Our happy house of two dogs suddenly became a sad little house of one in June 2017. We were all lost, heartbroken and our Basset, Annabelle, was lost. She wouldn’t go for walks, she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t play with other dogs at the dog park. She started getting hot spots from stress… We were feeling the loss just as keenly, and we knew what we had to do. We had to add to our family. A friend suggested, knowing our love of hounds, to look for a Black and Tan. We googled, did our research, talked to a breeder and that breeder recommended ABTCR.

I contacted Jayne to see if they would adopt across the border and she strongly encouraged me to fill out an application immediately as there were two that had just come into rescue in upstate NY. I talked to the wonderful foster home, and within a week our lives changed.

We met a big, gangly, happy hound and she fit right in to our home within moments. I cannot imagine how stressful it would be getting in a vehicle with strangers, walking into a house of heartbreak and creating smiles and love. But Mathilda did it! Mathilda is the poster child for love. She loves everyone. She loves the Basset hound. She loves the cat. She loves us. She loves dill pickles. She has never, ever destroyed anything except a roll of toilet paper. No accidents. She walks well on lead and she turns heads.

We tell everyone about ABTCR and her story. Most importantly, she has taught us the value of a good rescue. There are a lot of rescues here in Ontario, Canada. A lot. I must have messaged 20 of them. Most of them never responded. Some did, but because our new home wasn’t fenced yet, we didn’t qualify. One responded to me last month after a year and a half. ABTCR was fast, efficient, caring and realistic in their expectations. The Facebook page is a wealth of information and home to great people. The foster home where Mathilda and her brother Georgie stayed was amazing. We became good friends and we still talk all the time, sending photos back and forth. We even celebrated our anniversaries together! We didn’t just gain a hound. We won a family. And that, after all, is what rescue is about!