Check out the story of the Kansas City Basset Brigade

Today we’d like to introduce you to the founders of the Kansas City Basset Brigade, a social club for basset owners and basset lovers.

Jess Stacy and Adrienne Fleck, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It was the fall of 2019, and we were brought together when our basset hounds, Taco and Lucy, sniffed each other out at Bar k. WE. WERE. THRILLED. Neither of us were acquainted with other basset owners, and we became fast friends. We had heard rumors of hounds walking in a local parade, causing quite the spectacle and becoming a neighborhood staple, but because of COVID, the parade wasn’t set to return until 2022. January 2022 arrived, and all we wanted was to revive the tradition of basset hounds walking in the Brookside St. Patty’s Day Warm Up Parade. We needed a name for the parade entry application, so Kansas City Basset Brigade was born over beers at International Tap House. At that first parade, we were 12 bassets strong. Fast forward to 2025, and we grew to 60!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We had no idea this community would grow so fast and into something so valuable to us and the humans and hounds who have joined along the way. Throughout the journey, we have had fun being creative event planners, but much of the time we find ourselves flying by the seat of our pants. We wonder, “How many will show up?” “Will this meetup location be a good fit?” One thing we can always anticipate is that it will be loud and slobbery.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are most proud of our commitment to giving back to Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland for the amazing work they do fostering and adopting unhoused hounds. In 2023, we hosted our first fundraiser, “Bassets Give Back”, at Strange Days Brewing Co. and Brigade members donated $250. We knew we wanted to do more. In 2024, we planned our biggest event to date, the first annual Basset and Beagle Derby at Bar k, and raised $1825. The hounds were portraits of athleticism, strutting their stuff in front of a large crowd of spectators, and celebrating with a medal ceremony and of course, beer. This is an event we hope will continue year after year.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
We owe so much of our success to the Kansas City businesses with whom we’ve partnered for our meetups. We have had dog-friendly charcuterie on the Heirloom Bakery & Hearth patio, held a derby at Bar k, gone to drag shows, stolen hot dogs at Kauffman Stadium during a home run, disco danced our hearts out at Zoom Room, and tossed back a few doggie beers at local breweries. We’ve been overwhelmed by business owners’ willingness to open their space to our group. None of the Brigade’s success would be possible without our human and hound community. They wear their Brigade merch proudly and are truly the heart of this group.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcbassetbrigade/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCBassetBrigade/