Annual Basset Waddle draws crowds to Dwight

DWIGHT —  Anyone wanting to see a basset hound just had to stand on the street Sunday during Dwight’s Harvest Days parade.

Every brown, tan and white variety of the low-to-the ground, long-eared pet was on display.

Basset hounds on leashes, accompanied by their owners, stepped off as the lead unit in Sunday's parade. Emmy Little of the Guardian Angel Basset Rescue said the “waddle,” as the gathering is called, featured about 900 dogs.

Each dog’s owner paid $25 to enter the parade, said Little, a Dwight resident. Owners also raised money for the basset rescue organization, taking pledges for the number of blocks walked.

The group uses all the money raised to rescue and provide foster care for other bassets.

Many owners in the parade said their dog had been rescued and adopted through the efforts of Guardian Angel Basset Rescue.

Owners were more than willing to stop and have onlookers pet their dogs.

“They [the dogs] go through the crowd. The dogs go right over,” said Lois DeWitt from Plainfield, who was there with her grand-dog, a basset named Buddy.

Buddy’s owner, Michelle Derrick from Plainfield, said this was her sixth or seventh year in the parade.

“People underestimate them [bassets]," Derrick said. "They’re very smart. I think they pretend to be dumb sometimes. They used their smarts to get out of doing stuff. …They’re not aggressive at all.”

Logan Marshall, 2, of Manteno reached out to pet Rowdy, a basset owned by Amanda Bortko of Schereville, Indiana.

Bortko said the weather was good this year for the dogs, with temperatures in the 70s. Along the route, there were pans of ice for thirsty dogs to drink from.

The Guardian Angel Basset Rescue has sponsored the waddle for many years, Little said. Little, along with husband Larry, were instrumental in beginning the waddle years ago. They have owned bassets for 30 years, she said

Once they discovered the basset rescue organization, the couple was more than willing to promote the effort.

Sunday's waddle included more than dogs. Guardian Angel Basset Rescue Board Member David Rafael of Wisconsin said organizers planned games and fun events for the dogs and owners. At one end of downtown Dwight is the Guardian Angel Basset Park, he said.

The 12-acre park, which includes a pavilion, was purchased with the support of many dog owners. One part of the park includes a memorial area dedicated to deceased bassets.

Josh Slowinski of Romeoville said he brings his bassets, Snails and Molly, every year.

“We love it,” Slowinski said. “It’s really nice to see the kids’ expressions.

“It’s about community. I think that’s a part of why we do it,” Slowinski added.