Hello My Dear Friends,
It's that time of year again that I'm raising money for Guardian Angel Basset Rescue, who I foster for and work as the Foster Home Coordinator and Adoption Coordinator for Northern Illinois. Please allow me to share a story of a very special foster Mark and I fostered named Dozer!!
Will you help by donating? Please click the sponsor me in honor of Dozer and my father, Ron. 100% of your tax-deductible contribution will go directly to rescuing basset hounds.
Dozer first came to GABR on Christmas Eve of 2007 after he fell down a flight of stairs and broke his leg. His owner could not afford the repair of his leg, so the vet called GABR and they okayed fixing it and taking Dozer into the system. Angie and Jerry Risen-White took Dozer in as their foster dog and began his long road to recovery. Every time Angie and Jerry took Doz to the vet, they kept telling them two more weeks, oh two more weeks and if I remember correctly, Angie said he had the cast on nearly 4.5 months. After his leg finally healed, Dozer along with another GABR Basset, Sierra, were both adopted out to a guy who wanted 2 Bassets.
After 2-3 months, both Bassets were returned after their new owner lost his job and his home. Angie and Jerry could not take Dozer back.
Teri Burnett took Dozer in as her foster dog in May of 2008. Teri found Dozer to be very snappy, cranky, and growly quite a bit of the time and had him placed on pain meds daily for severe pain in that leg. Teri's vet found arthritis in that leg, but his limping and attitude issues increased. Teri felt Dozer would be a liability if he was adopted out and felt he needed a permanent foster home who were strong leaders. Enter Karen Pietrzak and Beth Sage, who began to bug a certain FHC (me) about taking Mr. Problem Child! They kept saying, "But this boy has Mark and Robin plastered all over him!" We gave into their pleading and agreed to permanently foster Dozer!
Teri brought Dozer to the 2008 Waddle and Mark and I took him that Sunday. As Mark can tell you, Dozer was a severely bullheaded Basset, the type I am ALWAYS drawn to (much to his dismay) and Dozer and I had an immediate bond and he quickly became a "Mama's Boy!" When our vet, Dr. Dee, got all the x-rays from the vets that cared for Dozer, it was found that he had bone cancer in that once broken leg. Dr. Dee believed that he didn't fall down the stairs and break his leg, but rather his leg broke because of bone cancer then he fell down the stairs. It also explained why it took Angie and Jerry so long to heal that leg and why Teri was noticing increased limping on that leg. Dr. Dee gave him 3 weeks to 3 months from the end of September 2008.
Now I'm sorry, but there is no other way to describe our "Hoze Head" (Dozer), but to say he was the most loveable, humorous, pain in the hiney Basset anyone could ever love! Now him and I had a very special bond that drove Mark crazy! We sincerely believe that in his first home that there must have been some severe domestic violence in the home, not to him, but to the humans, because every time Mark would hug or kiss me, Doz would get in between us and growl/snap/spit/snarl/bare teeth at Mark. Now if Mark would put a stop to this behavior, it would only increase, however if I put a stop to it, he would whine and cry like I beat him or hurt his feelings.
Poor Mark had some aggression issues with Doz. After awhile of these displays of aggression, I can't explain it, but I trusted Dozer. I would NOT back down from him, never touching him, but I'd tell him to knock it off or go away and he would, grumbling all the way. I'd, of course, wanted to laugh at him, but it was like laughing a 2 year old, he would think he was hot stuff and do it more. Mark knew that if he pushed Dozer or took a stand with him, Doz would go after him or bite him, but if I did the same exact thing, he'd never do that with me. Doz adored Mark and vica versa, but I had to be the disciplinarian and he needed a lot of disciplining, trust us!
Dozer had enough personality for 15-20 Bassets and the most brilliant Basset we have ever owned or fostered. Dozer wheels were constantly turning and he was ALWAYS thinking 3 steps ahead of you! Doz honestly enjoyed making us laugh every hour of everyday! He loved water! Whenever you couldn't find Hoze Head, he'd be sleeping in the bathtub! We would draw him a 3-4 inch bath and he'd stay in there until we made him get out or we drained the water! One day, I was relaxing in the hot tub, sitting on a higher step (known as the "cool down seat") and all of sudden Hoze Head was sitting next to me in the hot tub!! I was laughing so hard, I was crying!
This boy had such a presence about him that not only did he demand your attention, but he commanded it! Dozer became my heart and my passion! Yes, my Hoze Head might have had a few screws loose (ok, he did!), but I adored him for it! Doz was the first dog that we EVER knew that would sleep with his head UNDER the covers for 7-10 hours at a time! GABR fosters at our home are allowed on the furniture, but not the bed. However, since Doz was going to be here until God took him, he was allowed bed privileges IF (big if here) he behaved like a gentleman as he was our dog! He was my snuggle buddy at night, with 1 big catch!!!!! That being that he would sleep with his back to my chest, EXCEPT upside down, so I always had the awesome honor of his hiney on my pillow and in my face and his head down by my knees under the covers! If Mark would crawl into bed after Doz and I were asleep, there would be times where Doz would try being assertive with Mark, but as soon as he'd growl, he'd get off the bed because Dozer knew he had lost his bed privileges.
Doz truly was one of the most frustrating, infuriating, annoying Basset that could get on your every last nerve and push you to the very edge of your sanity. His barking would go on for hours. Dozer was the first dog ever that I met him at the back door with leash in hand after Mark had gotten off of work and said, "He's all yours now, just do something with him before I need the psych ward!" However, Dozer instinctively knew when you ready to go off the deep end and would stop what he was doing and get all lovey dubby and look as cute as he possibly could. Hoze Head knew I had a tremendous soft spot for him and no matter how ticked off I was at him, there was no way I could resist his sweet face or his truly hilarious antics for long! I must tell you when Dozer was in trouble with either one of us, man could that dog turn on the charm and play the "Oh aren't I so adorable!" card! When he was in deep trouble. Doz would start whining and crying and honeying up to Mark or I, whoever was trying to discipline him, and use those big Basset, doe eyes to his full advantage! He was one of the most gorgeous Basset we've ever seen and the boy knew how damn cute he really was! Now there isn't anything I/we wouldn't do to have all of his quirks and our vocal, yet so loveable Hoze Head back in our lives!
Dozer was being kenneled this last year in July (2009). He was playing fetch at noon at the kennel, then put in his kennel run until 3 PM. They went in to let him out again and he was curled up on his dog bed and had died in his sleep. Dr. Dee feels he simply died of a massive heart attack. Although he had bone cancer, no one ever told Hoze Head that he was sick. Once we figure out pain meds that kept his pain under great control, there were only 5-6 days in the 10 months we had him that you could really tell he was hurting, otherwise you would've never known he was ill or had any problems at all.
Doz was 1 of 3 of our favorite of all times!! I really struggled with the fact that he was not at our home when he passed because Dozer was a "Mama's Boy" and he had his pawprint on my heart from Day #1. My heart aches knowing that Dozer left this world without his Mom whispering in his ear about how much I loved him and thanking for all the laughter, joy, friendship, and pure acceptance he brought with him when he walked into our lives and our hearts!
As most of you know, we don't foster the easy dogs or take the Bassets who are easy to love. Honestly, had Dozer been adopted out, more than likely he would've been a candidate for abuse because of his vocal chords and attitude he had at times! However, Dozer was foster #194 for the Hunziker/Lohmeier household, but in our book, he was a one in a billion Basset Hound! With all the issues, bad habits, barking, and attitude that Doz possessed, it made him the most endeared, spectacular, humorous, and tremendously loved Basset from GABR to ever grace our doorstep, but more importantly, our lives! The qualities that our Hoze Head possessed would've had most people running away from him and running fast, although it was a thought a few times, those qualities drew me even closer to the dog who became my constant companion and a true friend! That boy had something so incredibly special that in a way is unexplainable, but he was one of those extraordinary dogs that you only get the honor of knowing and owning once in a lifetime!
Dozer was a Basset who was larger than life and had such a remarkable personality that made utterly unforgettable! Since my father was also battling bone cancer, I truly believe God sent me an angel, who had a slightly tarnish halo held up by a pair of long, floppy ears, to show me to look for the humor in a grave situation. Dozer was here to make me laugh when we didn't think my Dad would ever leave the hospital! (Dad has since passed actually Waddle weekend 2009.) I'll admit it, I'd come home from the hospital, hug Dozer, and cry into his fur to which he'd start prancing around and talking and he'd have in stitches from laughter. My Hoze Head had a calling, I believe, and he was my rock when my world felt like it was crumbling around me! What an angel GABR rescued, please donate to save more lives!