Casey came into our family February 13, 2011. When we went to Houston we had the dog in mind we wanted – a female tri-color. What we came back with was a male blue-ticked beagle. Don’t regret the choice. Casey tended to cower at first, especially around men. (Incidentally, he warmed right up to my wife.) We ignore him when he does and have him come to us. This has worked very well. We think that his previous owner (probably a male) didn’t like beagle-talk because Casey seems to have had his vocal chords altered. He can bay some, but his barks are somewhat raspy sounding. We have been working with him to get him to vocalize and praise him when he does. For the most part he is a very quiet beagle.
Unlike most beagles, Casey is not driven by his stomach. This is good and bad. Good in that a beagle can worry you to death when it comes to food; bad, in that it makes it hard to bribe him. At first Casey wasn’t crazy about riding in vehicles. Now all we have to do is put his harness on and he is ready to go. He loves to be in the backyard (even in the heat that we are having) to scope out the local cats. He mainly just stares at them through the fence as they ignore him. It is funny to watch him stalk the cats (just like a cat).
Casey loves the outdoors and we have been camping at Caddo Lake State Park and Mt. Magazine State Park. This is Casey’s forever home. We want him to know this and work hard to make sure that he feels secure. We work with him patiently – no shouting. In doing this he is teaching us patience. It is something how God can teach us a lesson that we should already know through one of His creations.
Casey is the second beagle that we’ve owned and we are looking forward to many years together. We are so thankful for HBHR for being thorough in evaluating the dogs to potential owners. And also thankful for an organization that cares so much for a wonderful breed.
Robert & Judy