Visitors

Day 31 I'm back! It has been a very busy few days at our house! First JT and Toirin came to visit us; JT is a small human and he is okay in my book. I still can't quite work up my nerve to take treats out of his hand or snuggle up to him, but when he sits next to me nice and easy, I like the way he rubs my ears. And Toirin and I had so much fun running around the yard as fast as we could! Sometimes I fell and rolled down the little hill in the back - that was fun too!!
A lady and a man came to see me; they are looking for a beagle to love. I think they liked me and they were very calm, quiet people, but I think I might be a little hard to take care of right now. I don't really know what to do when people talk to me - I don't always know what they want, and I sure don't know what they'll do next! Mamala is pretty good about letting me go at my own speed, which is maybe not as fast as it could be but it's the only speed I've got.
The Dog Walker came today and let us play in the yard, Then we got yummy salmon treats! I LOVE THOSE THINGS! I almost knocked Toirin over trying to get one tonight - and I got it! He is a lot bigger and faster than me but this time I beat him to it. 

About those pictures

These pictures were taken at different times since I came to live with MaMala. I am so happy I don't have to go out in that little pen any more! MaMala used to put me in there to do my business because I would not come back inside. Once I got out in that yard, there was no way I was coming back in! But now I know how comfy the house is and how yummy the food is so I come in pretty fast. (When I'm ready and all conditions are perfect. That means no people are too close to the door.) That is Kaya outside my little pen, checking me out.
How do you like that cave bed I am sleeping on? That is really Sid's, since it is the only one big enough for his huge self. The other three are all the same but Bridget gets to pick hers first. Because she is the Queen of All She Surveys.Humph.
And that is me hiding my brown bunny...caught in the act.

Pictures of me at MaMala's

Things I like and things I don't

Good news for Kaya! She needs stuff for her spine - an- something flamtories - so it won't hurt any more. But there is nothing wrong with her legs! She started taking her medicine and she is already faster up the steps. Which is good because she was holding me up! Not any more. I am so happy!
Some man came today and was making all kinds of noise outside. When we went out there was a new step and part of a new step. We all jumped on the partly new step and I think we broke it. It fell off the deck and we all fell too. It wasn't a very far fall - about 8 inches so no one got hurt. The other new step works just fine. I kept barking at him because he was making all that noise! All day long! How is a little girl supposed to take her naps with all that racket?
I got lots of salmon treats today - one every time I came back inside. Salmon is my favorite food, MaMala figured that out. She gives me salmon kibble and salmon canned dog food and salmon treats. (sigh) yummy! The bacon treats and turkey treats are good but salmon is way better. I never knew there was such a thing til I came here and now it's my favorite.
Time to go to bed - MaMala is whistling for us to come upstairs. I like going up there and everyone curling up in (MaMala, Sid and Bridget), on (Kaya) or near (me) their beds. I just don't want MaMala to see me going up and getting settled. I still don't know how to act around people and I would rather they wouldn't watch me doing stuff. Because then I have to watch them to see what they are going to do. It's exhausting...

Meeting new people and new dogs

 QT here. It’s been quite a week. After I met Sid’s girl, I met this new beagle, Toirin, and his boy. Wow, that Toirin is cute and a lot more fun than the old beagles I am living with. He likes to do what I like to do: run and play and roll down the hills. But he is twice as tall as me! I can walk under his belly without slinking! I have never met a beagle with such long legs. He says mine are the shortest legs in the world, but he is not even 2 years old, what does he know? Still I was sad to see him go home with his boy. The house is really quiet now that he’s gone.

I get to run around in the yard more now that I come into the house – well, I come into the house if no people are near the back door or if no one starts talking when I am getting ready to walk in. I still don’t quite understand what people will do. I totally get what dogs will do, but people are still a mystery to me. I do eat my treats now, instead of burying them – I have figured out that there is plenty of food here, I don’t have to really save it. But sometimes, I just have to bury that stuffed bunny in the cushions. You never know when you need a security bunny. I took Mom’s slippers from under the table and brought them onto the chaise with me. They are the perfect place to hide my Nylabone and the pink pig. (Mom has big feet.) She took the slippers back but left my toys.

There is a girl who comes to take care of us during the day, she smells like lots of dogs. Bridget said she is the Dog Walker, but that they can’t go walking until I learn about walking on a lead. I think that is the thing they hook onto my collar that keeps me from being able to get away. Bridget likes to go walking so she wasn’t very happy to just run around the yard. She likes to prance around in front of the other dogs because she is the boss of us. That’s what she thinks, and Sid and Kaya do too! I guess I do too; since I don’t know what to do all the time, it’s good to have someone show me.

I heard a dog barking while I was outside tonight and I gave him  a piece of my mind. I guess I was pretty loud because Mom heard me; I think it was the first time I have barked since I got here. I only bark when I have something to say. Sid barks for cookies, Toirin barks for anything that moves, including the air, Kaya barks at Toirin when he bugs her with all his barking. Bridget doesn’t bark. Period.

Someone new in the house

QT here. The past three days have been a blur: a lot has happened and I am still trying to figure some of it out. I know running into the house after I do my potty business outside is a very good thing. Mom and Jim always say such nice things to me when I do that. If they only knew that all I’m trying to do is beat that bossy princess Bridget back into the house so she doesn’t steal any of my buried cookies or my baby bunny. Oh, and to snuggle up on that comfy stuffed rocking chair before Kaya stakes a claim to it.

A new human came into the house today. I was scared of her since I never saw her before and she walked in like she lives here or something. So I hid in the corner for a while to see what might happen. One thing that happened is that Sid became a swooning idiot. Apparently he thinks this girl belongs to him, because he keeps talking about “my girl is home” or something like that.  I guess she DID live here before she moved somewhere called Ellay and is mom’s daughter. Since she’s part of the family, I decided it would probably be okay to get back on my rocking chair. And it was – that’s a relief. Now maybe I can get my ears scratched…if they don’t come up to me too fast and scare me off my chair.

Things change around here so fast, it's hard for a little girl like me to keep up.

What I learned in 5 days

QT here - I have learned so many things in this house in 5 days. I learned that furniture is a LOT more comfortable than the floor or even a dog bed. I especially like this couch (check out the picture) because there are good hiding places for cookies. I also learned the three other beagles who live here do not respect a girl's stash and will eat those cookies. I got in a little tussle with Miss Bridget over a nice treat, but mom intervened and we all settled back down.

I let myself into the house by coming to the back door and pushing it open this mroning and yesterday morning. I wonder why everyone was so excited about that? Oh, and no accidents in the house even though they don't try to put me in that silly crate any more. I am still not too sure about all these people but the dogs are nice, the food is good and the couch is AWESOME. My favorite place is still the backyard though. All that grass and all those smells!

Poor Kaya

Day 25...I heard the Visitor I had Sunday adopted another dog who was not so afraid of everything. Especially not afraid of people. Maybe she will decide to have 2 dogs? Or maybe I will just stay here with the Princess, Sid and Kaya until I learn to relax a little bit more around people.
Kaya is having some trouble walking. It looks like her back left leg doesn't want to work right. I feel bad for her because she tries to play but she can't really run. and the steps are really hard for her. She is usually really nice but Sid bumped into her back end and she snapped at him and yelled really loud. Poor Kaya. MaMala said Jim is taking her to the Vet tomorrow. I hope they can make her leg all better.

Noise

Day 24 It finally stopped raining today – not the whole day but enough parts so I could go outside and run around. Yesterday was hard – every time I went out it was raining so hard it made me cold and wet and want to come in. I hope tomorrow is better. MaMala was home all day today. Someone came to fix the leaking shower, whatever that is; he made lots of noise and ran a noisy thing called a vacuum. I do NOT like that. MaMala has a vacuum too but hers is not as loud as this one. But when he finished there was no more hole in the ceiling where the water had come through. MaMala was very happy about that! I spent most of the day on the chaise watching MaMala work at the table. I don’t know what is so interesting about that little black box she stares into all day. Boring! Nothing like a brown bunny or a pink pig or a salmon treat, the yummiest thing on earth!

My first visitor

Day 22: QT again. We had a Visitor today. She came to the house and was very calm and quiet. She sat on the other end of the couch and was very still so I stayed at my end. She s-l-o-w-l-y moved a bacon treat over to me and it smelled so good I ate it. Then she put another one near me but Sid snatched it! What a piggy! Then MaMala took Sid outside so I could get to know the lady Visitor better. She talked in a very soft, calm voice and I liked listening to her. She moved over little by little and pretty soon she was right next to me! But I didn’t want to run away like I usually do when someone gets too close; I’m not sure how she got so close without me noticing but she did. So I sat there and let her feed me bacon treats and rub my ears and belly. Then I licked her hand (I didn’t want to miss any of that yummy bacon). She put a leash on my halter and tried to take me for a walk; I didn’t really cooperate but she was very nice. We did make it outside and down to the walk but it was cold and rainy so we went back in. I was sooooo happy when she unclipped that leash!!! I jumped up into my corner of the couch and got ready to nap. The Visitor sat down right next to me! And picked me up! That was a little too familiar, I thought, but since she was talking so soft and nice and rubbing my ears and belly I let it go. I sat there for a while, then she said good-bye and left. MaMala said the Visitor would come back to see me again; that would be nice, I think.

What it's like here

Day 20 of life with MaMala: QT here, I am a little beagle girl, almost 3 years old and I want to tell you about my life! I came to stay in this house with these three crazy beagles, Bridget, Sid and Kaya, and 2 people, MaMala and her older son Jim. I have been here almost three weeks, before that I lived in a kennel with lots of other dogs and one lady. It was okay there, but it was noisy (lots of dogs barking all the time) and sometimes the other dogs pushed me around and took my food. I am kinda little and my legs are short so I am easy to move out of the way. This place is pretty quiet unless Mamala's grand-beagle, Toirin, comes to visit. He is a barky beagle, but lots of fun!

It was a pretty good day today. I got to go out twice this morning before MaMala left for WERK, wherever that is. She goes there almost every day. While she's gone we usually spend time sleeping on all the furniture. I like the chaise but if that big doofus Sid and the little princess Bridget don't hog all the space, the couch is comfy too. I like to change sleeping spots during the day. With so many choices, why stick with one? And they are all a lot softer than the ground or my old kennel.

Jim let us out when he got up, but then he left so it was back to nap time again. I hid the brown bunny in the quilt on the chaise because I needed to know where it would be. That makes me feel better. Some things you just need to know.

The Dog Walker came to visit, like she does almost every day. I guess she used to walk the other beagles on the street before I came to stay here. I don't know what they want me to do when they put a LEAD on me - I don't like anyone pulling on my neck. Maybe I am the one doing the pulling, now that I think about it. Any way, we stay in the yard now and sometimes Bridget whines about not going out of the yard for a walk. I guess I will have to learn to walk on that leash thing, even though I'd rather run all over the backyard instead. I have no idea why Bridget likes the walks so much. Maybe it’s because all the rest of the dogs can see her prancing around. Who knows with that bossy bitch? That is not a bad word when you are talking about dogs, you know. But she sure is a bossy one.

We got to go outside and we got yummy treats when we came back in. I like the salmon treats the best. They smell delicious and taste even better. The bacon ones are good, but salmon is my favorite. I can't believe all the good stuff there is to eat here, I never knew about salmon before. I had no idea what I was missing. Sometimes I get scared when we get fed or get treats; Sid makes a lot of noise, barking and jumping around and it scares me. I do NOT like loud noises or surprises. They’re scary! Then I run away and MaMala gets worried that I am not getting enough to eat.

I know MaMala worries about me a lot. I think she would like it if I would come sit with her or let her come sit with me. Maybe I will sometime but right now I am still a little afraid of being around people; I don’t have a lot of practice with that. Dogs are easy to figure out, but people are something else again. I like getting my belly rubbed or my ears scratched but not enough to just run up to any old person or let them come up to me. Not yet any way. The other beagles love to cuddle with the people…I am not so sure about all that yet.