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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hi Guys</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>On the issue of bassets being burnt and so on, can
I share a story with you with a happy ending.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Being a geologist by trade I work at all sorts of
out the way places. So recently I ended up in the kalahari desert in a wedge of
South Africa sticking up between Botswana and Namibia. It is a dry, desolate
part of the country, with only a few villages here and there. The area where I
worked is called "Mier". When the original explorers entered the area, they
mistook the numerous salt lakes in the area for fresh water lakes, and called
the area "Meer", which is the Dutch or German equivalent for lake or sea.
Eventually "Meer" was abberated to "Mier".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>In any case, in one of the lonely, dusty,
poor and desolate villages I came across a basset male. He was neglected
and in a poor condition. His owner did not want him, claiming he eats too much
and is not really good for anything (except for trying to get his dachshund
bitch pregnant). In fact, he was looking for somebody to take the dog off his
hands. He told me he rescued the dog from somebody who burnt him with a hot iron
everytime the dog did something he did not like. Several scars are visible on
his flanks and back to confirm this. Anyway, after some negotiations I bought
the dog from him. I took him to a vet in the nearest big town some 300km away.
The vet treated him and cared for him for four days until my work was completed
in the area. After that I picked him up and brought him home to share the good
life with Klara and Sally. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The dog did not really have a name, but has now
become "Mier" after the village where I found him. Even in the poor condition I
found him, he weighed 66 pounds, so he has all the makings to become a huge dog.
Apart from the scars on his body, it appears as if there is a problem with his
right hip. However, he is a happy chappy and adjusted well to the energy saving
mode on a soft bed that bassets perform so well. We live close to a fresh water
lake and go for a walkies every night with the bassets. Coming from a desert,
the water is the one thing that Mier can't fathom out. There appears to be no
phsycological scares and he is a sweet and playful one, romping about with who
ever is prepared to play. He selected his favourite sleep site as a pillow in
front of our bed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Regards</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Klara and Sally with Frans and Mariette
Breytenbach, now also with Mier.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>