[Dailydrool] VERY SAD NEWS...

[Sandra Probola]

I just recently rejoined the Daily Drool 6 months ago when I rescued 2
bassets.  I thought after I lost my Rosie, I couldn’t go through the
heartbreak again of losing a basset.  Many of you responded to me back then
when I explained my story of how the rescues came to be.  Lucy was 6 months
old and her owner was being deployed and the husband wanted no part of
keeping her.  Kipper was a 4 year old that I was given to me by a “breeder”
(my vet believes truly it was a puppy mill) if I promised not to breed her.
Kipper was the basset that only knew living in a crate and was so shy and
scared.  I have been working with her since (using a lot of the advice some
of you gave) and she starting to come out of her crate (especially at
dinnertime to beg!) and interact with the family, but especially  me.  She
learned to go to the gate when she had to do her business outside – which
was great since grass was not familiar to her when I brought her home – she
only knew concrete.  She was the most gentle spirit I have ever witnessed in
an animal.

 

I have been pretty much a lurker on this list since then, but I have cried
both sad tears for those that have left for the bridge and happy tears for
all the happy endings you have all shared.

 

On Friday morning, my husband took both dogs outside – there were a group of
kids waiting for the school bus.  Lucy loves people and tried to take off to
see the kids.  (We use retractable leashes for both of them).  When she did,
it spooked Kipper and she took off too.  My husband lost his grip on her
leash and she ran.  This was at 6:30a.m.  My husband did not call me at work
until 8:30a.m. after he had spotted her, but she ran away from him again.  I
said I was coming right home and he told me not to – he was off that day and
he said he would just keep going after her.  She was spotted again at
10:30a.m. by another one of the neighbors, so my husband followed her trail,
but unfortunately no luck.  I came home from work at 11:30a.m. and drove
around looking for her and calling her name.  I handed out my phone number
to any I saw and explained what had happened.  I notified the local police
and the animal control officer and they all said they would call if they
found her.  I searched the rest of the afternoon, and then my
daughter-in-law came out at dinner time and helped me make signs and we
drove around again looking and posting the signs.  I gave up when it got
dark outside – in my neighborhood, there are no street lights – the only
light comes from the porch lights that some people leave on.  I put her
crate outside  hoping that she would find her way home.  The next morning I
had to wait for my granddaughter to get up before I could search.  Just
after she woke up, I got a call from my petsitter who was out looking for
her too.    She found her body on Route 22 and she was gone.  My family
tells me that I gave her a wonderful 6 months and showed her more love in
that time than she had her entire life.  Right now, that does not make me
feel any better.  I feel as though if I had gone out searching that morning,
perhaps I could have prevented her from making the highway which is about ½
mile from our house.  My petsitter and her son retrieved her body and
brought her home to me.  They put her in a plastic bag and asked me to just
bury her that way and not to look at what had happened to her.  My brother
and my son came and helped dig a grave for her and I buried her with the
quilt I had made her for her crate.  I am devastated.  I feel as though it
is my fault.  I prayed so hard that she would be returned to me safe and
sound – not sure why God or St. Francis didn’t protect her and allowed her
to suffer such a horrible death.  I am having a hard time with that needless
to say.

 

I do still have Lucy and I have been holding on to her when she will let me.
She is still pretty much a puppy with tons of energy and not sure she
realizes what has happened.  To all of you basset lovers out there today –
hug your hounds especially tight for my Kipper.

 

Sandy – mom to Lucy, Kipper (ATB), Arthur (ATB), Bowser (ATB), Rosie (ATB),
Charlie Brown (ATB), Schroeder (ATB), Linus (ATB) and cats – Sandie,
Blondie, Tessa and Socks

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