Born Beagle-less

A spectacular day for mankind occurred when mom shoved me into the world eons ago. Overlooking beautiful Biscayne Bay in my dreams, my sojourn into life began just scant miles from the campus of the University of Miami (GO CANES!, sorry that just slipped out).

While growing up we had cats and dogs for pets. Although we never had an official Beagle, I suspect "Tippy" was part Beagle, thus his name referencing the white tip on his tail synonymous with the tip of the merry little hounds tail known as Beagles.

One dog that was definitely not a Beagle, was "Shadow" the German Shepard. She was named for the street we lived on, Shadow Way and because she was all black except for a tan strip on her chest. Shadow was the last of a litter because her ears would not stand up. Dad paid the $15 and we brought her home.

She was the perfect pet and guard dog. We could mess with her all day long and she seemed to love the attention. However, if she did not know you and you happened to invade her space, you were in trouble.

I recall an incident with the meter reader who came into the back yard to read the electric meter. Shadow was sleeping in the utility room, as the gate opened she quickly sprang into man eater mode. Once she made eye contact with the unfamiliar figure entering into her yard, she quickly covered the distance necessary to keep him from doing so. However, he was caught with no place to go by now......ummmm except for the pool. He instantly hopped in and started screaming "help" all the while Shadow was foaming at the mouth as she announced her displeasure.

Dad had to read the meter from that point on and leave a note with the readings for the guy.

Fast forward to 2002 when I arrived at the house one afternoon and I am greeted by a cute little Beagle named "Bama" by his owner, also known as Little Ja. We joyfully got to experience the destructive powers that such a small but determined hound can wreak on a household.

Lets just say young Bama WOULD NOT be restrained in a fenced yard, closed off  kitchen or cage without escaping or giving you the business when you had the timidity to return home.

The boy dug out of the yard and sat waiting on the front porch as if to say, "what took ya'll so long". While at dinner one night, he somehow moved his cage from the living room to the kitchen while destroying the plastic liner in the bottom of the cage and pulling a rug into the cage and shredding that also. He dug up a bathroom floor covering until his paws were cut and bleeding. Strong willed is an understatement when describing him.

Bama also has a very loving side. Mrs. Ja was recovering from having a kidney removed because of a cancerous tumor. Bama rarely left her side, offering super Beagle healing vibes 24 hours a day.

Bear in mind Beagles are scent hounds meaning they hunt prey with their very powerful nose. The whole hunting thing is pretty strong with Bama. One morning I got in the shower and by the time I had showered dressed and checked on him he had killed the love seat (in fact the one he standing next to in the above pic). He was after a dead as fred lizard under the aforementioned love seat.

Bama now roams his 17 acre Beagle Dreamland in Alabama with Little Ja and his family.

Shortly thereafter, Beagle #2 came to live with us as a 12 week old scared little fella. Because of a V shaped pattern on his coat around the neck we named him Vincent Bradley, named for Tampa Bay Lightning players Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards.

This little critter was nothing like Bama though. He was so insecure and still is to a point. He lives to play, eat and sleep in equal proportions. He is a true joy.

He also has epilepsy. The first time he had a seizure, he was six months old and we were in the back yard just hanging out. All of a sudden he fell down and began to shake. We scooped him up and went to the Vet's office just minutes away. By the time we arrived to see Dr. Matthews, he had recovered and he was his normal happy go lucky self. We were a wreck, but he was fine. He takes Phenabarbarbatol every day to help control the epilepsy. Although he still has sezures about every 30-35 days, he is safe and loved and well cared for. I would not trade him for anything.

Except for the early morning wake up calls to let me know me know he is alive and would like to eat now. He jumps up on the bed and flops down on my feet to wake me up as if I can't hear the 5 minutes of scratching and yawning he goes through before pouncing.

Vince and his brother from a different mother, Miles, are constant companions and cook up lots of mischief to keep themselves and us entertained.

And yes, even Mr. Fun Lover himself dishes out the compassion when necessary. While recovering from an extensive leg surgery not long ago, he and Miles were my rehab overseers as I worked 6 hours a day on the C.P.M. (Continuous Passive Motion) machine necessary to get my leg back into shape.

Before you rush out and decide to bring a Beagle into your family, there are a few things you must understand about them. Everything they do revolves around that nose. They are a bit stubborn and don't always respond when you call them. They are escape artists and will run like the wind if they escape. Being hit by cars is a common malady among the breed as a result. Beagles are the ultimate food whore and will use those sad brown eyes to sucker you into giving them a treat or ten.

Beagles are wonderful companions and dish out affection in shovel loads.I may have come into the world Beagle-less, but I won't leave it that way.