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| Name: |
Indy
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Age: |
Five and a half years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Beagle
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| Home: |
Chicago, Illinois, USA |
Indy
is the smartest beagle ever (okay maybe not, but he is the cutest)! I
was looking for a dog that would be good with my cats (Pico, Otis & Stubby)
and happened upon a beagle/coonhound rescue that uses foster programs. I told
them what I was looking for and they pointed me to a few dogs they thought
would be good with cats, one of them being Indy. His pic stood out to me - he
was under a table and just looked so shy and scared.
She told me his story that he had been hit by a car in Indiana and picked up
by a Good Samaritan who brought him to the vet. The vet knew of the rescue
and contacted them to see if they would take him. After a broken pelvis
requiring "bed rest" healed and amputation of his tail which could not be
saved, he was ready for adoption. They told me he was very shy, but had
warmed up fairly quickly to his foster home and I really needed to meet him.
At our first meeting, he barked like crazy at me when I got to the foster
home and he was glued to his foster dad's side. I sat next to him on the
couch and within five minutes he inched towards me for some petting. When we
left, I think I told Roberta something like "I'm in love." I really wanted to
help this dog come out of his shell.
When I went to pick him up at his foster home - it was obvious he did not
want to come with me and I thought "I hope I didn't get myself into more than
I could handle." Within about half an hour of being in his new home, he was
laying on the couch next to me like we were old friends. He is intuitive with
the cats - he knows Pico (who has since gone to kitty heaven) and Stubby are
not interested in him and so he leaves them alone. He knows Otis is more
interested in his "big brother" and so he tries to play with him (eventually
they'll get on the same page).
I'd had him for a few weeks and the week before we were going to start
obedience training - he gets beat up by some big dogs at the park. JEEZ - the
one thing he was not really afraid of - other dogs - now got added to his
"scared of" list. I spoke to the trainer and told her what happened -
thinking I couldn't bring him to class because he now growled at other dogs -
and she (bless her heart) said you must bring him to class.
His first class - which he spent shaking under my stool - was about a year
and a half ago. Since then, he no longer runs from people who want to pet him
(he actually allows petting by strangers which I thought would never happen),
will independently go up to some strangers (especially if there's food
involved), is no longer terrified of every new sound or sight on our walks
and recently passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test. So even though he is
(and will always be) ruled by his beagle nose, needs to bark at every
doorbell ring (real or on TV) and nearly every person outside, is always
trying to convince he needs more food and still needs work on his social
skills, - he will always be il mio bambino puzzolente (my little stinky boy).
He has come so far - I am a very proud "mama!" I can't wait to see what the
future holds for us.
See more images of Indy!
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