Squirrel Beagle Knoxville, TN

SOS foster pup Squirrel seeking his very own family/ home.

Squirrel learning to live the life of a loved pet after coming in with “sister” Rabbit.

This boy is 1-2 years old and shows the emotional scars of being raised most likely in a hunt situation. The whole world outside a beagle pen has been eye opening and scary. It’s disgusting to me that so many hunters feel socializing or handling with kindness a hunt beagle will ruin them. What it does is make them semi feral and when lost or dumped they are next to impossible to help because they don’t know to trust. I have seen way too many bad hunter/breeder beagles to last a lifetime so just cut it out already. Treat your dogs with some benevolence for heaven sake. Don’t even try to state your case, you have scarred these dogs most likely for life, created an uphill battle for those of us trying to help them and shown your true lack of humanity.

Thankfully Squirrel and Rabbit were found and we have been helping them. Rabbit is just off heartworm treatment hold and clear for adoption. We will share more on her in the next week. Squirrel was lucky enough to last with Savannah and Jane’s these last many weeks and is taking it all in, learning from their friendly dogs, getting the house life, loving walks and slowing making progress. He will need a commuted adopter with another friendly dog hopefully, a safe fenced yard and the patience to help him continue healing.

Foster mom Savannah shares this:

We haven’t taken him on a car ride then walked yet. He is getting better and better with each walk. I just don’t want to make him feel like we are throwing him to the wolves and then he doesn’t want to go on a walk or car ride again. I was really considering maybe taking him by him to lakeshore early one morning where there’s not so many people. And getting him eased into going out. Maybe even just sitting and watching people?

He use to freak out if he saw a stranger but now he’s ok with them at a certain distance. I think he’s starting to realize not everyone is out to get him. And he gets weirded out if we stand still too long. Still perfectly fine with cars passing and even walking by people mowing their lawn. But he just cannot get over the loudness motorcycles! All our dogs have martingale collars.

He really has been a tough nut to crack but he is slowly realizing that things aren’t so scary. He doesn’t cower in the back of the crate anymore and comes out by himself every time to go potty! He LOVES being outside and gets excited when I let them in the big yard. He even likes to play fetch with Koda. He’s let my mom (foster grandma) pet him and even goes up to her. I think he has biases against men or at least it takes longer for him to trust a man.

He’s also been very consistent with his potty training. We’ve had very few accidents but he’s been having a good streak of not going in the house now. He hasn’t gone in his crate ever.

Squirrel weights around 26 lbs, is healthy and happy just needs the right family.

We do wish that dogs like Squirrel didn’t exist, didn’t need all the help to become the companion animals dogs were bred for. But sadly due to ignorance, dogs like Squirrel need our help. To help others we need your help or we can’t continue to take in longer term learning fosters. WE NEED FOSTERS. PEROID. We have 7
Several waitlisted to come in.

Beth

Www.sosbeagles.org for all things regarding foster and our adoption.

Knoxville TN.