I've been so busy here in NYC that I've hardly had a chance to sleep, nevermind going out on a beagle hunt! I miss Arthur, Albert and Stella terribly, but their daddy says they are doing just fine going for long walks in new parks to keep life interesting (and them tired out!).
I'll be back home on Friday night, so only three more sleeps until I get to see my beagle babies!
I have to run (more work to do)...but here is a doggie I met in the East Village on Sunday night...he's part beagle!!
I get to travel a few times a year for work, and this year the event we are producing is taking us to the Big Apple! I LOVE New York City and can't wait to run a super-successful event (and do a little shopping at Target!).
As much as I love to travel, I loathe leaving my beagles. I know they are fine with their beagle daddy, and I'm sure I miss them more than they miss me. Either way, leaving my beagles for an extended period of time sucks! (Take a look at the detailed notes I leave for my very loving and very tolerant husband!)
But traveling is also a good opportunity to meet new beagles! Two years ago, work took me to Japan. I met TWO beagles within five minutes of each other on the beach at Kamakura! I even took photos of them! Look! Japanese beagles (one was 18 years old!)
The last time I was in NYC I met a beagle and his person late at night in Greenwich Village. I was on my way back to my hotel when I ran into said beagle. I had nice chat with the person, and he told me that beagles were perfect NYC dogs - good size, good temperament...their sniffers didn't matter because they had to be on a leash in the city anyway, and most of the dog parks are fenced in.
My fingers are crossed that I run into some more New York Beagles! I'm close to Central Park, so if luck is with me perhaps I'll run into a beagle bash!
I've added a couple of new features to the blog - the first is a slide show in the top right corner...it's generated from flickr.com, and I've put the keyword as 'beagles' so the photos you'll see are all the photos tagged 'beagle' on flickr. I'll probably change it every now and then to run slideshows of Big on Beagles events, or photo shoots of Albert, Arthur and Stella.
I have also added Google ads to the blog. They aren't intrusive (lower right hand side), but money is generated for every click through from this blog, and all proceeds from Google ads will be 100% donated to Big on Beagles...so if you find yourself bored on the interweeb, feel free to visit us and visit a few Google ads while you are at it!
In other news, I'm leaving for a business trip tomorrow morning (5am...ugh!)...but don't worry! I'm going to make blog posts from New York City! Some will be about Albert (my husband has strict instructions to send me photos daily along with an update on how the beagles are doing), but since I'm traveling with my colleagues, I will also post a few interesting stories about them. One of my colleagues is doing a documentary on 'cat ladies' and several other colleagues are pet owners and lovers. So for the next week it'll be a pet lovers smorgasborg! I'm back home on Nov. 30th and will be very strict about posting LOADS of beagle posts!
I also wanted to mention that I'm helping Big on Beagle with a new website and we'll be going live in early December.
I will post once more before I hit the road...until then, click away on the Google ads and check out the slide show!!
(This post will stay on the main page until the end of the holidays!)
With the first major storm here in Toronto comes the realization that Christmas is just around the corner! And in the spirit of the holidays, I would like to encourage everyone to keep Big on Beagles in mind when considering your holiday charitable gifts.
I know - there are a million organizations calling, mailing, emailing and knocking on your door. Like most people, our family has a limited budget for our "pet causes" (pun fully intended!).
Why support Big on Beagles you might ask? Why not the Humane Society, or any other amazing animal-focued charity?
Well, I'll tell you why I support Big on Beagles:
Beagles are one of the most surrendered breeds out there...they are super-cute puppies, and highly intelligent...but also very stubborn. Training a dog is hard and beagles are even more challenging. Hence they often find themselves in need of a new home.
B.O.B is run by one passionate woman who loves beagles and cares about the lives of animals. She works tirelessly to ensure that beagles in need across Ontario (and often across North America) are given a shot at a second life. These are dogs that have often been abused, abandoned, dogs with critical illnesses, elderly dogs that have been disposed of because they are no longer young and spry.
She is not a registered charity, and is not eligible for grants or government sponsorship. She relies solely on the generosity of beagle and dog lovers.
Marna makes it possible for these sad and mistreated dogs to find a loving home, and that warms my heart. In turn, she gives me hope that there are, indeed, still some decent, kinds souls on this planet and that means a lot to me.
Fostering Albert is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and I am grateful that B.O.B. exists so that people like me can make a difference.
You can make a donation to B.O.B via their website - you can even get a charitable tax reciept for your donation if you donate online via K-9 Rescue Me - a charitable organization that allows small private rescues like B.O.B. to offer a tax reciept (which often makes it more appealing to the donor!)
This will be Albert's first holiday season with a family - if you donate via K-9 Rescue Me remember to select Big on Beagles and note "Albert" on the donation...I'll thank all donors on the blog (and so will Albert!). Our goal is to help cover the costs of Albert's vet bills (the removal of 7 teeth plus neutering cost the rescue over $1,000!).
Please dig deep for this most worthy organization!! The beagles thank you :)
When you have a beagle (or three!) you can't let the weather get in the way of the morning walk! Dogs need their exercise...and when they are at home during the day while mommy and daddy are at work, a morning walk is the perfect way to give them some physical and mental stimulation before they hang out and rest for the rest of the day.
Our beagles have raincoats - and they *really* do help keep their little beagle bodies dry. When we get home, all we have to do is towel off their heads and paws and off they go!
Anyway, we had a great brisk walk (jumping over puddles) and now everyone is sound asleep on their beds.
When Albert first came to us, he wasn't quite sure what a doggie bed was. Within the first week, though, he was fully down with the doggie bed (and doggie blanket, and people bed...you get the picture).
This is his newest favorite thing to do. Over and over and over. It warms our hearts, because it shows just how happy he is to have left his crappy past life behind.
This is Stella modelling part of the gift basket we won at the Beagle Bash. We are motorcycle enthusiasts, and though we don't ride Harley's, we thought this was a very hilarious costume for the second baddest beagle in the Universe to sport :)
And now for an Albert update! He is doing very well and is slowly coming out of his shell more and more. He is still very shy around strangers though, and is a bit skidish in public without Arthur and Stella. Adam tried to take him for a jog last night by himself, and he didn't want to go. He was great with Arthur, but on his own he is still quite timid.
And we've had a bit of a house training lapse as well. We think Albert might have been paper trained, because he has had a couple of accidents at the back door, on the towel we have on the floor to clean doggie feet. We decided to go back to crate training basics with him to teach him to hold himself. I left for work with him happily licking a rawhide.
Sam, who is a member of the Toronto beagle meeting up at meetup.com emailed to tell me about her rescue dog blog! Her dogs are super-cute...so you should go read about them to!
This video illustrates the second funniest thing that happened at the Beagle Bash - a room full of beagles jockeying for position at the doggie cake lineup! Even our little Albert couldn't help himself...he stood underneath the cake table for about 87% of the entire event. My friend Mark's beagle Jake actually jumped up ON to the human cake table and then spent approximatly 92.3% of the rest of the event sitting nicely at the feet of any pretty lady who looked like she might give up some of her cake.
This guy got caught by Marna's husband Bill and was quickly swatted off!
And Marna, being the woman of style that she is, also ensured that there was human cake AND beverages...complimentary no less?! Check out this beauty of a cake!
If you weren't able to make it out to the event, or you had so much fun you feel compelled to show your love through money, feel free to make a fully tax deductable donation to Big on Beagles via their website! After all, those vet bills don't pay themselves!
We had SO much fun at the beagle bash today! I'm not sure who enjoyed themselves more...Adam and I, or Albert, Arthur and Stella! We're all exhausted from an afternoon of beagles, cake (for dogs and people) old and new friends...and more beagles! Stella placed second in the "Baddest Beagle in the Universe" competition, and Arthur tied for first place for the beagle with the longest ears contest. All in all...what a great day!
We took photos galore and we'll post them throughout the week to keep you coming back to the blog :)
It was also great to meet so many people who are READING this blog! Albert thanks you from the bottom of his beagle heart!
We'll leave you with one of the funniest moments of the beagle bash - a beagle decided that Quince the Foster Dog needed to be taken for a walk...by another beagle!
So lately bags of doggie food that were safely on the counter have been making their way onto the floor so that a certain beagle can supplement her diet. It happened again yesterday and I was stumped as to how the bag of food could have possibly gone from the counter onto the floor without the help of invisible beagles.
Well...mystery solved. Stella found her way on top of Albert's crate, and onto the counter. And, as fate would have it, the mystery was solved just as I was entering Stella into the 'Baddest Beagle in the Universe' contest for the Beagle Bash for Cash that is taking place this afternoon at 2:30pm at Urban Dog (you really should go!)
While we don't expect that Stella will take the crown, we did think she would give the inevitable winner a run for his or her money. Here's her entry:
"Aside from being the boss of EVERY dog park she goes to, she’s peed on her daddy in his sleep (daddy thought the roof was leaking), scaled the dog crate, onto the counter to eat everything on TOP of the counter, she’s eaten her way THROUGH the fly of a tent on more than one camping trip, she was solely responsible for DUMPING A CANOE with 2 humans in it, she’s peed all over a sleeping bag on a camping trip, eaten glasses and through a backpack (more than once) to get food, scratched a hole clean through a pine door to be let in, went for the jugular of a dog four times her size to stick up for her brother Arthur AND WON, has eaten a cell phone while her daddy was on call and last but not least…Stella has eaten her way through her doggie gated area – that was wrapped in Tobasco AND tinfoil. Clean through!"
Albert, Arthur and Stella have had a very low-key day today. They've been relaxing so they have all of their energy saved up for tomorrow's Beagle Bash for Cash at Urban Dog from 2:30pm - 4:30pm here in Toronto. All the details are at the Big on Beagles website, of course.
I've mentioned before that Albert needs to be on-leash at all times, unless he is at a fenced in park. There aren't any fenced-in parks in Toronto, so Albert has to work with his leash and me. This morning he was super-frisky and was really wanting to run and chase like Arthur and Stella. He looked so cute I shot a (not great quality) video of him. Tomorrow we'll try his extra long training lead to see if that will allow him to do a little more chasing!
OK, so it wasn't really a "snow storm" per say, but it was definitely snowing a little on our walk this morning! It was below zero, and the cool weather seemed to make the dogs extra energetic (probably to keep warm!).
Here's Albert - look, you can see tiny little snow flakes on his back!
One more plug for the Beagle Bash for Cash this Sunday from 2:30pm - 4:30pm at Urban Dog @ 37 Parliament Street. All breeds of dogs are welcome (of course) and it'll be a fantastically fun afternoon for the doggies! There are gift baskets galore to bid on, a 50/50 draw (i LOVE 50/50 draws...imagine winning half of the pot??), prizes and surprises! Admission is free so bring the whole family along for afternoon of beagle madness!
And on the subject of "beagle madness"...we keep hearing that you can't teach a beagle to fetch, what, with beagles being scent hounds and all. Well, as with all things beagle, you can't believe everything you hear or read. Wanna see a beagle fetch? Check out Little Ms. Stella - she fetches more consistently than any dog I have ever met EVER! See you at the Beagle Bash!!
I shot this video at a Big On Beagles event in the summer. We're getting very excited about the Bash for Cash this Sunday and thought this video might get you excited too! Look! Beagles everywhere...how fun is that???
There's nothing like autumn walks...the weather is crisp, the leaves are beautiful, the dogs don't get overheated. I could walk the dogs all day in the fall!
So my poor little Stella (she's the "original beagle" in our household) is feeling a little miffed that Albert is getting so much attention - what, with his own blog and everything. And after hanging out with all the rescue beagles yesterday, it occurred to me...it's time to expand!
Albert is, of course, the inspiration for the blog. But ultimately that inspiration is intrinsically linked to Big on Beagles and the work that they do.
SO...I've decided to broaden the scope of the blog! We're going to begin work on securing our own domain...and we would love to feature more stories about rescue beagles - from all over the world!
Have you rescued a beagle? Send your story and pictures to me at: savethebeaglesavetheworld@gmail.com
Albert, Stella, Arthur and I will take great pleasure in reading your beagle rescue stories and sharing them with the world!
For a beagle with such humble beginnings, Albert was VERY at home in the TV studio at City TV this afternoon. Big on Beagles was featured on today's Animal House Calls (airs again tonight at 11:25pm) and Albert was invited to join Quince, Rose and Junebug (AKA the twins) and Daisy-May. All 5 beagles are in foster care with Big on Beagles, so it was amazing to be able to have a platform to showcase how sweet all of the dogs are.
One of the big misconceptions about beagles is that they howl incessantly. NOT TRUE! All 5 beagles were beautifully behaved at the TV station - we had to wait for about an hour and Albert fell asleep on the studio floor!
After meeting all of these dogs I have to say...they are ALL beautiful beagles who would make amazing pets. Rescue dogs? You'd never know! They are all very well socialized, friendly, affectionate and all have very loving dispositions.
Quince was hired by Disney this summer as the "real live" Underdog! I couldn't get a better photo of Quince because he's a beagle on the move (being a youthful 2 years old and all)...but this guy has the most beautiful eyes! On a scale of 1 - 10, Quince is a super-handsome 11.
Rose and Junebug are fondly referred to as "the twins". We aren't sure if these girls are related (although they look a lot alike), but the biology of it doesn't matter. These girls are sisters at heart and, thus, come as a pair. A pair of cute beagle girls!! If you adopt these sweeties you have won the beagle lottery.
And beautiful little Daisy-May...she melted my heart the first day I met her back in the summer. Daisy-May is about 9 years old, but you'd never know it. She is, possibly, the perfect dog! Active, but not afraid to relax and hang out (she was a gem at the TV studio)...beagles have a healthy life-span (18 is not unheard of)...so really, Daisy-May is in her prime! She is a beautiful dog who deserves a beautiful life.
And, last but not least, our little Albert! Albert was (if I say so myself) the best behaved beagle of the bunch! He wasn't the least bit phased by the lights, camera, action...in fact he loved the spotlight! His highlight was, perhaps, his visit to my office where he is a certifiable celebrity. One of my colleagues felt faint when he walked in the room! She's a huge fan of Albert's blog and she couldn't believe she was meeting "Albert" in real life.
We'll leave you with my favorite thing in the world....a big pile of beagles!
Albert is still wearing his cone. Not 24 hours a day...it comes off for walks, and for snuggle time. He only wears it when we have to go out and can't monitor his licking. His incision is almost all healed...but not 100% and we don't want him taking a step back in the healing process by licking himself.
Today we are going for a nice sunny fall walk, and when we return there will be a camera full of beagle goodness to upload here!
It's been pretty cold the last few days, so it was a nice surprise to be able to go for a walk in the sun. We stopped at the first park on our route for a sniff and a run. There weren't any other dogs though, so we continued on to the second park on our route. It really was a beautiful day for a walk! We had better luck at park numero two...lots of dogs, lots of running around for Arthur and Stella and lots of friendly sniffing for Albert.
Albert is becoming a familiar face at our doggie parks! He has lots of fans, and everyone is noticing how much more confident he is! He loves every single dog he meets, and he is now allowing people at the park to pet him without being nervous!!
Well, Mister Cone-head is doing great (as per usual). He's running around with his cone on, has mastered the stairs, can jump on the couch, and has figured out how to navigate through tight spots with his new accessory. In fact, we think he kind of likes it!
The other big news? Well, Albert and his cone were a little bulky for his crate. So for the first time since we got him, Albert spent the day with Arthur and Stella sans crate. And....NO ACCIDENTS!!
We have ourselves a house trained rescue beagle! In only three weeks I might add! We also have a beagle who has a best friend named Arthur!
PS Albert has a busy weekend ahead. He's got a photo shoot lined up, a couple of parks to run through, a play date to attend, and some exciting news about his first television appearance next week!!!
(pardon the glare in his eye...the light is reflecting off of his cone-head).
poor albie! over the last day or so, he's been licking his incision more than i was comfortable with...the last straw was last night when he was whimpering because he was trying to chew the incision. it's obviously itchy...and it's healing well, but licking and biting are bad for business. so i called his vet, and they said he needed a cone.
ahhhh! not the dreaded cone-head!
i'm pretty busy this week and didn't have time to drive all the way over to the beaches to pick up a cone, so we walked up to arthur and stella's vet this morning (st. clair vetrinary - hi dr. hannah!)
we bought albert his cone, and he is currently walking around the house trying to figure out a way to get it off. he looks sad...but he won't be hurting his incision, and hopefully we'll be able to take it off in a day or two once his healing is finished.
So the other day on our morning walk, something seemed to spook Albert (probably a noise from the construction site we were walking past). He stopped dead in his tracks, and I couldn't stop fast enough. I tripped, went flying and landed directly on my left hand. I have a sprained wrist, and a ridiculously bruised palm and thumb. I also ripped my pants and tore up my knee. As much as it likely looked hilarious to a by stander....it hurt like hell!
We've now modified our leash configuration so I don't kill myself!
As for Albert, well, he has a new love of cookies. I'm pretty sure he didn't take them when he first came because he was scared. He's still very gentle and a little shy about taking a treat, but he definitely loves them, and he's definitely starting to get the idea that he gets them for being a very good boy.
Well...if that was true he'd be getting cookies every minute on the minute 24/7 :)
Albert's mommy has been crazy busy at work and hasn't updated in TWO days. And he just got his first fan mail asking about him and asking when the blog would be updated.
Now that we know he has a fan we'll definitely update daily...or more!
Albert's doing amazingly well. We think he might be housetrained as there have been no accidents since Friday. Photos and video coming soon...promise!
PS Feel free to comment on our entries...the more fans Albert knows about the more the more we'll update!!!
you've seen arthur and albert snuggled up all over the place...but for the first time tonight, Stella and Albert snuggled up! AND...Albert ran to the door to be let out tonight when he had to go to the bathroom! He ran! It was so deliberate. He's learning!
We all knew Albert was a diamond in the rough, but nobody dreamed he would be so quick to sparkle!
We've noticed a few changes in Albert since he returned home from his surgery. First - and by far the biggest change - is that he is not spraying all over the house like he used to. In fact, he has had 1 accident in the house since Friday. Before he would have 3 or 4 if we didn't have him in our sight line 24/7. We can now leave him downstairs with Arthur and Stella if we need to go upstairs for a minute...and no surprises for us to clean up! In addition, he is no longer pacing around the house. Prior to surgery he would wander around the house constantly and it was difficult for him to sit still and relax without a lot of coaxing. He is now totally confident to jump up on the couch and snuggle with the other dogs. We're thinking that the dental surgery has likely made his mouth feel way better than it did, and the neutering seems to have curbed the need to mark his territory everywhere.
The other change is that he took a treat from us today! He refused treats until today. I bought some organic whole grain treats that wouldn't be hard on his healing mouth. He didn't take it at first, so I put it on the ground and he ate it. We've been practicing his 'sit' command along with Arthur and Stella and giving everyone a little treat..he's clearly feeling happy and comfortable and confident. This guy is a super star!
When Albert first joined us, I was worried that Stella would be mean to him. Surprisingly she was fine, but Arthur was the one who was a bit growly at him (not bad at all...but he was definitely trying to show him who was boss).
Since then, Albert and Arthur have become best friends. They play with each other in the backyard, they snuggle together when they are sleeping, they trot beside each other on walks. It's very cute to say the least.
Oh - and Albert would like me to let you all know that he's doing great! He is full of beans, and went for an hour long walk last night and could have gone for another hour. He slept like a baby, ate like a champ...and now he and Arthur are resting up for a Sunday afternoon excursion!
It's the triumphant return of Albert the Super Beagle!!!
After what the vet referred to as "major dental surgery", Mister Albert is back on the couch where he belongs. And we're pretty surprised at how the little dude has bounced back. I remember getting 2 wisdom teeth pulled. I was on Tylenol 3's for 3 days and in swollen agony for almost a week.
Albert had 7 teeth pulled, including 2 canines on one side and molars and premolars that were shattered. That's some major tooth removal. And guess what? Albert is taking it in stride, wolfing down his soft food, frolicking in the backyard with his beagle friends and resting comfortably on his beagle bed. You wouldn't know this guy had just come home from the vet.
Big thank you to Marna and B.O.B for paying the whopping vet bill (saving beagles is NOT cheap!), and to Mathew and Ruby Sue (2 of Marna's own rescue beagle success stories) for the moral support (they are seriously 2 of the cutest beagles I have ever seen...see for yourself!)
Albert is going to spend the rest of the weekend chilling out, going for a couple of low key walks through the 'hood, and feasting on a variety of different wet foods to keep up his strength. He's on an anti-inflammatory, a pain killer and antibiotics to help keep him comfortable and infection free. And he has 2 beagle friends who are caring for his every need (including a little brotherly love on the couch!).
Albert is a beagle that was rescued from a shelter by Big on Beagles (B.O.B) - an assistance agency for beagles experiencing troubled times. We initially were Albert's foster family...but this little beagle had far too much charm for his own good. Over the weeks and months that he was in our care, he transformed himself from a terrified dog into a grade A lap hound. We love him dearly and have since adopted him.
My name is Jenn, and I'm the loving mother of 3 beagles - Arthur (6 years old) and Stella (7 years old) and of course, Albert! Albert came to us as a foster dog through the Big on Beagles foster program. We fell in love with him about 2.6 seconds after he entered our lives, so...we adopted him!
I get to travel a few times a year for work, and this year the event we are producing is taking us to the Big Apple! I LOVE New York City and can't wait to run a super-successful event (and do a little shopping at Target!).
(This post will stay on the main page until the end of the holidays!)
This is Stella modelling part of the gift basket we won at the Beagle Bash. We are motorcycle enthusiasts, and though we don't ride Harley's, we thought this was a very hilarious costume for the second baddest beagle in the Universe to sport :)
There's nothing like autumn walks...the weather is crisp, the leaves are beautiful, the dogs don't get overheated. I could walk the dogs all day in the fall!
For a beagle with such humble beginnings, Albert was VERY at home in the TV studio at City TV this afternoon. Big on Beagles was featured on today's Animal House Calls (airs again tonight at 11:25pm) and Albert was invited to join Quince, Rose and Junebug (AKA the twins) and Daisy-May. All 5 beagles are in foster care with Big on Beagles, so it was amazing to be able to have a platform to showcase how sweet all of the dogs are.
Quince was hired by Disney this summer as the "real live" Underdog! I couldn't get a better photo of Quince because he's a beagle on the move (being a youthful 2 years old and all)...but this guy has the most beautiful eyes! On a scale of 1 - 10, Quince is a super-handsome 11.
are fondly referred to as "the twins". We aren't sure if these girls are related (although they look a lot alike), but the biology of it doesn't matter. These girls are sisters at heart and, thus, come as a pair. A pair of cute beagle girls!! If you adopt these sweeties you have won the beagle lottery.
Daisy-May is about 9 years old, but you'd never know it. She is, possibly, the perfect dog! Active, but not afraid to relax and hang out (she was a gem at the TV studio)...beagles have a healthy life-span (18 is not unheard of)...so really, Daisy-May is in her prime! She is a beautiful dog who deserves a beautiful life.
It's been pretty cold the last few days, so it was a nice surprise to be able to go for a walk in the sun. We stopped at the first park on our route for a sniff and a run. There weren't any other dogs though, so we continued on to the second park on our route. It really was a beautiful day for a walk! 
We had better luck at park numero two...lots of dogs, lots of running around for Arthur and Stella and lots of friendly sniffing for Albert.
(pardon the glare in his eye...the light is reflecting off of his cone-head).
you've seen arthur and albert snuggled up all over the place...but for the first time tonight, Stella and Albert snuggled up! AND...Albert ran to the door to be let out tonight when he had to go to the bathroom! He ran! It was so deliberate. He's learning!
