Hunter and Me!!!

by Marie Jadczak
(Ocala, Florida)

Hunter hangin out at home watching tv with his parents!

As you, my boyfriend and I are basset lovers to the extreme! We are the proud parents of an almost 2 year old basset named HUNTER!

I wasn't planning on adding a dog into our lives, but one day I ran into a lady who had a basset pup with her. I couldn't resist going over to pet the ADORABLE little thing.

There was one pup specifically that stuck out to me. He was the only male in a litter of 6. He was pudgy and so clumsy! (My boyfriend was going through a pretty tough time with the loss of a family member and nothing could cheer him up at the time.) After holding that little squishy boy I knew that my boyfriend, Chris' heart would melt if he looked into this puppy's eyes and decided a new family member might help him to begin the healing process.

My sister fell in love with Hunter immediately and wanted a puppy too. So she got one from the same litter the next day. It was a couple of days later and both of our puppies were very sick. We rushed them to the vet. As it turned out my sister's pup Daisy had parvo and Hunter had a dozen parasite and other issues. After a long battle both puppies came through. My sister's pup Daisy is healthy now, but her growth was stunted by the parvo and other illnesses she had.

Over the last 2 years Hunter has been the best decision we have ever made!!! He is our son, our baby boy! We rarely leave him alone for very long and he loves to be everywhere we are. Everywhere includes the car rides, shopping, out to lunch, on the boat, and in the bed! He is so spoiled and hasn't slept without us for more than 3 nights over the last 2 years. The 3 nights we were away he slept in Chris's mom's bed...taking up all the room as usual.

The only regrets we have are the health issues Hunter has due to the people who bred him. He has a bad leg that we are trying to find help for to fix it. We are scared that we won't be able to afford a surgery he needs or will find a vet to take his case.

He is the best companion and never leaves our side. He is the biggest character you have ever seen and dramatic like no other. We love his howl and never feel right when we don't have our precious baby by our side!!

Once a basset lover there will never be another to compare!