<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;"><DIV>Hello all...</DIV>
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<DIV>I wrote a few weeks back about having to re-home my Rusty due to him becoming more and more unstable and worrying about him and my 18 month old.</DIV>
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<DIV>I had made arrangements with Tri-State to place him in their hands as I had originally adopted Rusty from Tri-State when he was 9 months old. He was to go to them on April 9th.</DIV>
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<DIV>Maybe it was fate or maybe he knew, but I had to send my sweet boy to the Bridge Tuesday night. He became extremly ill early monday morning...vomiting and diarrhea. By Tuesday am he seemed disoriented and by the afternoon he was no longer walking. I took him to the Vet, they ran blood work and it was normal, so we ruled out an infection. He also ate his dinner of boiled chicken and rice Tuesday night and kept it down, so we ruled out a blockage. So the Vet beleives he had some type of cancer and we felt it would be best to help him make his final journey.</DIV>
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<DIV>It all makes sense now, I think the extra crankiness was due to him being in some type of pain and I just didn't get it. I am so glad that this happened before he went to rescue and was able to cross the bridge in my arms being told that he was loved and that I will be able to bring his ashes home to rest with me.</DIV>
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<DIV>I rescued Rusty when he was 9 months old from Tri-State...next month would have been 9 years together. He would have turned 10 years old on 7/30.</DIV>
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<DIV>My heart is broken more so then I could ever imagine. Yes, he was grouchy, but he was my grouch and I loved him to the very end and beyond. I didn't realize was a BIG personality he was...even though I still have 2 more hounds and a 18 month old, the house is very, very quiet. </DIV>
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<DIV>I was awoken around 1:30 am this morning to the sound of his big feet clumbering down the hall way away from the bedroom...I got out of bed to look, only to realize that it couldn't be him. Then outside I heard his very distinctive "woof", just once...</DIV>
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<DIV>Run free sweet boy, I love you more then you can ever imagine and I am so grateful that I was able to love you for almost 9 years!</DIV>
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<DIV>Brandie</DIV>
<DIV>owned and operated by Mugzy, Stewie and Rusty ATB</DIV></div></body></html>