Poppy was tiny for a Beagle but her sudden loss left a big hole in our lives, especially coming so soon after saying goodbye to Beanie & Biggles. In the space of three months Monkey went from being part of a four Beagle pack to being an only dog; over the last month he has kind of adapted to life alone, but that life is a huge downgrade on what he had before.
We arranged various Beagle meet-ups to help him along, but what he and we really needed is.. well.. this:
Her name is Daisy, and we took her home on the 15th after her breeder very kindly brought her up from England on her way to judge at the Scottish Kennel Club competition. We met up in a service station car park, and it’s fortunate that Scottish Police forces are spending all their resources investigating “hate” crimes just now, otherwise we’d probably have been arrested on suspicion of drug dealing. I had an envelope filled with unmarked notes and was likely behaving very suspiciously as I kept an eye out for the breeder’s car. You can just imagine the conversation:
PC Copper: “So what’s all this then?”
Me: “I’m buying a Beagle.”
PC Copper: “Oh so that’s what they call it now, is it sir? Come with me, you’re nicked!”
As it was, we got home without being arrested and now 48 hrs on, things are shaping up very well.
Daisy was a bit subdued at first, which was to be expected given that she’d just had a big round of vaccinations, left the only home she’d known, gone a long journey and ended up in a strange house with a big strange Beagle boy and an even stranger pair of humies. Still, she got to check out her new garden, meet her new big brother and have a stress-relieving chew on a fresh cow hoof.
Almost inevitably given all that’s happened over the first few months of this year, we found a few things to worry ourselves about. The first was that Daisy seemed reluctant to eat her primary food, despite being quite enthusiastic about puppy training treats. Susan cooked up some scrambled egg as a stop-gap and that was devoured in short order, but the kibble remained a hard sell. Beanie pulled the same trick on us years ago so we were keen to avoid falling for it again; we switched to the puppy version of the food Monkey is currently thriving on, and swapped Daisy’s tasty training treats for pieces of the same kibble. This seems to be working; Daisy is now eating all of her meals except for the supper one.
Another worry centred around her poos; they’ve been very loose (understandable given her relocation and recent vaccination), but she has sometimes passed a tiny drop of blood at the end of them. This is however on the retreat, and again likely a reaction to her meds and all the upheaval of coming to a new home.
Finally, Daisy got a little scare when Monkey celebrated her arrival by bombing around the garden the way he used to do with Poppy. He’s a big, powerful boy and sounds more like a horse than a Beagle when he’s going at full tilt! Monkey immediately felt bad about this and we made things worse by rushing to protect Daisy, but we’ve calmed down, he’s calmed down and now he and Daisy seem to be growing together nicely. I’m hopeful I’ll be posting a photo of them snuggling together before long.
In between our new puppy parent worries there have been some absolutely wonderful moments. For example, last night before her bed Daisy was on our deck while Monkey was on the patio below. They locked eyes, rapid wagging started and Monkey climbed onto a bench so that he could touch noses with Daisy through the deck railings, before trotting up the stairs to join her. Today we’ve spent time at the bottom of the garden with a Beagle on each lap, giving tummy tickles, ear rubs and bonce kisses.
There have also of course been some gross and entertaining moments. Whenever I get Daisy out of her crate I know I’ve only got the briefest of windows to get her through the kitchen and out into the garden before the floodgates open. To heighten the sense of urgency Daisy produces her own countdown the instant I pick her up; there are little squeaks and moans building in volume and frequency with each passing second. If she suddenly goes quiet I’ve taken too long and it’s time to get the mop out and change to dry socks yet again. And of course those loose bowel movements have kept the washing machine busy refreshing old towels and soiled bedding.
It’s still early days but it feels like we’re a family again, and I think Daisy’s going to be an amazing little girl; not a replacement for Poppy, but a worthy successor.
Such a lovely happy post. You have had such an upsetting time recently but I v much hope that from now on ur posts Wil b full of the fun and mayhem that being a beagle owner involves! Daisy is adorable, that lovely pink tummy!!x
I’m so happy to read this and see the photos! Welcome, Miss Daisy! I do think having this little cutie pie will help all three of you after the rough start and difficult losses of the past few months. Much love and wishes of great fun for all of you! :)
Thanks Susan & Amanda! Yep Daisy’s really lightened things up; she’s a brilliant little character and a cuddler, and we fell in love with her instantly. I think she’s really helping Monkey too; he was a bit confused to begin with but increasingly he seems to be generally much happier and more relaxed.