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<DIV><SPAN class=480561516-29122011><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I apologize for
the long message. But as I reminisce I can't help myself.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=480561516-29122011><FONT size=2
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=480561516-29122011>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial><FONT
size=2>Over 17 years ago, my wife brought home a mutt. A mixed breed dog. A
backyard accident. And a filthy, flea-riddled one at that. <SPAN
class=480561516-29122011> She'd had a basset before, and wanted a dog of her
own. </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Don't
get me wrong: I love dogs. I had two at the time - both were shelties. Smart,
obedient, cute as can be. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=2 face=Arial>But one
more dog can't hurt, right? So we agreed to keep him. First things first though,
he had to have a bath. Then I sat there for nearly an hour with a pair of
tweezers picking the fleas off of him. I guess that was enough for him - he
decided he was my dog, and not my wife's. (She never forgave me for
that.)</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Anyway,
the first question when a new dog arrives is "what do we name him?" Strangely
enough, being a hound dog, the kids wanted to call him Elvis. Me, not so much -
in fact, I was totally against it. Knowing puppies, and how they get loose
sometimes, there was no way I was going to run around the neighborhood asking
everyone if they've seen Elvis!!! Second choice was Beethoven, obviously named
after the movie super-star Saint Bernard. The kids couldn't come up with
anything other than that, and it was definitely better than their first choice.
So, Beethoven it was.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Being
half basset, half Shar-pei, you'd have thought he would end up double-wrinkled,
but it didn't happen. He ended up looking like a stocky beagle with short legs.
He started out with dozens of large freckles, although over the years the
freckles faded.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One of my favorite
photos has him dashing through the snow, ears flapping, and a huge smile on his
freckled face. The basset in him proved to be stubborn and independent, but very
intelligent. You could see it in his eyes - when I'd tell him to come into the
house, you could see him figuring out how long he could still stay out and not
get in trouble.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Well,
that "one more dog can't hurt" thing wasn't quite what I'd expected. This was a
high-energy, rambunctious critter that could spell trouble in so many ways;
there was no end to the excitement.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>There are a few bad memories, like losing some family heirlooms to his
chewing habit, but when it's all said and done, the good far outweigh the bad.
One of my favorite memories is the "wiener wrap". The little guy typically slept
at the foot of the bed. And when he'd get chilly, he'd grab a mouthful of the
comforter and roll. And roll. And roll. Pretty soon he was all wrapped up like a
pig in a blanket, and I'd be chilled instead. Cute. Now knock it off
<grin>! Eventually I had to let him sleep under the comforter snuggled up
right next to me so we could both stay warm at night. Other really fine memories
are trips to the lake for camping and fishing. I remember having a bucket of
fresh caught trout in the back seat, and driving for home. I wasn't paying
attention to Beethoven - until I heard the bucket tip over. He'd decided to get
in the back seat and play with the fish. Good thing I caught him before he
ruined my dinner! He loved the woods. He loved the water. He loved the water so
much that one time he jumped out of the boat while we were zipping around at
full speed. I whipped the boat around as fast as I could, and <SPAN
class=480561516-29122011>only just </SPAN>got back in time. He was barely able
to keep his head above water. After that he was on a leash pretty much
everywhere. This guy loved to play. Chewing on toys, retrieving tossed tennis
balls, running the “Basset 500”: I couldn't believe how active he always was.
And we had a lot of happy years together. I'll never forget the special times,
like long walks in the woods, sitting snuggled up together watching TV for
hours, weekend trips to the beach, chasing each other around the house.
</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=2 face=Arial>So, now
that Beethoven's time on this earth has come to a close, I sit and reflect on
how special he was to me. And I know that my life would not have been the same
without him. So what if we didn't name him Elvis? He was a super-star to me. Now
the lights have faded to black, the curtain has come down, and the stage room
door has closed. My heart aches as I hear the emcee inform the adoring fans that
"Beethoven has left the building".</FONT></P></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>