a week's worth of posts...

I got a new cell phone over the holidays, but for the life of me, I'm not able to post with it. It's very frustrating because I have taken so many cute photos on the phone, and the main reason I got it was to be able to update the blog while on the go! I'm a pretty tech oriented person, so it's really frustrating me!

So until I can figure out the phone here's some of the photos!

This is Albert at my office on Thursday:


This is Albert yawning under my desk:


And this is our dog park - it's as icy as a skating rink! The poor doggies can't go until the ice melts...don't want them (or me) to hurt ourselves!

albert's at the office!!!!

And I wish I could post photos, but I can't get my new phone to work on the various mobile posting settings. It's driving me nuts...he looks SO cute sitting in my chair and under my desk. He's doing so well! My two colleagues who are here have been great with him too. I think he should be the office mascot!

This is how Albert spent his first Xmas with us...rolling around in his new little doggie bed! He always curls up in a tiny little ball when he sleeps, so we thought we'd get him a small little bed that he could sleep in. He loved it! He spend the holidays rolling around in his little bed, then curling up and sleeping in it.



Then he and his brother Arthur spend the evening relaxing with Adam alternating between belly rubs and jowler pulls. They feasted on Grammy's Pot Pie by Merricks and, from what I can gather from the beagle banter, all three beagles had the best Xmas ever.



We spent Boxing Day digesting...and watching Underdog! We'd never seen it...and as silly as it was, it was the perfect way to spend the day after Xmas when you have a house full of beagles.

xmas darwin!

We're so excited that Darwin is going to be OK...we just HAD to post this adorable photo of him in his Santa hat! Because he's going to be home for the holidays!

We love you Darwin!!!

darwin makes a triumphant recovery!!!

IMG_2427, originally uploaded by estrojennie.

I couldn't be happier to post this very happy news (and so close to the holidays!) Darwin is going to be OK!!! The vets called Marna last night and said that all of the tests were negative for cancer, and that it looked like a massive infection that had spread throughout his little body. He's going to be fine!!! *yay* Darwin!

(Darwin is pictured here napping on his couch at home...exactly where he should be!!)

beagle daddy and his dogs

IMG_2409, originally uploaded by estrojennie.

I took this photo of my husband Adam a couple of weeks ago while we were walking the beagles in the snow. Adam is the best doggy dad you could ever ask for, and I always tell the beagles how lucky they are to have him!

Adam claims that he was raised by dogs and has many fond memories of his childhood woofs. I love hearing him talk about his border collie Terry. They literally grew up together.

With Marna's little Darwin falling ill, it's really made me think about the impact our dogs (and pets in general) have on the quality of our lives. They bring so much joy and purpose to my life, and it's a big part of the reason I wanted to get involved in beagle recueing.

I'm sure I get way more out of my beagles than they get out of me. And if I can help a sad little beagle who's been abandoned and abused I'm happy to do it.

From our beagle family to yours - we're wishing you all the very best of the holiday season!

sending all our love to sweet darwin...

IMG_2412, originally uploaded by estrojennie.

While our beagles were enjoying the snowstorm, Marna and her family were rushing her eldest beagle (and the reason that Big on Beagles even exists!) to the vet. He didn't want to eat or drink, and they were quite worried about him. Long story short, the vet rushed him to Guelph (the best vetrinary facilities in Ontario) and they weren't sure he'd make it though the night.

Marna reports that while his condition is serious, he was able to greet her and Bill when they went to visit yesterday and with any luck, he'll be able to come home on the weekend.

We're wishing our very best wishes to Darwin and his family and have our beagles have all paws crossed that he'll be OK.

albert the snow beagle!!

The blizzard of the year hit Toronto hard today...I haven't seen this much snow in Toronto in years! Adam and I have four wheel drive, so we had no problems getting around! Lucky for the beagles too...we took them tobogganing at our favorite dog park this afternoon! Albert had a blast - he was up to his arm pits in snow. The tobogganing wasn't so great because the snow was just too fluffy, but the beagles had a ball hopping through the snow and barreling after each other. We took some video too, which I'll upload shortly. For now you can get your fill with our beagle blizzard photo shoot!!



(nothing to do with beagles, but cute regardless!

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sad but happy beagle news...

This is Nicholas. Until yesterday he was referred to as "No Name" :(

This guy is SO sad (what else is new?). He was at a rural shelter and they couldn't do much in the way of vet care...but luckily they called Big on Beagles! The problem wasn't cash this time (remember? we raised over $500 at the keg party last weekend! And the Beagle Bash for Cash raised some $$ as well!)...finding a foster parent was the issue. Marna didn't have any pre-approved foster parents in the wings, and so the poor little beagle with no name was at the mercy of the powers that be :(

But as Marna says, when you are surrounded by angels, miracles happen. This angel came in the form of a foster parent who was able to take on yet another beagle in need. And now the beagle with no name is officially known as Nicholas! What a perfect name for our Christmas beagle!!! He is getting treatment for his eye issue, and will likely also require some much needed dental work (his eyes are obviously the priority!).

If you have ever thought about possibly being a foster parent contact Big on Beagles! Having a pre-approved foster parent in the wings allows the rescue to move faster to save a dogs life, and gives them the confidence of knowing a great family is out there to save the day! As much as nobody likes to think about it...when a call comes in to save a beagle, the clock is usually ticking for that little beag's life. No foster parents on call can often delay the process of pulling the dog out of the shelter or other bad situation it is in, and sometimes there is no time to wait. (And if my experience fostering our Albert hasn't convinced you about the amazing benefits and rewards of working with a rescue as a foster parent...the I don't know what will!!!)

In other good beagle news...I got a message from ANOTHER awesome rescue beagle, who also has a blog! Go visit Duke at his blog (he's SO super cute!) I LOVE beagle blogs !!

http://www.bayingbeagle.com/

Finally, if you are interested in meeting lots of fantastic beaglers...join the Big on Beagles Meetup group at meetup.com! http://beagles.meetup.com/221/ There are monthly beagle meet-ups, and you'll also be kept up to date on all of the Big on Beagles news!!

our gorgeous beagle boys...

We're pretty sure that part of Albert's speedy transformation has a lot to do with his relationship to Arthur. Arthur is the nicest, friendliest beagle boy you could ever meet. And while he was a little out of sorts the first day or so after Albert's arrival, he quickly warmed to him. They are now, as you can see, the very best of friends.

It's hilarious to watch Albert mimick Arthur, follow him around and snuggle up to him. Arthur is his beagle mentor in the truest of forms, and they are two beagles who absolutely adore each other :)

livin' the good life!

Albert has been SUPER snuggly the last few days. He's totally into being in our laps or pinning himself against us on the couch. He used to be extremely timid...until the past week, he wouldn't dream of showing enough confidence or affection to actually snuggle up with us. Now he's loving it...see for yourself!!!

beach beagles!

EDIT: Beach beagle photo shoot is now in the slideshow!!

We had the best time at the beach yesterday! I know it's December, and yes, it was freezing (and snowing!), but being at the beach in the winter with a pack of beagles was one of the funnest things we've done in a really long time!

After our beagle convention, Marna invited us back to her place for a drink and that was even more fun! I'm not entirely sure what the beagle head count was in her house, but I can say that we have never seen that many beagles in one house before EVER!

All the dogs got along very well, I must say. Albert played with Marna's spunky youngster Matthew, while Arthur made himself at home on the couch and Stella curled up in my lap.

All in all it was a fun day with great people and super cute beagles. I'm trying to figure out how I can make all of my photos appear on the slideshow! Until I figure it out, here are some pics of the festivities!

Charlie the (female) beagle:


Albert and a pack 'o beagles:


Stanley:


Albert, Arthur and Stella!

bed beagle :)

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the changes we've seen in Albert over the past 6 weeks are nothing short of astonishing. I remember when this little guy was afraid of the bed (probably because he'd never seen one before!)

And now? Well...you be the judge. We think Albert has graduated to the new status of "common variety bed beagle".

(And that's a very good thing!)

beagle meetup...beaches style!

Big on Beagles has organized a beagle meetup this afternoon in the beaches! If you have beagles you should come...and even if you don't have a beagle, you can still come and hang out with all the cute doggies!!!

WHEN: Sunday, December 9th at 2:00PM
MEET-UP SPOT: Ashbridges Bay Parking Lot

Our Merry Marching Band of Beagles will be heading East on the Boardwalk and making paw-stops at the off-leash play areas along the way!

Come One, Come All and Have a Beagle Ball!!!

albert's kristmas keg party!!!

First off, Albert and I apologize profusely for the lack of posts on the blog since I returned from NYC. We have a good excuse though...we were busy planning our First Annual Kristmas Keg Party which was also a fundraiser for Big on Beagles!

We're still counting the beagle bucks, but it's looking like we raised in and around $500 for the beagle rescue! My goal was $1,000 (hey, you have to go big or go home!) but Adam and I are absolutely thrilled that we were able to gather together such amazing friends, colleagues and neighbours at our home to celebrate the true spirit of the holidays.

Our very good friends at Steam Whistle Brewing donated the keg and I want to thank Chris Goddard for being such a lovely and awesome human being.

Albert really enjoyed the party too! We were a little nervous that he might be overwhelmed by all of the people, but he quickly found his confidence and inner rock star, and he spent the majority of the evening receiving rotating pets and snuggles from our guests.



Our good friend Ron (pictured above) even brought the beagles some doggie gingerbread cookies from their favorite store! (Ron was also our biggest donor I might add, in loving memory of his beagle Digby...how much do we love Ron???)

We still have a lot of beer left in the keg (well...not if Adam gets his way :p) and a shrimp ring in the fridge. We're thinking we'll do Keg Party 2 Electric Boogaloo tonight to see if we can top up the beagle fund :)



PS
Another shameless plug for the Big on Beagles donation link. (Remember to select Big on Beagles in your fund designation) You get a tax receipt! 100% of your donation goes toward vet care for the dogs being rescued! Trust me...giving to such a worthy organization feels AMAZING...you should try it!

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man it's cold out!

This morning was our coldest yet this season - minus 10, but minus 16 with windchill (and it was super windy!). Albert hasn't needed a coat so far, which means we haven't tried on the cozy coat that Big on Beagles provided. Unfortunately it was a bit tight across his chest and his little legs were splayed at a very amusing angle...though I must say Albert was not particularly amused :)

We cracked out the bright orange coat we had bought for Arthur last year - it was too snug on Arthur, but fit Albert perfectly! I love the orange on him (thought Marna thinks he looks like a Creamsicle!). He got many compliments on his new outfit, and we all stayed nice and warm on our walk and visit to the park.

treacherous is an understatement!

I was excited to take the beagles for a walk this morning since I'd been away for so long. I love starting the day with a nice brisk walk and time with the babies!

I knew it was going to be cold out this morning, but I had NO idea that the sidewalks would be so icy, slippery and, well, treacherous. I was a little surprised at how few people had shoveled their walks or, at the very least, put some salt down. I almost fell on several occasions...I have a terrible back, so I'm extra cautious. But I saw many people who weren't so lucky.

What was that saying from the mid 90's...oh yeah...be nice, clear your ice!!

beagle from brooklyn

Well, I didn't see any beagles on my recent trip to New York City...but my awesome colleague Ron sent me this photo that he took while wandering around the DUMBO district of Brooklyn.

Homeless beagles are a phenomenon around North America I suppose.

If you live near Brooklyn...rescue this poor girl!

home!

I'm back home and have spent the last day and a half snuggling the beagles. Albert, Arthur and Stella were happy to see me (phew!) but faired very well with their daddy as a sole caregiver. In fact, I've had to coax them to come snuggle with me since they seem just fine at home in Adam's lap.

Last night there was a big snowstorm here in Toronto. When the beagles woke up they weren't sure what to think!

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