who or what is approaching him. We haven’t seen any signs of aggression or resource guarding.

We know he has lived with cats and he hasn’t been a problem with our chickens.

He sleeps through the night in his own bed, in our bedroom. He isn’t an early bird and happy to have a lie in. We also have crates in the house, due to our younger dog and he seems to like going into those for a snooze and some quiet time.

His mobility is excellent for his age. There are no obvious sighs of discomfort. His walking is strong and he can still climb and descend stairs, although we would suggest this is done under supervision, as he is a big boy.

As far as his health is concerned, his main issue is glaucoma. He is blind in one eye and the other is deteriorating. There is no medication for this type of glaucoma and it isn’t causing him any pain. At the moment, it isn’t causing an issue for him. He occasionally needs a little extra time, in very busy situations, such as a busy high street or a very energetic dog approaching but he mainly takes everything in his stride.

Like a lot of bassets, he needs regular ear maintenance, which he is happy to have done. He has no skin issues or heart problems that we know of.

Barney former home meant that he was rarely left home alone and so he does have some separation anxiety issues, mainly in the form of barking. His failing eyesight may also be contributing to this. He has gained more confidence since being with us but he will always prefer to have company and so would need new owners that are around for most of the time. He hasn’t shown any signs of destructive behaviour or chewing.

He is a gorgeous, boy that it is so easy to fall in love with. It will be extremely hard for us to part with him as he has been such a joy to have around.

Please note, Barney has a dental appointment booked for the 6th November so he will not be ready for his meet and greet until he has had this signed off from the vet

You should also be warned Chicken tends to give Barney an upset tummy so we recommend he’s not fed chicken based foods.

Here’s a final little round up video of Barney’s blog, basically Barney in a nutshell!

Barney’s needs:-

An active family who are happy to go off mooching with Barney taking him on adventures
Any children need to be dog savvy and older than 6 years old
Patience and time to spend with Barney in the crucial first few weeks as he adapts to his forever home.
A family where someone is home most of the time
A family who understand hounds and their needs
Preferably a resident dog for Barney to play with
A fmaily with an understanding that ultimately Barney could well lose his remaining sight

Taking on a rescue dog is not the easy option. You need to be prepared to help a confused and troubled hound find their place in your family. They have been through a massive upheaval and will need time to settle into a new way of life, so please consider this BEFORE you fill in an application.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

Barney is subject to an adoption fees and a successful home check. If your home check is successful, your family including dogs will need to be able to travel to his foster home to meet him and his foster family.

You will also have a telephone call with a member of the team, plus Barney’s foster family, so that all of his history can be shared with you in person, and that we can be assured that you can fill all of his needs, demands and requirements.

Barney comes with 5 weeks free insurance via our rehoming partner, Agria.

Barney, as with all of our hounds will have full rescue back up for life.

Thank you for reading Barney’s blog. Please share where you are able