Diamonds in the Ruff - Training for Dogs & Their People

Oh, my gosh, this amazing group will be sorely missed in the community. Their founder, "Auntie Pat" Benstine, was one of our earliest students when Diamonds in the Ruff opened back in 1996. We've been blessed with being able to help many of their rescue kids and adoptive families get off to a good start over all these years. What a pleasure to know Pat, Judy, and of course, Mary Charbonneau and volunteers, and being witness to the love and dedication that they showed to every single lucky hound in their care. We salute you, Drool Crew! 🥺💔

Supporters, this post isn't easy, but all good things must come to an end. After much thought and many heartfelt conversations, we have made the decision to close this non-profit, effective June 1, 2026.

We know WABR has meant a lot to many and made an extraordinary impact. It was an honor to be the longest operating breed specific rescue in Washington State, touching many thousands of lives.

40 years ago, our beloved Founder, "Auntie Pat" Benstine, helped save a sweet Hound. Backyard Breeders were becoming prolific in our area, so Bassets began showing up lost and abandoned in local shelters. Two years later in 1988, she started Spokane Basset Rescue from the basement of her home in the Whitworth Community. Ten years later we became a non-profit, then changed our name to Washington Basset Rescue or WABR for short and moved into a much larger, dedicated rescue property in Hillyard. When Pat passed away 13 years ago, there was no succession plan, and we lost our rescue's location. Thanks to the support of Pat's Son Mike and the love and dedication of leaders Judy Brown & Mary Charbonneau stepping up, the non-profit continued to operate and make a difference, only on a much smaller scale.

WABR has always been 100% volunteer with all dollars going to the Dogs. We're extremely grateful for every member of The DROOL Crew throughout the years that helped us in countless ways.

To every person that adopted from us, you are the true Heroes! Thank you for believing in second chances and saving lives!!

Rescue has been an unforgettable journey, filled with lots of beautiful memories, including some that broke pieces of our hearts!

There were massive puppy mill rescues, fundraising events such as The Basset Blast, Santa Claws for People & Pets, Barktoberfest, Easter Bunny photos and the Spokane Civic Theatre, waddling in the St. Patrick's Day parade, volunteering at IRONMAN, receiving multiple PetCo, Petsmart & IRONMAN grants, winning STCU's "Who Do You Love?" grant twice, winning local non-profit grant sponsored by Toyota, earning Community Giving grants from Microsoft, Boeing, Edward Jones & The City of Spokane and receiving The Pierone Prize grant from The Inlander, transports in every kind of weather and vehicle, lasting just 1-hour to multiple days, numerous Community Outreach booths, pet expos & adoption events, a multitude of presentations about responsible pet ownership, annual volunteer appreciation breakfasts, partnering with animal shelters, sanctuaries, rescue groups, trainers, veterinarians, pilots, interstate truck drivers, the SPD & CPD, Pet Partners, KSPS, Bark For Life, Spokane Indians Baseball, The Salvation Army, Animal Advocates of the Inland NW, a plethora of small businesses and more —

We've made the most incredible friendships helping Hounds!

WABR has no debts/owes zero liabilities. We contacted all sustaining donors and stopped accepting gifts. Our PayPal account, website & PO Box are closed. WABR stopped intakes and has no Dogs left to adopt. Dissolution documents have been filed. 2025 taxes were filed in April and our final 990 with the IRS will be made in early 2027. Insurance has been cancelled. The Petfinder account and our financial account at Canopy Credit Union will both be closed very soon.

All non-profit assets held in Canopy Credit Union ($50,733.18) are being transferred to SpokAnimal, a local 501(c)3 animal welfare organization that has been our Community Partner, since the very beginning. They were also recipient of the limited number of in-kind donations we had left in storage and some miscellaneous fundraising items.

We will keep the social media pages open a bit longer, to ensure our closing messaging reaches as many as possible. Should you have any further questions, please contact this page and we will do our best to reply in a timely manner.

Please be kind! It's incredibly difficult to say goodbye to something that has meant a great deal to us and our Community, and made a difference for Families in WA, ID, MT, OR, Canada & beyond!

Although WABR is now closed, all the Dogs saved, rehabilitated & rehomed, the education and training shared and breed awareness created, will continue to live on…

To honor the legacy, please volunteer your time to help transport, foster, socialize or train animals in your Community! Donate your talents & financial resources. Above all, please continue to ADOPT animals needing furever homes and make their HAPPY TAILS come true!!

With all our hearts we thank you,

Judy Brown & Mary Charbonneau
Directors

Tick season is upon us. Be sure to go over your dog (and yourself!) head-to-toe for bugs, burrs, and cheat grass after your walks. It's likely to be a bad tick season after our mild winter!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CrAX5ErPW/

Quick tip: Arbee illustrates here how important it is to wait until freshly-mown grass has dried before allowing your allergy-prone pup to play in the yard if your dog has a sensitivity to grasses!

Congratulations to our nine newest Canine Good Citizens! Kelly & Cedar, Woody and Boyd, Cameron & Reggie, Alexandra & Tiger, Michele & Hildi, Jennifer & Winston, Elin & Tank, Leah & Mariner, and Lunis and Lazaro!!

Gold stars for Eva! Our cooperative care instructor's own dog just had a complete NONANESTHETIC dental, and got an A+ on her report for good behavior (yes, mom needs to get more consistent with regular brushing but we are bragging about Eva and her training right now). Yes, that DOES say Eva is "A pleasure to work on :)"

If your dog struggles with veterinary care, grooming, handling or having gear put on, we can help! Cooperative Care is a gift we can give to our dogs, and the people who help us care for them.

There are only a few spots left in our next Cooperative Care class and it only runs twice a year, so grab your team's spot before they are gone!

Great post shared by Dachshund Rescue NW!
https://www.facebook.com/share/1JyUiQn9gd/

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... when the Ruff R***e freestyle team's calendar fills with performances at various area nursing care facilities. We are so proud of these amazing dog and handler teams and the joy they share.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14NSDSk78KK/

Congratulations to some of our most recent Canine Good Citizens! We are looking forward to seeing many of our CGC grads in future Pet Therapy Skills classes!

Share your good citizens in the comments below!