<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV id=yiv686890656>
<DIV id=yiv1604803594>
<DIV>dear droolers; </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This is Jaime in Portland, Oregon. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Our precious Nellie has passed to the rainbow bridge early am after a </DIV>
<DIV>relatively short illness. I never knew her exact age, she is a rescue from </DIV>
<DIV>Suncoast Basset Rescue in Florida. She is probably about 12-14 the vet </DIV>
<DIV>says . Nyle and I got her in 2001 while in </DIV>
<DIV>FL visiting my son (who now lives with me also). </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Oh, GOD I'm so grateful I was with her, holding her. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>my heart has broken off another huge piece. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Nellie was badly abused, a puppy breeder. She had mended broken </DIV>
<DIV>ribs when we got her, and was terrified of a broom even after years of </DIV>
<DIV>love and snooter kisses. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>the world will never be the same again. The air will never be as </DIV>
<DIV>brisk, the sun won't shine as bright. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But, OH how her light shines, even at this moment I feel her love. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Of all the six hounds we have had through the years, she has been </DIV>
<DIV>my baby, always a velcro sweetie. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And she was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream of mine to have a </DIV>
<DIV>basset hound, she was my first houndie. What a great decision </DIV>
<DIV>that was at the time. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>During a crisis, she would never leave my side, even let me go to </DIV>
<DIV>the bathroom alone. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>My 12 year old Jessica was up with us most of the night, but went to her room </DIV>
<DIV>just 20 minutes before Nellie drew her last breathe in my arms. </DIV>
<DIV><BR>I wrapped her in one of her favorite blankets with one of my bears she </DIV>
<DIV>liked to cuddle with and laid her in a chair in the living room. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is nothing to do now, but mourn. I'm tired of mourning. Guess </DIV>
<DIV>we all are tired of mourning for someone or something. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I lost my husband Nyle to suicide July 2005 and I'm still not anywhere near </DIV>
<DIV>over him. We were more best friends than "husband and wife" and Nellie </DIV>
<DIV>sure loved him also, as he loved her. He was my daughter Jessica's </DIV>
<DIV>father. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>He and I went across country from FL back to Oregon in a huge U-haul </DIV>
<DIV>pulling a Honda with Nellie in the front seat with us. Whoever was not </DIV>
<DIV>driving was holding Nellie, 'cause there was no more room to do anything </DIV>
<DIV>else and she loved it sooooo much, crack the window and she was in </DIV>
<DIV>delight, long ears flapping in the breeze!!! </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I know Nyle is loving her now, along with Quigley and Ruby and all the </DIV>
<DIV>special babies at the Rainbow Bridge. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> In January, we relinquished two foster babies that we had let get the </DIV>
<DIV>best of us, you know the special agent counter cruisers who get the </DIV>
<DIV>other animals (cats if you can imagine) in on the deal and tear the </DIV>
<DIV>place apart (but still love you and make you smile at the mess). </DIV>
<DIV>We had wanted to adopt them, but we had to move twice with them</DIV>
<DIV>and things just got out of hand and we allowed them to take over. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jessica told me just a few minutes after Nellie passed "you should </DIV>
<DIV>not have given away Clyde & Seymour".......</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Clyde and Seymour didn't get along too well with Nellie, NO I think </DIV>
<DIV>it was the other way around. She felt they were intruding on her </DIV>
<DIV>turf, as top Senior Hound. They were only 7 years old. I know they </DIV>
<DIV>went to a different environment that they needed to go to, and now </DIV>
<DIV>I can't believe how desperately empty the house is, and it has only </DIV>
<DIV>been a few hours.......</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>To think just in January we had 3 precious houndies and now we are </DIV>
<DIV>without furry toenails on the kitchen floor.......I can't believe it </DIV>
<DIV>yet. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We have 3 cats, but you all know it is not the same when a kitty </DIV>
<DIV>gives a snooter kiss :) I love cats also. But bassets are my </DIV>
<DIV>passion. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For those who pray, please pray for my daughter Jessica, she </DIV>
<DIV>has endured much for one so young. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>To those who do rescue work, and especially Suncoast Basset </DIV>
<DIV>Rescue and Karen Chile, you are Angels on Earth and bless you </DIV>
<DIV>all for all that you take on. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>What else can I say? Oh, I love you Nellie, so much. </DIV>
<DIV> goodnite and sweetdreams my special princess</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>love & snooter kisses to everyone, </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jaime Brigance </DIV>
<DIV>Portland Oregon</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Quigley, Ruby & Nellie, ATB</DIV>
<DIV>Nyle loving them all now</DIV></DIV></DIV></td></tr></table><br>