<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>Dear Drool family;</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Just wanted to share wtih you that it was one year ago today that I lost my precious </DIV>
<DIV>Nellie the Nellster. She passed in my arms at 4:10am. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>She was the perfect dog. Really. Just sooo full of love and gave me so much. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Again, thanks to Suncoast Basset Rescue of Florida for bringing her to me. I </DIV>
<DIV>remember the first moment that I "met" Nellie, and that was on-line searching the </DIV>
<DIV>basset lists. I was visiting my son in FL for 10 months, and was in a place that was good </DIV>
<DIV>for a dog, and I'd always wanted a basset hound. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The very moment that I saw Nellie's little face on-line I fell in love deep. Her eyes </DIV>
<DIV>just reached out to me. She was a rescue who'd been a breeder and been abused with </DIV>
<DIV>broken ribs and a blood infection. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The day my husband and I went to get her, Nellie almost jumped into my </DIV>
<DIV>arms!! That day was filled with so much joy! We drove home and had pizza that night </DIV>
<DIV>with all three of my kids and we all gave Nellie little bites of pizza, she acted like she was </DIV>
<DIV>in heaven. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Once, when I had to fly back to Oregon for four weeks, she lost several pounds while </DIV>
<DIV>I was gone, her ribs showed when I got back. Nyle said she refused to eat for several </DIV>
<DIV>days and pined at my door every single night. Finally, after a week, Nyle got her some </DIV>
<DIV>rib bones and that helped. I've never gotten a greeting like the one </DIV>
<DIV>she gave me when I came in the back door late that night from the airport. Her joy was </DIV>
<DIV>loud, physical, affectionate and one of the most precious moments in recent memory. </DIV>
<DIV>I swear it was just yesterday.... </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Nellie had a field day on our drive back across country to Oregon. We had a huge </DIV>
<DIV>U-haul pulling our Honda. We had 4 cats (two grown, two kittens) in one large cat </DIV>
<DIV>carrier between the driver and passenger, and there was really no other place for </DIV>
<DIV>Nellie to be except in the arms of whoever was not driving. So Nellie got to drive across </DIV>
<DIV>the US being held!! She had a blast. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We now have a 7 1/2 month old puppy named Geoffrey, and he is great. His love is </DIV>
<DIV>strong and he is special also. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There just will never be another Nellie. I feel so grateful to have been a part of her </DIV>
<DIV>life. I tell you, after Nyle died Nellie was holding me up with her love. So constant, </DIV>
<DIV>she slept with me always, but the day Nyle died, she crawled up on my pillow and </DIV>
<DIV>buried her head in my hair. I lay in bed not believing he was dead, and she just </DIV>
<DIV>kept nuzzling me with her head "it's ok mom, we'll get through this together." And </DIV>
<DIV>we did. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Next year I'm hoping to finally get her a calendar date. There are pictures all over my </DIV>
<DIV>place of her, and on my car window is a window decal I had made of her and my daughter </DIV>
<DIV>Jessica. I smile at that picture everytime I get in the car. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The only way I knew of to survive her leaving was to constantly have pics of her all </DIV>
<DIV>over, so I could see her still with me. It was helped tremendously. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And all you special Droolers sent me dozens of notes when she left. That helped to </DIV>
<DIV>know I was not alone in my pain. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I can feel joy now, knowing that I had close to 9 beautiful years with her. My family </DIV>
<DIV>was so blessed. She was my girl, and still is. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rod Stewart said it best: "your in my heart, your in my soul, you'll be my breath as I </DIV>
<DIV>grow old." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>These bassets are truly amazing. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>love & drool to all in need, </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jaime Brigance </DIV>
<DIV>Geoffrey the puppy </DIV>
<DIV>Jessica the mommy </DIV>
<DIV>the white kitties </DIV>
<DIV>Nellie, Ruby & Quigley ATB</DIV>
<DIV> loved & cherished each day in our hearts</DIV></td></tr></table><br>