My Günter

On Easter Sunday 7 years ago we brought a puppy home.  We named him Günter, he's the one on the left in the picture above.  I think he was 3 or 4 weeks old there.  He was all feet and ears which is normal for a Basset Hound puppy.  I love dogs, and I had wanted a Basset Hound for a long time.  I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him, and couldn't wait until he was old enough to bring home.  My husband worked 2nd shift then, so when I came home from work it was just the two of us.  I took him to puppy class, and then to obedience class and listened very well (which for a Basset Hound is pretty amazing).  We had a really tight bond, he was my heart and soul dog.  He was a beautiful little puppy, wasn't he?

 He loved to play, and would even fetch for me (also amazing for a Basset, usually they can't understand why you would expect them to go and get a ball for you).  He was a clown, always making me laugh.  When I came home from work he would do a Snoopy dance to show me how glad he was to see me.  He loved peanut butter, he'd do just about anything for it.  He especially loved to look out the window.  He had his spot on the couch and would just sit there and watch for anything that might come close enough to the house to bark at (close enough to bark at meant that he could see it).  People, dogs, it didn't matter, he let them all know he was protecting the house.

He also LOVED squeaky toys.  He would pick a stuffed squeaky toy over a bone every time.  He had to kill the squeaker - he'd work on it until he had it ripped open, and then he'd break the squeaker.  Then he would go back and remove the rest of the stuffing, just to make sure it was dead.  I'd buy him the toys that were made for dogs that liked to chew, it didn't matter.  They still only lasted 5 minutes or less.  One year for Christmas Brian's parents got Günter and Wülfgang a bunch of squeaky toys.  Here is the carnage that followed lol.

He loved everyone he met, but especially his Grandpa (my Father in Law).  He would get so excited and happy to see him and he would be by Dad's side the whole time we were with them.  It was adorable to see. 

Günter loved puppies.  We decided to get him a brother when the breeder told us the current litter would be the last, since the dog had a hard time with the delivery.  So we brought him with every weekend to see the puppies until Wulfie was old enough to bring home.  He loved it.  He would lay on the floor and let them crawl all over him.  It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen.  Once we brought Wulfie home, Günter was very happy - he took his big brother duties seriously.  They were very bonded, neither one of them was happy without the other. Günter was so gentle when he played with the puppies.  He was really careful with Wulfie until he got big enough to hold his own.

He hated wearing clothes, but the kids that came to our house for trick or treat always liked to see them dressed up for Halloween.  I did say he'd do anything for peanut butter, right?  I had to cut the legs apart and take them in 3 times before it even came close to fitting.

In the beginning of March, he got very suddenly got very sick.  I took him to the vet, and then the emergency vet, and they did everything they could to save him, but it wasn't meant to be.  We had to let him go, and we miss him every day.  I know he is waiting for me and that someday I'll see him again.  Fly free my sweet boy and know that we all love you very much.