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Hi its great to be part of this community. I'm the owner of 3 Beagle girlies, each about six months apart in age and no it wasn't planned 😅. My first baby, Tchaikovsky 'Chai' for short came to me under the guise of a birthday gift, but really my sister wanted an excuse to save her. She was the result of a backyard breeder, the last pup in the litter which nobody wanted because she appeared too low energy, quiet and docile. The breeder had her for over five months and put her for a discounted rate on an online shopping forum where my sister happened to stumble upon her and couldn't bring herself to look away. So Chai came to me at 5 months and it became apparent very quickly that her lack of energy and listlessness was most likely due to her being kept in a cage at all times.
She was a very active puppy, with all the classic beagle traits from digging up everything in my garden, to causing havoc to my living room and getting into everything with a little glint of mischief in her eyes. However after some long, sleepless nights and a lot of effort, we managed to get her crate trained (she had a big aversion to cages or any small spaces, so we had to get a bit creative in convincing her it was a safe space) and she soon began to assimilate. I am lucky in the way that I live on a large space of land that opens up to a forest, so she got plenty of excersize in, although teaching her to not put everything that she saw in her mouth was a bit of a nightmare. Now she is a happy, chill almost two year old, who only occasionally finds her way into trouble.
My second baby Scotland 'Scottie' came to me as a rehomed rescue, the people who had gotten her at age 1 month didn't realize or know how to take care of a beagle puppy. They kept her outside in a cage, with very little food and water because they wanted a 'teacup beagle' and the person who sold them to her told her that two tablespoons of dried food was enough for her a day. That and a bowl of water was all she had till she was about 3 months, when a neighbour intervened and took over the puppy. She ended up with us via a series of events where nobody could take her in for long, so we did and she ended up with us. When she came, she was recovering from tick fever and severly malnourished. She was afraid of everything and had extreme agression towards food and possessions. She was also very clingy and had terrible bouts of separation anxiety, which we had to learn to get her through. The thing that helped a lot was training, she was very eager and happy to learn and it helped to significantly calm her down. She has come a long way since then, but we are still working on her aggression and trust issues, still she has learnt to live with the other dogs and loves to rough house and play with them.
Our final baby, Inverness 'Nessie' also came to me unexpectedly. By this point I was all beagled out so to say, so when a friend called and said that there was an 6 week puppy that desperately needed a foster, I didn't agree at first. However they were getting desperate, as it was during Covid and they had no experience with the breed or small puppies, so I eventually relented till they could find an alternative. Nessie came to me as a small sleepy fur bundle, it was a good thing it was during the pandemic because caring for such a baby was a 24hr job and it was a relief that I could work for home. The point at where I knew I couldn't give her up however came a few days into her stay, it was 4am in the night and she was crying, I would even say 'sobbing' in her cage. Nothing was working, she wouldn't settle, she didn't want food or milk or toys, or her blanket. Eventually exhausted, I sat on the floor next to her and she jumped into my lap, turned around three times and promptly fell asleep. I just knew then, that this puppy was meant to be part of our little pack, so she too came to be with us. She is 6 months in 5 days and a naughtier, crazier, overconfident dog would be hard to find, she has finally succumbed to potty training after a long arduous hellish journey (clicker training and lots of encouragement) and at this very moment is trying to work the shoes off of my feet and turn them into a chew toy 😆. In regards to her I must say, three dogs are better than one 😅, because her sisters certainly have taught her some manners and how to toe the line, so its been less of an effort in keeping her occupied and engaged.
All in all, I wouldn't have it any other way but I think I will have to stop at three for they certainly keep my hands full. To anyone out there struggling with their beagles I would like to say, keep at it, they are stubborn little monsters, training, encouragement and a lot of patience is needed but the result is well worth it. You will never find the equivalent of love and companionship from anywhere else, their love is completely unconditional. There were times when I was at the end of my theter but I am really glad I stuck it out, I wouldn't have it any other way. The picture below is of my three little babies, Chai, Scottie and Nessie.
She was a very active puppy, with all the classic beagle traits from digging up everything in my garden, to causing havoc to my living room and getting into everything with a little glint of mischief in her eyes. However after some long, sleepless nights and a lot of effort, we managed to get her crate trained (she had a big aversion to cages or any small spaces, so we had to get a bit creative in convincing her it was a safe space) and she soon began to assimilate. I am lucky in the way that I live on a large space of land that opens up to a forest, so she got plenty of excersize in, although teaching her to not put everything that she saw in her mouth was a bit of a nightmare. Now she is a happy, chill almost two year old, who only occasionally finds her way into trouble.
My second baby Scotland 'Scottie' came to me as a rehomed rescue, the people who had gotten her at age 1 month didn't realize or know how to take care of a beagle puppy. They kept her outside in a cage, with very little food and water because they wanted a 'teacup beagle' and the person who sold them to her told her that two tablespoons of dried food was enough for her a day. That and a bowl of water was all she had till she was about 3 months, when a neighbour intervened and took over the puppy. She ended up with us via a series of events where nobody could take her in for long, so we did and she ended up with us. When she came, she was recovering from tick fever and severly malnourished. She was afraid of everything and had extreme agression towards food and possessions. She was also very clingy and had terrible bouts of separation anxiety, which we had to learn to get her through. The thing that helped a lot was training, she was very eager and happy to learn and it helped to significantly calm her down. She has come a long way since then, but we are still working on her aggression and trust issues, still she has learnt to live with the other dogs and loves to rough house and play with them.
Our final baby, Inverness 'Nessie' also came to me unexpectedly. By this point I was all beagled out so to say, so when a friend called and said that there was an 6 week puppy that desperately needed a foster, I didn't agree at first. However they were getting desperate, as it was during Covid and they had no experience with the breed or small puppies, so I eventually relented till they could find an alternative. Nessie came to me as a small sleepy fur bundle, it was a good thing it was during the pandemic because caring for such a baby was a 24hr job and it was a relief that I could work for home. The point at where I knew I couldn't give her up however came a few days into her stay, it was 4am in the night and she was crying, I would even say 'sobbing' in her cage. Nothing was working, she wouldn't settle, she didn't want food or milk or toys, or her blanket. Eventually exhausted, I sat on the floor next to her and she jumped into my lap, turned around three times and promptly fell asleep. I just knew then, that this puppy was meant to be part of our little pack, so she too came to be with us. She is 6 months in 5 days and a naughtier, crazier, overconfident dog would be hard to find, she has finally succumbed to potty training after a long arduous hellish journey (clicker training and lots of encouragement) and at this very moment is trying to work the shoes off of my feet and turn them into a chew toy 😆. In regards to her I must say, three dogs are better than one 😅, because her sisters certainly have taught her some manners and how to toe the line, so its been less of an effort in keeping her occupied and engaged.
All in all, I wouldn't have it any other way but I think I will have to stop at three for they certainly keep my hands full. To anyone out there struggling with their beagles I would like to say, keep at it, they are stubborn little monsters, training, encouragement and a lot of patience is needed but the result is well worth it. You will never find the equivalent of love and companionship from anywhere else, their love is completely unconditional. There were times when I was at the end of my theter but I am really glad I stuck it out, I wouldn't have it any other way. The picture below is of my three little babies, Chai, Scottie and Nessie.
