A very Happy Fourth of July - and please remember...This coming weekend is famously one in which dogs startle, bolt, and become lost due to the fireworks. Even during the day, fireworks are apt to be set off sporadically in neighboring back yards, so keep a close eye on your dogs when they are outside, even in your fenced yard, and stay alert with a firm hand on the leash during walks. If you sometimes use a harness, it may be well to keep it on this weekend to prevent your dog from suddenly backing out of his/her collar. Indoors, make sure your dog has access to his or her "safe place", and it is often helpful to keep the radio or television on to provide soothing sounds to offset the cracks of the fireworks. Wishing you - and yours - a great weekend. |
The Hedgesville Lexicon -- A Guide to the Terms We Use
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Clunk (Klunk)
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Party Beagle
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Snugglehound |
Who We Are
The Hedgesville Hound group was formally established in 2003. We are a 501(c)(3) organization comprised of people who have several decades of combined experience. In fact, together we placed more than 120 wonderful dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes in wonderful homes across the Maryland and D.C. Metropolitan area last year!
Click here and here to view our 501c3 information.
Who are the Hedgesville Hounds?Although there is a Hedgesville, and we have definitely placed a fair number of hounds in homes, the term Hedgesville Hounds has become more emblematic than actual. It has its origins in one specific rescue that became quite inspirational to a number of volunteers. It has since captured in its scope the determination of many people with a common interest - dogs - and an uncommon commitment to helping them.
What began as an effort to help a single group of dogs in terrible need, gained momentum as these dogs were successfully placed in wonderful homes. The dogs became a kind of rallying cry, a challenge, and a cause.
Hedgesville Hounds exist everywhere. They are dogs of every breed - every size - every age - who by circumstance, ignorance, or cruelty and neglect, were put at risk. Sometimes they are cats, and even rabbits.
Our effort has been quite simple - to give them a voice. And a little help with arrangements.
And then let these wonderful creatures do the rest.Our Goal -- The Personal Touch, The Right Fit
These are the goals we strive to achieve -- our principles, if you will.
- One-on-One Communication: Once we have decided to pursue your application, we'll call you to answer your questions about the dog. If you have an hour's worth of questions, we'll give you an hour's worth of answers. This also makes applying a little more personal.
- Adoption Counseling and Followup: Once you have adopted one of our dogs, you are encouraged to contact us for advice. We have a network of volunteers, adopters and experts on different breeds who are eager to help you with some of the problems you might face with your new pet. We have loaned books, arranged for private training sessions, done Web research, consulted with behaviorists and otherwise tried to "be there" for our adopters when they need us.
- Networking: We strive for a strong working relationship with many other rescue groups. If we don't have the dog you are seeking, we can refer you to someone who does.
- Lifetime Commitment: We remain committed to our animals throughout their lives and are there to help out in any way we can.
- Wonderful Dogs: We are also a conduit to wonderful dogs whose existences are known only to a relatively small handful of other rescuers, and we make every effort to advertise those dogs to the public.
| THE ADOPTION PROCESS | WORD FORMAT ADOPTION APPLICATION | MEDICAL POLICY |
Where We Work
We place dogs in homes throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Northern Virginia, Maryland and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. (Unfortunately, we can't make exceptions to this rule.)
How To Get StartedMost of your questions can be answered by reading the information on our site, and if you are interested in one of our dogs, the quickest way to start the process is to submit a non-binding application on line, rather than call us.
Acknowledgement of ApplicationsWe will acknowledge each application or inquiry that we have received from within our service area within 24 hours. If you do not receive a response, please assume that your application was not received or send an email to follow up. After recent problems,we are pleased to note that we are back in business as usual and expect to be able to work in this timeline. Please note: Our Petfinder listings make it clear that some dogs are not ours, but are instead courtesy postings for other rescues. If we receive an email or application about another rescue's dog, we forward such emails on to the appropriate rescue, but cannot be responsible for their response time.
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Our Featured Pet: Augie Augie - young (10-12 months) - Blue Tick Coon Hound - black and white with ticking - 70 pounds but needs to gain weight Augie is a gangly, lovable klunk of a fellow - a beautiful dog whose joy at being in foster care is indescribable. Endearingly open and completely honest, Augie delights in every simple pleasure now offered to him. Augie was seized by Animal Control after a number of welfare checks on his well-being; although he well exceeded his number of allotted days at their facility, the officers loved him so much they held onto him, and it is to their credit, and will be to the great happiness of Augie's adopter(s), that they did so. One would be hard pressed to find a more wonderful dog than Augie.  Augie has a gentle, outgoing nature, and a friendly and curious demeanor. He is playful, and retains a puppy-like innocence and wistfulness.  Augie came to us very underweight, and he is slowly building both muscle and body mass. He will be a magnificent dog once he has filled in - indeed, he already is strappingly handsome, with long legs, a beautiful coat, and glorious markings.  Although Augie lacks formal training, he is a very cooperative dog; he has quickly grasped house training and although he is inordinately grateful for every small attention, he also is happy to settle down quietly on his soft bed. Having food and water in abundance is still a small miracle to Augie, and the existence of toys has him nearly besotted.  Augie's adopter(s) will find in Augie a dog of immense potential and great vulnerability. He will offer a relationship of heart and devotion, as well as a complete willingness to learn and have purpose. We are very happy to be part of Augie's search for a real home.  Below are two versions of our application: Email version of the HHapplication . Once it's completed, you'll be taken back to the HH home page. OR WORD FORMAT ADOPTION APPLICATION. For more information about our adoption policies, please click here. |
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Attention Hedgesville Hounds Adopters: If you need advice, referrals or just want to chat with other adopters, please sign up for our Alumni newsgroup.  Click to join HHAdopters |
Success Stories
This section contains updates on some former Hounds, now adopted.Click here to view our Recently Placed dogs!
ATTENTION ADOPTERS: If you'd like to send us an update and new pictures of your dog, we'd love to see them. Please let us know whether we can use your first names or first names and initials. Please send an email and pictures to hedgesvillehound@aol.com. Please keep pictures to under 100K each -- thanks!
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Columns and Features
Breed Spotlight
One of our goals is to help people think outside the box in terms of dogs that might be a good match for. With this in mind, we introduce our "Spotlight Breed" feature, which will provide a mixture of practical information and first-hand experience on a specific breed that you might not have considered before.New! Click here to read the spotlight on the Foxhound.
Akita |
Black and Tan |
Bluetick |
Chessie |
Great Dane |
Pit Bull |
Senior Dachshund |
The So-Called Yellow Dog | The Blab -- UPDATED 4/08!!! |
The Mutt | The Chow Chow |
New Column!
NEW COLUMN!
Click here for a new column from one of our directors on "Animal Welfare's Dirty Little Secret."
Click here for a column on "Adopting A Special Needs Pet."
Click here for column one on "Adopting A Senior Pet."
Click here for the column"What Some Vets Don't Know."
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Want to Make a Donation?
We now take credit cards! |
or |
Send a check made out to "Hedgesville Hounds" to: Hedgesville Hounds PO Box 2174 Hedgesville, WV, 25427 |
Help Tired Strays -- Donate a dog bed!
 | We'd like to donate some beds to our local animal shelter to make animals' stays there a lot more comfortable. This will help the dogs who have aching bones or who are very thin or tired to sleep better, since they won't be sleeping on the cold, hard cement floor. Many shelters use Kuranda Dog Beds because they are durable, chew proof and easy to clean. This is REALLY important because that means that the shelter can use them over and over again. The makers of Kuranda give an impressive discount for rescues so they can take advantage of that program. If you would like to donate a bed, click here. |
Friends, Funds and Benefactors
Click here to see a list of our friends or find out how to become a benefactor.This page includes information about the Brandy Hodges Fund, as well as information about our newest DogFather, Karen!
This section includes the In Memoriam page, which acknowledges the generous donations made in the name of a departed companion. For several months we have had problems with the In Memoriam Site, but as of May 15, the site has been fixed. We realize that there is the possiblity that during the transition, information was lost. If this is the case, please let us know and we'll correct it immediately. |
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Contact Us
Hedgesville HoundsRockville, MD 20850
Email: applications@hedgesvillehounds.com
Please note that wehave a new phone number as of 12/5/07:1-301-576-8461.
OR write to:
Hedgesville Hounds
PO Box 2174
Hedgesville, WV, 25427
Our Pet List
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