Howllo Fellow Hound and Great Dane Puppy Lovers! OMG, OMG, OMG! This pup was adorable!

Yesterday I had to go to the vet to pick up Emma’s very expensive prescription allergy formula food. Well, my vet was out of it so I went to another vet right in home town that had some. The reason I don’t go to this vet is because they let about 6 dogs and many cats run around the waiting room and it is just to stressful and hectic for Chaps.

Anyway, I had just had lunch with my friend and stopped by on the way home. As soon as I opened the door I was charged by a 10 month old blue, merle great dane girl puppy. OMG, it was so much fun. She was the sweetest thing and she was learning not to jump and not to chew on arms.

She loved me so much. We had so much fun together. Wait a second. I wonder if I still smelled like the roast beef sandwich I just ate????

She belonged to one of the gals that works there so you know I will be back for more!

Her head reached my waist!

More about blue puppy later….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Gabe Lovers: I had to update all of the Gabe followers out there in the world!

(YOU MUST READ ALL OF THE COMMENTS IN THE POST RIGHT BELOW THIS. THEY ARE SO SWEET!)

The report is as follows. Our boy got his ears cleaned and toe nails clipped and did not move a muscle. He was so good, not even a flinch. What a good boy!

Here is a picture of Gabe with his foster Mommy, Audra’s Mom.

hahahahah! Is that drool on your pants foster Mom?

Here is our boy checking out Bailey and Clancy. They are not together too much because, our little intact boy likes to jump on them. We can’t have that! Sr. Hounds need to protect their backs.

Our boy slept through the night last night without peep. He did bark a little bit while trying to fall asleep, just like a little baby. Audra things he might be more like one year old. Just a young pup!

Remember, Gabe is up for adoption. He is just outside of San Antonio. If you are interested in Gabe contact me at:

cat@bassethoundtown.com

I can’t wait for my next update!

More Later…..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Town Meeting Lovers! Everyone gather round for the viewing of our newest resident Gabe.

Here is Gabe with his angel, Audra. Here is the story:

Audra was taking her daughter, Jourdan to school this past Tuesday. Audra states,

“I was dropping Jourdan off at school and what do I see but a Red & White Basset at the front of the school doors trying to get in. Jourdan was beside herself. You can tell it was lost by the way it was searching. I told her to go on in and I would park and get him. Well, by the time I got the leash out of my car and headed up to the doors he had made his way in the building. The school bell had already rang, and he was running crazy amongst all the kids. They were all screaming and the teachers were going crazy.”

Needless to say Audra came to the rescue of Gabe. We do not know his name because he had no collar and no chip. Together, Audra and I came up with Gabe. He looks Like a Gabe!

And who else does he look like? HOMER! This guy could be Homer’s great grand hound!

Can you believe how much they look alike?

I can’t believe that Gabe was right in Audra’s path. It has been a wild ride for the past several days friends.

Audra was advised to let the animal control officer take him to see if an owner would be looking. Both Audra and I were not happy with the fact that Gabe was not neutered, had no collar, and no chip.

The AC would wait 72 hours and see if an owner turned up and if not, Audra could have him, and her and I together would find him a home.

Audra lives in a very small town and they do not even have a pound. Audra found out he was in a “holding facility”. Audra had second thoughts about letting him go and went looking for the holding facility.

Her heart sank when she saw this. See those white metal sheds? This is where strays get held until they can be transported to larger city pounds. It just makes me weep.

To add insult to injury, the animal control officer told Audra that he had someone interested in him for breeding.

Can you imagine? Driving up, seeing this, and then hearing that?

Well, it pays to have friends in high places in small towns. Audra made a few phone calls and there will be no breeding for Gabe! He was released to Audra after a few more phone calls.

BYE, BYE BABIES!

Our Gabe is currently staying with Audra’s Mom and Dad. However, this foster situation has to turn into a real home soon. Audra’s Mom and Dad have 2 Sr. Hounds that are not liking this situation.

So, we need your help. I will be blogging about Gabe until we find him a home. He is going in for his neuter surgery and to be vetting very soon. No one has come forward, there are no posters, and no lost dog ads in the local paper. This is a tiny town and my gut feeling is Gabe was turned loose.

I am getting in plenty more pictures of the young guy. We think he might be 2 or a bit younger.

Can you help Gabe find a forever home?

Gabe is currently near San Antonio, TX. Here he is, waiting patiently. He is a love bug. He is starved for affection.

Audra add anything you want in the comment section.

I am going to be doing a fundraiser for Gabe’s vetting and neuter surgery soon. It’s amazing to think about how this one procedure will affect this small town. Gabe came as close as a hair’s breath to being part of a puppy mill. The surgery will be a very small cost to pay for the suffering it has saved.

Thank you Audra

Much, much, more later. Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Grandma Lovers: I had to show my dear readers a picture of Grandma tonight. I thought it would be fun because I did the Grandpa picture earlier.

How cool is her sweater? It is encrusted with beads and jewels. Just a little present from me in 2004! We were at a dog show in Louisville. Fun times!

Click the picture to see her beauty and the sweater. Priceless!

Grandma sitting pretty!

More basset hound pretty looks later! Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and hounds who wear coats lovers: OMG! There is nothing much cuter than a basset hound in a fleece coat.

Our big news is that Grandpa was able to take the kids on a small walk. He has been feeling much better lately. Our other big news is that Chaps’s was still able to fit in his winter coat!!!!

You must click on the picture and see the smile on Grandpa’s face.

It has been way too cold to walk and none of us like it. Grandpa does the best when he feels good. Chaps’s coat used to be Lily’s coat. I bought it at a basset hound nationals years ago. It is so cute. It has a pocket on the side and I tucked some of my bassethoundtown.com business cards in it. Grandpa said he gave a Mom and her kid in a stroller one. The kid got a big kick out of them. Who wouldn’t?

Years ago Grandpa walked the kids every single day. They were the talk of the town. I guess they still are. At least today! LOL

More bassets in fleece coats later……….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Gold Rush Lovers! Wow, what a roller coaster ride the gold rush has been over the past few months.  Basset Hound Town resident, Jenny Standridge had sent gold that she mined from her home a few months ago that I just cashed in 2 days ago.  The price of gold hit an all time low about the time she sent in her donation, but patients paid off and her gold was sold at a fantastic high.

I waited for the price of gold to rise until I made my move!  LOL.  Hey, I can’t take all the credit.  Grandpa is really the one who keeps track of the prices.  On the 23rd, he instructed me to make my move!

Jenny, we cannot thank you enough.  Not only did she send in this amount of scrap, she also sent in 5 more items that will be in the boutique.   Here is your preview of one of the items:

May I present, the Pristine Citrine Puddle ring!

I want to have this in HOP boutique tonight.  You must click on this picture to see the full puddlerific splendor!

Much more later…….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Rescue Lovers:

Chaps, as most of you know, came from a large breeding operation in TX called BoBac Bassets. Large operations like this breed many, many dogs for the show dog circut. I really did not understand all of the inner workings of this industry until much later.

I look back now and realize that many, many x-show dogs need rescuing as well. After their show career is over at a young age the breeders need to find homes for them. Larger operations like the one Chaps and Emma came from cannot possibly keep all of the dogs they breed.

Of course I don’t mean rescue in the true definition of the word, but I sure feel like I rescued Chaps.

The x-show dogs are fed, safe and mostly in clean environments. I have only had first hand experience with one of these operations so I cannot comment on other show dog facilities. I do see some of these x-show hounds listed on the internet and on the show kennel websites up for adoption.

I would love to hear from you in the comment section if you have a similar or different story of your adoption/rescue of an x-show hound or if you are a breeder and can add to this topic. I think it is a topic that is not discussed very much.

Some of the male dogs at these show kennels can be lonely and isolated because every dog is intact. The females can all play together but the males are relegated to their runs. For the most part the males don’t get along with each other for 1 main reason.

1.) The breeders don’t need many males and one of the girls is always in heat so the boys will fight for her attention.

When I picked up Chaps and I saw how he lived it made me sad.

He had a bath matt that he slept on and that was it. See that red heart toy? It was sent by me the week before I drove from KY to TX to get him and Emma. I asked what was his favorite type of toy and the reply was, “I don’t think he has ever had a toy?”
Say what?

I totally understand why Chaps is so protective of me, his home, Emma, and his family. Can you imagine being a male dog coming from such a stressful situation where all the females are either coming into heat, in heat, or just finishing heat? Chaps was a nervous wreck.

So, my dear readers that is why I say, there are different kinds of rescue. My older sister always says that I rescued an x-show dog. I totally get that now.

More stories later………Love Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Hound and e-mail lovers: Yesterday I received an e-mail from Kristi asking about Emma and her eye condition. (Glaucoma)

Kristi – I answered your questions about our girl but your e-mail keeps bouncing back to me. I have been having some e-mail issues for about a week now.

So, Kristi, if you read my blog please let me know if there is another e-mail address to send you my answers.

Emma appreciates your concern. She is such a light in our world.

Hi Kristi!

More keeping in touch later….Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Sitepal lovers: Sitepal is the talking Chaps on my home page and Chaps giving his Wisenheimer Wisdom.

So, in the true form of a political animal the Mayor decided to take his time off and make himself useful. He worked on his next speech, looked into green jobs in the town, started solving canine hunger, delved into affordable canine health care, visited the seniors, worked at a dog chow kitchen, and even contemplated world peace. These were things all on his list, right after he wakes up!

Chaps brings new meaning to FAT TUESDAY!

More solving the woes of the world later…….Snore – Drool a little bit – Snore

I am your Mayor, Chaps Rudert

Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Ghost in the Shell 2 lovers:

This is going to be a very long and interesting post about someone I really admire. I have been wanting to blog about this person for a long time.

I have followed Mamoru Oshii’s career as a writer and director since 1995 when he released his cyber punk animated film, Ghost in the Shell.

Why you ask? It’s very, very simple – Mamoru has a basset hound named
Gabriel (ガブリエル). Gabriel became the feature of his 2004 film, Innocence.

Mamoru Oshii

I have tried for years to get an interview with Mamoru Oshii. I had hoped to ask him more about his beloved Gabriel and perhaps even get some pictures. I have not given up hope yet!

Here are parts of an interview he did give to Judit Kawaguchi that might show you why I am so intrigued by him.

INTERVIEW WITH MAMORU OSHII – 3-13-07

Tools of the trade deserve respect. Everything has a spirit, and we Japanese sense it, whether it is in a mountain, a doll or a kitchen knife. Therefore, we usually give names to our tools; we treat them as partners. Once they are broken, we make elaborate ceremonies to thank them for their service and hard work. For example, we place old needles in tofu, and we pay our respects to them in a Shinto ceremony called harikuyo- (literally “mourning needles”). I named my first NEC computer Basset 68,000 and I still keep its brain, its hard disk, in a drawer. I can never throw it away.

Women run Japan and not in the right direction. Japanese wives boss their husbands around, and the smartest way to deal with these overpowering women is to give in to them. At home, I behave just like a dog: I show my appreciation to my wife and always apologize in advance, even if I have done nothing wrong. Of course, she gets mad anyhow, so it is best to stay at work. I think this is universal, though: Men are struggling and losing out to stronger women, but I find many foreign women a lot gentler than their Japanese counterparts.

Dogs have instincts, and it’s wise to follow them.I adore my two dogs, Daniel and Gabriel, and I listen to them; if they like someone, he or she is definitely a good person.

Animals need more protection. My dream is to set up an animal rescue force, similar to those that exist in other countries, where the officials not only help animals but have the authority to arrest those who hurt them.

Those who torture animals deserve severe punishment. I feel like giving them all the death penalty because it’s the worst kind of crime, and I rather suspect that such predators usually move on to children next. Also, if a man hurts a woman, he should get a life sentence.

Pamper those you love while you can. Atami, in Shizuoka Prefecture, has the best climate for my dogs, so I moved there. We walk the mountains, take onsen (hot spring) baths together and enjoy the good life. They eat better food than me. I get soba noodles and they chew on veggies, meat and rice. They deserve it!

One can never be the same after losing a loved one. I’m in constant fear about the inevitable death of my two dogs, Gabriel, 13, and Daniel, who is maybe 16 now. I’ll never be the same without them. Even now, I have a big hole in my heart for my cat, which died years ago.

Little white lies make people happy. I love people and I often resort to telling them what they want to hear. When I say such things, I even believe it myself.

END OF INTERVIEW

Today I saw on the internet wires that Mamoru’s Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, is being released on DVD.

The year is 2032. With the advancement of medical technology humanity has grown into a more technologically driven creature, creating a breed of cyborg citizen. Along with the development of cybernetics the world has seen rapid development in the field of artificial intelligence, making androids a commercially viable venture. A recent string of murders perpetrated by a prototype female android has drawn the attention of Section 9, a unit specializing in counter cyberterrorism. With none of the victims families pressing charges, suspicions arise regarding the nature of the androids and their production.
Months have passed since the end of the Puppet Master incident, and with the Major still missing, investigative duties fall to her cyborg commando partner Batou and his newly recruited biological partner, Togusa. Can the two overcome their differences and discover the truth behind the string of murders?

For the most part the films are very hard to understand. Experts on Mamoru’s work watch each film over and over to gain enough knowledge to write a review. Mamoru’s films have to be viewed in order and each film has to be viewed several times.

Also, you have to be into Japanese animation. I have seen several of his films and I will buy this one. I love having the collection and supporting Mamoru in his passion. I will also buy the soundtrack. How cool is that cover? The basset hound standing over the injured robot/cyborg thing? From what I understand, the basset serves as a guadian angel to the cyborg. Maybe that is why Mamoru’s basset is named Gabriel. I better write down that question and keep it when I get to interview him.

Here is another interesting shot of the basset hound that appears in GIS2.

American Justin Leach (right) lived in Japan and worked for Production I.G. for almost three years. Among the projects Justin worked on was the basset hound in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Photo credit: Kazunori Suga. All GITS2 images courtesy of Go Fish Pictures.

One more picture. Here is the basset hound under construction.

Mar. 3, 2003 – Justin Leach
Right now, I am compositing a shot with a 3D basset hound. This particular shot is a little tricky because the render times are quite long. At high-resolution, high quality, it takes about 13 minutes a frame, which means in order to finish 10 seconds of animation, it takes about two days of continuous rendering. Here is the shot in it’s completed form. Look for it in the YouTube video clip I found at the end of this blog.

Let’s end with another interview I found on line:

Interviewer: You’ve been credited as a major influence on contemporary animators. Is there anything in particular you’d like them to learn from you?

MO: I would recommend that they not go into animation. It won’t do them any good.

Interviewer: Why is that?

MO: You won’t make money, it’s hard, and you’ll lose all your friends.

Interviewr: And yet you’re still an animator.

MO: Well, I don’t care whether I have any friends.

I think I could have turned in a term paper for college on the subject of Japanation of a basset hound. LOL

I really enjoyed looking at a lot of this information on the net. I hope you enjoyed it as well.

Mamoru Oshii, if you are out there I am a fan. I would love to see some pictures of your precious Gabriel.

More about Gabriel Mamoru Oshii later….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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