Vegas
Dear Friends, Vegas is gone. Our beloved 15 year-old Basset Hound has passed on to join his sisters, Sporaticus and Dancer, and all of his furry friends in the next life. As many of you know, Vegas' health had been irreversibly deteriorating over the past year. During the past 5 - 6 months, he developed pulmonary edema, arrhythmia, and severe kidney problems. When he passed today, he was 34 pounds - down from the robust 60 pound Basset that we rescued almost eight years ago from the Fremont Animal Shelter. Lately, in the past two months, his back legs were giving out on him and most times we had to carry him in and out of the house for bathroom visits. His front legs were also giving out on him and on several occasions in the last week, we had to hold him up so he could eat. Eating was also a problem, too. He would go for several days without eating anything. In spite of all these physical problems, Vegas' heart, even at the very end, was filled with so much love and kindness for all who were with him or who touched his life. Many of you might remember Vegas when he was a rambunctious and fun loving dog. In his early years with us, he loved to play catch with his yellow ball in the backyard. He savored his round-the-neighborhood walks. He even could sing "Mandy" when assisted by Darlene. He loved carrying around his toys in his mouth - especially his blue dinosaur and green snake. When we would come home from our trips, he'd get so excited and run throughout the house. When Darlene was stricken with breast cancer, he would lie down next to her bed and not move from her side. His tail was always in motion. He always had a greeting for the other dogs in the neighborhood. He was in love with his girlfriend - Sadie across the street - until and even after she passed on from cancer. He was a wonderfully loving and sensitive dog. He was loyal and protective. He was joyful and playful. He was a tremendously important part of our family. Vegas loved people and us in so many special ways. He will forever live in our hearts. We will miss him terribly and our home will be empty without him. To all of you who helped care for him, who asked about him, and who were there when Darlene and/or I needed support, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You helped make Vegas' life special and for that we are eternally grateful. Before he left this earthly existence, he wanted us to pass along some messages. He actually told us last night while he was laying in his special posteur-pedic bed. Here is Vegas' message: "To the wonderful folks at the Golden Gate Basset Rescue group... thank you so much for pointing my Mom and Dad to the Fremont Animal Shelter eight years ago so they could rescue me and bring me home. Also, thanks for the wonderful work you do for all of my brother and sister Basset Hounds. You are great!" " To Jamie, Kristi, Richelle, and Kegan - thank you for the hundreds of walks and for taking care of me every day. You shared so many secrets and terrific moments of your lives while we were out exploring the neighborhood. Thank you for the relaxing massages with the electric brush and for the hours you spent petting me while I was in my bed. Thanks for all of your love and tenderness." "To Clare - who made my final three months so peaceful and special every day, thank you so much for your love... your strength... your patience... and your kindness. You were so great and every visit with you was special. Thank you for helping me in and out of the house and for the hours you spent petting and stroking me. You have a huge heart." "To Joyce - my buddy and house sitter. I love you so much. Thank you for staying with me every time Mom and Dad went away. I will treasure the evenings and weekends we had together. You slept with me. You talked to me. You held my food bowl for me. You played with me (when I was younger). You loved me in so many different ways. You are such a warm and sensitive human being and I hope I brought some love into your life. I will miss you more than you know." "To Rudi - thanks so much for coming in and taking care of me when the regular folks couldn't make it. You are a very kind and loving person." "To Dr. Dave - thank you so much for taking such good care of me all these years. You are a fantastic vet and an even more fantastic person. Thank you for taking the growth off of my ear on Super Bowl Sunday two years ago and for wrapping my head up like a mummy. Thank you so much for making my life so special. Thank you for helping Mom and Dad through this very difficult time. And, thank you from the bottom of my heart for easing me into the next life with gentleness and kindness. You are one-of-a kind and I will always hold dear your kindness and compassion." "To Grandma and Grandpa in Cleveland - I am really sorry I didn't get to spend more time with you. Your visits to California were always special. Thank you for caring about me so much and for your love and tenderness. Grandma, thanks for washing my face whenever you visited - you are such a kind and beautiful person. And, most importantly, thank you for bringing my Mom into this world. She is and always shall be the love of my life and my soul mate." "To Abigail Adams Gardner - ok, you're in charge now. You need to make sure that Mom and Dad get plenty of sleep, great food, and lots of love. I'll be watching... "To all of the folks and associates at Mom's work - thank you for asking Mom every day about my health and my happiness. You have been there for Mom whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on or when she just needed someone to talk with. I am very grateful for the kindness and friendship you have given my Mom - she is too." "To all of Dad's friends and colleagues - thank you for your support... your empathy... and your wonderful friendship. He would tell me every time one of you would ask about me and then he would say how all of you are so special. Many thanks go out to Stewart - Dad needed help and support and you were there for him. Please know that I will be playing with Chipper this afternoon." "Last of all, my heart and my soul go out to Mom and Dad. You saved me eight years ago and you gave me so much love and kindness. You are the best parents a dog could ever ask for. My life has been so enriched by your love and tenderness. Mom, thank you so much for taking a nap with me every night... thank you for all the special meals... the walks... the talks... the love you gave me. I don't think a dog could ever ask for a more kind, gentle, sensitive, generous, and loving Mother. Dad, thank you for taking such good care of me, especially these last nine months. Thank you for carrying me in and out of the house... for holding the food bowl every night for me... for the eleven pills a day that you had to give me by hand... for our walks... our talks... our nights watching the West Wing and Sports Night. You are the best doggy Dad in the world." "To All of you... thank you for every ounce of love and kindness you've given me over the past eight years. I love you all and I will always be grateful you came into my life." Vegas wanted me to make sure that all of you know how important you were to him. He was the most loving and gentle dog in the world. We will miss him terribly, but we will carry his spirit and his love in our hearts forever. Both of us would like to thank you all for being a part of our lives and for giving Vegas so much love, tenderness, compassion, and gentleness over these past eight years. We are so grateful to you all. All the best, Ed & Darlene Gardner

Sugar
I got Sugar a year and a half ago from GGBR. I got the call that they needed a home for a dog with special needs and that I seemed to be a good fit. Turns out we complemented each other and her needs seemed like nothing to me or her. We had a good life. After 5 weeks of dealing with stage IV lymphoma I lost my pretty girl on Labor Day 2010, at only 4 years old. She fell ill just after the Waddle. We went with chemo to maybe give her some quality time and it initially showed promise, but I could always sense some discomfort and in the end she was not in remission. Still, she always rose to the occasion when it was walk time and would be just as energetic as ever, even up to her last day. That day she was in pain and I could not deny it. I sat on the floor for hours just rubbing her tummy, then brought her up on the bed and just held her for a long time. She yelped a couple of times from pain and then her eyes rolled back in her head. We left immediately for the vet. He talked with us and we all basically agreed there was nothing we could do. I spent an hour on the floor of the examining room just holding her and talking to her, making her as comfortable and loved as I could. When the time came I held her head and that moment where her pain ended and mine began happened. The very attributes that made my home a good fit for her, makes it that much harder for me to bear her loss. She had needs that required someone with a lot of free time, a quiet home with not much traffic and an understanding of how to deal with issues. Now that she's gone, my quiet home has turned silent and my constant companion, best friend and beautiful girl is gone I'm left looking around the corners for her. I'm all alone, except for the memories. Goodbye my pretty girl. I have your baby and I'll hold on to it for you. -- September 6, 2010

Kirby
Kirby was already an adult (estimated to be 3-5 years old) when he arrived at a Sacramento shelter as an emaciated stray in 1996. He was rescued by a Rio Linda couple who fostered him for two years before Mark and I adopted him in 1998. If you do the math, that made Kirby at least 16 years old when he left us in August, 2010. Kirby participated in parades and fun field trials, met people at rescue/information booths and home visits, and attended many parties and costume events. His debut at a Basset Club costume party in 1999 as a Tomato Hornworm is legendary! He reigned as King at the 2010 Waddle in Novato. His favorite activity was hunting and digging for gophers. For us, Kirby was "the start of it all"; he was our first basset hound and our first rescue, and he inspired us to help other lost or abandoned basset hounds to find loving homes. Over the years, Kirby shared his home with 6 other basset housemates, (outliving five of them), and with countless foster dogs. Kirby’s gone to join Gus, his wingman; Gus didn’t have to wait long for him. He’ll also rejoin his best girl, Lulu, as well as Bubba, Nancy and Ralph. It’s hard to imagine our home and our lives without him. Fran and Mark Madden, and Jackie, August 18, 2010.

Gus
Gus, Gusmo, Gusmoto, Goose, Gooseman. Gus came into our lives in June 2007, on his second pass through rescue. His age was unknown, but his shelter record from his first rescue in 2005 listed his general appearance as “old”. A nice couple adopted Gus and even adopted another dog to keep him company, but in 2007 Gus turned up again in a shelter. Through his microchip, Gus was returned to GGBR. Gus had deep-set eyes, which, with age, sunk farther and farther into his head. It eventually interfered with his vision, but it also gave him a goofy look. I always thought Gus looked a little like Walter Matthau. Our dogs, Kirby, Ralph (a.t.b. September 2009) and Gus made up the three GOM (grumpy old men). Gus was never grumpy, though; he was just a happy, bumbling old guy. Gus was not a low maintenance dog. In December 2007, Gus underwent emergency surgery for bloat and gastric torsion, but he came through the surgery and even walked out of the emergency clinic the next day. Gus had arthritis in his spine, which, in summer 2008 caused him hind limb weakness and paralysis. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be painful, and with rest, acupuncture and mild exercise, he regained the ability to walk, and although his feet went out from under him frequently, he could get himself back up on his feet again. Gus didn’t let much get him down or keep him down, and he trucked around on his wobbly old legs for two years. He lost his sight and his hearing and was unsteady on his feet, but he could negotiate either of our two homes, and even get himself up and down ramps and stairs. Gus was a dog who needed the company of another dog, and was always more content if he knew that Kirby was nearby. I called him Kirby’s wingman. We miss the noisy old guy, and his constant wanting to go out, and then come back in again. He was a kind, happy, wonderful old dog. Fran and Mark Madden, Kirby and Jackie. June 12, 2010.

George
After 18 treatment of radiation for a nasal cancer tumor it was not a success. We let George go to heaven this afternoon. The doctor came to the house. I, of course, as with all of our other beloved bassets who have passed, held him in my arms. Then Trent, from caringpetservice.com in Santa Cruz, who was here with us throughout it, took Georgey with him to be cremated. We have had 9 WONDERFUL laughter filled years with our George, and of course Georgey was a (well, back then a Northern Calif Basset Hound Club) rescue baby. Our hearts are bleeding for him. We loved him so much and we did everything possible to save him. FYI, please check out the website of caringpetservice. They are really wonderful caring and very compassionate people. They run a cremation service in Los Gatos/Santa Cruz. Trent really helped make things smoother. God bless to everyone. David and Dan (Feb 2010)