[Dailydrool] Memories of the old Daily Drool

[Kenneth Miller]

All

Like others, I truly miss the days of the Daily Drool, Facebook does give us the options of seeing pictures, but there is something special about the Daily Drool Digest, that really makes things more real.

As per Donna’s suggestion, I joined the drool in I believe, 2004. I had love bassets since I was very little, but never had one. Growing up, my aunt and uncle had a basset named Hubert, after Hubert Humphrey in the loss of the 1968 Presidential election. So, I got to see Hubert when we were over for a visit up his passing, I don’t remember exactly when.

In August 1991, I was called in by the boss on a vacation day. I had been at my job for 11 years, my job had been eliminated. I was stunned. Went home, called some friends. One suggested I consider getting a basset, she had seen an ad in the paper from a back yard breeder with puppies. So we went out into Floyd County, Va to see the puppies. I had decided that I wanted a female, but I was picked out by the tiniest puppy and he came home with me.

He was named Edsel, the biggest, mushiest hound I could ever want. I told his story several times on the drool after his passing in September 2002 just past age 11.

Edsel was just the best dog. I cried like a baby when he had to go to the bridge. Edsel was one of a series of losses my family had over 80 days, my mother lost a sister in law (Hubert’s mom), my father’s youngest brother 10 days later, Edsel three weeks later, my father’s oldest brother two days later, then finally one of my mother’s sisters about 10 days later.

After all that, I felt it was too soon for another hound.

In September 2006, I had just gotten married, two weeks and a day later, there was an ad in the paper for a free basset hound, two years old. I convinced my wife we needed to go meet him. This was Bosley, a beautiful tri-color who came galloping over to meet me. He showed no remorse as we went to the car and he jumped in. He never even looked back. In reality, Bosley had a lot of issues, he had been mistreated badly in his last year. His first mom had him from a puppy, but died suddenly a year later. Here sister adopted him but a year later decided that she was going in a retirement community, and her daughter was to find him a new home.

Bosley had trust issues with lots of men, and was never well socialized with other dogs. 

In the late winter of 2015 he developed glaucoma, and it went downhill from there over the next 8 months. He became very unpredictable and we could not trust him around others, he hated the glaucoma drops, and finally got violent about not taking them. I decided it was best to not have him miserable and he went to the bridge in November 2017 just past age 11.

At present, I have no basset, I am kind of waiting until I can work totally from home and be able to bond with the next hound.

As far as it goes, I have saved all the daily drool digests from 2004 on, on occasion, I did not get one, but I’ll try to find issues for anyone I can, but it may take time.

Best
Ken Miller
with Edsel ATB 2002 and Bosley ATB 2015.