bought a stroller for her to ride through the neighborhood, but we couldn't get her bloody stool stopped and she was throwing up almost every day. We did everything we could to make her happy and she was still wagging her tail today, but she was so weak she was stumbling when she wagged it. The people she loved at the vet stayed late to be with her. We all told her how much we loved her and then we sent the most precious and loved baby to the bridge. We are absolutely gutted by this, we loved her so dearly, but the vet said it 
was time, she was in pain and too thin, we needed to help her. She had such quirks about touching her feet and kissing her, she didn't like any of that. My best friend would say "Give me a kiss" and she would turn her lip up and growl while wagging her tail. They had a real love affair going. Her daughter said one day "She's not mean, she's just honest." We thought that was the most profound thing we had ever heard. Tiffin suffered no fools, she just wasn't going to put up with nonsense it just wasn't in her makeup. So we adjusted. We became Tiffin's people. She took vacations to the beach several years, she loved to stomp through the water and take naps from the deck overlooking the gulf. 
Then she would meander in and climb into the window seat and take a nap amongst the pillows overlooking the bay. She required a ride in the elevator to go outside to the bathroom. Stairs were also not her thing. She would woof at you and scratch the ground like a charging bull when she wanted something. She shook her toys 
like no other dog I have ever seen. It was like a quick kill. She played ball with her front feet that looked like they had baseball mitts built in. When she mourned our dog Emma that died 14 months ago she walked 
the floor for three days until finally out of sheer exhaustion for both of us, I pulled an ottoman next to the bed and kept my hand on her all night long and she was finally able to rest. She could have been in the bed with us or anywhere she wanted to be, but for some reason that setup worked for her. It just took me a while to figure it out. She was just the perfect dog for us. I understand why she would have scared some folks with her oddities, but we reveled in them. She was a challenge, but we didn't mind that. We just learned to work with what she wanted. She loved to go to the vet, especially 
if Stacy did the 
feet work.
Stacy was with her today. When she heard her voice she would turn herself inside out to get to her. We thought she did cartwheels. She loved to ride in the cart at Lowe's and take things off the shelf and put them in the buggy with her. She loved an afternoon nap in the sun, she loved bananas, she loved bagels and cream cheese. She loved a car ride. She loved to meet new people. She never took no for an answer, but freely gave you a NO. She looked at us like you were a bother, but could hardly contain her joy when we came home from a short trip to the grocery store. Once she relieved us of a pound of ham when a bag was left on the floor for a second trip to the car. I'm sure she felt we bought it for her anyway. 
We thank you Mr. and Mrs. Cleeland and Basset Rescue of Alabama for seeing through her issues and giving her and us a chance. She unpacked her bags years ago. She knew she was loved and protected and wanted every single day. She was only away from home boarded three times in her life for short trips. She loved home, she loved her two-legged and four-legged family. She was just a gift for us, she was home to us. We were so blessed to have loved and been loved by our sweet Tiffin. Her face had turned completely white, her eyes looked 
pained and distant, her smart bump on her head was so prominent because she was so thin. We spent the day sunning with her in the yard when she was able, she was sick the first half of the day and exhausted the second, but we are going to remember the Tiffin before her illness. She had a wonderful life with us, I hope you will agree. Thank you again for allowing Tiffin into our lives. We will mourn the loss of her forever. We loved her so very very much. Becky & Ron Johnston
