Hello, future family! My name is Howie. And I am such a goofy, sweet, loving friend!
Quick Facts:
- Breed: Beagle/Basset hound mix
- Gender: Male, neutered
- Age: 4 years old
- Size: 27 pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Dogs? Yes
- Cats? Yes!
- Kids? 8+ years
History
I came from a crowded, rural Kentucky shelter where I was overlooked because of my shyness, which put me in danger of being euthanized. I made the trip to the safety of CDR and my foster family in early October. I still sometimes hide behind the couch or try to fit under the bed when I’m feeling shy or unsure. But once I trust you, I’m happy to come to you for love or playtime.
Personality
I’m super sweet! I like to come find you and lay my head on you. I put my paws up on your lap to see if maybe you’ll pet me. People generally can’t resist when I look at them with my big, soft eyes. And once I have your attention, I like to lay down and show you my tummy! You can rub my chest and belly, and I’ll even let you touch my cute, fat paws. I’d stay there getting tummy rubs all day if you’d let me. I often greet my foster family like that every morning before walks, which they kindly tell me is sweet and cute, even though I know they’re on busy weekday schedules.
I have a playful, goofy side! My foster brothers are super playful and they’ve been really nice to me. They’re smaller than I am, and they try to get me to participate in their silly games. It’s fun! My big feet get in the way sometimes, and I’m a little clumsy, but I like to carry around squeaky toys and chase balls! I’m not quite sure what to do with a ball once I’ve caught it, and I tend to chew on the soft squeaky toys, but my foster family (including the pups) are trying to teach me all about fetching and tugging and chewing on Nylabones! When I’m in the mood to play, you’ll know. I run around like crazy, and sometimes I’ll stop suddenly and put my bottom in the air then pounce up like a cat to surprise you! My new human friends are amazed at how quiet I am. I have only barked once since I’ve been here. I might find my voice later on, but I have found no reason to be vocal yet!
I’m easily startled, but I’m learning about normal household sounds like TVs and dishwashers and sneezes. I’m so much less afraid of those things now than I was when I first arrived. Oddly enough, I’m not scared by thunder. Don’t expect me to stick around if the blender is on though!
I’m very trainable and VERY food-motivated, and I’m very gentle when I take food from your hand, even if I’m super excited about the treat. I love food and everything that even sort of smells like food. I learned “Sit” the first week with my foster family, and I will even rush to a sit so my foster mom and dad can put a leash on me, and when they are about to put my food dish down — without even being asked! They’re trying to teach me “Off” because everything on the counters smells so good that I can’t help but make myself taller to investigate. I’m having a little more trouble with that one. I’ve gotten into some interesting things, such as a soft CD case, a book and a baseball cap, and I probably would have destroyed them if someone hadn’t caught me right away. I’m learning which things belong to me and which things belong to my family, but I want SO MUCH to understand what’s expected of me. When you talk to me, I’ll look at you and cock my head to one side so you know that I’m trying to understand. I just need people to be a little patient with me while I learn.
I can also be independent, and my default behavior is to lay down in a safe place. I sometimes think I fit in beds that are maybe too small for me, but I haven’t yet found a bed I don’t like! My favorite spot is at my foster dad’s feet under his desk while he works. He put a big, comfy bed under there for me. The bed is big enough that sometimes I have company during naps. My foster brothers often come snuggle with me. I like that! I’ve also discovered the joy of chewing on Nylabones, which I like to do while sticking my rump in the air! It’s super cute, I’m told.
I LOVE TO BE OUTSIDE! I am new to this walking-on-a-leash thing, so I’m kind of all over the place. All the amazing, interesting smells invite my big Beagle nose to smell them and I’m not always sure where to go first! I’m starting to get the hang of it, thanks to the opportunity to walk alongside my two foster brothers and a SENSE-ation No-Pull harness. I would walk around with you outside for hours and hours if you’d let me. When the grass is wet, sometimes I come in with wet ears! We all get our paws and tummies wiped with a towel after a wet walk, but sometimes I need my ears dried too because they’re so long!
Cohabitation
I’m living with 3 humans (2 adults, an 8-year-old girl) and 2 small dogs. We also live with a guinea pig who smells VERY interesting. I am curious about her, but I’m not allowed to put my paws on her cage. I’ve never growled or barked or acted aggressively toward her, but I’ve gotten nose-to-nose with her through the cage and my goodness, I don’t know what to make of her! There are lots of cats that wander the neighborhood, and some even hang out on the front porch and in the yard here. I like them. They let me smell them, and I let them smell me. One of them rubbed me with his face then rolled over in front of me! I’ve decided that I like cat friends.
I live with an 8-year old girl, but she’s only here part of each week, so every time she comes back, I’m not sure I’ve met her before. She has been patient with me, and I think she’s been leaving me treats to find, so we’ll become friends someday, I’m sure. But for now, I’m much more comfortable hiding in safe places when she’s around.
At night, I like to sleep with my foster family on a doggie bed on the floor or in what my foster family calls “Brown House.” It’s a soft-sided, hexagon-shaped doggie play tent with a zippered flap that they keep open. There’s a nice bed in there and I like being in my own space. I would probably sleep in the big human bed if I were invited (Dad will scoop me up some mornings for a special morning snuggle), but the bed looks a little crowded at night and I am happy to have lots of soft options close to everyone. If I were to sleep on a big bed, I’d probably need to be picked up or I’d need some doggie stairs up to the bed. I have short little legs!
Favorite Activities
- Eating
- Tummy rubs/human affection
- Going outside
- Napping
- Running around/playing
Why I am looking for a new home
My background is a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that I was used for hunting, like many Kentucky beagles, or at least kept outside away from people, which would explain why I don’t understand much human behavior yet. However, I am housebroken and semi-crate trained so someone in my past spent some time with me. That person maybe wasn’t super nice to me though because I cower when you use a loud voice with me or raise your hands over my head.
Now that the bad days are behind me, I’m desperately looking for a home with lots of love in it. I think I’d prefer a fenced in yard that was big enough to run and play and follow my nose around in. I happily go on walks now, and I would probably love to go on nature hikes with you if I was invited, but I really love to wander and investigate independently. I also need a patient family. I take awhile to warm up to new people, so my true colors don’t start to show for a week or two, then I gradually start letting you experience my true self. I’m a kind soul, but a cautious one. I’d love a family who could teach me things, too. I love treats, so the more you give me treats, the more I’ll be able to learn your house rules!
Medical
I don’t have any major health problems and am up to date on all my shots. My first doctor’s appointment when I got here revealed that I had an infection in my mouth and that two of my teeth needed to be extracted (it was so bad, the roots were showing, but I never told anyone I was in pain. I had been crunching dry food and milkbones with no complaints!). When the nice doctor did the surgery, she discovered that two more teeth were in bad shape and would have to come out eventually, so I now have 4 less teeth than I did when I got here!
My foster family is taking great care of me while I heal and I will be able to eat dry food again soon. While my front teeth don’t need to be extracted, they are extremely worn down in a way that suggests I either used to eat a lot of rocks or spent time chewing on the bars of a cage. I’m working on forgetting those bad memories and I want to say thank you to all of the CDR family for making sure I got this much-needed medical care. I feel so much better now and am 100% ready for a new family. I am fit as a fiddle!
Summary
I am so much happier than I was in the shelter. I’m not a puppy, but at only 4 years old, I’ve got lots of life left, and lots of love and loyalty to give! I get along with everybody, but people kept passing me by in the shelter because I was cautious and sat in the back of the cage in that noisy, scary place. I’m so thankful to be in a loving home where I have a chance to make new, happy memories and meet my forever family! If you like to play, if you like to pet a loving dog with super soft ears while you watch TV or read, or if you’d like a dog who will play nicely with your cats, ask to meet me!
If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca , Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can’t do home visits where we don’t have local volunteers.
