The ugly duckling

Sorry all. . . this is about our new puppy again. . . he's the lastest and greatest thing that has happened to our family in the past little while so right now we are just all in love with him! So. . . I guess that that spills over into my blog.
I have to be honest. Until I got Cooper I didn't even like the Basset Hound breed. I thought that they were th "Ugly Duckling" of all of the dog breeds. I mean they look as though they are a genetic mishap. I couldn't understand why Otto loved them so much. They have these short thick legs that look as though they don't work right. They have long droopy ears. They have all of this extra skin that just hangs around. They are quite stalky and slow. They don't have a ton of energy, and they don't really do much.
And then we got Cooper. And, yes, I have a feeling that he will grow up to not be the most beautiful of dogs. He will be built like a Basset Hound because he is a pure bred. However, I have now figured out why Otto loves this breed so much. Cooper is very different from Zeke (our Yorkie). He has these HUGE paws and the longest ears that drag on the ground and it is so cute to watch him trip all over himself as he is learning how to work his big, awkward body. Cooper is really shy. When people come over he just hides in his room and he doesn't bark at them and he doesn't run around all crazy like and jump up on people. Cooper is so sweet and shy but once he warms up to you he is so sweet because he just wants to cuddle. He is still a puppy so he does have bursts of energy, but because he is so big and awkward he can't do anything quickly so it is very easy to play fetch with him or to chase him around because you can do everything at a walking pace. When I open the door Cooper just looks at the outside and walks away. . . Zeke, however has already shot out the door and is a block away before I can close the door again. Cooper is a Hound so he has a really incredible sense of smell. It is so much fun to watch him sniff everything and explore all of the different smells around. Whenever I give him a bone he has to smell every inch of it before he will take it.
Cooper is not much of a chewer. He is a puppy and so he does chew on things a bit, but he is really easy to control because he is so low energy. Seriously, he is the perfect dog for our family. They say that Basset Hounds are very loyal, make terrible guard dogs (because they are so shy), and get lonely easily and so they should go well with families with children and other pets. . . well folks that's us. And if Cooper is awake and he can't see anyone around he does cry. So I am glad that we got him. I LOVE his floppiness and his awkwardness. I love that Zeke now has a full-time buddy and I have decided that I love having a Basset Hound. The do make great pets!