Diane Morgan has written a unique book in at least two respects. First of all, The Basset Hound: Owner’s Survival Guide is the first basset hound breed book that acknowledges the essential humor of the basset hound. Bassets are a funny breed, and those who love bassets tend to be funny as well (both funny ha-ha and funny peculiar, but usually not at precisely the same time!). Second, Morgan’s book is the first basset hound book to cross the shadowy lines of cyberspace: her book was inspired by people, discussion, and—of course—basset hounds who inhabit the virtual land of the mailing list Basset-L; as such, it makes transient discussions permanent and gives its readers glimpses into this unusual community of basset lovers. The Owner’s Survival Guide is truly a breed book of the next millenium.
Morgan’s book is divided into eleven chapters. Chapter One ("The History of the Beast") makes the normally dry and scholarly all but hilarious as she romps through basset history from the original days of the St. Hubert’s Hound to the basset hound we know and love today. Chapter Two ("Basset Acquisition") covers all the standard dilemmas (Male or female? Puppy or adult?) and contains the standard warnings against puppy mills, but it’s also peppered with amusing quotations from real-life (or virtual-life) basset hound owners. Chapter Three ("The Beauty of the Beast, or Is There Something Wrong With That Dog? It Looks Awful!") discusses the peculiar conformation of basset hounds in a colloquial and very accessible manner. Chapter Four ("Personality [Weird] and Habits [Beastly]") makes heavy use of Basset-L quotations to discuss some common traits of basset hounds (laziness, the tendency to roam, general destruction, loyalty, companionableness) as well as some less common ones (swimming, gardening, interior decoration, ESP). The views (often sophisticated) of basset hounds on such subjects as politics, religion, and the arts (tastes in television range from PBS to televised sports) are thoroughly expounded upon. Chapter Five ("Training the Basset: An Exercise in Futility?") offers sound advice on the basics like housebreaking, chewing, nipping, and teaching the basset to come when called (warning, quite rightly, that bassets can never TRULY be trusted off-lead.
Chapter Six ("Dog Shows and Related Beastly Events") offers witty anecdotes (and many, unfortunately for those of us who engage in this nonsense, are available) on basset hounds in obedience trials, and also considers field trials, tracking, and agility and "fun" basset events like the Michigan Basset Waddle. Chapter Seven ("The Beast Feasts: Your Basset’s Diet") attempts to answer an admittedly frightening question: what do basset hounds eat? This chapter includes both nutritional advice and useful techniques for getting your basset to vomit up stuff that wouldn’t be classified as food by any being other than a basset hound. As one might imagine, anecdotes from the long-suffering Basset-L crew abound. Chapter Eight ("Caring for Your Basset") offers tips on the infamous basset hound odor (warning: Morgan is a bath freak!), grooming, teeth-brushing, and nail-trimming. Chapter Nine ("Under the Weather: The Beast is Indisposed") provides a quick-and-dirty guide to some of the more common medical ailments in bassets, including luxating patellas, glaucoma, ectropian panosteitis, allergies, bloat, skin problems, blocked anal glands, and disk problems. Chapter Ten ("The Basset Hound Owner") is a catch-all chapter of anecdotes from Basset-L designed to tease out the personality type of those peculiar folk who have made basset hounds the center of their lives; her "owner’s hall of fame," which records a few touching rescue success stories, is particularly moving. The final chapter is an appendix that provides a useful list of basset hound resources, including a list of national and local basset hound clubs, magazines and journals, video, supplies and catalogs, web sites (unfortunately largely--and inevitably--out of date, given the flux of cyberspace), rescue organizations, and activity and other organizations.
The Basset Hound: Owner’s Survival Guide is a fine book both for the brave soul tip-toeing around the thought of basset ownership to the hard-boiled basset co-dependent. It’s a book written with as much wit, charm, and intelligence as the basset himself. The pictures are wonderful, the anecdotes are amusing, and Pam Posey-Tanzey’s illustrations never fail to delight. Diane Morgan’s book offers useful information and provides a window into the world of those of us whose lives are ruled by our bassets. In brief, it’s a must for the library of any basset fancier or basset wannabe.
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