|
 |
 |
| Name: |
Cleo
|
Age: |
Eight years old
|
| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Beagle |
| Home: |
Baltimore, Maryland, USA |
Growing
up I was very close to my neighbors beagle and as an adult I couldn't
wait to have one of my very own. I adopted Cleo as a puppy and it was love at
first sight. Throughout the years Cleo has had many misadventures. My
favorite Cleo story dates back a few years ago around Christmas time. I
visited my mom's house in the country and took Cleo with me. My mother and I
went out for about an hour and left Cleo at her home. When we returned, we
discovered Cleo had gotten into my mother's stash of freshly baked chocolate
chip cookies. Instead of eating them, Cleo was busy hiding them all over her
house! Some of the more memorable hiding places included inside of one of my
mom's shoes in her closet, in between stacks of linens in the hall closet, and
under the cushions of my mom's formal living room furniture! Needless to say
we were both too busy laughing to scold Cleo, and I enjoyed the phone calls
that ensued for months afterwards when my mom would call to say, "I found
another cookie!" Cleo is one of the most intelligent dogs I have ever known,
which is why I proudly display a "My beagle is smarter than your honor
student" sticker on the back of my car. When she isn't hiding cookies, Cleo
loves to dress up, sleep on my husband's pillow, and antagonize our two portly
housecats.
Cleo is very smart, sometimes for her own good. Cleo will observe items she
wants (usually food) and will plot at length to capture the target. She will
wait until the moment is just right before she goes for it. Once when I was
on a business trip, my husband was home alone with the kids. He made himself
a nice burger on the grill and got distracted for a moment. Cleo jumped up on
the kitchen table and ate the burger, leaving the roll completely untouched.
I got an earful over that one, but I think it was awfully considerate of Cleo
to leave the roll for my husband! Another time she ate an entire tray of hot
dogs we had sitting out on the grill, waiting to be cooked. Miraculously
she's never gotten sick from any of her extreme eating habits. We've tried
teaching Cleo tricks, but she just isn't interested. She does however know
many commands - sit, down, bed, heel, and she is also trained to stay in one
spot until we say "break." Her favorite two vocabulary words are "Walk" and
"Grandmom's," as she loves to go on the long car ride to my mother's home, as
well as the nightly strolls we take around our neighborhood together. Cleo
has the trademark beagle howl, but rarely barks at other dogs anymore now that
she is getting older. Patient and loving, she has always been very gentle
with my children, even through their less than friendly toddler years.
Beagles are loving, loyal companions and Cleo is no exception.
|
|
|
|
|
