Just dogs

These floppy-eared hounds are stealing hearts all over the Lowcountry.

Pauline Grimball, a 13-year resident of James Island, has a dog park all her own in the large, fenced-in backyard of her home on Clark Sound. But you won't find just any breed bouncing around her acreage. She's a true ambassador for the basset hound; and between her and her roommate, Sue Ramsey, they've got 13 floppy-eared furry friends whose run of the place can attest to that commitment.

Like many local basset hound enthusiasts, Pauline is an active volunteer with the Carolina Basset Hound Rescue Organization, an entirely volunteer-staffed nonprofit that rescues and places stray, abandoned, unwanted, and neglected bassets into healthy homes in the Carolinas. Last year alone, 169 bassets were rescued and adopted, many of which came from kill shelters. Susan Bossman, president of CBHR, reports that the organization has rescued more than 1,000 hounds since its origination in 1987.

Bossman, who had never owned a purebred in her life, fostered her first basset while volunteering with the Francis Willis SPCA in Summerville and wanted to adopt within two days. She is the proud parent of Billy Big Head and Tobias Tippy Toes, and currently fosters Margaret Magpie and Huckleberry.

"These dogs are charming, quirky, and very clownish," says Bossman. "They take to their people and are loyal. Once you have one in your house, it's hard to live without one.

"People often have inaccurate expectations of bassets. They're not all lazy, droopy dogs. They don't all drool or have that houndy, musty smell. Yes, they've got a stubborn streak, but they're not stupid; they just occasionally act like they are in order to get their way. And just when you think you've got one trained, they might turn around and say, 'I don't think so.' But they have so much personality that you'll want more than one, which is good because they're pack dogs."

The American Kennel Club reviews the breed as: mild in temperament; French in heritage; follows scent trails; extremely devoted; enjoys and needs human companionship; gentle with children; has amusing deep, rolling bark; moderately protective; serene but can become stubborn if spoiled; heaviest-boned dog relative to its size of any breed.

Julia Cunningham, a CBHR volunteer and mother to bassets Bubba and Anabelle, explains that unlike other breeds which are "throw the ball"-oriented, bassets tend to be more laid back. Like her peers, Cunningham says she experiences a human-like connection with her hounds.

"They read like an open book. They all want belly rubs, and their eyes and constantly changing facial expressions say it all! With the big ears, big feet, and floppy skin, they're just so loveable!"