Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Beagles of the Week: The Beagle Bratz, plus a beagle needing rescue

 First, a couple housecleaning notes. I know I have to announce the winners of my two giveaways from last month. I will announce those this week.

Meanwhile, I'm moving Beagle of the Week to Tuesdays to make it part of the Tuesday's Tails Blog Hop, which features animals who need rescue. You'll find other blogs featuring animals who need homes at the bottom of the post.

So, our rescue beagle of the week is a little girl in Pasco County Animal Services in Florida's Tampa Bay area.


This girl is an adult with no name (just a number: 20292137) or any other info, except that she's spayed. Pasco County Animal Services is a high-kill shelter that is constantly full with pets. Please consider adopting her. I think these cases are the saddest, when the shelter puts nothing out there about them.

You can find this beagle girl at Pasco County Animal Shelter in Land O'Lakes.  Call 813-929-1212, or log on to their website: http://www.pascocountyfl.net/index.aspx?nid=408.

AND NOW, time for our Beagle of the Week, or should I say Beaglez! These are Shiloh and Diva Shasta of Team Beaglebratz!


The beagles have their own blog and Facebook page, which you can visit any time. Their mom Kim was kind enough to answer our 10 questions.

1) How old are they? 
Shiloh (AKC - Ringo’s Little Boy Shiloh) is now 10 y.o. and date of birth is 3/26/03. Shasta (AKC – Tess’s Sparkling Shasta) is now six y.o. and date of birth is 10/8/06. 
2) Where did you get them? 
Some people think of backyard breeders as a bad thing and granted, some are when they are doing it ONLY for the money. HOWEVER the family I got Shiloh from weren’t really doing it only for the money and I consider them a hobby breeder. They are a farm family who lived a little ways north of Topeka. They hunted with some of their Beagles and all of their Beagles are family pets. I got to see Shiloh’s dad and uncle plus his mom of course. All of the dogs were well taken care of and up to date on their shots. Three years later, I returned to that same family to get Shasta – her mom was the runt of that litter I got Shiloh from – Shiloh is Diva Shasta’s uncle. 
3) How long have you had them? 
I got them both as eight-week-old puppies so they have been with me most of their lives. 
4) What’s their favorite food? 
Well, they ARE Beagles so I would say FOOD is their favorite food. Anything they can eat, it’s like eat and swallow first and then find out later if we are suppose to eat that. However lately we have discovered Greek Yogurt and I have got to say that I have never seen them lick the bowl clean with such gusto – especially Shiloh, who then hangs out in the kitchen a couple of minutes waiting to see if there will be more. 

Greek yogurt and berries have become a favorite for the Beagle Bratz.

5) What's their favorite thing to do? 
Of course they both LOVE being outdoors - sniffing and pretending to hunt. I’ve always said that Shiloh believes he is God’s gift to the hunter. They both do a lot of napping since I am at work most of the day. Shiloh has his favorite chair, a swivel rocker, and Shasta likes using Shiloh for a pillow when he lets her. And of course like most Beagles, they both love to eat – Shiloh will counter-surf to check and see if any food got left out. My little Shasta is too short for this so IF she gets it this way then it is because her uncle knocked it off the counter but missed it before Shasta got it. 


6) What's their favorite toys? 
 I don’t know if either Shiloh or Shasta has a FAVORITE toy – they both like squeaky toys that they can de-stuff. For some reason, when I get home from work and let Shasta out of her crate then she MUST run back to the living room and grab one of the stuffed squeaky toys to try to sneak outside. On the rare occasion I allow this to happen then, as soon as she runs across the deck and gets to the yard then the toy is promptly dropped and forgotten. I have absolutely no idea when or why she developed this little habit. They both also love their antler chews which they will chew on for an hour or more. 
7) Do they take part in any special activities (i.e. therapy dog, service dog, spokes dog, etc.) ?
Shiloh and Shasta have been my first two Beagles and when I got Shiloh, my first, I was fortunate enough to come across two online groups specifically for Beagles and their owners. The most common thread I heard all the time was “train your Beagle” – that is obedience training is a MUST for Beagles. I took this to heart and both Shiloh and Shasta went through almost every available class at Petsmart. Shasta even went through an extra class with a local trainer who, along with his wife, are members of a local therapy dog group. Both Shiloh and Shasta have earned their Canine Good Citizen standing and currently Shasta is a registered therapy dog. Shiloh was until this year when his therapy dog registration lapsed during the time I was having some medical issues. I do anticipate renewing this because he loves his therapy visits. 

Shiloh has also been a Reading Education Assistant Dog and Shasta enjoyed a brief show career before her first birthday – we did it mainly for fun, the shows were local and she really isn’t true show quality (I thought maybe she was but I was wrong – so said the judges). At our annual fundraiser for the local animal shelter, Shiloh has won the best pet trick category on three different occasions – he loves an audience and loves doing his tricks.  

8) What's the best part about owning a beagle? 
For me, a big part of it has been learning Beagles are not as dumb as many in the pet media business would have you think. It is all about the training and finding out what it is, what it will take to get your Beagle to learn. Even in our local therapy dog group, that professional trainer once told me that “You’ve done a really good job with Shiloh and Shasta. That is a compliment I will not soon forget - and yes, ONLY positive reinforcement is used here. Of course there are the snuggles and kisses - they have always been my snuggle-buddies. But when I stop to really think about it - it is what they have brought to my world. 

I am disabled and somewhat stay at home doggy mom - they have opened my world up to where I like to get out with them, talk about them, volunteering like I do when I take the dogs visiting is not something I would do on my own. But I see how happy it makes Shiloh'n Shasta and the people we visit - I love watching their interaction and I love being able to share my Beagles in this way. I know many different breeds and mixed breeds can do this but I am sure the easy-going disposition of the Beagle helps. Or somehow Shasta can sense when a storm is coming and will seek out a little reassurance from me that everything is ok. 

 9) What's the worst? 
Oh I won't even say that Beagles are perfect and everyone should own a Beagle - FAR FROM IT! To me, one pre-requisite that everyone should follow - MUST be an EXPERIENCED dog owner, maybe do some serious research as to what to expect. I had raised mixed breeds and been around family dogs most of my life so I did have that going for me. Beagles can be challenging and strong-willed (to use nice words). Your patience will be tested over and over and over again, whether dealing with a puppy like I did or even an adult. That is something else that Shiloh especially brought to my world - I developed an immense wealth of patience (at least when it comes to Shiloh'n Shasta). One more thing and that is only because I live close to my neighbors and in a duplex - as with any "great hunter", Shiloh is not afraid to aroooo til the cows come home with Shasta coming in a close second. I really love hearing the sound, watching them follow that scent with their beautiful Beagle tails waving proudly - but at 5 am - I doubt that my neighbors are loving it so much. 

10) Anything else you'd like to add?
As for anything else to say - actually I could go on and on however I think I have probably said enough. Shiloh'n Shasta have a blog - it can be found at http://beagle-home.blogspot.com

You can also check out the Beagle Bratz Facebook page

Think your beagle should be Beagle of the Week? Email us at czizo@cfl.rr.com, and tell us why! 

8 comments :

  1. We think Beagles are wonderful dogs. She is going to be my next share. Especially awful that she is from a high kill shelter.

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  2. Poor girl. Yes, it breaks my heart when there is no information on them. No info means no one has the time to spend to get to know them. It kills me to think about all the lonely sweeties in shelters nationwide.
    Will definitely share this sweet girl.

    And reading about the Beagle Bratz and Beagles in general makes me feel like having Beagles is a lot like having Dachshunds. You need a lot of patience, a lot of experience, and they aren't for everyone. But once they've won your heart... forget it... it's hard to even think about having any other breed.

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    Replies
    1. They can be, Pam, especially at puppy age. Lulu was a handful as a puppy. But with training any beagle is a joy. And no -- I see other dogs, and I find them cute, but I come home to Lulu! ;)

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  3. I hope she finds a loving forever home soon. Will share.

    Sheba.

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  4. The ones with no names just kill me. Sharing.

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  5. So sad to be without a name, we'll share also! Love the interview with the Beagle Bratz. Will have to try berries and greek yogurt for Pru.

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  6. Shiloh and Shasta look like fun dogs! :) Hope the other little beagle girl finds a home soon.

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