Hunting season's over: Help discarded beagles

For many states hunting season is over. It's a time of year many shelters and rescues dread.

See some hunters, not all, but enough, have this tradition. If the dogs won't hunt, or they are too old to hunt, or they are too old to breed hunters, they turn them loose, or turn them over to shelters.

And the shelters are full.

According to many rescues and shelters, hundreds of hounds and other hunting dogs are taken in. And it's not just in the south (though southern shelters are overrun with hounds), it happens all over.

Hurricane survivor: Katrina the beagle's amazing journey

Katrina spends her days snoozing (more like snoring... like a sailor!) in a South Orlando house on a golf course. She gets two meals a day, treats, walks, beds and all the love she can handle. 

Katrina with Lt. Col. Mike Brasher.

At 15, she's living on what her pet parents, Lt. Col. Mike Brasher and Melanie Brasher call "borrowed beagle time."

It's a far cry from how she began her life.

Dog Parent Confessions: 5 bad habits to avoid

Ever let your dog get away with murder (not literally, of course)?

Today, after Lulu ate a whole bowl of breakfast, she somehow knocked the cat's bowl off the counter. Wet kitty food pieces flung all over a pile of dirty laundry I had on the floor.

And instead of cleaning up the mess myself, I scolded Lulu as she picked the pieces off the clothes (I did pick up the clothes and threw them in the wash after).

It got me thinking about what other bad habits I let Lulu and Jasmine get away with. This is my confession. Do as I say, not as I do.

1. Eating off the floor... or the table... or other surfaces... especially if they make the mess. My back is bothering me and I didn't feel like cleaning up the mess myself. Why is this a problem? I basically rewarded her for knocking the cat's dish over. Normally this would not happen.

But that's not the only time I let the dogs get away with things. Like if I'm cooking dinner and broccoli falls on the floor, I call the dogs. We all probably do it. But it's not necessarily a good idea.

2. Walking on the furniture.

It started as letting the dogs in the bed. And the couch. Then Jasmine got into walking on the couch and jumping over the couch -- and I kinda let her do it because the picture opportunities are awesome. I took the one above just today. But it's not good for the couch.

3. Not making Lulu take treats gently.

"Gentle" is an important command every pet should make sure their dog knows. It will save your fingers when giving your dog a treat. But I sometimes I let Lulu get away with it mostly because I'm being inconsistent (my trainer would smack me).

4. I bathe Lulu and Jasmine less than I probably should. To be fair, beagle parents love to say that you can go months without bathing a beagle. Still, I'm pretty sure Lulu and Jasmine could use baths slightly more frequently than that. Especially since Lulu has a habit of rolling in the grass (though it doesn't look like she rolls in anything gross).

5. I enjoy watching Lulu when she gets clever. Lulu has quick reflexes and a sharp mind -- mostly when she wants something. At my last birthday party no one was watching when Lulu swiped a piece of chicken from the food table (boneless and skinless). She moved so fast no one could even get it from her. I grabbed her to bring her inside, but then I stopped and asked someone to take those pictures. I wasn't happy she did it, but I marveled at how she did it. We beagle lovers know our dogs can use their skills in a blink of an eye to get a piece of food. But lets be honest -- we probably should do a little less of this and a little more of making sure it doesn't happen.

These are some of my bad habits. What are some of yours?