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<DIV>Dear Droolers, both dogs and owners..</DIV>
<DIV>Ms. Daisy has grown up, i do believe. She is 10 months old now and is
an entirely different dog than when got her last April. i got in alot of
trouble after writing to the new-to-me Drool that "there may be a rescue needed
in Colorado if things don't change pretty soon!". i had no idea what that even
meant at that time, i had no idea what a Bassett was like to own and i surely
had no idea how serious Droolers were on this site. i got into more trouble as
time went on but i learned so much from those episodes , i don't want to
consider them mistakes. rather...they were huge learning experiences! </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I was between a rock and a hard place this week, it was bitterly cold out
so i couldn't put her out so i could get to the store. i didn't want to put
her back in her bed either, she has a kennel with a feather pillow and flannel
sheets in the kitchen here. so i took a huge leap of faith and left her loose in
the house! i remember telling one drooler that you would have to be insane to
leave a puppy loose in the house all day. well, i was gone about 45
minutes, came back and very cautiously opened the kitchen door expecting God
knows what. Nothing is what i found, absolutely nothing chewed, torn up, no
accidents, just a dog sleeping away on the sofa. i had prepared the
house carefully because most of her mistakes are mine when you come down to
it, like carelessly left things along counters etc. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>so Thursday i had to have a root canal. i left at 8:30 am and didn't get
home until 12:45 pm. i was a nervous wreck. there is also a kitty sleeping on my
bed every day. she is 14 yrs old, hates the dog but Daisy cant get on my bed, it
is way too high. i came in to find my little dog sleeping by the fire stove,
nothing had been done at all in the house. i cant believe it! she was SUCH
a nightmare puppy last spring, i had to shove myself every day to estabish
rountines and behavior rules, i nearly gave up many times and maybe would have
had it not been for you Drool folks .</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>i don't worry about potty accidents, we settled that affair when she was
about 3 months old but when i was gone that long, i felt badly for her. as it
turned out she didn't even have to go, we had done that enough before i left i
guess. no toilet paper unraveled , though i left the bathroom door open, the
rooms get too cold if i close the doors. the most she could really do is chew
the furniture again , as she chewed a huge section off the bottom of the sofa in
October . but that is another issue we discussed at great length and it hasn't
been repeated. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>i think one thing that has been a blessing and curse is the fact she is
alone here with me, there are no other dogs in the house. i had two miniature
Dachsunds years ago and you couldn't teach them a damned thing. they got into
terrible trouble all the time because there were two of them. i feel badly for
Daisy because she doesn't have another dog to play with but i can't go through
that all again either. she has a home and bed, great food, treats and the love
and affection that many children don't have so my sympathy is limited.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>i celebrate this intelligent darling little dog and i am so very
pleased with who she has become. what a treasure hidden in all that puppy stuff
just 8 months ago! if i am careful with my things then she is relieved of
the responsibility of whether to get in trouble or not. i owe her that
much.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Merry Christmas to all Droolers and thank you so very much for all the
guidance you have given me this year. i couldn't have made it without you,
truly! Sue/Daisy/Colorado</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="bc7ae17c2d9b8a8b858cb5bbb1007928"><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. <a href="http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010">Try it now</a>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>