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3/17/08:  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.

2/20/08:  A Day at the "Bark"

Spencer and Shiloh are enjoying their frequent outings to Quiet Waters Park, and their preferences are becoming clearer. Shiloh has become quite the "rocket dog" at the small dog park, making the social rounds, then joining (or more likely, inciting) the chase. Italian greyhounds, small fuzzy dogs, other beagles --- it doesn't matter, as long as they're running around with her at top speed. She also stuck her paws and nose into the South River during her first visit to the dog beach; we may have a swimmer on our hands. Spencer endures the dog park with good grace, preferring the attention of people to that of the dogs, but loves walking the miles of paved and unpaved trails and "sounding" at the occasional whiff of a wild critter. We've introduced them to the ritual of a post-park snack at Grump's cafe, where the owners are always ready with dog biscuits, a water bowl and much petting. On particularly chilly days, they like to finish their park day by warming up near the fireplace at home.

           
The beagles have also had their first visit with our long-term vet, who has a beagle of her own. She pronounced them both adorable and in good health, though Spencer would benefit from a dental cleaning, and Shiloh needed treatment for mild diarrhea caused by giardia, which she may have picked up recently (drinking from stagnant puddles, sucking on decomposing leaves, typical hound stuff), or may have been harboring from her pre-rescue days. I'm inclined to think she may have come to BRSM with latent giardia, which would explain her earlier bout of diarrhea and inability to gain weight. In any case, she's doing very well. When she came home with us a month ago, we transitioned her back to a nutrient-dense, three-meal-a-day puppy feeding schedule to see if it would help her fill out a little, and she's been growing like a weed. (When we visited Mara and the folks at the Arundel Mills Adoption Day, Mara called her a "little horse!") Spencer, on the other hand, has been trimming down around the middle and putting on noticeable muscle in his arms and legs from a slight reduction in chow quantity and all those park outings; he's quite the handsome guy. We've recently had to tighten the chest band on his harness and loosen Shiloh's collar for a better fit, so something good is going on. (The exercise isn't hurting us, either.)

Spencer had been having some intermittent issues with being harnessed and leashed (ducking, dodging, crying), though it seems to be clearing up with time. At first we thought it was fearfulness, as the little guy had a miserable puppyhood, but it didn't seem to follow any particular pattern. During our Adoption Day visit, Sue suggested it might be shoulder or back-related pain rather than simply fear; good call! We plan to have his back x-rayed when he goes in for his dental appointment to see if there's anything going on under the radar. Meanwhile, he seems to be responding well to a glucosamine complex we started him on a month ago, with occasional mild pain relievers when he seems particularly sore. (Geez, maybe it's been triggered by all that trotting and running around after a comfortable life in rescue! I'd be sore too.)

That's all for now. (And don't tell Mara, but there's talk in the air of maybe expanding the pack with a new permanent member or possibly a foster after the Spring semester is over and these two complete some basic obedience training.) :)

Cheers,

Chris and Kathy    
                                     

2/1/08 Update:  "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!"

Shiloh Blue and Spencer are continuing to settle in, and are becoming more playful and relaxed with time. We recently rented the movie version of "Underdog"
(starring a beagle), and Shiloh was utterly fascinated by it, barking and baying at most of the dog scenes.  We weren't sure whether she was really watching the movie or responding to the dog noises on the soundtrack (typical puppy behavior)so we muted the movie for a while, and she continued to watch it --- quickly
tiring of the beagle, but focusing on the German shepherds whenever they appeared on screen. So much for the old theory of dogs being unable to pattern a TV/DVD picture into an intelligible image!

We've also begun forays into the dog park and the woodland walking trails at Quiet Waters Park, which is inspiring much enthusiasm all around. We'll keep
you updated!
 

Shiloh Blue and Spencer are doing very well.  We're amazed at how quickly they're adapting to their new home and settling into their new routine!  We took them for a walk at Quiet Waters Park the day they came home and heard their beagle voices for the first time--Shiloh barked at a collie, Spencer at a squirrel.  During the weekend they went for their first downtown walk-around in Annapolis and met some of the humans in the "extended pack" for a movie night at home. 

Diplomatic relations have begun with our more outgoing cat, Guiness, and show much promise.  Our shyer cat, Joey, has even crept down the stairs to check them out.  They've met their backyard-fence-neighbor Maggie (a large terrier), and they love chatting with her and scoring dog biscuits and pats from her humans.

Thank you for helping to bring such wonderful dogs into our lives!  We'll keep you posted.

1/21/08