Boogalu and Pearl's Page

New Blog

2010-02-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

I'm moving the kids blog over to livejournal where I have another blog already. Their new address is http://boogie_pearl.livejournal.com. I've already posted some beagle versus snow pictures to entice you to visit. If you're still checking this blog, that is.

Yea, It's been over a year

2010-02-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

since I've last posted. The hounds are doing well and having fun being beagles. We had an incident back in October that resulted in two trips to the vet. They had a knock-down, drag-out dog fight complete with injuries. We called in a dog trainer/behaviour specialist and it's doing wonders. We should have been doing more with their training all along.

Overall they are good kids and we wouldn't part with them for the world. So onto the pictures!

We're getting over 2 feet of snow, so I'll try to get some hound versus snow pictures.

Beaglism

2008-10-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that Pearl has been really blossoming here at the new house. Ever since she nearly caught a bunny in the garden, she’s been more aggressive with her toys, a little pushy for snuggling, and generally more beagley.

It’s been great fun, really. Until she found the Nutrisystem bars in the dining room. Neither hound had ever shown interest in something wrapped (i.e., food bars). I had put some on the floor (big mistake) to get into the box the bars were sitting on. Pearl ate about half a chocolate covered granola bar. Talk about a spun-up dog. She never got sick, but had the zoomies for about an hour.

This morning I put the Halloween candy on the floor in the kitchen. (I know.) Now, the candy was in a plastic grocery bag, tied, and the candy was in its own bags, within their own individual wrappers. Little bitch got into the grocery bag, got a bag of Butterfingers opened, and snarfled a fun-size Butterfinger. I yelled her name, she snatched up the Butterfinger she’d not finished with and took off. I policed up the bag of bags, and then went after her. She finished the Butterfinger. Then slunk around because she knew I was mad at her. They are caged off in the kitchen during the day anyway, so I don’t suspect anything will come to harm and she’ll just have another case of the zoomies.

Okay, so with Pearl, no food items go on the floor, wrapped or otherwise.

It's been awhile

2008-06-22T17:30:00.001-07:00

I know it's been awhile since I've last posted about 'the kids'. They are doing fine and loving their big back yard. But we've not loved having to mow that back yard, but it is what it is.

A while ago I took pictures of them with Carla. It's almost a ritual that when Carla comes over, everyone gets their fair share of the petting.

Don't they look smug? As if they own the world and this is what is owed them.

They're pretty happy pups.

Houndishness

2008-03-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

This morning was punctuated with houndishness. The usual routine is to get up at 5:00, water the lawn, come in and scarf the food, and then fertilize the lawn. This is all happens in about 15 minutes or so. Then Pearl roams and Boogie sleeps.

Not this morning. The hounds accomplished watering the lawn, but I had to retrieve Boogalu for the food scarfing. Then I let them back out for the fertilizing portion. Apparently something lurked in our backyard during the night and Boogie had to alert us to this fact. He emitted sharp, short yelps calling the pack to the hunt. I brought him in for the time I was getting ready for work. Afterwards, I decided to walk him on his leash in the backyard as this usually keeps him quieter. Not this time. Pearl worked him up and he started howling. Back into the house we go. I can appreciate my neighbors do no necessarily want or need hounds howling at 5:30 in the am. But at the same time, he needs to potty before I leave for work.

Below are some Beagle Patrol pictures. It was such a nice day on Sunday the kids just roamed for hours. We call it Beagle Patrol because Boogie is always on the lookout for intruders.

Trend?

2008-02-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Saturday was Jim's birthday fondue bash. I had two friends come over around 4 to help with the prep. Around 5:30 we discovered Pearl digging for China in the back yard. We got her in the house and realized that mud was caked on her paws so deeply that was in between her toes. So Jim scooped her up and whisked her to the bathroom for a quick bath before guests started arriving. Jim said there were pebbles stuck in her paws she was so filthy.

Then, after Pearl was washed, Boogie was out back running up and down the fence line barking at the neighbor dogs. It was muddy outside and he coated his underside very liberally with mud. Jim went out, brought Boogie in and we toweled him off. I grabbed a Pet Wipe and wiped him down quickly as guests were beginning to arrive. Love the Pet wipes. Because Boogie has such fine fur, they work fantastically on him.

This is the second time we had to execute an emergency bathing procedure just before guests arrive at the house. Pearlie instigated it the last time, too, now that I think of it.

Trend?

2008-01-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

Can you find the Beagle?

In the pile of blanket, is Boogalu. He barely moved from this obviously snuggly nest when we came home from dinner.

He lifted his head, saw it was us, and went back to sleep. Lazy hound.

New Favorite Spots

2008-01-05T11:14:00.001-08:00

Since moving in the new house, the hounds have had to find new favorite spots. These are generally determined by where the sun is shining.

However, since Jim has a new recliner, the recliner has a fairly high standing as well. It's absolute perfection to be able to sit on Jim, in the recliner, and be able to see outside as well.

It's a tough battle sometime to beat Boogie to the chair. Since Jim is having to sleep in the recliner (see my other blog) I have to distract Boogie and Pearl with treats while Jim climbs in and gets settled. Then Boogie joins him.

The next favorite spot is by the sliding glass door when the sun is shining through. If you're missing the pups, start looking for sun spots.

Hounds Released

2007-12-05T03:23:00.000-08:00

It's been a buys few weeks since I've last posted. We sold the townhouse, bought a new house, and moved. The house we found did not have a fence so we had to get one installed. After walking the perimeter and making sure there were no imminent holes, we released the hounds. Talk about fun! I didn't have my camera with me at the moment, but I took some pictures yesterday when I released them after being in all day.

They usually start out by sniffing the fence where the neighbor dogs are. I don't see them getting along at all. Then they proceed up the hill and tend to business. After that, it's chase time. The pictures are blurry, but that was probably my fault. I didn't check the camera settings before taking photos.

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

2007-10-17T14:17:00.001-07:00

You have to move pretty quickly to beat the kids to bed. Leave the bedroom door open and they've conquered the pillows.

I'm so glad we have a king, otherwise I don't think we would all fit.

Frosty Paws

2007-09-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I found out about a dog treat called Frosty Paws. It's an ice cream treat for dogs found in the freezer section. Well, wouldn't you know it, but my local grocery carried it. So we had to buy some. The kids aren't spoiled are they?

It's about a half cup size in a paper container. Boogie and Pearl loved it. They have to lick it until it's done because of the cup. Boogie chased his around the kitchen. Pearl propped hers up against Jim (he was sitting on the floor) so it would stop moving around. It was a good thing so that Jim could keep the two separated. It was so cute!

Spotted Dog or the Great Paint Catastrophe

2007-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

We've had someone coming by our house and doing some painting for us. I locked Boogie and Pearl in the bathroom as usual knowing Painter Dude would let them out when he got into the house. Well, he underestimated the exuberance of an beagle released. The sequence of events was the Painter Dude poured paint into the paint tray, then realizing he could release the hounds, opened the bedroom door. He was preparing to paint in the master bedroom closet, so that's where the paint pan was. Pearlie ran right through it. In an effort to curb the destruction, Painter Dude grabbed Pearl. Pearl, when she's startled at being picked up, howls like she's being injured, which she did, and Painter Dude put her back down. Thus ensued catastrophe. Jim and I are amused. Painter Dude was mortified. He cleaned everything up, including the dogs as best he could. I saw paint on Boogie

And figured he had brushed up against some freshly painted trim. Then Painter Dude came in and asked if I had talked with Jim. I said no, and he explained that Pearl had created a disaster and that the paint on Boogie had come from Pearl. I took a careful look at Pearlie and:

Discovered she had painted paws. It's coming out of their fur just fine, but it must have been funny!

Confused Beagles

2007-08-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

Jim and I decided to try to sell our house and buy a single family home. To that end, we are packing up quite a bit of our stuff to declutter the house and make it more appealing. The piles of boxes in the living room has Boogie a bit confused. So he's attached himself even more to Jim, if that's possible. Pearlie just rolls with things and only get upset if her chair has stuff on it.

It's been entertaining. I've put Boogie back on his Shen calmer pills and that seems to help. Jim makes sure he spends a few minutes of beagle time when he gets home. He gets on the floor and the dogs just climb all over him, happily wagging tails and licking toes. It's really cute.

Wildlife 0, Pearl 4

2007-07-14T17:26:00.001-07:00

Apparently, Pearl has a hunting instinct that we were not aware of. Earlier in the spring Pearl caught a mouse. We thought it was cute, mostly because it looked like she stepped on it to kill it.

Then earlier last week while I was away on travel, she caught another mouse and brought it into the house. Later in the week Jim watched her as she pounced on and killed another mouse in the yard. He prevented that one from actually making it into the house.

This afternoon, Pearl brought to me a small bird, dead of course. In the house. It really kind of funny, she comes up the stairs all intent on her small package. I start talking to her and she put it down. Yeck. It look like a baby bird that had left he nest too soon and couldn't make it back out of the yard. Of course, Pearlie caught it.

I used to complain about the neighborhood cat that was killing wildlife and leaving on steps a few doors down. Now I think Pearl and the cat are about even.

We're going to have to find where the mice are hiding out and do something about it.

Really cute picture

2007-06-22T17:37:00.001-07:00

I caught a really cute picture of Pearl and had to post it. She loves sleeping with her head propped up so the doggie beds with sides are just her thing.

She's so sweet!

Doing Well

2007-05-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

As of May 2, we've had Pearl a whole year. She's doing really well, too. Here lately even more of her personality has been coming through. She's so funny! Last night, she was on the sofa digging at a sample packet of dog food. The packet was sealed and inside another plastic bag, but she sniffed it out. She's also been grabbing the stuffed squirrel and playing with it and carrying it around. Until Boggie comes over and takes it from her, that is. He always wants what she has.

Keeping them locked up in the bathroom during the day has been working rather well. There has been some chewing on the molding, but that can be replaced. No messes and no other destructive behaviour. Boogie doesn't want to go up the stairs in the morning after the second walk, but treats help. He drags on the leash, but being on the leash, you can drag him up the stairs. Once he gets started on the stairs he's better about coming on up.

Boogie's taking a snooze after being released from his incarceration (kennel). They've been boarded a lot over the last couple of weeks due to trips to Jamestown (see other blog and blog). They are really lovey when we're all home again. Pearl got her teeth cleaned during the last trip to the kennel. The vet stated she really needed it because her gums were looking pretty bad. Hopefully the water additive we're using will help keep her pearlie whites pearlie white.

Well That Didn't Last Long

2007-04-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

Apparently Boogie and Pearl started barking through their collars. This doesn't surprise me, really, but I am a little saddened by it. What this means is that we have to start keeping them in all day. Nothing really seems to be working, or providing a long-term solution.

So, the only real solution is to keep them in. Instead of giving them the whole house to run through, tho, we're keeping them in the bathroom. This may be temporary, but we'll see how they do. They have to learn to hold it again, so it may take a few months.

What really annoys me tho, is that no one told us. Our neighbor Steve was home on Friday and witness this and he told us. He also told us that another neighbor said they were going to complain to the home owners association. Instead of talking to us. So that we could do something about it. I just don't get it. We pick up after them on walks (most of our other neighbors don't). We talk with our neighbors. They told us before about the barking and that's why we got the bark collars. Obviously we're trying to be good neighbors; why would we suddenly change?

So in they stay. It's day two, and so far Boogie hasn't yet put up a fuss about being led to the bathroom. We'll see how long that lasts. Treats help!

More pictures

2007-03-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

This chair has been claimed by Pearl. Boogalu has decided that it is now his chair. So chair-wars has begun. Boogie was in the chair first so Pearlie decided for force the issue a bit and snuggle in. Boogie didn't budge.

A little while later when the sun was out, it was time to fight over the sunspot. Boogie had the sweet spot of both a bed and the sun. Pearl originally had the idea of trying to crawl in with Boogie, but we convinced her that would have been a bad idea. So she crowded into the sun on the floor as much as possible.

So far this has all been passive aggression, no fur-flying events. Funny as hell, tho!

New Views

2007-03-09T04:22:00.000-08:00

I realized as I was looking over the "kids'" blog that most of the recent pictures were of them either sleeping or lounging so as to be sleeping. So I thought I would post a couple of pictures of them actually awake. Sitting.

These were taken as each one sat on my lap. I turned on the camera and held it out the side and angled it to where I could get a side shot of their face. Pearl didn't flinch when I took her picture, flash and all, so I'm hoping she's getting more comfortable with us and the house, etc. She will be with us one year in May. They are both soooo spoiled.

Innocent?

2007-03-05T04:46:00.000-08:00

When I leave the house at 6:30 in the morning, this is what I'm leaving behind.

Isn't this just the sweetest picture of innocence there is?

Well, apparently, sweet and innocent are also vocal and loud. Yes, we had a taste of spring last week and the squirrels stirred from their nests. Much to the dismay of the neighbors. Between the hours of 7:00 am and 10:00 am is when squirrel fest takes place, and of course, being beagles, Pearl and Boogalu have to join in. Loudly. So we went to PetSmart and purchased Sonic Bark Collars. The small-scale test on Saturday seemed to work. Boogalu likes barking at Chopper the next door dog and he got "beeped" and he shut up. We'll see. Monday morning is the test.

Hanging Around

2007-01-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

Under the throw somewhere, is a beagle. Boogalu to be precise. I think he got cold and decided that under the throw was much better than on top of the throw.

So, unable to resist the cuteness, I grabbed the camera and took pictures.

I lifted the covers up and snuck a "in the den the wild dog sleeps" picture. Mutual of Omaha would be proud.

Not to be outdone, Pearl was curled up on a throw pillow. I called her name and was able to click a picture with no flash. I set up the camera ahead of time.

The original is really dark and this picture is my vain, untrained attempt to lighten the photo. I may try again later.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-21T04:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

I've been trying to capture a picture of the Boogalu and Pearl in front of the Christmas tree. Ha! What was I thinking? or drinking? Pearl shys from the camera, especially if there is a flash involved. So I'm forced to use natural lighting. Which means the wiggle beagle is blurry. I'll try again later.

I guess Boogie was cold the other day because he dug up the covering I have on the chair and snuggled under it. Of course, it was a cute camera moment.

And because Pearlie is so camera shy, it's difficult to get nice shots of her. Usually we get her while she's asleep. Here, she's sleeping on the floor of my sewing room.

Too Cute

2006-11-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

Boogalu has turned into Noodle Dog of late. It's too cute to not take a picture.

These are on two separate evenings.

Obviously, he's pretty relaxed. Jim's the favorite cushion, but I think Carla comes in a close second.

Not much going on

2006-11-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

Well not much has been happening with the pooches, which is a good thing.

The squirrels have been more active of late, getting ready for winter and burying nuts. This increased activity just drives Boogalu crazy, so he barks at them. A Lot. So much so, a neighbor asked us to keep Boogalu in while we are gone. We had been leaving the doggie door open for them. But that has to end because of Boogalu's volume and the fact he doesn't stop. I think we're going to look into a sonic bark-control device. We don't want to do a shock collar because his foster mom said he had one that was left on all the time before he was rescued. We're still researching our options.

Boogalu is snuggling up to Jim in the first picture. He can be a real snuggle bug and he is absolutely attached to Jim.

In the second picture Pearl has taken over the new doggie bed I picked up at Target. It's been a fun show to see who gets the new bed. Pearlie will take it over just long enough to make Boogalu want it, and then get out. Then she gets up on a chair. They are so much fun!

Doggie Drama

2006-09-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

We went on vacation for about 9 days in August. Boogalu's foster mom was wonderful and doggie-sat the both of them.

Then the drama. I guess we're not allowed to leave for extended periods like that. Pearl started messing in the house again. Boogie started marking in the house! Boogalu also started being finicky with his food. We were at our wits end!

We noticed some bare spots beginning to show up on Boogalu again and assumed the mange was back. We figured he was stressing out and anxious hence the marking and bald spots. So Jim takes him to the vet and gets medicine. I love our vet. She gave us mange medicine and an herbal calming medicine. The difference has been as sharp as night and day. Friday, Boogie marks in the house twice While I Was HOME! Friday night new meds. Saturday - not a single accident from either of them. Hasn't been one since. Notta. And they have been left alone for about 10 hours at a stretch.

The pictures are posted as proof we haven't strangled them out of frustration. They are both so sweet when they are behaving. Pearl is learning sit. It's been a slow process. Boogie learned things pretty quick, but Pearl waits to make sure she really has to sit before she does it. I think she has this passive-aggressive thing going on. She can be pushy!

Spoiled brats

2006-07-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

We went to Target the other week and bought dog stuff. That was a fun trip! We debated for a while whether we should get a doggie bed or not. I was pretty sure that Pearlie would love one. The instant we put the bed on the floor, she was on it. I think she belonged to a family in her previous life and was familiar with doggie beds.

We also bought some toys for Boogalu, primarily, but our little Pearl has taken to some of them. She loves Nyla bones and occasionally harrasses the stuffed squirrel. Of course, as soon as Pearl starts on a toy, Boogalu wants to take it from her. I wonder if we should be running Barney on TV while we are gone during the day to teach him to share? Here Boogalu is doing a number on the stuffed squirrel while Pearl catches some Zs in her bed.

This was just too cute to pass up. Boogalu is on the chair and I was on the floor.

Expanding Horizons

2006-07-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Boogalu and Pearl are watching us from within the confines of the temporary garden fence while we "dog proof" the new fence. Boogalu has the sense to sit in the shade of the hydrangea bush. Pearl usually does too, but she was curious.

This is reckless abandon after the temporary fence came down. Pearlie is smiling! Note the chicken wire along the fence line. We're hoping this at least deters some digging and buys us some time in order to prevent escapes. So far, so good. We'll see.

Good News!

2006-06-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

Pearl has been doing so well lately. I think the worms are what started things off on the wrong paw. The vet called yesterday to say that both Boogalu's and Pearl's stool samples were clear, no more worms! Yeah!

About two weeks ago I started slowly, very slowly, integrating Boogie's food in with Pearl's bland prescription diet and thing proceeded well. Saturday was her first day of all kibble and no prescription food and she's doing great. Even the whole "poop schedule" has been working itself out. We couldn't be more pleased.

Pearl is wonderfully fun to watch around the house. We've decided she's a "den dog." While she'll be the first up on a chair, she also like hiding underneath them or the end table. I'll try to get a picture and post it. She also likes sleeping under the bed. That's right, under it. Believe me, it works better that way. She's a very squirm-ey pooch and likes squirming right into you even at 2:00 am. We've decided we need to get some doggie beds for her. Not spoiled at all, is she?

Bunny Slayer

2006-06-12T04:44:00.000-07:00

Yep, it finally happened. Not on the Bunny Deck, as one would assume. But at home in our own back yard. Saturday I noticed the Boogalu was digging in a corner by the air conditioner. This corner was filled with dead leaves and some gardening stuff. I figured some critter was living there and now was a good time to clean it all out. A yard trash bag later, I have a cleaned out corner, but no critters. Boogalu is still interested in the area, but finally gives up.

Skip to Sunday morning. Boogalu is outside as usual. Jim glances outside from the kitchen window and notices Boogie is digging in the corner again. He yells, the dog stops. A little while later, Jim checks on Boogie again and realizes he has something. Jim says to me, "I think Boogalu has killed something." We run down the stairs and open the door and there is Booglu, very proud of himself with a small bunny hanging out of his mouth. While this makes the hearts of rabbit hunters everywhere go pitter-pat, we were not amused. Okay, we were slightly amused. "Look at me, I caught a bunny!" You could just hear him. Yes, the rabbit died. No, we did not get a picture. A) I left the camera upstairs B) I didnt' think a dead bunny would be a good picture. Using a spray bottle, Jim gets Boogie to drop the bunny and gets Boogie inside the house, where I close the door. Jim disposes of the bunny in the woods where some other animal will enjoy the kill.

Boogalu lost his mind when he realized that Jim removed the bunny. After we let him back into the yard, Boogalu spent the next 20 minutes looking for the bunny.

Lots of dog drama this weekend.

New Pictures

2006-05-24T04:27:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and she said that Pearl looked scared and sad in the first pictures we had of her on the blog. So, I endeavored to take some new pictures of Pearl in a less sad state. She is definitely settling in quite well and is given to some spotaneous frolicking with Boogalu and her bone. However, she HATES the camera. As soon as it comes out, she goes into hiding. I have to turn off the flash and use natural lighting to get any pictures of her. If the light is low, the pictures tend to be a bit blurry because either she is moving or I'm moving. Here she is hiding behind Jim who is standing at the front door.

Her favorite spots are the chairs in the living room. No particular chair, just any vacant chair.

Pearl is doing better now that we're getting the worms under control. She's also on Prednisone for the itching. We all now can get a decent nights sleep!

Isn't she cute!

Hooked!

2006-05-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a stool sample from Pearl to the vet. Yep, she has hookworms. So Pearl and Boogalu are being treated with Drontal Plus. Evidently hookworms are difficult to elminate and you need to treat the lawn to prevent re-infection. Fun.

Hopefully by getting rid of the hookworms we'll solve Pearl's colitis issue. We'll have to wait and see. I gave them the de-worming medicine yesterday, and today Pearl is a bit droopy. She's all happy to go out or be fed, but otherwise she's just sleeping. If this keeps up for another day or so, I'll be calling the vet again.

Spoke too Soon

2006-05-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I got home yesterday afternoon and there was a bloody pile on the carpet by the downstairs door. So, it's back in the cage, and back on the bland diet for Pearl. I called the vet and asked how long should Pearl be on the bland diet or should I try another type of food. The vet said three weeks on the bland diet to let her colon completely heal and rest. Then we try again. Boogalu's foster mom said one of her beagles has colitis and is on a special diet. I'm going to ask her what food that is and maybe try that after the three week rest period.

While cleaning up poop is frustrating for me, I'm sure it hasn't been a picnic for Pearl either. I could tell yesterday that her tummy wasn't doing as well. That is, until we went for a walk and she started trying to hunt the bunnies in the neighborhood. She has a sharp bark! It was so funny!

More about Poop

2006-05-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

Pearl pooped this morning before I had to leave for work! Yeah! Which meant I could leave her in the house and not cage her. It also meant I didn't have to walk through wet grass one more time to get her to poop. Hopefully this is the start of a trend.

Pearlie is doing well on her bland diet and is almost finished with her meds. I swear she is a different dog. She's more active and nosey and gets into everything you're doing. She's still submissive when Boogalu wants to play rough, so we try to make him behave himself (ha!). I started the slow process of re-introducing regular dog food a couple of days ago, and so far, so good. We're keeping a watchful eye on her!

Just when you think .....

2006-05-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

More about poop, of course.

Pearl had a great day yesterday. I caged her in order to avoid any presents and she did what appeared to be a normal poop when we walked that afternoon. I was happy. Pearl was relieved. Then the other shoe dropped. About an hour later, I was standing out back when Pearl pooped again. Only it wasn't poop, but blood. An alarming amount of it. I almost freaked. Then, being a good dog owner, I grabbed a sample and called the vet. I love my vet. She's great. We got right in.

Pearl, it turns out, has colitis. Most likely caused by the abrupt switch in dog food. So the poor thing is on a bland prescription diet for a few days, as well as medication. She's doing great and you can't even tell she has any tummy (or butt) issues. She's active and hungry.

We'll try the dog food switch again when we return from our weekend trip. Slowly this time. Really slowly.

Feeding time at the zoo

2006-05-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is feeding time at the zoo. Boogalu is in his cage and Pearl is still eating. This arrangement has been working extraordinarily well. Boogalu went into his cage Saturday morning, sat down and waited for breakfast. It was so cute! Who can resist? So we fed him and he was happy.

Pearl is much more comfortable eating with this arrangement and cleans her bowl pretty quickly. It appears that her tummy is beginning to settle down some. We actually slept in on Sunday morning and made it the alarm on Tuesday morning. Yea!

Food and Poop

2006-05-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

What else do you talk about when discussing dogs?

I called Boogalu's foster mom about feeding more than one beagle at a time and found out some surprising information about our little Boogalu. Whenever he stays at his foster mom's he is fed in his cage, and ... get this ... he will go inside the cage and WAIT for the for food! So, out came the cage and in went Boogalu's food bowl. Now when we feed the "kids", Booglau gets his bowl in his cage, close the cage door, and viola! we can now feed Pearl stress free. It has worked amazingly well. Thanks foster mom!

Now we have to work on Pearl's pooping schedule. I haven't been too worried about it yet because her tummy is still a little unsettled from switching dog food. We got her Science Diet because that was what her foster mom was feeding her. We thought that after she had settled in a bit, we would gradually switch her over to Boogalu's food. Well, she wasn't interested in HER food, she wanted Boogalu's food. Yesterday was a good day with three poops taking place outside. Today so far so good. I'm going to try a shift in the human's schedule to see if we can't get her to poop before we leave for work. We'll see how it goes.

Pearl is settling in really well. She still jumpy about new sounds and new objects, but she wanders the house, tail-wagging and sniffing. She seems to be a happy beagle.

Pearl's First Day

2006-05-04T04:03:00.000-07:00

Pearl did real well yesterday. We had no accidents in the house, but she is a bit slow about doing her business. I'm not certain what to do about that, because Friday Jim will have to go work in the morning and so will I. If she hasn't done her thing before we leave, do we crate her? Do we leave her free in the house? We have to think on this.

Meanwhile our procrastination on getting a fence put in has put us in the position of having to do it ourselves. We were going to hire a fence company, but when Jim was calling to set up appointments for estimates, there is a wait. Weeks long wait. So, if we want a fence, we're going to have to do it ourselves. We have a temporary fence stretched between the two 10-ft starter fence sections, giving the dogs about a 10 x 20 ft area in which to sniff and hopefully poop.

Boogalu and Pearl seem to be getting along fairly well. So well that in the evening we were able to capture this little scene:

Aren't they cute!?

However, this morning was a different issue. Pearl woke up at 3:30 am with an upset tummy. We ended up with a present on the bedroom floor, but I was able to get her outside for the rest of the tummy upset (more presents). There was no way I was going to get her outside fast enough, poor thing. Then Jim tried feeding them (about an hour or so later) and Boogalu was a complete butt-head over Pearl's food. Snarling and yipping ensued resulting in Pearl not being too sure about Boogalu again. We definitely have to work out this food thing.

Meet Pearl

2006-05-03T04:39:00.000-07:00

Meet Pearl, the latest addition to our pack. I apologize for the demon eyes. She's a very sweet beagle girl and very curious about her new home. She slept with the pack on the bed last night and seems to be a very happy beagle this morning. Little does she know, she's got a trip to the vet later this morning.

Boogalu has been very good thus far. There hasn't been any real fur-flying encounters. Pearl defended herself from some overly agressive butt-sniffing by Boogalu. Boogalu defended his treat-filled Kong. No blood, no foul.

We do have to learn her potty behaviour. We missed the cues last night and ended up with a present by the door. Oh well, I'm sure we'll get more over the next several weeks as we both adjust to the new routine.

Bunnies!

2006-04-11T04:15:00.000-07:00

Boogalu has discovered the bunnies living under a friends deck. If you want to witness obsessive behaviour watch Boogalu attempt to get to the bunnies.

This bunny has learned that Boogalu can't reach him through the fencing that surrounds the deck. The bunny is taunting the dog by sitting in the sun, nibbling some grass.

Witness the valiant attempts by Boogalu to get to the bunny. He's actually chewed the deck in a couple of spots.

He attempts to stick his paw as far through the fencing as he possibly can and still can't quite make it. The bunny nibbles on.

After an hour or so of bunny pursuit, we drag him back into the house. If the water bowl is empty, he brings it out to us. He then threatens to chew up the water dish unless someone puts water in it.

Boogalu has been a lot of fun this week and he greatly enjoys going over to the Bunny Deck.

Help Some Beagles

2006-03-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

Beagle Rescue Education and Welfare is helping with a hoarding case found in Maryland. Approximately 100 beagles are being rescued from a farm, where it seems someone was trying to establish a breeding kennel. It got away from them resulting in more beagles than could be reasonably handled. You can got to page 6 of Available Beagles and about half-way down, starting with Bentley you can see the first 8 beagles.

Their write-up is: "Sissy, Dawn, and Sprite are beautiful little girls rescued from a life of making puppies and birthing them in a barn. Nicely behaved in the car and snuggly sweet in your arms, these three girls are shyer than the boys, but oh, do they love to cuddle! They are being spayed and will be ready for their new homes soon. BREW rescued Bentley Too, Dexter, Dasher, Toby, Jake, Sissy, Dawn and Sprite from a hoarding situation in Charles County, MD. The person hoarding these dogs (100 beagles total) had them housed in a barn (in stalls!!). The girls were just breeding machines. The boys got more socialization than the girls did, since the boys weren’t cooped up the whole time making babies. The dogs will be pulled by lots of 20. BREW took 8 from this first group, with some of the other dogs rescued by another rescue group. More to come…."

These beagles all need vetting and neutering/spaying prior to being fostered and adopted. All of that requires money. If you can, go to the BREW website and make a donation to help them out.
You can either sponsor a specific beagle or on BREW's home page, scroll down and make a donation with pay pal.

I'm going to be on travel for business for the next 3 weeks, so there won't be another post until April.

Beagle Antics

2006-02-26T12:40:00.000-08:00

In order to eat peacefully, we give Boogalu a kong with two milkbones shoved in it. This keeps him occupied for a few minutes while he chews the milkbones out. Then it gets to the point where he can't reach the remaining milkbone bits and he started tossing the thing around. Or at you to dig out the bits. Our friend was over and was using the foot rest because of a broken foot. Boogalu put the kong on the footrest and begged. Of course, she caved and dug out the bits.

It Snowed Last Night ...

2006-02-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

A Lot of snow. I don't know about other beagles, but Boogalu does NOT like the snow. It may have something to do with being left out in the cold for days at a time before he was rescued. I had to trample a path for him to get him outside. He attempted several times to venture into the deep stuff, but the snow won those battles.

We got about 15 inches, which reaches his shoulders. He's not necessarily a happy beagle, but he's making do with the path. Here he is sitting in his pathway, on beagle patrol. You know, watching for those wiley squirrels.

Cuteness

2006-01-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Boogalu was being cute the other day, and I happen to have the camera. I had made up an air mattress on the floor of the sewing room for visitors. After they left I was slow in taking the bed down. Boogalu decided to investigate the covers and curl up and get to some serious snoozing.

New Favorite Spot

2006-01-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

I finally finished cleaning up my sewing room, and during the course of rearranging the furniture, I put a chest under the window. Of course this has become the New Favorite Spot. Boogalu loves to look out the window or front door, and being able to sit while spying on the neighbors is just grand.

He is King of all he surveys, and being a beagle, he tells me when there's movement in his area. Loudly.

Mangy Hound Update

2006-01-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Boogalu's spots are beginning to fill in with fur. I think we are winning the battle against the mange. He has definitely been less itchy lately.

He has an appointment next week to get his first skin scraping since starting the treatment. He has to have two consecutive negative scrapings to be "cured."

Reindeer Boogalu

2005-12-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours picked up these antlers complete with decoration. Boogalu is wondering what the hell these humans are up to. First a tree in the house, then boxes around the tree, and now this insane head piece.

We, the humans, just loved the idea and had to take lots of pictures.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mangy Hound

2005-12-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

We found out about a week ago that Boogalu has demodectic mange. Mange just means that he has a skin condition that causes hair loss. He has a couple of bald patches, this one here is the one that we noticed first and prompted us to take him to the vet. It looks worse now because in order to diagnose the type of mange, the vet has to take a skin scraping. So he's a slightly itchy beagle, now taking ivermectin and wearing a flea collar to kill the mites that cause the mange. Hopefully in a month or two we'll have this licked.

Christmas Tree

2005-12-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

I put up the tree this weekend and I thought a picture of Boogalu in front of the tree would be cute. While that may be true, getting the dog to sit still and be cute while I take a picture was challenging. Treats work, but "stay" is a tough command to follow for a beagle.

Self Portrait Tuesday

2005-12-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait Tuesday

Boogalu is pondering his last Teddyman. Mom and dad have yet to replace the one destroyed last week. Is today the day Teddyman must die or will he live to see another day? Teddyman destruction seems to be more fun when Dad is around and Dad is working nights tonight.

2005-12-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

As you can see I've finally added Boogalu's picture. No, we didn't name him when we got him. His foster mom changed his name because she already had a BooBoo. I guess she dances because she named him Boogalu, which is a type of dance music.

Boogalu's favorite toy is the Teddyman! Teddyman is routinely drawn, quartered, and gutted! Then it's off to the Petco for more Teddymans. Or is that Teddymen? Anyway at least one a week is completely destroyed and its guts strewn about the living room. Daddy is proud of his boy.

2005-11-23T07:01:00.000-08:00

A blog about my dog, Boogalu. Boogalu is a beagle whom we have rescued. He's really cute, about 2 years old, and loves food. What beagle doesn't.

I finally added his picture! Isn't he cute? I took this shortly after we got him in August 2005. He's really toned up since we've been walking him. Beagles need exercise or they get fat.