The Basset Hound Owner's Surival Guide (Your Happy Healthy Pet Guides) (Hardcover)

by Diane Morgan (Author) "Basset beginnings are shrouded in the mists of history..." (more)
Key Phrases: dog neutered, foster dog, belly rub, Basset Hound, Pam Posey-Tanzey, Gretchen Laffert (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Basset Hound Owner's Survival Guide will delight every Basset Hound aficionado with its light-hearted look at this quirky breed of dog. Filled with charming stories, photos and drawings of Bassets, this book also provides the reader with Basset care essentials and a history of the breed. A must-have for every lover of the inscrutable Basset.
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

From the Back Cover
The Basset Hound Owner's Survival Guide will delight every Basset Hound aficionado with its light-hearted look at this quirky breed of dog. Filled with charming stories, photos and drawings of Bassets, this book also provides the reader with Basset care essentials and a history of the breed. A must-have for every lover of the inscrutable Basset.
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Howell Book House; 1st edition (March 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876050186
• ISBN-13: 978-0876050187
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #543,835 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun but not frivilous, a wealth of Basset Hound information., March 10, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This book is a delightful look inside the intimate relationships that many people develop with their Basset Hounds. At first glance it seems light in content but a thorough reading will yield a wealth of information about these great drooling clowns.

As a Basset Hound owner myself, it is difficult to judge the attraction of this book to those poor souls who do not share their lives with a Hound. Everyone with a Basset should read it. It captures the magic, the messes and the mysteries of life with a Basset Hound. Everyone considering adding a Basset to their lives should read it. It is this group that stands to benefit most.

As a first time Basset Hound (and dog) owner several years ago, it was learn as you go. Sure there were Basset books out there, many with valuable information. They explained in detail how things were supposed to go (by the book). Diane's book adds reality through the use of short stories and anecdotes by Basset Hound owners who participate in a couple of on-line forums.

Typical is the accurate comment by Amanda Sherwin under the heading, "Do Bassets Make Good Watch Dogs?" She says, "Bassets are fine watch dogs. You can tell the time by them. Especially meal time." Almost every page has a similar paragraph that illustrates and illuminates breed peculiarities. Under the heading, "Do Bassets Enjoy Sex?," MS Morgan sums up life with bassets perfectly by saying, "Not if they have to get off the couch to participate."

If you are owned by a Basset Hound you must have this book. It will explain to your longsuffering friends why you find joy in your Hound. If you are considering a Basset as a pet, reading The Basset Hound Owner's Survival Guide should be mandatory. As a volunteer with Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California, I believe that ignorance of the breed is the primary reason they show up abandoned in animal shelters. Read this book before you adopt a Basset. Involve the whole family as it is funny and very suitable for reading aloud to children.

The Basset Hound Owner's Survival Guide will tickle your fancy while stealthily teaching you all about Basset Hounds that you need to know. It had to be a labor of love because the love shines through the whole book.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Basset Hound Owner's Survival Guide, February 24, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Des Moines, IA) - See all my reviews

For the soon to be basset owner, this book is pointless. I have experience with bassets and was able to enjoy the anecdotes, but the anecdotes are the problem. The book is overflowing with little vignettes and not much else. There are other owner guides to the basset hound that address in detail important issues like feeding, health and grooming without the endless accompanying tales. I was extremely disappointed and wouldn't recommend it for a novice basset owner. it just doesn't cover the hard facts it needs to.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and helpful, not unlike the basset hound itself, November 30, 1999

By	MickeyM "Mickey M" (Mpls, MN) - See all my reviews

For anyone who has ever loved a basset hound, and especially for anyone considering being owned by a basset hound, this is an essential read.

For all it's humour, it is also a book that cautions people that although basset hounds are cute and funny, they are also difficult and complex dogs - not your average well-behaved lab, in other words. Not a dog for the easily grossed-out (think drool flings), for the impatient (think laying down in the middle of a walk) or for those who demand obedience (what are you kidding?)

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.