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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Hello dear fellow droolers!</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I want to thank each and every one of you that sent me
e-mails over the past couple of weeks regarding Gracie Mae and her
symptoms. Unfortunately it turned out that Gracie did not have Addison’s
Disease. Although her symptoms presented as Addison’s at first it
didn’t take very long for the vets to realize (us too) that something
bigger was going on. One of two things happened, she either had a tumor
growing within her spinal column or she had a herniated disc that wasn’t
showing up on the x-rays. Regardless as the days were passing she quickly
lost the use of her back left leg and her right leg was becoming weaker.
She stopped getting up and we began to carry her everywhere with us.
Thank goodness she was a petite basset and at her full weight was only 43
pounds (and by this time she had lost several pounds). We were more than
happy to carry her around as her attitude and interaction were still
wonderful. We put her into the bike trailer (used for little kids) and
took her for walks, fed her ice cream and did fun things to make her last days
(and ours with her) enjoyable. She was in constant pain but seldom
complained. But Monday morning she could no longer stand to go potty
outside. She would try and try and her hind end just wouldn’t get
up or stay up, she looked at us in frustration and we knew it was time to let
her go to a happier, pain free place. (we were able to keep her pain and
discomfort at bay with the use of painkillers and prednisone and I have no
doubt that bought us a few extra days with her)</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Gracie left us Monday afternoon. She was our first Basset (a
rescue) but I have no doubt that she will not be the last. She taught us that
dogs could have LOTS of personality. She was a true basset. She
counter surfed, she was tenacious at trying to get the cat food, or get the cat
poop out of the litter box. She was demanding when she was hungry.
She was a snuggle bug. She was most often found on the bed either between
my husband and I or under my daughter’s arm. She was a bed hog and if she
got to bed first she fought me for my side of the bed and my pillow. I always
won, but not without being told off first. We knew the day we brought her
home we were in for it. She had been in the car for 2 hours and we
stopped at a park for a potty break. She found a dead baby bird, mostly
skeleton. I went to take it out of her mouth and she growled and snapped.
We almost took her back that very moment. She spent the first night in a crate/kennel
and she howled and howled and howled….the true sad basset howl. She
never spent another night in a kennel. The next morning my hubby got up
for work and was in the shower. I heard a surprised yelp and then
laughter. Gracie had jumped into the shower with him and was drinking
from the tub faucet while he was showering. From that day on our lives would
never be the same. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Here’s hoping and praying that a basset that needs us
as much as we need him/her will make its way into our lives sooner than
later. I just can’t imagine life without a basset. Gracie wouldn’t
have it any other way! </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=purple face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'>DeAnn M. Krutsinger</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=purple face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'>Asst. Director of Financial Aid</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=3 color=purple face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:purple'>Waldorf College</span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=purple face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:purple'>641-585-8122</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 color=purple face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:purple'>Live Purple</span></font></b></strong><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font><strong><b><font
size=4 color=green face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:13.5pt;
font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:green'>~ Go Green</span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=quotetext><font size=3 color=maroon face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:maroon'>"...Happiness is
the choice of living every moment with love, grace and
gratitude."</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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