Over the past few years, HBHR has seen our donations decrease while at the same time, there has been a steady increase in the number of beagles needing help. Adoptions have also not increased as fast as our intake of beagles. In addition, we have lost some of our reliable foster homes. We are currently paying thousands more each month for care of these dogs than we have in donations coming in. We have been fortunate to have many loyal supporters, but this is not a sustainable situation in the long term. Many of the beagles coming in have had medical/behavioral problems that make quick adoption nearly impossible. We are currently supporting almost 20 beagles whose annual care is $400-$500. You may ask why we have taken in dogs that end up being unadoptable or at least requires long term intervention before adoption. Unfortunately, we can’t always evaluate the special needs of these dogs before admission due to the emergency situation they are in, or their behavioral problems don’t show up until later. We will be featuring one of these long-term fosters each month and asking for people to step up and sponsor the beagle for a year. Every dollar helps so if you can sponsor one of these dogs, please click on the Donate Now button. Be sure to leave instructions telling us which beagle your donation is supporting by clicking on the pen icon!
Most rescues including HBHR are unwilling to take in dogs with a history of biting. No matter what the reason, these dogs are unpredictable and are a liability and danger to anyone who adopts them. It is a heartbreaking decision to make when faced with having to euthanize one of these dogs.
Norman is a handsome 8-year-old boy who was doing well in a foster home when he first came to us. He even was doing well enough to go to a Meet & Greet several months ago. Suddenly, when someone tried to give him a boost into the car, he turned on her and bit her hand bad enough to need stitches. It was a sad way to discover a trigger that caused his aggression. While we don’t always know what causes these aggressive behaviors in these traumatized beagles, we knew at that moment Norman wasn’t a candidate for adoption. This is when, normally, the very difficult decision about euthanasia must be made. In Norman’s case, his foster dad who is an experienced dog trainer, decided to keep Norman and continue working with him. Norman has several triggers that have been discovered over time by his foster dad, but they are continuing to work together. Norman will likely spend the rest of his life in our foster care program because even though his behavior has improved, we are not able to take the risk of placing him with a family. He is safe and loved and has his own foster siblings to hang out with, so he is a very happy boy!
Please consider a donation to help support these long-term (unadoptable) fosters like Norman. HBHR is taking on the responsibility of his care and others like him for years. This includes food, monthly heartworm and flea preventatives, and annual vet fees which can add up to thousands of dollars over the years.
Norman going for a ride!
Guarding his yard!
