it's all ebay's fault!

Every now and then I log on to ebay and search the word "beagle". I haven't done it in quite some time because...well...I've been busy with my three real beagles!

Last night everyone was snuggled up on the couch, and I decided to see what was happening on ebay. Well let me tell you...there was beagle-stuff galore! I ended up bidding (and winning) a vintage ink and paper sketch of beagles that is gorgeous. I also found some really cute beagle bag/purses. Lots of beagle accessories of course (I restrained myself, but only because Adam was sitting right there)...and this thing!

What is it you might ask?

It is a fake beagle puppy sleeping on a dog bed. But get this...it breathes!

CREEPY!!!

I told Marna that she should keep a few of these on hand in case she gets any more calls from people asking her if "she has any beagle puppies in stock".

I'm not even joking...someone called her and asked if she had puppies in stock. Like a dog rescue is a store and a beagle is a pair of socks.

Reminded me why Big on Beagles exists in the first place.

it's official!

Albert and I headed over to the Big on Beagles headquarters this afternoon to sign our adoption papers...it's official!!! Albert is officially ours!

Adam greeted him at our door when we got home with a firm paw shake and said "welcome aboard son!".

We were surrounded by cute beagles at Marna's place...you met Huck in the previous entry, but here are the others! (The only one I didn't get a photo of was Quid, who is 17! At 17 you are allowed to fan away the paparazzi! Trust me, he's a gorgeous guy)
Albert making himself at home with Matty (sprawled out up top) and Darwin.



I know I'm not allowed to have favorites...but this is Violet, and well...she's my favorite :)


Ruby Sue is a sweetheart!


Darwin's handsome close up (you can tell that he is so over being photographed)


And Matty's handsome close up!

a 20 year old beagle!!

I have never met a 20 year old dog before...never mind a beagle...until today! This is Huck and man, is he old! But the *sweetest* dog you will ever meet! You would never know it from seeing him that he's such a senior. He wears diapers and has some neurological problems that make his back legs a little wonky...but he's first in line for a pet, loves his walks, and is perfectly happy crashed out on a beagle bed with all of his pals.

Marna is beagle-sitting Huck while his foster parents are away getting married.

We love you Huck!!!

albert loves balls!

The dog park tonight was rockin'! Who knew that Saturday nights at the park are more fun than hanging out at a bar (OK, well, maybe you all knew that...I'm just confirming!).

There were SO many dogs out! And there was a sprinkling of fresh snow, so everything was crisp and fresh. It was so amazing.

Albert found a ball in the snow and went crazy! He gets more and more puppy like every single day. The video is dark (because it was night!), but you get the jist of how kooky he went for his ball!

new beagle tent!

Adam and I do a lot of canoing and camping in the summer, so when I went shopping tonight for a birthday present for our friends dog Zack (he's having a party tomorrow night) and saw this fantastic doggie tent - well, I had to buy it!

We have a smaller one, but with Albert in the family we needed something a little roomier :) And boy was it a hit! Albert is currently snoring away in the tent, and Arther and Stella have both taken turns as well. By tomorrow I'm sure there will be a pile of beagles sleeping in it!!

i'll never get sick of this image!

(Taken 5 minutes ago!)

is albert a puppy???

When we adopted Albert there was some uncertainty about his age. At first he was estimated at about 8 years old. Then after a full examination with the vet, his age was reduced to about 6. Well...I am beginning to wonder if he isn't younger than that!

We were at the park last night, and met a gorgeous little 16 month old BEAGLE PUPPY!!!! Anyone who knows me, knows that you canNOT put a beagle puppy in front of me and not expect me to flip out. Well, apparently the same holds true for Albert!

Albert quite literally flipped out when he met Misha the beagle puppy! We have never seen him so happy! He and the puppy chased each other, rolled around in the snow, pawed each other...it was SO funny to watch. Albert regressed to 6 months old! Arthur and Stella were both very good with the puppy as well, though not nearly as playful. Stella, who is usually extremely crusty when it comes to puppies, actually tolerated Misha (probably because he was so CUTE!).

I was very sad that I didn't bring my camera to the park! I took a few photos with my cell phone and I'll see if any turned out, but now that we know a beagle puppy goes to our dog park I will not be leaving the house with the camera!

we're going to be on the radio!!

Marna and I both did interviews tonight for a radio show that will air in the next month or so on CHUM FM. We'll be sure to post the MP3 after it airs!

Marna is talking about the rescue, and I'm talking about being a beagle owner!!

hi. my name's albert and i'm a bone-a-holic

Apparently Albert's old life didn't consist of bones. The first time we gave him one, he looked at us like we were trying to make him eat a brick. But then he gave it a lick, and his entire attitude changed.

This dog *loves* bones! These photos were taken over the course of an entire evening (and yes, I know there is a sticker on his bone. We tried everything and it refused to come off!). Albert took this bone everywhere he went last night. And then he buried it :)

PS
The middle shot is my favorite. That's Albert demonstrating his patented "couch groove" maneuver. This is where he sticks the bone down the couch cushion for stability, and then chews with all of his might with the bone in an upright position.

if you happen to be in michigan and reading this...

Big on Beagles got an email yesterday letting us know about 2 older beagles who are in a shelter in Michigan and *desperately* need a home. The photo is them - Buddy and Becky, and this is the message about them...if you can help, please call the shelter and then let us know!!!

Hi Everyone,

Here I am making another plead for help. Seems like our work is never done. Here's the story on these two beagles.

Their names are Becky and Buddy and they are about 10 years old. The gentleman who owned them since they were puppies recently passed away. Most of his family lived out of state and none of them would take them. So the neighbors called me to pick them up because they were abandoned. He trained them to be hunting dogs and they lived outside in a kennel. We did find a family to adopt them but now they want to give them back. They are complaining that they keep getting out of the yard.

The male is neutered. They both are up to date on their shots and are microchipped. They are both very sweet and just crave attention. Please let me know if you know of anyone who could help and/or if you could post them on your websites. I am hopeful that we can find a place for these two cuties to live out the rest of their lives. Thanks!!!

Suzette Gysel
Animal Control Officer
Code Enforcement Officer
City of Madison Heights
248-837-2745 or 248-837-2669
suzettegysel@madison-heights.org

a new year, a new look

You may have noticed that we've changed the look of the blog - Albert felt that since he's no longer a foster dog, we should spruce things up a bit...and who am I to argue with Mister Albert??

Things are back to their usual organized chaos here at home. We've all gotten back into the routine following vacation and the house is humming again. And guess what? Stella must have heard the good news about Albert, because over the past 2 days she has been playing with him in the house (this is unheard of for our grumpy little old lady I might add!).

They've been pawing each other, chasing each other around the main floor, and generally acting like puppies! It's extremely cute, and while they always got along, it's so awesome to see them actually playing with each other!

As for Arthur? Well, he and Albert have been best buddies since the get go. That bond is only growing stronger :)

another beagle saved!

I'm very pleased to introduce you to a VERY pretty beagle girl. Her name is Vada and, thanks to Big on Beagles, Marna was able to save her life.

Vada had some health problems that didn't add up. At first they thought she might be pregnant, given the expanding size of her belly. When that turned out to be negative, BOB took her in to the fantastic vets at the Beaches Animal Hospital where she had an 8 hour test to see if the problem might be Cushings Disease.

Unfortunately the test came back positive. But Cushings is a manageable illness with the proper treatment and medicine. The good news is that Vada is safe and sound in her new rescue home getting herself settled and ready to feel better!

Just another little reminder that the money raised for Big on Beagles goes directly to saving the lives of little cuties like Vada!

UPDATE:

I've just heard word that Vada is doing very well in her new foster home and that she has made friends with 2 doggie friends name Violet and Sophie. She'll begin her Cushings medication very soon as well and should feel better quite quickly. Her medication isn't cheap - approximately $100/month! Soooo...if anyone feels like sponsoring Vada while she is in foster care, email the rescue at bigonbeagles@primus.ca!

cold!

Today was SO cold at the dog park. The wind chill was crazy, and even though we were all bundled up we were still freezing!

The dogs, on the other hand, seemed fine! They were all bundled up and running around like, well, beagles!

I've updated the slide show on the right hand side so you can see all of the meetup photos but I've put a couple of cute ones here below.


And the news I spoke about this morning? Well...Albert is no longer going to be a foster beagle. That's right! He's found his forever family!

OURS!!!!! We're officially adopting Albert!

How could we not? He's become a core part of our family. He loves Arthur and Stella, he's so comfortable at our house, and he's good as gold! We love this little guy and couldn't imagine EVER parting with him!

SO...the official paperwork will likely be completed this weekend. And Albert's story ends with his placement in a wonderful forever home. With us!

(But don't worry - it doesn't mean the end of the blog! We're still going to update you with Albert news as well as other beagle rescue stories!!)

Albert running so fast we thought we might take off!

we're off to the beagle meet up!

And it's really freakin' cold out! -12 I believe. Which means we have 3 beagles and 2 people to bundle up like crazy!

ANNNND....stay tuned! We have some very exciting news to share this afternoon (along with some great beagle meetup photos of course!)

back to the routine

We got back from our vacation last Sunday night...so the week has been a flurry of work, unpacking, and generally getting back to our usual routine. Last night was a very welcome opportunity to sit back, relax and not do much of anything (except beagle snuggling, of course!)

After a very cold, but very fun trip to the park (where we discovered that Albert LOVES chasing balls) we came home, popped in a DVD and relaxed.

And this was the scene in our living room!



Nothing like a couch full of lazy, cute, snuggly beagles!

And here they are individually:

Stella!


Arthur (licking his lips!)


Albert

Beagle Meetup this Sunday!!!

When: Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Where: Totoredaca Park
2715 Meadowvale Blvd., Mississauga
Toronto, ON M4E 2X4

Everyone should attend! There's no better way to chase the blues away than to watch our beagles PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!!!
Why: If you've got a beagle, you've gotta join BYOB! Beagles LOVE to be with other Beagles! Just imagine a sea of beagle tails in the snow! You'll love it!

"Follow the sound of the howls when you get to Toto Park! That and we humans plan to wear a lot of RED!"
--Marna Gale of BIG ON BEAGLES

Happy New Year!

We're back!!! After a glorious 2 week vacation, the beagles are back in town! Adam and I went to the Florida Keys for a week to scuba dive (unfortunately it we experienced the coldest day in Key West in 110 years, so no diving for us!) and then went on a cruise with our family that took us to Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize and Mexico.

Where was little Albert during that time you might ask? Well, the wonderful Marna from Big on Beagles graciously offered to care for Albert while we were away. Arthur and Stella went to their favorite kennel where they are treated like a King and a Queen, but because Albert is newly rescued, we wanted him to stay in a home situation so he wouldn't think he was being abandoned again.

Albert definitely had some adventures while we were away...and I'll save THAT story for an entirely different post. In the meantime, here is a shot of Albert hanging out with his best buddy Matty, Albert in a food coma at Marna's and Albert on his first night away from us snuggled up to a pillow case that smelled like us.

We're so happy to be home!! Albert updates are now back to their regularly scheduled program!!!