[tntnjmom]

In thinking today, about how we came to have JoJo as part of our family, I found myself curious about others on the site.
How did you come across your beagle and what made you decide they were the one?



For us:
I'm one of the owners for our city's Freecycle site. I really don't like when pets are put up on the board. 6 months ago when JoJo's ad posted, something told me to click on it. Our family had been talking about adopting a dog quite a bit, and DH had been wanting a beagle. The home she came from wasn't the best place for her and she'd been at the SPCA prior to that and was about to be put down when her previous family adopted her. Even they knew she had baggage, but never disclosed exactly how much.
I responded to the ad and she came home with us that evening.

She's been a beagle diva ever since.

Still working on the training, and I know we'll get there and past the frustrations, but she's such a sweet girl and I love her beagleness despite the baggage.

 

[Pack Leader]

I went to the shelter wanting a dog to fill the hole in my heart left by the passing of my two childhood cocker spaniels. Henry was literally the last dog in the runs, and by far the most beautiful! He sat patiently at the gate, and it was love at first sight. Once outside his run, he laid his head in my lap and completely melted all resolve and forethought. He has been my cherished companion since. He loves people and other animals and is honestly one of the best dogs I have ever known.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

We had 2 other dogs-a Saint Bernard (11 years old) and a lab (somewhere around 15 years old) that were getting very elderly. Knowing that we'd soon be losing both we decided on a puppy to ease the pain. After a lot of research I decided that a beagle would be perfect for us and fit our lifestyle better than a larger breed.

I found a very high quality reputable breeder about an hour away from here and made an appointment to see her current litter and tour her facility.

We arrived and there were 2 males and a female still available. The breeder told us that someone else was coming to look at the female (a lady and her daughter), but since we were there first we could have first choice. Being the softie that I am I'd never pull the rug out from under a child who had her heart set on a female puppy-we looked at the 2 males. I held 4 week old Murphy, he looked at me with those little puppy eyes, then chomped down on my finger.

I knew he was the one-he's now my best buddy and constant companion.

We had to let the Saint go in January and the lab passed away in May.

 

[bubbles]

We had just put our cocker spaniel to sleep and although my hubby wasn't ready for another dog ( he was still greiving

)I couldn't stand coming home to nothing. I needed a greeting at the door, a tail wag and especially to hear the pitter patter on the kitchen floor. I knew our next dog would be a beagle. I have always loved hounds and knew it was time to enter beagle addiction. Hence, through petfinders, we found Snoopy. She was about to become homeless as her family didn't want her any more. They do not know what they are missing!!

 

[Wayne]

My top three dogs that i just love are Beagles, Rotties and Shepard dogs. Well, when I was volunteering at the Shelter here in town, they had a Basset Beagle mix and a FoxHound Beagle mix. George ( My dog ) was the cutest of the two and I knew I had to adopt him. Im considering adopting the other one still to this date.

I never knew that Beagles could be this amazing.

 

[sheiser]

Hubby and I both grew up with dogs and decided this past spring that it was time for 1 of our own. We did a bunch of research (looking at pup pics is part of research, right?!) and decided a beagle/beagle mix would be a perfect fit for us. Because we wanted a puppy from a rescue, it took us a few months for the pieces to fall into place. Through an online posting, we found a litter of beagle mix pups that were only 2 hours away. I immediately applied to adopt (1st app they received!) and we went to see the litter the moment they could be adopted. Gracie sat up, looked at us, and then yawned...we were hooked!

 

[ecemom]

Hubby and I had a dog years ago and he passed away in '03 at approximately 11 years of age (he was a rescue so his age was an estimate based on teeth), and we were left with 2 senior cats. We decided to wait until all the seniors had gone to get another pet. Last May our last cat passed, in July we got 2 kittens and I had been researching what kind of dog to get (I have allergies so I need to be careful) and had decided to get a rescue Boston Terrier. Then our best friend's dogs had an accidental litter of 4 pups and we hemmed and hawed and researched and discussed and decided to take a male. We chose him based on pictures and we trusted our friends that they wouldn't give us a dog that wouldn't suit us. My bf delivered him to us the day he was 7 weeks and it was love at first cuddle! He is 5 months old today and he is a pleasure! My first beagle experience, and my first puppy experience, and it has been great! So now we have our second pet family and they will likely be with us almost until we retire!

 

[Zookeeper]

Our story is very similar to Pop Rivet's. We had two elderly labs and decided to get a pup so they could help train him (ha! labs and beagles do not train the same way). After a lot of research, we found our Duke from a breeder about an hour away.

A year later, our 13 y/o male lab passed and the female (she was 12 then) was really slowing down. We decided Duke needed a companion his age to romp and stomp with. We wanted a rescue this time around and after weeks of searching, we found our Violet down in LA. Had to make an 8 hour round trip with Duke to go get her and they have been best buds ever since. Matter of fact, as I am typing this, beaglemania is taking place in the room.

We still have our female lab, she is working on 14 now and not very active, but she loves her beagle pals and sometimes, when she's up to it, she plays with them. She is their doggie mommy and they love her, too.

 

[star0513]

My childhood dog was a beagle that we rescued as a stray, and from then on I was hooked! He was just the sweetest dog. He passed away when I was in college, and it took me a few years to get over it and be ready for a new pup.

When I decided I was ready for a new friend, I knew I wanted another beagle, a male, and a puppy, so I found a breeder and adopted Sebastian at 8 weeks. He is a year and a half now, and just wonderful! I never found training him to be difficult...but maybe thats because I've only had beagles, and I just understand the way they think! I also proved to my boyfriend that they are just as smart (smarter!) than any other breed. A little bragging here, but I've taught Sebastian to do things his boxer could never do! At any rate, I've converted him and now he is a beagle-lover too

When I decide to get Sebastian a friend, I definitely plan on getting a rescue. Beagles are like potato chips...you can't have just one!

 

[Mollys Mom]

My first dog as an adult was my beagle Benny who we got as a puppy. He was so amazing in every way. We added our greyhound Jake (who passed away yesterday ) to the group and they became buddies. Benny the beagle passed away and Jake needed a friend badly, so we adopted Andy, our 2nd grey. For 6 years we were beagle-less until my birthday a few years ago when my hubby asked what I really wanted and I said a beagle from a shelter.

Search began, found Molly and saw those eyes!! Both greyhounds loved her, so we adopted her right away.

I think we will always have beagles from now on. They just warm your heart.

 

[BeagleWeegle]

We were in grieving over the loss of our 15 year old chow, which I thought was a dog (more about that later).

Depression hit me hard,had to go on meds, and people had said the best way to mend my sorrow was to get another dog, My son and daughter wanted us to get another chow that looked like her, however I did not want too, due to the fact I did not want to replace her with another chow, thinking the chow would be just like the one I lost, which more than likely it would not even come close to My chow seeing I was not a big chow lover just a lover of My chow.

So I searched and each breed I met or came across I kept being reminded of My chow not because they were like her, it's because each one never came close to her.

Then I saw a posting of charlie 1 eyed beagle not nuetured, he looked so cute and I kinda felt sorry for him when reading the posting,cause of his underdeveloped eye...and decided to set up an appointment to go meet him, they warned me beforehand that he may bark at me and not to be worried about that....i said not a problem....the meeting was suppose to be just that a meeting for a couple of hours to get to know him.

Wellllllll soon as I saw him I called his name *tear* typing this story* and crazy he went pulling towards me, not barking, just kinda whimpers, I bent down and allowed for him to lick and love me........I shed a few tears...and said Ohhhhh my gawd I want him, they looked shocked, Hun was with me, and I said pay the people, he said are you sure? I said yes My heart was up in my throat and I could hardly contain myself I was so excited, they had no problem with giving him to me right away, we said our goodbys and took our charlie home, set up an appointment right away the next day to get nuetured,......Ummmmmm as the days went by........................uhhhh ohhh what did I do? He's a dog/acts like a dog, nothing like My chow who is cat like, I came to this forum in frantic mode tearing out my hair, I suppose Charlie only needed time, time to be in a new home, time to adjust, time to get to know new sounds of city living, time is all he needed, and you know what? at home he does remind me of my past chow, sometimes I rub and nestle my face in his neck and whisper ohh charlie you are such a good boy, just doing that sometimes I brake down and cry, cause he reminds me of her with his cat like behavour at times, and it's like he feels my sadness and he licks my tears and allows me to be conforted for as long as I need, then when I'm ok and tears are gone, he wonders off.
He is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo loving, if I could find another charlie in a beagle, same personality, minus the full throttle charlie beagle way, I would get another beagle.

I have learned a lot having a dog/charlie, patience which I never had before and I know he's taught me this.

also beagle people/owners helped me survive the trying times of first owning a beagle

thank you all

 

[Mel14]

It had been 6 months after we had to put our Greyhound down and we thought it was time to get another dog. We wanted to rescue one from a shelter. It didn't matter what breed. So we began going to the shelters and just never found the one.

Then one day I checked a local shelter's pet page online and saw Colby (then Indiana Jones). I just fell in love with him so the next day we went to the shelter to look at him. When I saw him he was huddled in the corner of his cage on his little blanket and just looked scared to death. We took him outside and he really opened up. I sat down on a bench and he jumped right up with me and I knew he was the one. So we filled out the application, hoping we would be chosen.

The next day came around and we waited and waited, no phone call from the shelter. We couldn't wait any longer so we called them and asked if we were chosen. The lady said hold on we had 8 applications for him. Finally after what seemed like hours she said yup you were chosen. So the next day we picked him up and even though he has been a challenge at times he is a wonderful dog.

 

[Chincha6]

We got our new baby girl as a gift from my mother in law... We hasd lost our dog Winton who we had for 17 yrs... i was very depressed about it... Mom thought the new puppy would cheer me up... We never had a pure bred dog before... so along comes Casey!... We never had a female before either... but she was so cute... at 3 months of age... i did have to go through all the potty training... oh my goodness what a job... but we are ok now...(sometimes)... Casey is now 1 years ols... and learning everyday... sometimes i think she tests me to see how far she can get away with... but i do love her very much

 

[andreab]

Molly's mum was rescued from a laboratory in Germany where she had been kept for breeding. She was brought to Holland by a rescue organisation who put her with a foster family until she could be found a home. The day after she arrived the family was woken to a lot of excitement from their own 3 beagles and were amazed to find that she had given birth to 3 beautiful puppies, nobody had even noticed that she was pregnant! Molly weighed 150g at birth but has been making up for it ever since, today she is a healthy, beautiful and loving dog, it breaks my heart to think that she might have ended up being experimented on in those evil laboratories!

 

[ncdogstar]

Five years ago, within 6 months I had to have my two beagles, Razzle(age 16) and Callie(age 14) pts. I had a 10 month old lab(Jazzy, who is now 6) who I adore, but I so wanted another beagle....I found Ted on petfinder, he was in a foster home in my town only 1/4 mile away! It was meant to be. We went to visit and he was ready to leave with us, right then!
Phoebe was brought to my school(I worked in an elementary school) in a laundry basket with her brothers. She was a product of an accidental pregnancy between two beagles, and her family wanted to get rid of the litter quickly. It was love at first sight and so she came home with me a few days later. Her family was well meaning, but we consider Phoebe a rescue too. Life is sooo much better with a beagle or two in the house!

 

[araine]

It just didn't seem like luck was on my side. First we had our Lab Lacie in which we had to give back to the owners to put down or whatever they wanted to do with her, because she had breast cancer and a lot of other issues. Then, my fiance and I went to the pound and spent about 3 hours there, and picked out a puppy. Waited in line 45 minutes and then they took puppy back, said there was a puppy in the litter that had Parvo. Then they shut the whole center down, because of a parvo outbreak. We then found a lady that had a lab mix that she was giving away. Got the puppy and named him Bear. Then the next morning, they wanted the dog back. lol, I was upset I must admit! But then she was generous enough to offer to help pay for the dog we really wanted. After all of my desperate searching, I finally found a full blood beagle from a reputable breeder. She came with a puppy kit, health certificate, ACK Reg Papers, and a 1 year health guarantee. She has been with us now for 3 weeks and going! Cassidy was born with an umbilical hernia, which no one wanted her because of this.

 

[Laxmobster]

I got Fin when he was 6 months old from a family in Maryland. They bought him from a breeder as a present for their 4 yr old daughter. Needless to say a 4 yr old isn't the best trainer/owner of a pet and it was clear the parents didn't have the patience to train the lil guy. They crated him for most of the day and only let him out to use the bathroom. They complained of his chewing and excessive barking (lol, he is hound dog).

At the time I was with an ex and he had always wanted beagles. He found an ad on Craigslist and decided we'd go check him out. Personally I had no previous interactions with beagles; my family all had big dogs growing up (German Sheppard, Labs, etc...). After being persuaded a little, we took Mocha home and renamed him Fin. I can tell you that he was probably the best thing to happen to me. I fell in love almost instantly and while the initial training took awhile, he adapted perfectly into our home. I still have to work with him on his separation anxiety because he can get frazzled when I come home, but it's a work in progress. He no longer destroys things which was key!

While the ex left my life, I kept my beagle. There was a bit of arguing over custody of the dog, but in the end I showed how I would be the more effective and responsible parent. Boy was I right! Now I can't get enough of beagles! I'm hoping to own a home with a yard in the next few years and when I do, Fin is getting a brother!

 

[kathy5]

well for the past 5 year every sence we moved to NH I have been looking for a beagle.
I have wanted one for the past 12 years but the time & money were never right.

so I found some breeders around my area & every spring I would get intouch with them about puppies.

well this year a lady I have been in touch with told me that she had an older dog for sale & all she wanted for her was the cost to get her spayed I thought what a deal I felt bad for the dog because there was no room in her house because she was not going to be used for breeding & she was all done showing so she was sorta taking up space.....

well I told my husband we have some space than can be put to a loving beagle1
so we drove up to Maine a 7 1/2 hour round trip & georgia has been with us ever sence on the 31st of the month she will have been with us for 5 months

 

[My2Beagles]

Wow - I had to go hunting for this post - didn't know how long I had been thinking about my answer. But I figured I had spent all that time thinking about it and didn't want to just toss it. I enjoyed reading all the others - it is kind of interesting to see how other people get snagged into owning one of these merry little hounds. Anyway, sorry but this is a little long.

My sis & I had gone to a pet store (didn’t buy) to look at a Beagle puppy they had – it was basically her idea – I had a YorkiPoo at the time however he was getting older and I knew that it was not good for me to be without a dog (Oreo ended up living another 4 and a half years). Anyway, we got to the store and the clerk brought him out for me to hold and play with (the usual seller tactics). However when they told me how much, the tactic went down the tube – which is a good thing since I have since learned more about pet stores, that chain in particular. He was a cute little guy and I had already settled on a name if I got him but didn’t happen. Not sure why sis thought I needed a Beagle – she had Westies for 30 years and mine had always been mixed breeds – I had shown no interest in Beagles before but she still encouraged me to start checking the classifieds. That was in late March of 2003. I didn’t know until later that at about that same time, a litter of Beagle puppies had been whelped on a small farm a little north of town.
Then one day in mid-April my sis came to me with a classified ad from our local newspaper – an ad about Beagle puppies would soon be available for sale. (I’m still trying to figure out what sis’s fascination was about ME getting a Beagle but boy am I so very thankful I listened). Anyway, I called the number – found out they were less than an hour away – made an appointment to go see the puppies – that was about April 20 of 2003. (You’ll see why I remember that date). Anyway, we drove there – they had the whole litter out in the yard waiting for us, along with the mom – that was nice. I also got to see the daddy and uncle which at that time, I didn’t know but found out later that was a good thing. And there was the litter – I had never seen a litter of Beagle puppies before – I fell IMMEDIATELY in love with them all. There was a runt too – but in physical size only – she was a cutie and later, she became the mom to my little Shasta B but I digress from my story. How was I ever going to choose only one? And which one? Did I even want one of these?(That was a dumb question). I knew nothing about Beagles – I had done a little reading about them before we came out to look but that was it. Finally, after some him-hawing around – I looked at the father of the kid who owned the mama dog and said, “You know Beagles, can you help me decide?” Now according to him, when a Beagle has a complete white “collar”, an entire circle of white fur around it’s neck, that is a good thing. (I have never read this since but no one else ever said anything good or bad) so I figured ok. There was only 1 pup that had that complete white “collar” – a little male that I would soon bring home and name Shiloh, (Ringo’s Little Boy Shiloh). Oh, and that date I gave earlier – well I remember that because I had to wait about 3 weeks after that before I could bring Shiloh home which was good because that gave me time to do some online research and talking to others about their Beagles. For a few months after Shiloh came home, my sis had moments of wondering-worrying if she had done the rite thing by encouraging me to get a Beagle – Shiloh had to be the most stubborn and bull-headed as well as destructive pup she had ever seen (and she has not just owned but bred & raised a few Westies – and she doesn’t think they have their problems too?). But she forgot who his human mom was now – all thru growing up I had people telling me how bull-headed & stubborn I was – sounds like a perfect match to me. Anyway, Shiloh is 6 & a half now and every so often now, I hear my sis say what a great dog he has become, that if anyone had told her when Shiloh B was a pup that he would turn out so good – she would have laughed at them. It was that plus my own feelings plus some comments I was getting from the people we visit (Shiloh B is a therapy dog) & some of the comments I get from the people we train with that led me in October of 2006 to bring home Shasta B (Tess’s Sparkling Shasta) – yep, they are uncle & niece. Remember that runt from Shiloh’s litter – well, the mother of the kid who owned Shiloh’s mom kept her – eventually bred her after getting the ok from the vet. No, it wasn’t from that first litter but after I found out that she had that litter then I said if you breed her again – I want a pup. So, a little over a year later, Shasta B. joined my little Beagle family & she is scheduled for her therapy dog evaluation the first weekend in October.

And I’m thinking anytime now would be a good time to add a third (more wishful thinking than anything else). But Shiloh B was less than 3 & a half when I got Shasta B – she will turn 3 on October 8th of this year. I don’t really want to bring another home until the spring – I brought Shiloh B home on May 16th of 2003 & Shasta B the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 2006; so figure 6 months after her 3rd birthday – SPRINGTIME!