Ben.ny Beagle

This is a pretty poor picture of Ben.ny Beagle. I tried to lighten it up, but didn't have any luck. Maybe you can see his smiling face here? He's the pound puppy that was adopted the same day as Welling.ton, but at another shelter.

The day YD and I went to the pound, we walked into the dog area and there were several large dogs bounding off the walls - mostly black labs, for some reason. There, next to the bars, sat Ben.ny. He just looked at us with a sorrowful look, and put one paw up on the bars. I looked at him and talked to him a bit, but he didn't hardly move. He was being so calm. We looked at the other animals, cats and dogs, and when we got back to his cage he hadn't moved a bit! Still he looked at us and again put his paw up on the bars.

We asked to take him out and they let us. He was very loving - trying to get up on our laps (he weighed 35 lbs then!). He just moved in the slowest, most deliberate way... Ben.ny wasn't his name, I forget what they were calling him - he was a stray. I teasingly said we should call him "Slo-mo", as he moved in slow motion! I'd had a beagle growing up and have always had a soft spot in my heart. I knew he wasn't going to be the first dog adopted as he just wasn't the kind to beg for attention. He won my heart, though.

We started looking through the name book while they got him ready to go. The minute we saw the name "Ben.ny" we knew that was his name...!

It took both of us to load him into the car, and YD held him on her lap. (If you'd call that being held). He kept trying to get over onto my lap, and he didn't jump or bark or really insist, he just kept pushing - steadily - on her arm, trying to get over to me. When he wants to go somewhere, he just keeps going like a tank.

He hasn't gotten any faster, although we have found if he wants to move, he can. He loves chasing rabbits and can go howling after them if he gets off his leash. Very deceptive. He also proved that he can get a sandwich off a table faster than you can say, "Ben.ny!". He's grown quite a bit since we got him - now weighing 50 lbs. - and even though he's been on 'diet food' for a year, he's not lost any of that extra weight. The vet says think what he'd look like if he wasn't on diet food!

He likes to go for walks, but can't go very far... not only because he gets tired, but if we got too far and he decided he wasn't going any further, I wouldn't be able to carry him home!

Once, shortly after we got him, Hubby was asleep in the recliner and Ben.ny got away from me and went charging through the house - launching himself onto Hubby, practically knocking them both on the floor and startling the hell out of Hubby! From then on, Hubby called him the "bowling ball". He is a sweet and lovable mutt. He has to live in an outside kennel since we've moved to the new house, but he has a door that gets him into the garage where he has a heated doggy house (or fan-cooled in the summer) and a nice cushy place to rest, and he can get outside when he wants into an enclosed area. More for his protection from wild animals, than anything.
He's a sweetie!