I wanted to thank everyone for making me feel so welcomed here. You have all had such nice things to say about our girl, Shiloh, and I thought I'd fill you in a little on her background. Shiloh was truly a "rescue dog". We adopted her from a man that works with my husband (Steve). We went to his house to pick up some tires he had given us for our auto. I saw a dog run, and a dog (who turned out to be Shiloh) laying on the ground next to a doghouse. I said to the man "What a beautiful dog you have." And he said, "Do you want her? I'm moving and can't take her, so on Saturday I'm taking her to the dog shelter." I told him to not do ANTHING with her until he heard back from me. I would find her a home. I made phone call after phone call, but no takers. At the time, we had our fifteen year old miniature Dachshund (Rudy) who was very frail, and had gone blind and deaf. So at first I really didn't think about us being able to take her. Then when I couldn't find anyone who was interested, I said to Steve one night, "Honey, I've found a home for Shiloh". To which he answered, "Let me guess. OUR home!" And that weekend, on March 31, 2007, Shiloh found her "forever home" and became a part of our family. Until that time, she had never slept a single night indoors, she received no attention and affection. All of that changed IMMEDIATELY. She came into our home and into our hearts.
The next week, we took her to the vet for a checkup. After a routine blood test, he gave us the dreaded words "Shiloh has heart worms". But he said it looked like this had been caught early and was treatable. Two months, two treatments and two thousand American dollars later, she was given a clean bill of heath. No more heart worms, and she's been healthy and happy ever since .
When our little Rudy passed on (August 2, 2007), I didn't think I would ever stop grieving for him. But Shiloh was so special to me during that time. She stayed very close to me, keeping her head in my lap and giving me kisses. She seemed to understand what I was going through, and though they didn't know each other long, she missed him, too, because she kept looking for him. Rudy's buried in our side yard now, and whenever Shiloh goes outside, she always goes over by his grave and stands for a few minutes. I swear, I think she knows.
Here's some new photos of Shiloh that were taken over the holidays. Many people would say of a rescue dog, "She's so lucky." But Steve and I know that the truth is, WE were the lucky ones! I can't imagine our lives without our precious girl.

Steve, Nancy & Shiloh Brossart

Going Home - The Day We Got Shiloh

Shiloh, Christmas 2007