Is a Rescued Basset Hound Right for Me?

Since most of our Bassets come from area pounds and shelters, they often times suffer from separation anxiety. For this reason, our Bassets are not usually suited to apartment style living. Basset hounds frequently howl when the owner leaves for work, and so apartment living is not the ideal situation for our dogs. We prefer for our dogs to be placed in a home with a well fenced yard. For more information about the breed and to find out if a Basset Hound is right for you, please read About Bassets

NTBHR charges an adoption fee to cover the necessary medical care of the dog prior to its adoption. 

 Adoption Fee structure effective July 1, 2015

•    0-2 yr.: $375 

•    2 yrs 1 mo. to 8 yrs: $275

•    8 yrs 1 mo. + yrs. : $175

Age determination will be made by NTBHR and are estimates in most cases.  NTBHR basset hounds are spayed/neutered prior to adoption, up to date on shots and micro-chipped.

1. How many hours am I home? Will that be enough time to feed and exercise my new Basset, in addition to my other activities? Bassets need lots of attention. They love people, and want to be near them, when possible. They are often referred to as “velcro”, because they want to be with people all the time.  Adding a Basset can sometimes be as time-consuming as adding another child.
2. Is my house set up for a Basset Hound? Do I have a doggie door and fenced yard? Do I have new carpet or furniture? Will I be upset if they get ruined by chewing or housetraining problems? Bassets of all ages love to chew, and will happily chew furniture in addition to remote controls, electrical cords, and other expensive toys. They are also notoriously hard to housetrain but having a doggie door can prove to be very helpful.
3. Am I prepared to take on the responsibility of a “rescued” basset hound who may come with “issues”?  Please remember that most of our basseets have come from bad situations.  Some of them habe spent time in a shelter and have had a difficult time adjusting to a new environment.  Your home will mean transitioning to another new environment, with new routines and people.  Are you willing to give your new basset hound 2 -4 weeks of transition?
4. Do I make enough money to provide yearly vaccinations and two or three vet visits per year, assuming the Basset I adopt remains healthy? And will I be able to afford this basset should it need excessive medical care?  Can I provide quality food, chew toys, a bed and other assorted necessities, like boarding or surgeries?
5. Is my home situation stable? Am I planning to move soon? Am I renting from a landlord who doesn't allow pets? Am I starting a new relationship or ending an old one? Am I expecting a [human] baby? These are not good times to bring a new pet into a home.
6. Am I willing to take on all responsibilities for the LIFE of the dog, including special care as the Basset ages? Bassets have been known to live up to 15 years, but 12 to 13 are more common.
7. Basset Hounds in general do not swim well (if at all),  and therefore can be a high risk for drowning if left with unsupervised access to a swimming pool. Please be aware that if your home has an unfenced pool AND you have or will be using a doggie door.  NTBHR requires that the new basset owner devote time to train the basset to live with a pool safely.

What about homes with small children?

If your family has small children under the age of 10, please think carefully before making the decision to adopt a dog. Small children and dogs lack the capability of knowing what they should and should not be doing when left alone unsupervised. Adopting a dog into a home with small children will take extra effort and training by all family members to be successful. Please make sure you are willing to take the extra time, effort and sometimes money for training classes that it will take to integrate a dog into your family.

Male vs. Female

If you are new to Basset Hounds, you might be surprised to learn that many male Bassets are laid back and mellow, while some females can be territorial and more prone to alpha dog behaviors. This is not true for all males, or all females, but a majority of our volunteers and adoptive homes have found this to be generally the case. If you are looking for the easy-going "hush puppy" type of Basset, a male is probably better for you.

Young vs. Older

North Texas Basset Hound Rescue occasionally has young dogs or puppies but often they do not make it to the website as we may have families waiting to adopt them.  Keep in mind that any puppy or young Basset will need a playmate and will be best adopted by a family with another hound to play with.  Keep in mind young dogs do require extra training and have lots of energy.  Basset Hounds tend to slow down a little as they get older which can be a blessing! Older dogs are usually house trained, affectionate, and take a few more naps than their younger counterparts. Many families who have opened up their homes to older Bassets have told us that the dogs fit into their daily routine from the moment they arrived. The gratitude these Hounds express to their new owners is amazing to behold.

ADOPTION INFORMATION PAGE