Lost & Found~

Rascal - camping  6-19-15

It started out normal enough - at least normal for a Beagle owner!  Monday, I'd taken Farah out for a ride from home.  We returned, Butch got home from work - we were doing our evening chores, called the dogs for their dinner & Rascal didn't appear!  It was hot, we were tired, but Butch went looking...  Rascal had to have dug out, but Butch could not find where.  Leash in hand - he headed out to find him.  After over an hour, he came back & in another hour Rascal was at our gate - wanting in!

Sleeping at the beach~ 6-11-15

He's been the most nonchalant Beagle of the three we've owned over the last 25+ years...  Not much rattles him, he's lazy, easy going & we call him our "Special Needs" Beagle :-)  He's not of the same breeding our first two were - so is special in that regard too!  He obsessively shakes any time you touch him.  On a leash hiking - he stops to shake about every 15-feet.  He licks his paws, licks & licks...  They are the cleanest paws on the planet & they are large!  He will also drink water excessively - to the point where he has to up-chuck it all!  He gets car sick, so doesn't get breakfast when we're going on the road...  (Nika hates this - as she doesn't get breakfast either :-)  But - we love him & have invisible fencing woven into the grizzly wire, all around our acreage.  He's manged to get out before, once resulting in me & our little Beagle puppy Mischief getting injured by the "Adjoining Landowners" pit. 

He was a gorgeous puppy! 6-28-09

Over the years, with Abby - once the entire place was fenced in Grizzly wire, we had to run hot wire 4" up from the bottom - all the way around to keep her from digging out!  That was a nightmare to maintain.  Eventually invisible fencing came on the market & we switched to that.  Expensive, but it worked really well for a long time.  I didn't like it that the dogs had to wear the collars with electrodes, but if it gave them the freedom to run & be dogs - so be it. 

Since then, the only time they've escaped - is if the fence looses it's connectivity.  That always costs us in worry, time lost finding them & the expense of new wire.  The original wire lasted at least a couple years - with an occasional break from downed branches etc. to repair.  The last time we had it to replace - we were lucky if it had lasted a year...  Now - it's out again!

I had to be gone all day on Tue., so we put Rascal on his cable by the kennel.  He's smart enough not to get tangled & was fine, if unable to run with Nika. Tue. evening Butch came home with a different unit.  We thought that it would work temporarily until the weekend when we'd have time to replace all the perimeter wire.  Once it was set up, he'd have the run of most of the back-yard to the house.  Butch turned it on, Rascal quickly realized where the boundary was & we figured we were good.

Wednesday morning I let them out of the kennel as usual.  When I went back out less than an hour later - Rascal was Gone!  I called for him, went looking for him, called the only neighbors who are our friends - where he's been known to go in the past & we still couldn't find him!  Panic mode sets in - Donnie helped by giving me all the information as to where to post him as missing etc.  She drove around our area talking to people & looking for him!  Butch told me to stay home, because he'd come back as he'd done on Monday & would need to be let in.

Grandson Ben & Rascal~

 By afternoon - when he hadn't come home I knew something was very wrong.  Donnie stayed at our place while I left to print up posters, hand them out & put them up.  I'd posted his photo to the Facebook page;  Lost Dogs of Snohomish County - Kristin was so helpful & was at our gate by evening with advice, poster material etc.  Her positive attitude & support were so appreciated!

I was awake all night, went out almost every hour to listen for him.  I could see him cruising the neighborhood, making other dogs bark, but it was very quiet.

4-11-10 With Grandson Mason & Granddaughter Cassidy

By Thursday morning, I was beside myself - he'd been gone a full day!  I was up & out looking early.  I planned to saddle up & ride my trails to see if he might be up there, but really didn't think so - since he'd never shown an interest in following me when I ride out from home.  I was just walking back down our road when the Waste Management truck was coming up.  They stopped & told me they'd seen the signs & were already keeping an eye open for him!  As he said;  "We go Everywhere!"  So true & something to remember if you're in the sad situation we were...

As he pulled away - I thought I heard Rascal bark!  It's hard not to recognize a beagle bark!  It sounded muffled, like he was locked up somewhere.  I went running back up the hill - thinking that our "bad" neighbors might have locked him up!  Lucky for me - they didn't seem to be home, nor were their dogs...  I looked, but sure didn't see him.  I was starting back again when I thought I heard a whimper???  The only place left to look yet again... was our woods.  I called & called as I walked - no response.  I stopped & again heard a whimper!  The only place left - was to walk the now dry creek bed.  It was heavily overgrown - but I plowed on.

Rascal, in front of the hole where I found him~

There was an old stump that I'd totally forgotten about!  Down in the center of it - was Rascal!  The collar was going beep, beep, beep & he was so scared he would not come out!  I reached in & got the collar OFF!  Threw it aside & had to bodily pull him out with him in full resistance mode!  I put his leash on - crying all the while & he refused to walk.  I picked him up & held him to me, giving him kisses & telling him that everything would be OK...

He's just over 30-lbs. but I carried him - busting back through the bushes to the trail.  Once at the house I offered him water from his bowl - Nika came for a drink, he took a swallow, but no more...
I was worried that he's thirst mechanism had shut down, but once in the house, after more cuddling - he drank.  At first he didn't want a cookie, but soon ate it & soon after that was sick...  He did pee - but it was dark.  Within an hour, he drank again & kept it down.  I fixed a very small bowl of his food with beef broth - he consumed that & Nika thought it a great treat!

Rascal camping - 6-7-14

It had taken me over two-hours to find him, once I'd heard him.  I think he'd finally gotten desperate enough, thirsty enough & hungry enough to call out for help.  Needless to say - he stayed close to me all day & I spent most of it watering & rubbing his tummy :-)

I think he'd tried to go out on his usual morning rounds, forgetting the new barrier & got shocked!  He ended up on the far side of the perimeter & was terrified by the hard shock from nowhere!  With the collar beeping - he was so scared that he just hid!

I have to say how much I appreciate all the help from Donnie, Kristi, Pat & so many others who shared his photo & got the word out that he was "missing".  We are so thankful that he's OK!  Our job this weekend will be replacing all that wire!  Part of the fun of Beagle ownership!