<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><DIV>Well since I finally figured out why I wasnt getting the drool, thought I would put in a note about my boys</DIV>
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<DIV>I took all 3 through 18 weeks of training to be pet therapy dogs. All passed their test and are actively working now. It is really funny becuase they are still my knuckleheads around the house getting into usual basset hound stuff, but as soon as I pick up their special collar and vest, they all start to bounce in front of me like baby birds waiting to be fed until I pick the one that will go that day(rules can only take one at a time). The other two give me the OH MAN look and walk off. Now I am not sure I believed the trainer at first that they learn to associate the vest with work and turn on their good training, but it is true. We hop in the car and head for whichever facility we are sceduled for that day and my knuckleheads become total professionals. They prance it and start looking for folks to cheer up. Right now we are working on our halloween special visits and I am making some costumes for my
boys and some of the handlers that dont sew. We do special events where we do a kind of doggie fashion show at nursing home facilities, it is a hoot. My Barney did have a scare with having to have a tumor removed but he is doing fine now and back to work. I took it worse then he did. He is my rock star of the bunch because he sings to God Bless America. Everywhere I take him they love to hear him do it. Almost have Mo singing, but he gets a little stage fright sometimes but he does a really great play dead. My Flash, well he is all basset and a bit toooo coool for tricks. He was the hardest to get through training. He was OK most of the time, but since they like you to repeat stuff over and over, he would do it a couple times and then look at me like, hey I just did that didn't you see me? and just stand there. He was never doing anything bad when he didnt do it, just stood there and did
nothing. We had the whole class laughing the one night be cause I told him to sit and he shook his head no. He is however great when we visit, he is a very loving little guy. I did try taking them to a competition level obedience class (that is alot to ask a basset) but we tried. The trainer was explaining one of the tricks to me and I could not understand why Barney was fighting me, until the trainer told me "He is doing it right, your doing it wrong". We abandoned that idea for now, hate to be shown up by my basset. So a big arroooh out to all the bassets and food slaves out there. Glad that I figured out why I was not getting the drool.</DIV>
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<DIV>Barbara, Barney Mo and Flash</DIV></div></body></html>