Rafferty Beagle Indianapolis, IN

4 year old beagle, Rafferty, is such a sweetheart!!! He is the survivor of a Tennessee puppy mill that had 350 beagles; he had escaped his pen at about 4 months old and lived loose until we got him at about 2 years old. He was basically feral and, although completely non-aggressive, avoided people whenever possible. Well, 24 months later, this brave boy now relishes armpit scratches & tummy rubs and is the first one on the couch so he can get the prime spot closest to his foster mom. Rafferty sleeps in bed with his foster mom & his doggy siblings and expects at least a few minutes of massage before going to sleep.
Rafferty is still timid with new people but, if they are gentle, will soon be leaning in for attention from them. Because he has never known life without other canines around, he absolutely must have a confident dog in his new home. Although Raff isn't a huge "player", he will occasionally wrestle a little bit or do a few racing laps around the yard with his doggy friends. Mostly, he likes to explore the yard with them and have them nearby.
Rafferty has learned to walk on a leash but is still tentative in new places. Because of his fear issues, he will definitely need a calm & patient environment with a physically fenced in yard in which to continue to learn that the world is a safe place. No children under 16 please as this would be overwhelming for him.
About 4 months ago, Rafferty did herniate a disc but it was healed through a month of steroids and rest. It's possible that Raff might have occasional reoccurrences of back pain just as people do. A home with many flights of stairs is not recommended as this would increase likelihood of re-injury. He is crate trained and potty trained and is not a big barker so is an easy room mate.
Rafferty's adoption fee is $250; he has been neutered, microchipped and is current on vaccinations. Additionally, he received a Proheart 12 injection in July which protects him from heartworms for an entire year. Depending on when he is adopted, we will add on an additional $8/month for the remaining months of heartworm prevention coverage.
Applications are available at waldosmuttleycrew.org . (Indianapolis area)