BOTHELL — When a fire damaged the house of Alexa and JP Paul last week, they weren’t the only ones who lost a home.
Almost a dozen basset hounds were left with no place to call their own.
For about 30 years, the house on 228th Street SE. near Bothell doubled as a basset rescue organization, said volunteer Patty Crawford of Mountlake Terrace. Dog medication, food and care products, and countless other tools the rescue used in the past three decades were lost in the May 3 fire.
“Anything to do with the dogs, we lost,” Crawford said. She hopes people will step up to help.
The group is accepting money donations and supplies for dogs and a fundraiser concert is planned for Saturday.
News of the fire spread quickly and, thanks to dedicated basset enthusiasts throughout the Puget Sound area, all dogs in the care of the rescue had safe places to stay, Crawford said.
The group doesn’t turn anyone away, she said. Many dogs in its care are older or have medical issues.
One of the dogs, Wilma, died in the fire. Also lost were Sassy the cat and two birds.
Wilma, an older dog, loved to lounge about and watch the birds for hours, Crawford said. When the fire started, Wilma was where she loved to be.
Fire investigators determined the blaze was sparked by combustibles kept close to a space heater, Snohomish County Fire District 7 spokeswoman Autumn Waite said.
Three dogs were in the room where the fire started, Crawford said. They escaped unharmed, including Alex, who has bone cancer and who hobbled out of the house to safety.
JP Paul was home at the time. He got the surviving animals out with the help of a neighbor, Crawford said. The couple were left with just clothes on their backs but they had insurance. They are staying in a hotel for now.
The Pauls’ home was known as “the small house with lots of bassets,” Crawford said. She got involved with the rescue after adopting her first basset, Gus, almost eight years ago. Next came Tallulah and Wally, also adopted from Alexa Paul.
“You came over there, and you knew you came into the dogs’ house. They allowed Alexa and JP to live with them,” she said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
How to donate
To donate online, go to www.adoptabasset.net or mail a check made out to Basset Rescue of Puget Sound to Patty Crawford at 22717 Lakeview Drive, No. A7, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043.
Their wish list includes metal dog bowls, metal garbage cans, bed pillows (sold at Target for about $3.00), twin blankets, towels, exercise, pens no taller the 36 inches, leashes, collars and dog toys.
For more information, call Crawford at 425-775-4008.
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