Adopted: Willis


Quick Facts:

  • Breed: Beagle
  • Gender: Male, Neutered
  • Age: 10 years old
  • Size: 35 pounds
  • Good with…
    • Dogs? Yes!
    • Cats? Yes!
    • Kids? Yes!

Hi! My name is Willis and I am the cutest, sweetest beagle who just wants to hang out with you!

History

I was adopted from a Cornell research dog program when I was 9 months old. My new family had a young female dog who showed me the ropes of being a family dog since I had been housed full-time in a kennel when I was in the research program. It was so fun! I learned loads of things, but maybe my favorite was finding my Beagle bark! This took months and was so delightful (to everyone) when I found it! My doggie sibling was a bit food aggressive and bossy about her space, so sometimes she would yell or growl at me, but I’m an easy going guy and don’t want trouble, so I minded her as well as I could and we got along fine. I was nice with the cats in the house as well.

The human part of the family kept growing…first one baby and then another a few years later! I am great with kids–I was happy to hang out with the children and loved when they would run around with me and work on tricks like “sit” and “lay down!”

Then (cue sad music)…the family got a male beagle puppy. When he was young, things were fine. Of course I was nice to him and he was nice to me too…we slept together in what my family called “a little beagle ball.” But as he matured, things changed. He became aggressive with me. He would pick on me and harass me and yell at me fairly often—he was bossy and had many “rules” about what I was allowed and not allowed to do. He did not treat the older female dog like this at all, he was respectful to her. The worst part was that the female dog, who had picked on me some (but not too badly) in the past, started joining in when the male Beagle would be mean to me. They would gang up on me and it was very upsetting and very stressful. Often I would try to walk away or ignore it, but sometimes it was just too much and I would try to defend myself from their aggressiveness. There would be growling and jumping on top of each other by all 3 of us at those times. There was an occasional small nip or tear to an ear or something like that during these events, but fortunately it never escalated, no one ever got an injury that needed any medical care.

It was all very stressful for me and the humans. And then–my human family split up/divorced. This was hard on the mom who was now taking care of the kids and the dogs and couldn’t be around all time to make sure we dogs got along and that the kids weren’t getting in the middle of a dog ruckus. For a while I went to live with just the dad, but this was lonely –I didn’t get much interaction with anyone else, human or doggy. He said I seemed depressed. Finally, not too long ago, my mom had me go live with a great friend of hers who is acting as my temporary foster mom until a new forever home can be found for me. This is awesome! There are dogs, cats, kids, and other outside animals, and everyone is nice to everyone! No one is picking on me or being mean to me and I am so relieved and happy! She can’t keep me forever so I’m looking for a new home with nice people and nice other animals with whom I will be able to enjoy the rest of my years!

Personality

I’m super sweet and can be quite the clown! I love to lay on my back and wiggle around to get some good back rubs and I’ll play fetch if you want—but I’ll probably steal the toy and see if I can shred it after a few tosses, ha-ha!. I love a good rawhide, too!

I like to be wherever you are! I’ll follow you around, and if you settle down on the couch I love to curl up with you or on a dog bed next to you. I’m fine in my crate when you aren’t home, but if you are in the house, I would prefer to be with you. At night I sleep in a crate and don’t make a peep all night!

I still have a lots of good energy, and true to my breed, I LOVE going for leashed walks and hanging out in a fenced-in yard! If it’s not fenced in, I don’t mind being tied up with a long lead. If I see an open door or am not tied, I’ll make a run for it to explore, though, so keep a close eye on me and don’t let anyone accidentally help me escape!

When I first came to my foster home, I wanted to make sure this was “my” house, and I marked a few places that had been peed on prior to me being there when no one was looking. I lost privileges to roam around the house alone but since then I’ve been good about going to the bathroom only outside. I do need to go out frequently if you are home but I can hold it all night. If you were worried about me doing this, I suggest you keep me with you when you are home or I could wear a belly band. I am used to being in my crate at night or if you have to run any errands, but I would love to just be with you if you are home!

I like to bark when I hear someone knock or drive up to your house—I’m like a doorbell!

Cohabitation

Right now, I live with an old dog, 6 cats, and a family of four with a 3 year-old girl and an 8 year-old boy.

I love kids that want to give me belly rubs and play with me! I especially love that they are closer to the ground so I can steal their food when they aren’t looking…haha, I am relentless about this! It is best to put me in my crate or another room when kids want to eat because I just can’t resist food… I try to get their food Every. Single. Time!

I like dogs who are nice. There is a neighbor Beagle who visits with me and we get along great. The old dog who lives here mostly ignores me, which given my past experiences, is fine by me! Recently, a friend’s Terrier mix came over and she was literally “up my butt!” immediately. This I did not like so much. I was appropriate and used my voice to tell her to please back off a bit, but she would not stop. We were kept separate for the evening so I wouldn’t be stressed or think that I needed to protect myself.

There are many cats at my foster home. When they come into the room, I like to give a bit of chase (it’s fun!), They ignore me and move on, and then I lose interest. I’m used to cats that are comfortable and friendly with dogs. At my old house, there was a garage kitty that I was friends with and we slept together sometimes. Given my history of being picked on, and learning to defend myself, we don’t think putting me in a home with cats who might hiss or scratch at me would be advised.

I do really well here and even went camping with the family! They say I did great and I really enjoyed being with them. The young boy takes me outside for walks and to go to the bathroom–I really like this time spent with him. The little girl reads to me sometimes– nice, quiet, play like that is ideal for me with the little ones. I don’t want anyone to pull my tail or fall on me by accident.

Favorite Activities

  • Lounging around or doing whatever you are doing!
  • Going for leashed walks!
  • Chewing on a rawhide!
  • Running around in a fenced-in yard!
  • Just hanging out with you and being part of your family!

Medical

I am in terrific overall health! Bloodwork and urinalysis that we did this year were perfectly normal! I gained a bit of weight when I lived with my dad for a time, so we’re slowly getting that worked off.
I’m a bit bow-legged. I tore both of my meniscuses (knee joints) in the past, so sometimes I get a little sore if I overdo it with running or jumping. A little doggie pain reliever from the vet (Carprofen) or a supplement like Boswellia is great for me. It has never slowed me down though!

My foster mom is a veterinarian and she will have me be up to date on vaccinations prior to going to my new home. I love my Seresto flea/tick collar and I’m working on becoming the perfect weight—I’m an easy keeper and don’t need human food treats or I will get overweight quickly! That’s not good for my knees, so I try to be fit and trim.

Summary

I am a very sweet Beagle! I am quite young at heart and am looking for a home where I can be part of your loving, fun family (and not be picked on by other dogs). I have a lot of life left in me and am an affectionate buddy who would love to hang out, play or just follow you around! Let’s see what fun we can have together!

Please live within an hour of Ithaca so that my mom can visit your house without having to travel too far.

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.

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