About Us

In the Beginning

I was first introduced to the basset hound in 1983 in Austin, Texas. The dog's name was Bogart and though he was about as lovable as they come, he was also big and incredibly smelly. So, when my new husband and I were discussing the addition of a dog to the family and he insisted on keeping a basset hound under consideration, my first reaction was to protest. In the end, fate won out and we added an adorable basset puppy named Hoover to our family in 1985.

I reference fate because Hoover taught me a lot about life and basset hounds. I learned they didn't have to be smelly and that though stubborn and obstinate ( a lot like me as a matter of fact) they could be trained. Hoover became my best friend and therapist through divorce and a military career that kept me moving from place to place every few years. Hoover was my constant in life and when he died of cancer May 22, 1998 I felt lost and lonely for the first time in my life. But he ignited in me a passion for the breed that burns even brighter all these years after his passing.

The Birth of Rapscallion Bassets

I've known since I was a young girl that I wanted to show and breed dogs. I didn't know what breed I wanted to show or breed, but that didn't matter, the dream was there.

Thankfully the Internet came along and I found my way into the sport, 20-some years later. My journey to the show ring came about through my volunteer work with the Basset Rescue of Old Dominion. Through that organization I made contact with breeders of show dogs and after a few years I had my very first "show" basset -- Booker.

The name Rapscallion Bassets, however, is a tribute to my second basset, Kirby, who sadly died from bloat and gastric torsion September 28, 2007. Kirby was only 8.5 years old and he left me way too soon, but he earned the moniker "Rapscallion" because of his many misdeeds as a young pup. Kirby personified the word "bassetude" and though he mellowed into one of the best trained dogs I've ever had, getting him to that point was a full time job for at least a year -- probably much longer but fortunately the survival instinct tends to cut short our memory for pain and suffering.

A happy and well trained Kirby out for some special mommy and me time along the C&D canal in Delaware.

Rapscallion

Breeding Better Bassets