Bosco, Gigi, Vanna and I posing for our first family portrait at Mara's house

Boscoe smiling at the camera while Gigi contemplates her new brother

Boscoe enjoying meeting his new best friend, Vanna (he almost fell asleep right there!)

Boscoe getting a bath by Champion Bath-Master, Jordan

Boscoe showing his love of pig ears

 
Gigi watching Boscoe, in his home-made diaper, eat his pig ear very slowly 

November 26, 2007:  Even though we had arranged to look at all cat-friendly (or cat ignore) beagles, when I walked into Mara's and stood at the gate, one big guy just popped right out at my heart.  It was Boscoe.  Mara said Boscoe is a good and quiet, non-demanding Beagle, but it is always the squeaky wheel that gets greased, so he had been overlooked to that point.  I really couldn't understand because there he was, double chinned and smiling so hard his eyes crinkled, and so happy that he was bouncing his front feet back and forth, like he was marching in place.  For me, it was love at first sight, but what would Gigi think?  We decided to take him outside to meet her and he took to his leash right away, leading the way to that special front yard where all the best things happen. 

Gigi was a bit dubious, but then they sniffed, gave each other looks from the corners of their eyes and Boscoe made that first move by sticking his nose right into the heart of the matter.  While Gigi remained a bit reserved, it was clear from the way the Bos looked back over his shoulder at us that he thought Gigi was the bee's knees.

After his introduction to Jordan and Vanna, a bit of walking and socializing, we decided we needed to see Gigi's reaction to other dogs.  After all, if there was a chance for her to fall head over heals for a new companion to wile away the lazy days with, who were we to curtail that?  We brought out lovely Jenny and Toulouse, but Gigi responded poorly with both of them, though we found them to be a human's dream-come-true.  After bringing Boscoe back out (he was waiting so patiently in a crate doing his Boscoe dance), and cat-testing him real quick, he and Gigi seemed to be the match.  They stood together, sides pressed together while looking in opposite directions while us humans gabbed.  It was a done deal.  I was never so happy to sign a contract!

He looked a little confused when he started to go away from the house in the direction of the parking area, but once Gigi started her little pig-trot down, he followed with a smile.  Boscoe went right into the crate for the long drive back to Norfolk.  He was a champ in the crate--much better behaved than our Gigi is in the car, as a matter of fact!  We pulled part of the back seat down so we could interact with him in the back of the Cruiser and he smiled the whole way home with that large Boscoe Grin while he looked out the windows.  We quickly discovered that Boscoe isn't quite the chowhound his impressive size might suggest, at least not with new foods.  Gigi acted a fool when we broke out the pigskin twists and duck chips, but the Bos-man took them very politely, laid them in his crate and then stared at them.  Eventually he made a nice pile in the corner using the famous Beagle Nose Shovel.  He has since decided that duck is a very Good Thing.

Boscoe Says: Guys, the duck chips are good! You should pull them off the shelf for your human since they might not notice them right off. They are crunchy also so my humans said it was good for my teeth. What does "your breath could stop a truck mean"?

It was full dark by the time we got home and Boscoe was a little
nervous at all the new smells around my yard. The marsh, the woods and the river may have been recognizable as such, but it was different enough to make him stop and take stock. The girls went right into action and did the Boscoe love-in, which worked in 10 seconds flat and Boscoe then cruised around the yard having a tinkle on everything he could find.

Boscoe Says: You wouldn't believe the lack of Beagle-osity around here! Gigi is a girl and didn't appropriately mark the yard for herself. I fixed it now, but right now I need more water so I can go get the woods in the back.

As soon as Boscoe got inside we found out one thing he didn't know; how to walk upstairs in a house. He walked up the brick front steps, but only with great deliberation and concentration, but flatly refused to have anything to do with the stairs to the second floor. We carried him up. He kept smiling the whole way until he saw...cue scary music...the bathtub.

We popped him right in the bath and that was the first time I hadn't
seen Boscoe without some sort of smile on his face. Boscoe quickly realized that a bath may mean getting wet, but it also means 4 hands to hold and rub him down, so he laid right down in the water and started groaning that Beagle groan we all know and recognize. He didn't want to get out of the bath by the time we were done.

Boscoe says: Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure! Mara, why didn't you tell me about the whole bath thing if I go to a home? It was most wet and then I had no more of the good beagle-y aroma on me. Don't worry, I fixed it by rubbing my wet self all over the carpet, the people, the couch and my bed. I now smell better. By a lucky stroke, I found some nice fresh fox poop too! I smell like that now too. I like it very much.

As Boscoe said, he has walked about and explored the neighborhood and my part of the wetlands in the back. He did find some fresh fox poo and rolled all over it. He then appeared to believe that a nap on it would be good. He rolled over, all four feet up in the air, closed his eyes and started snoring. I tried hard not to laugh loud, but after about 5 minutes I had to get him up. He really was just going to conk out therewith me holding his leash.

We also discovered, this first day, that Boscoe has the weirdest
bathroom habits. I know the wisdom that Beagles go in bushes, but Boscoe takes the cake. After a walk to the river and back, with loads of lovely grass areas and even some higher weedy areas, Boscoe decides that this marsh grass display on the side of the driveway at the biggest house in my neighborhood is the perfect place to poo. So, he climbs up on top of it, right to the middle and does his thing. The girls and I were laughing so hard I almost fell down and Gigi looked absolutely appalled.

Boscoe says: What is the big deal? I mean, it was a nice bush of grassy stuff. The humans started sounding like they were choking but smiling, so I didn't need to Heimlich them. Gigi backed up from me a few steps and just stared at me. I felt naked! When I climbed out of the bush, the humans started digging in the bush and then tried to fluff it back up. Big human said that all her neighbors were gonna hate her for sure, but she was doing the choking thing so I don't think she meant it. We decided I would do my poop business in the back in the woods and the marshes for a while.

We discovered that Boscoe is crate trained, perfectly so, but once that door is open; all beware. We went shopping in the "husky boy" section but still couldn't find a band for pee training that would stay put around his lovely rolls. I make some out of muslin instead and he looks like he's got a kimono bow on his back when he walks around the house. It is hilarious. We are working on it. He is quite smart and very willing to do what we think is right, despite his own misgivings.

Boscoe says: I don't get it? The cat, Buddha, has rubbed his cheek on everything in the house more than once, (even me!), but I can't put a little piddle on it? I decided the coffee table and the Persian rug below it needed a little something and my human said, "no", and used some stuff called Zero Odor, to take all my Boscoe smell away. I decided that since I get to piddle around the outside of the house, maybe she lets Buddha rub his cheeks inside the house so he doesn't feel left out. I'll try to remember, but I still don't get it! I even tried to use the litter box like Buddha but only on the outside of it. They choke-smiled again. I don't get it.

Boscoe is learning the joy of new food now. The chicken stew I make for the dogs is apparently a hit. His first bowl was gone fast and he had it all over his face. He has already learned that bowls bring great happiness and we are treated to a special edition of the Boscoe dance. He didn't like Kibble at all, at least the one we have at home, but after smushing a bit of stew in it, we now have a happy breakfast, Beagle style.

He may not have liked kibble due to his teeth.  He can't go in to get his teeth done until we are sure of his medical condition.  So he will have 3 months of monitoring and tests before we can schedule it.  Given his relatively unknown age (9-ish), this seems prudent.  Thyroid test, diabetes testing, full blood panel and some other logical testing start after one month of in-house monitoring.  We decided to put him on a morning kibble schedule so that he could start working on his own teeth, via diet, first.  Gigi came in a similar, but less drastic condition, and after her three month monitoring, she didn't even need it anymore.

Boscoe says: Thyroid? Listen, maybe Mara can tell his human how to look for herself, but I'm pretty sure they removed my thyroids when I got rescued by you. I mean, I can look...yep...they are gone. And how were they going to test them anyway...geez.

So, Boscoe is learning to love dental stix, rawhide dental twists, pigskin twists, pigs ears and other crunchy goodies.  Yes, I know that won't help his weight, but right now we are focusing on first things first.

Boscoe says: Score! All I have to do is just give the patented Beagle Stare and I get something crunchy and good. Sometimes I have to eat them slow and then I hide them in my crate. Gigi can eat a pig ear in less than a minute and then she circles my crate trying to get at my personal stash.

Over the past week, Boscoe has adjusted wonderfully to our home. He has his past and we are working past it into his new and comfortable future. We discover something new every time we turn around. Christmas decorations are going up around the neighborhood and we have discovered that Boscoe is captivated by those moving lighted deer that people put in their yards. He comes out of the house, scopes around and then keeps his eyes locked on the moving deer lights until we are well past them. Not sure what that is about. He also stops when he sees a car. I mean,
stock still. Especially at night with the lights. He is a good boy and we are working on his comfort level. His bathroom training is coming along but old habits die hard and he is quite okay with his little diapers in the house. He is already looking trimmer and sleeker and his joints are doing better. We started him on Wellactin and Glyco-Flex II along with the home cooked food and it sure doesn't take long to kick in. Oh...and he has stopped pooping in bushes.

Boscoe Says: I will send you guys lots of updates. Right now we are doing something weird called Christmas and there is a tree in the house. I am going to try to pee on it for you. There is also lots of paper to play with that is shiny. Gigi likes me more now. In her bedroom, she sleeps on her human bed, sometimes with one of the short humans, but I am still sleeping in my crate because I feel safer and I don't feel tempted to pee on stuff. I am eating many pig ears for my teeth and we went shopping at a cool place that had dogs in it. We got presents for my friends because I miss them. I know it might not be manly, but I do, so I have to have someone in my sight all the time right now. Mostly Gigi so I can snuggle when I really miss my friends. My new favorite thing is
to sit on the couch and snuggle while I get groomed. I really like my short humans, Jordan and Vanna, they make silly noises while we snuggle and I like it very much. Try a Zoom Groom guys, it is the best! We got one for your box. It is just for Beagle-y dogs.
I will write soon. For now, Paws Up!

Please pass this to Mara so she can see how her Boscoe-lator is doing...

Best to you all and thank you so much, once again....Christy, Gigi,
Boscoe and the human girls: Jordan and Vanna

December 3, 2007:  I spent 5 days in Florida with my Mom and while I was gone, my sister Joy stayed at my house to look after Boscoe and Gigi for me. By the time I left, Boscoe was almost house trained and knew the house schedule well, but I wasn't sure how well he would do without me. He develops attachments quite easily, being the affectionate party hound that he is. Well, he was a champ! He is, for the most part, completely housetrained!  When I came back, he greeted me with the Boscoe dance (it looks like a doggie version of the hustle) and snuggled as much as he could with me the whole weekend. He has had no setbacks from it at all. We are very proud of him!

His figure is very slightly slimmed down, maybe a pound, but he actually feels heavier.  I think it isn't so much weight loss as weight redistribution with all his cardio workouts.  He is cutting quite the dashing figure! 

Gigi and he have a tentative agreement. Boscoe tries to be the #1
dog and Gigi pouts. She is very much used to being the princess and she is still a bit standoffish most of the time. But there is progress. They give each other nose kisses and will lay next to each other on the couch (leaving no room for me!) as long as Boscoe doesn't actually try to lay on her. Once he starts pushing her with his feet or laying his head on her she is outta there!  We are slowly working it out and giving Gigi lots of loving reinforcement. It is always a slow process with older dogs so set in their ways like Gigi.
 
Boscoe remains a joy to have around and I'm thankful for him every single day.  Gigi might not know it now, but she is too.  No more long days with no one to interact with while I'm at work.

12/04/07 Update: ...and the best is for last.  I was upstairs last night and the doggies were on the couch.  (Boscoe actually watches TV, which is very strange.)  A few minutes later, I heard what sounded like a stampede.  Having never heard that before, I came down the stairs and peeked.  It was Gigi and Boscoe practicing being NASCAR cars all over the downstairs.  They were wagging tails and jumping on each other and appeared to be having a blast!

Mara, you were right!  It takes a couple of weeks and then "click" it just happens.  It happened. :)