About Us

Melissa Rogers, the creative force behind Heavenly Hounds, was born in Rockford, Illinois and her family moved to Tempe, AZ when she was five. In 1985 she moved to Tucson, where she still resides. Melissa has been sewing since she was in Junior High. She branched out to crafts about 10 years ago and began setting up booths at local craft shows.

Her life changed four years ago in July, when she adopted her first basset hound, Scooter. He joined her family when he was 7 weeks of age. Melissa says, "After my first cocker passed away (Brandy) I became smitten with basset hounds and knew that I had to bring one into the family someday. I soon became the basset fanatic I am today!" She also has a cat named Domino, who is about 17, and her Brittany Spaniel, Luna, went to the Bridge in the spring of 2002.

Because of her love for Scooter and other basset hounds, Melissa began helping Arizona Basset Hound Rescue in 1999, by sending them items like leashes and collars whenever she could. She visited their website frequently, and a beautiful basset named Molly, who was available for adoption, caught her eye. She kept checking back to see if Molly had been adopted yet, but quite a few months passed, with no luck. Melissa had a special day coming up, so after a talk with her husband, Keith, Molly became part of the Rogers family on Melissa's 40th birthday. Since that time, Melissa has become active with basset rescue and spends her free time helping homeless hounds in need. She is currently working on a project called SHARE, designed to assist senior basset hounds.

When Emmy, a basset hound who had been kept in a puppy mill for seven years, needed surgery to help relieve the pressure in her eyes from glaucoma, Melissa handcrafted basset hound dolls called "Emmy Dolls" which were sold to raise money for the surgery. The dolls were a smashing success. Melissa realized that she really enjoyed making "bassety" items, so Heavenly Hounds was born!

Melissa says her customers are the best part of Heavenly Hounds. "I have some very loyal customers and I really appreciate them!! I have a lot of ideas that I hope I can add to the Heavenly Hounds line. So stay tuned!!"