"If there are no dogs in heaven, I want to go where they went."
Will Rodgers
Will Rodgers
HH Fire Walker's Rascal - Born: April 17, 2009We had a bit longer search this time to find a Beagle puppy... Rowdy's breeder was no longer breeding dogs, but we did find two breeders in our area - both expecting litters. We planned to wait, but to our surprise; Heidi McKeon at Tradewinds Beagles - contacted us on June 21st. The sale of one male puppy had fallen through. We made arrangements to visit on the 27th & we returned home with Rascal!
Kitt first touches noses with Rascal~
11-1-2009 Kitt & Rascal on a sunny fall morning~
Rascal & Kitt, March 21, 2012
7/30/13 - His favorite spot in the camper :-)
At just over a year, Rascal attained 15" & 30 lbs., a Field size Beagle. Both Abby & Rowdy had been the smaller 13" Show size. He has substance, a nice big square head & large paws! He loves the grand-kids & is jealous of oldest grandson Ben. Kitt tolerated his presence & allowed him to lay beside her in the sun.
11-1-2009 Kitt & Rascal on a sunny fall morning~
As Kitt aged, Rascal made it his job to look out for her. He was with her constantly. What surprised us was she didn't seem to mind. He was only three when we lost Kitt, his howls at her passing, we will never forget...
Rascal & Kitt, March 21, 2012
We call Rascal our Special Needs Beagle :-) He's more Hound than we bargained for & has numerous ticks... Licking his paws, shaking the minute you try to pet him, shaking on his lead every few steps, over drinking water - the list goes on. He's dug out from under the fence more times than we can count & has to wear his Invisible Fence collar full time. If the batteries go dead - we find out - because he's dug out! You'd think with acres to run - it would be enough, but Beagles like to follow their nose & his is always working overtime!
7/30/13 - His favorite spot in the camper :-)
He was so happy to have a friend again, when Nika joined our family - even if she demanded all our attention - hence her nickname; The Princess. Partial to me, Rascal & I share a chair in the evenings for our togetherness time :-) He's handsome, always turns heads in public & we have to constantly remind people that as cute as they may be - managing these independent hounds can be a challenge!
It broke our hearts to return Rascal to his breeder when we made the move to Iowa. We couldn't see any way to keep him happy without a fenced yard. We knew it would be months & months before that would happen. Even then, he's so determined to dig, he would get out. He was never happy staying home... He also had a tough time with colder temperatures. We'd be moving right into those long, cold midwest winters... Giving up on him is something I'll regret forever...
