Open Adoption ... for a beagle

We went to visit Duggan at his new home on Saturday ... he is livin' the life of luxury! He's allowed on the couch, he has his own cushion on the floor, and his water bowl is beautiful blue pottery ... quite the step up from an old ice cream bucket. :)

When we walked in, he came right up and said hello like any polite dog ... and then he recognized us! He was wagging his tail and inhaling our familiar scents and was clearly very happy to see us. His new people said he hasn't greeted anyone else like that! Duggan spent a few minutes saying hi to all of us, and then as we moved into the house for a cup of coffee, he just meandered about, being his usual calm self. I called him by his old name and his head came right up and he came over to me - but apparently when his new family called "Duggan!" he ignored them. Apparently he knows which voices go with each of his names. :)

Duggan's new family are wonderful people, and clearly love having him in their home. They live in a beautifully renovated farm house and have a couple of horses and a lovely property. He is definitely looking older, but he seems to be in really good condition. The vet's still investigating a few things, but it seems like he's doing well for an older beagle.

There are just so many 'near misses' it's amazing - Duggan's Person (Miss Ruby) was hospitalized in the same hospital we took Dinosaur Boy to for his IV treatments, and Duggan would have been there visiting her at the same time we were there. And, the people who initially found and hosted him (and put up the signs that they'd found a beagle) are the family that we get grass fed beef from ... but we only started dealing with them recently, so it was long past the time Duggan had gone to his new home. Clearly he was where he needed to be. The Reluctant Farmer said, "I always told him he needed to get a job ... and so that's what he did. That's the first time he listened to me!"

We have a great 'open adoption' arrangement with the new family ... they'll keep us updated on Duggan's doings, and we are welcome to go and visit him at their home. What a wonderful happy ending for everyone.

Miss Ruby's Dog

Miss Ruby was getting on in years. She lived by herself, and decided that a beagle puppy would be the just the right companion for her. Having come to this conclusion, Miss Ruby discussed the matter with her friend Evelyn, who helped Miss Ruby by driving her to appointments and such. Together they set up a meeting with a beagle breeder to investigate the purchase of a puppy for Miss Ruby.

Shortly after this momentous decision, Evelyn saw a poster with a picture of a beagle dog that had been found nearby. A phone call revealed that the dog had been around for about a week, no one had claimed him, and he was in need of a new home. Well, this was a perfect opportunity for Miss Ruby. She wanted a beagle, and here was one practically on her doorstep in need of a place to live!

Miss Ruby had picked out a name for her new beagle pup before she even met him: Obama. Evelyn transported the lost beagle from his temporary home to Miss Ruby's house, and he settled right in, happy to have someone to love who loved him in return. Miss Ruby figured that Obama was an angel sent to keep her company.

As summer turned to fall and fall turned to winter, Miss Ruby became more and more unwell. Eventually, she had to leave her home and go into the hospital for what was likely to be the last time. Evelyn took Obama home with her, and together they visited Miss Ruby at the hospital almost every day. The patients were happy to see this cheerful beagle trotting down the corridors, and the nurses loved him so much that they'd even allow him to stay with Miss Ruby while Evelyn ran out to do a few errands.

At the end of January, Miss Ruby passed away. Evelyn decided that she wanted to continue the work she and Obama had begun, visiting patients at the hospital, by having Obama certified as a pet therapy dog. The first step was a thorough vet check, so Evelyn located a vet she'd used before for her horses and took Obama in for a visit.

In the course of his phyiscal exam, the vet discovered that Obama was healthy, with clean ears, a decent weight (for an older beagle), and ... that he had a microchip embedded. He was someone's lost pet, not just an abandoned dog. Evelyn was heartbroken ... if Obama had a family that loved and missed him, he'd need to go back and their time together would be at an end.

The vet took Evelyn's contact information and headed to her office to make a phone call.

And my phone rang.

Obama the beagle is Duggan, and the vet is my own vet, who knew that Duggan had disappeared last Canada Day and that all our efforts to locate him had been fruitless. She told me how Duggan had been found several kilometers west of our house and adopted by an older lady who had adored him until her passing last month, and how the lady's friend had inherited him and had brought him to the clinic as the first step twoards having him certified as a therapy dog. Doctor Vet said Duggan was clearly very much loved in his new home ... and that the people were heartbroken at the thought of having to send him back.

Well, there was just no question what to do. If Doctor Vet says that the people have been taking good care of him and obviously love him, well, I know it's true. If Duggan can have a career as a therapy dog, sharing his happiness with people who need the comfort and joy that an open-hearted beagle has to offer, then he should have a chance to do the work he's so well suited for.

We couldn't possibly want anything more for Duggan than to know that he is well loved and enjoying his life, and even more, to know that his life enriches the lives of so many others.

I phoned Evelyn and heard the whole story from her. She says she can't think now why she didn't check for a microchip right at the start. I think she just wasn't meant to: Miss Ruby needed Duggan, and it was his job to be there for her. We loved him and missed him, but he was needed where he was. Now that his job with Miss Ruby has ended and his new career is about to begin, it's the perfect time for us to find out that he's alive and well ... and only a few kilometers away, living with people who are good to him, who love him, and who want to give him a career helping people in need of a dog's unconditional love.

Duggan's new family have invited us to come and visit, and we can't wait to see him in his new home and meet these wonderful people. Their generous hearts had room not only for Miss Ruby when she needed them, but also for Duggan, when he lost Miss Ruby.

We were so sure that Duggan had met his end. To find out that all this time he's been bringing happiness and comfort to people who need it so much, and that he is just around the corner with such kind people is just more wonderful than any of us could have hoped for.

(In keeping with our custom, all of the human's names have been changed.)

Caleb

The new puppy finally told us his name: he is Caleb.

Caleb means 'devoted companion', according to some of the baby name lists I have seen. Caleb was the guy who helped Moses during the Exodus, along with Aaron and Joshua. Our Caleb seems to be the calm level headed sort (well, for a puppy...) and the name just seems to fit.

Besides, when you holler it across the pasture it's got good enunciation and doesn't sound at all like Bob or Mac. :)

He's adapting quite well to our routines - he plays like mad then crashes and sleeps ... and then he's up and at it again. He is not at all food-insane like so many dogs, he is friendly to absolutely everyone, and he is really interested in all the animals but hasn't chased any of them yet. He has an understandable desire to play with any wool I leave lying around, which we are working on ... but really, he is about as good and calm a puppy as one could hope for.

He is figuring out the potty training thing, adapting quite well to the crate, given how little time he actually has to spend in it, and overall, fitting in nicely. We are glad we have him. :)

A farm dog

At some point working with livestock, you start to realize that a lot of things might be easier with a four footed helper. We have friends whose dog can be sent out to round up the horses and bring them in, and have watched dogs keep sheep from going through gates at a word from their owners. I've seen dogs follow their people around, just happy to be with them, and happy to do as they are asked when a job shows up for them to do.

Now, a dog like that takes a lot of training and work and love. But then, you get a lot of love and companionship in return, as well as the practical help.

Since Duggan went over the Rainbow Bridge, we've been missing an inside dog. Well, okay, some of us have been missing an inside dog ... The Reluctant Farmer is pretty reluctant to have dog hair in the house again, and I can see his point. But, The Reluctant Farmer is also pretty reluctant to spend any more time than necessary chasing stubborn livestock, so, he's been convinced that a farm dog would be a good thing for us.

Besides, as much as we love Bob and Mac, a dog that lives in the house and plays with the kids (without knocking them over inadvertently) is something we'd all really enjoy.

So ... I started looking. We wanted a dog with one of the herding breeds as part of it's genetic makeup but balanced with something a little more laid back, in an effort to reduce the intense herding need that some working dogs have.

Today, we found him.

This is our as-yet-unnamed 8 week old puppy. He is half lab, one quarter border collie and one quarter heeler. His mother is the collie/heeler and very friendly. The puppy has been very well taught by his littermates and previous owners not to nip and seems very quiet and happy.

He cried for about a minute and a half when I put him in the crate to drive home ... then quit and went to sleep. Once we got home, he wagged his tail at everyone, wandered around the house, followed us, sat on our laps, snoozed with The Reluctant Farmer for a bit, and managed to go to the bathroom outside!

He is, understandably, pretty wrung out with all the changes. He is tucked into a crate at the moment and resting fairly quietly. He cried for several minutes when we put him in, but we moved the crate so he can see us and he seems to have relaxed. Of course, it is all very stressful when your littermates are suddenly gone, and you can hear big dogs barking outside, and everything smells weird.

It's been a long time since I was involved in puppy training, but I do remember what all is involved ... and this little sweet heart certainly shows all the signs of being worth the trouble.

Now we just have to find out what his name is. :)