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3/9/09:  Hi everyone! It's hard to believe that it's been nearly a year since BRSM brought three wonderful hounds into our lives. We wanted to fill you in on the Three Musketeers' latest adventures.

Last year was very busy --- one of our cats, Guiness, came down with triaditis during the summer, and had to be fed through a tube (at first through his neck, then through his abdominal wall) for several months. We're happy to report that he's completely recovered and back to his furry, rambunctious self, and the beagles were very patient and indulgent with him during his convalescence.

The Musketeers have become regulars at the Quiet Waters Dog Park, and have made some fast friends, including three basset hounds, a pug and a puggle, a miniature greyhound, and half a dozen other beagles of all ages. As much as they love their backyard and walks around the neighborhood and downtown Annapolis, they "brooooo" with special enthusiasm whenever we head to the "Bark."

Shiloh, who came to us as a little 17 lb waif of a pup, is now taller than Angie! Angie has slimmed down and become quite athletic, and Spencer, who was initially very timid of being handled, is turning into a lap dog. With patience and creativity, we've also managed to train all three of them together in some basic commands --- "sit," "wait," "crate," "outside," and "bed." They're developing quite a vocabulary!

We hope all the humans and four-footeds at BRSM are doing well --- all our best wishes to you, and thanks again for bringing such loving companions into our lives.


3/17/08: Angelina Joins the Pack!

Spencer and Shiloh were getting along just fine, but something
seemed to be missing. That "something" turned out to be Angelina, who joined the pack after a *very* brief fostering period (less than one week). We took Spencer and Shiloh to a meet and greet at the BRSM adoption day at PetsMart in Silver Spring, and after encountering Angie, the Dynamic Duo soon became the Three Musketeers (for the curious, we've decided that rambunctious Shiloh is Porthos, sometimes melancholy-looking Spencer is Athos, and kissy Angie is Aramis; Guiness the Cat with Thumbs often tags along as D'artagnan, while Joey the Shy Cat plays "audience" and stays away from the main action). Little Angie joined our fur family with a minimum of fuss, and has become a high-energy playmate for Shiloh and a good companion for Spencer.

While Spencer and Shiloh sport the pointier noses and the black-and-tan and tricolor redtick/bluetick coats common in hunting lines in the southeastern U.S., Angie looks more like an English-type tricolor beagle with her boxier nose, square head, and round freckles. For those unfamiliar with her story, she came to BRSM with the number 8 bleached into her fur on each flank and her tail docked, legacies of field trials and being penned as a hunting beagle. Her "crazy eights" seem to be fading as new fur replaces the old, and even though she came into the world with a long beagle tail, her new little tail is adorable; she wiggles her whole butt when she wags. She also has a different fur-swirl pattern on her butt (of course we included a picture). Like Shiloh, she's a real rocket dog, and chases around the living room, back yard, and dog park with high spirits.  She snuffles and chuffles like a basset hound when following a scent (she snores like one, too!). Originally a very polite and quiet little girl, she now barks and bays with enthusiasm, thanks to her Heathen Hound packmates.
What's that line from "A Midsummer Night's Dream?"  "A cry more tuneable/Was never holla'd to, nor cheer'd with horn . . ." Well, it's music to our ears, anyway, having lived with bassets for twenty years.

In other news, Shiloh is indeed proving to be something of a swimmer. During a recent visit to the dog beach at Quiet Waters Park on a warm day, several retrievers were splashing in and out of the water. After baying and carrying on along the water line for a few moments with a frisky beagle-retriever mix, Shiloh bounded into the South River after the dog, then casually paddled back to shore. Spencer and Angie prudently stayed above the high tide mark, watching the antics from the comfort of dry sand.

That's all for now . . . we'll send more anecdotes and pictures as the Musketeers enjoy further adventures together. Thanks again to BRSM for bringing such wonderful dogs into our lives!

To visit with Angelina's pack mates, go to Shiloh and Spencer's hompages.