[Dailydrool] Hailey to the Rainbow Bridge

[Sabrina]

When I met my husband in 1990, I had three Bassets and he had a tall 
dog (lab/golden). Since then, we've always had a tall dog to mother 
our Bassets and keep the pack in order. For the last 9 years, Hailey 
was our gentle ruler. She was a rescue, always quietly seeking 
attention - the perfect therapy dog. She spent a year working with 
hospice patients and before that with severely disabled children and 
the elderly. In the last year and a half, Hailey had three surgeries 
for growths in different feet. Just after Thanksgiving, we learned 
that cancer had spread. A week ago, she deteriorated suddenly and we 
knew it was time to let her go. The  vet came to our house. Hailey 
and I lay on a quilt, nose to nose; I rubbed her ear the way she 
liked and talked to her; when I started to cry, she licked my tears 
before she died.

My heart is broken, and our Bassets are in mourning. Here's our 
beautiful girl: http://home.sprynet.com/~brii/pets/hailey.html

Sabrina, Ellie, and Buddy