Romeo
We first met Romeo ,while my wife was selling real-estate.He was in a back yard next to her fathers home.We never paid much attention to him,until my wife listed this house for sale,sold it and the people moved out.They left Romeo,stating they would be back daily to feed him,this never happened.We took food ,water over daily for several days.Finally in January ( I Think 2000 ) a severe cold front was forecasted for that evening.We debated Romeo's situation,a decided to go get him and take him home with us.He came easily,but was filthy.We took him straight to the groomers for a bath.We were hooked.The vet discovered major heart worms.Through the generosity of the North Texas Rescue,Romeo was treated successfully.The next five years grew into a loving relationship between humans and animal.It was hard to tell who loved who more.I am retired so Romeo and I spent a lot of time together.He always managed to know when snack time (dog biscuits ) and meal time came around.About two years ago Romeo developed Diabetes,requiring us to give him a shot each morn.This summer we rented a large van so we could take Romeo to Colorado with us,since it was obvious he probably would not make Christmas.He loved the outdoors,barked at chipmunks,sniffed many a trail,and even mustered up enough energy to chase a deer ,woofing all the way.We have three other dogs ,which receive equal love and attention,but somehow Romeo was our special guy.We joked through our tears at his passing,that the vet would have to get a second job,now ,since the were spending around $500.00 a month on meds and visits.MONEY WELL SPENT!!.I know there is a verse in the Bible that says something like :Blessed are they that are kind to animals.I would hope that this means we will see Romeo again,I have never missed anyone so much. Jim Whittenburg

Roscoe and Lizzie
Roscoe and Lizzie came into my life as NTBHR’s 800th and 801st rescues and as my 7th and 8th fosters on February 25, 2008. They were a bonded pair found as strays that ended up in a local shelter. Both had been neglected and very sick. Roscoe had a severe case of heartworms. He was classified as a Stage 4 out of 5 stages. About two weeks after arriving in my home they both came down with URIs. Roscoe was able to get over his first round of infection when he caught it again. It wasn’t until late March that he was able to start his heartworm treatment. Roscoe didn’t survive the treatment. He was to far gone to fight the heartworms. We lost him on April 23rd. Lizzie was the sickest out of the two of them. None of us thought she would survive all that was wrong with her but she did! She pulled through liver issues, weight issues, heartworm treatment and infection after infection! She was a true fighter! Lizzie crossed to the Bridge on June 18th in her sleep. Nobody knows for sure why except maybe she was ready to be with Roscoe again.

Rosie Mae O’Dogalld
Yesterday a precious Basset went to Rainbow Bridge: "Rosie" Mae O'Dogalld - born May 14, 1996 - died February 17, 2010. Rosie attended many Shuffles, and was once the Bassett in the pink wagon with the pink tiara and feather boa at the Shuffle. There use to be pictures of her at that year's shuffle on this site. Her spirit showed through until the last minute. She could no longer see or hear, but would still wag that tail and bark her "happy bark". It got where she could no longer walk a few days ago, but of course she tried. So we took her for an ice cream (she was allowed chocolate on top this time) on the way to the vets office. She went to sleep peacefully on her person's lap. She will be greatly missed. Kaye Toellner-Martin

Ruthie #1373
Almost 5 years ago, a beautiful little tri-color basset hound girl made her way to my front door with the help of her foster mom, NTBHR volunteer foster Jeannie Oppenlander Burkett. This was Ruthie who came to my house that day looking for her forever home. She had been sent to two other homes, but Ruthie made it clear she was not happy at either and expressed her displeasure by howling and barking at the front doors. Only 3 months before Ruthie came to my door, my Ellie Mae had gone to the Bridge. Because I believe God performs miracles, I'm sure that through Ellie Mae, God sent Ruthie to my house that day. The rest is history. My basset hound, Blossom and Blueman, my Sussex Spaniel and I adopted Ruthie into our family, and she didn't howl and bark at the front door asking to leave. She made herself a permanent place in our family, and she became part of us. Ruthie was a puppy mill mama, having been rescued by North Texas Basset Hound Rescue at the age of 8 and 5 months before she found us. My goal was to give Ruthie the very best life possible, and for the most part she experienced that. She was a fighter having endured major spinal surgery less than a year after she came to us. She recovered as quickly as she could, but some of the damage in her spine could not be repaired. Over the past several months, she had begun to lose her ability to use her left back leg, but she continued pushing on. Other health issues cropped up as well, but Ruthie continued fighting. On May 2, 2020 the road for Ruthie became too difficult for her to bear, and I made that heart-breaking decision to let her go. Ruthie was special in so many ways to me and to her foster mom, Jeannie Oppenlander Burkett. We will always love and miss her, but she will be in our hearts forever.