My Am"BASSET"dors

My two basset hounds, Andrew Rufus (Roo Roo) and Luke Anthony are great am"basset"dors for two phenomenal organizations here in Florida!!!

Both RooRoo and Luke both were adopted from Suncoast Basset Rescue
( WWW.suncoastbassetrescue.org) and enjoy almost daily our very own Dogs For Life dog park ( WWW.dogsforlivevb.Com) here in Vero Beach!!!

The Dogs For Life park has benefitted both of my hounds in many ways! My bassets are two of the leanest, healthiest, and of course happiest hounds you will meet. The Dogs For Life Park addressed my concern of finding a safe place for off leash play, which I feel is essential to their mental and physical well being. Dogs are naturally social animals that need lots of exercise. Although I have relatively low energy basset hounds, for most dogs it would take a lot of hours walking on-leash to rival the energy a dog can expend in a relatively short amount of time at the park. In addition, the more exposure dogs have to other dogs and humans, the less likely they are to react aggressively in unfamiliar situations.

The biggest surprise is at how much I have personally benefitted from the dog park. The Dogs For Life dog park is a place where we meet other people and I, along with the hounds, have made new friends. I enjoy meeting people who love their dogs just as much as I love mine! I enjoy our casual conversations most evenings catching up on the days happenings. I like walking the paths and watching the dogs play and enjoy running free. Cities across the United States have discovered that this is one of the outstanding benefits of a dog park. More than just a place for canines, it becomes a place where people can connect, meet and create a sense of community.

Both Andrew and Luke are "alumni" of Suncoast Basset Rescue. Although I don't know their whole story, I do know that they were both strays that ended up in animal shelters here in Florida. I think my two are typical of the dogs that end up in shelters...they are pretty normal and not "bad dogs" they do not have "behavioral problems" like people think.

Andrew, Luke and I would like to encourage people to adopt from their local shelters or adopt from a rescue first!! There are a lot of specific breed rescues here in Florida or with national networks with contacts in Florida. Please give the homeless dogs of Florida a chance to fill your heart and home with love!

Dogs For Life, Inc. is a non-profit organization that trains hearing and mobility assistance dogs. DFL operates the off-leash dog park on the corner of 12th Street & 16th Avenue where membership requires dogs be inoculated, neutered and social. Membership fee is $250 with discounts for additional dogs from the same household. To schedule an orientation call DFL at 772-567-8969.