Gus

Gus is the first puppy I can remember having. My family rescued a mutt when I was four and we had him until he passed when I was 19, but I don’t remember him as a puppy. Gus however, has been in my life since he was about two days old. I named him after one of the mice in Cinderella, mostly because he was the biggest, roundest puppy in the litter and he never seemed to stop eating.

How do I even begin to describe this dog? If only you could meet him in person rather than simply reading about him. You’d never forget him once you met him; he’s definitely got a one of a kind personality.

But since you may never get to meet him here are a few things you should know about him. Gus is a mama’s boy. He’s never spent a full day without Lilly and he’s really not happy to be without her at all. The groomers have learned to keep them kenneled together because if he can’t see her he will whine all day. You’ll never be around one of them without the other. They’re a team, a package deal, the daring duo and he’d be absolutely lost without her.

Gus seems to love people more than he likes other dogs. Every time we go to the dog park he weasels his way into getting rubbed by every single human. Does he play with the other dogs? Not very often, but he sure knows how to flash his droopy cartoon eyes to get his back scratched. Gus also seems to know how to attract the attention of everyone we ever meet. Do people walk up to us at festivals, fairs, parades etc to speak to us? No, they want to see the basset and rub the basset ears. He loves it, so just go ahead and give in. I know the slobber is frightening, but it will wash off eventually. I promise.

Gus (thinks) he loves chocolate. Just like all other bassets, Gus can hear a wrapper open from at least a mile away. If it’s chocolate though, Gus will climb up on top of your lap and squish his nose up against yours and wiggle his body with all his might. You better not even think of opening your mouth when he’s this close and you’re eating chocolate. His sneaky self will try to lick the inside of your mouth for a taste of that chocolate he thinks he can’t live without.

Gus is a big ole baby. He acts like he’s all macho and tough, but really he’s afraid of the dark. When we go on walks at night he tends to walk right behind our heels until we reach the street lamps and it’s full steam ahead. He also escaped on his own from our backyard one time, but rather than going on a wonderful freedom adventure, Gus ran around to the other side of the yard and barked/whined from the outside of the fence until we let him back into the safety of his own backyard kingdom.

Gus is so funny. He gets himself into so many hilarious predicaments that you can’t possibly stay mad at him. Gus squeezed himself through the fence at the dog park once because he was ready to leave and wouldn’t come back until we left. He accidentally got into some flour one time and we just let him run around the house with his face entirely caked in a white cloud of dust. One time Gus found a way to climb over the baby gate that kept them out of the rest of the house. He got out, ate everything (books, glasses, shoes, game controllers, not really any actual food). Our house was a disaster, but he just ran around like the happiest dog in the world. Gus also plays this strange game with Lilly where they seem to try to catch each other’s ears. It’s really to funny watch, but funniest of all is that Gus will sit by himself and swing his head around like he’s trying to practice catching ears. When he finally catches his own ear (he’s so talented) he just sits there and chews on it for a while.

Finally, Gus loves everything with all his might. He loves spending all day outside in the cool weather. He loves chasing squirrels (he’ll never give up on catching one), he loves taking naps and snuggling up on the couch. He loves (like really loves) attention and he loves his mama. But most of all Gus loves spending time with us. Gus is the dog that stays up with me every night I’m up working late on yet another paper, a mountain of notes, or reading a billion articles before my next class. Gus hangs in there with me, sitting by my feet or lying by my side, waiting up for me to go to bed before he goes to lie down in his bed. He’s so excited to see us every day when we get home. He follows me around the house and follows me in to every room while I’m cleaning. Gus sits at our feet in the kitchen while we’re cooking and lays by our feet when we eat. This dog is so full of love and so full of life.

Follow Gus and all of his craziness as we travel around America. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to meet him one day.