By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Rachel Seale
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Basset Hound Rescue of Alabama is a statewide nonprofit organization that exists to provide basset hounds and basset breeds with permanent homes through adoption.
Finding hounds fur-ever homes
President and Adoption Coordinator Amanda King said the nonprofit finds foster homes for the dogs in its care while they are medically vetted, and then the dogs are listed for adoption. She said the group doesn’t have a main facility; she and four others throughout the state, including someone in Northport, serve as core members and receive dogs from owner surrenders or animal shelters.
The rescue’s slogan is “Helping Homeless Hounds find Homes,” which is exactly what King and her fellow members do.
“People come to our website, (and) our Facebook page specifically looking for basset-type dogs,” King said.
The nonprofit relies heavily on volunteers to transport hounds, raise money for the operation and foster dogs until they’re adopted.
Scout, a full-blooded basset hound, is pictured at the top of the story. He is currently available for adoption.
Callie Sue, a basset-Labrador mix, is available for adoption from Basset Hound Rescue of Alabama.
Callie Sue, a white basset-Labrador mix, pictured here is also ready to find her forever home and is available for adoption.
Rescue Foster Coordinator Lori Johnson wrote in an email statement that she can answer any questions from potential adopters about either of these dogs.
Maintaining healthy dogs
King said the organization’s main veterinarian is Calera Animal Hospital.
“We try to get them all to them to be vetted and then into the homes,” King said.
While you can adopt dogs from many shelters for less than $100, King said their adoptees do come at a higher price. There’s good reason for that, though, because many of these dogs come in requiring expensive vet bills.
“They’re fully vetted, they’re spayed and neutered, (and) they’re microchipped,” King said.
If there’s a dog in the rescue’s care that needs ongoing medical attention, the rescue pays for treatment.
“We charge a little more just because we have our money in our dog,” King said. “But typically, we lose money for every dog that we adopt out.”
Offsetting costs through fun fundraisers
King said fundraisers help offset some of the rescue’s exponential medical costs. If there’s a specific dog in need of immediate care, she’ll post information on Facebook so anyone can chip in.
Here’s a look at the Tinsel Tail Trot in Huntsville. Photo courtesy Basset Hound Rescue of Alabama
The rescue has an annual Christmas-themed fundraiser in Huntsville called The Tinsel Tail Trot. King said the event consists of a 0.5K race around the Christmas trees at the city’s Tinsel Trail. It also includes craft time, a T-shirt and pictures with Santa.
King said she hopes the rescue will be able to have more fundraisers throughout the state, including the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham areas, as the program gets more volunteers.
The nonprofit will also open its online store soon so shoppers can buy custom merchandise to show their support for the rescue and its basset hounds.
Get involved: volunteer, foster, adopt
According to King, the rescue started out as a nonprofit in 2005. She said the number of active volunteers rises and falls throughout the years.
King and the other volunteers run the rescue because they love the basset hound breed.
King said the rescue’s biggest goal is keeping animals out of shelters. She said many shelters are consistently overcrowded and some people think that purebred dogs don’t end up there.
“A lot of people don’t know that every breed of dog is a breed rescue,” King said.
The group recently saved a female basset-Labrador mix from the euthanasia list at a shelter. King said a volunteer snagged the dog and she wound up adopted within a month.
King said 26 dogs were adopted from the rescue in 2023, which is a pretty good adoption rate for a smaller rescue organization run by volunteers.
If you’re interested in helping the rescue, you can sign up online to foster or adopt. Have questions? King said she and other volunteers are contactable online through the rescue’s contact page or on its Facebook page.
Pictures of dogs that are up for adoption can also be found regularly on the rescue’s Facebook page.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
