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A story of a resource guarder and kids.


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

This is the story of Belle a Beagle.

Belle was found as a 4 month old puppy back in May of 2001 being kicked around by some elementary school kids. She had mange and worms out of this world. After fixing her up and trying to find her owners we decided to keep her. Man I didn't know what I was asking for.

The first sign there was anything "wrong" with her came when she stole my oldest sons shoe and she growled and snapped at me. I took a step back and assessed the situation. In the end I did it all wrong! I had hubby sneak up behind her and grab her collar while I grabbed the shoe. This two person approach went on for over a year. In that year I learned a lot due to a number of internet message boards and just lessons learned thanks to the foster dogs I dealt with.

We taught her DROP IT! Which even now she doesn't have a 100% command of in that DROP IT to her means drop it on the ground and hang her head over it. HOWEVER the biggest thing is she doesn't come after us when we take it from her. She gets lots of treats for being a good girl.

She has also bitten two people. She didn't break their skin and after reading the account you will agree these two deserved it!

I have two step daughters who were not raised around animals and I'd only been married to their father for 5 months when then happened. They were cleaning their room and Belle went in for a scavenger hunt. Instead of calling for me as instructed one of them B.A.D (seriously those are her real initials) kicked at her belly and Belle bit her foot. A red mark and now one slightly nervous child. M.A.D (once again their dad has a funny sense of humor) tried to pick her up by the TAIL to move her out of their room. Well M.A.D was bitten on the hand, once again a nice red mark but no broken skin and one MAD child.

Both girls told me they were "Gonna tell their mommy" and have Belle taken away from me. Well when mom found out even she said that they deserved it. We worked on how to treat animals and when they spent the summer with me they became active in my rescue work. They were both a HUGE help with a puppy that had a collar grown into it's neck. They spent as many hours as I did working with this puppy. While my work was on healing the physical they did wonders for the mental. M.A.D is more interested in girly girl things and spends her days petting and loving. B.A.D is the one who likes the shy dogs that need to learn to trust again. Funny how one Beagle can start a lot of lessons and changes.

Now back to Belle...

Belle was what I consider a typical Beagle with this one issue. We worked and worked and we knew what we could do with her but we were nervous about how she would handle the new baby.

We did everything you are suppose to before having a baby...played the noises and brought the blankets home before the baby. We even made sure she had her own blanket of the baby's for herself.

Well the day came that AJ and I came home from the hospital. We placed him in the play pen and brought each dog out one by one on leash to smell him with out me holding him and then I would pick him up.

We brought Belle out last for her introductions. I didn't get to pick him up before she went NUTS! She growled she barked and BRAYED as only a hound letting its owner know there was something wrong could do. It was a good 30 minutes before she calmed down. Now I was really scared of the final out come of this. Would she accept him? Would she try to hurt him when he started crawling?

I guess maybe I worry to much because ever since he started moving around you are pretty much assured to find her near by. While I don't have any of the first pictures handy I do have some I got to.

AJ took an extra long nap today and while I was concerned (As any mother who has a child that normally sleeps two hours and it is now going on to 3 hours) I was not nearly as worried as Belle. She would stick her head over the side of the play pen, lay next to so she could see him through the mesh and most of she bugged the day lights out of me and then run back to him. I think it hit me how far this little girl has come when after he woke up and I put him on the floor she was all over him. Then I let him give her a dog treat. Well she didn't bite him, didn't growl at him and well take a look for yourself.

We have had no problems with her guarding anything from him. She will often get a great "prize" and bring it to him. She will share his dinner if he offers and only when he offers (which is just about every night but ONLY after he is done eating his share...he's a piggy).

[img]http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v51/JTDinger/IM001086.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v51/JTDinger/IM001085.jpg[/img]

(Forgive the sheets in the corner it is laundry day here)

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hounds are generally very sociable and usually good with kids. Her liFe prior to you may have some impact, but it seems you are doing well.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE BAY. Hounds call their "masters" by that bay, that's what the bay was intended for. It is usually to alert that the prey has been cornered, but they will use the bay to call you when they feel something is "wrong" as well. My foxhound woke me up with her bay, only
for me to find that the Kitchen garbage can was on fire!!!

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Guest Anonymous

Oh we listen to the bray. We known when something just isn't right in the house. She only alerts to really bad storms and I still remember the first time she brayed. It was the first should she had made and it was about 3 months after we found her. She jumped into my box window sniffed the air and let go with a bray. She about jumped out of HER skin :-)

For a dog I didn't want to keep and actually said no to and was out voted she is my best companion. Her and my ACD Gretchen are my two babies. I love them both so much. Something I never thought I would do again after loosing my heart dog in 1997.

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