Nicki came to McKinney from Sugar Land and we went to the house where the puppies are. Two elderly ladies were selling the puppies. There was a litter of six. We decided to get two puppies, one for Nicki and one for me. I picked the biggest one but it was already taken. So, I picked the second biggest and Nicki picked the smallest of the litter. I asked her why get the small one? She said he looks pretty.After a couple of days, I was driving back to Sugar Land with Nicki and we went to pick up the puppies. This is the first time we ever have two dogs so we were anxious on how to make the trip. I bought a big crate (cage) and put it in the back of our Jeep Grand Cherokee and off we go. We did two stops to let the puppies walk and pee but they were so excited (or scared?) that all they did was pull the lease and walk around. I called mine Brunson after Doyle Brunson who in case you don't know is a legendary figure in the world of professional poker. Doyle is one of the only three poker player who won the World Series of Poker Championship twice (the other two being Stu Unger and Johnny Chan). Since we have another dog named Brunson, I will call the first one Brunson I and the second Brunson II.)
Nicki called her beagle Waldo. Perhaps after Ralph Waldo Emerson but I think she just like the name.
It's kind of difficult to tell between the two. Waldo has more brown than black coloring on the head. He also have two white belt across the body. In person, its easy. Brunson I is the bigger and more aggressive than Waldo.
After the long journey, Brunson I and Waldo were very tired and are resting on my lap. Brunson is the one with his head on my arm and Waldo is lying on my lap.We bought a bunch of stuff for the puppies including puppy food, crate, treats, food containers, cookies. We also got some reading material to make us somewhat knowledgeable about puppies.
Brunson I and Waldo shared the big crate and put it in the utility room. They seemed to like each other with Brunson I being the playful and dominant one. However, should he goes out of line, Waldo does not hesitate to nip him here and there. Like when Brunson steps on Waldo's face, Waldo will complain and snap on Brunson I.
Here's the two puppies being walked by mommy Nicki in front of our house. Noticed the tandem lease. You should be able to tell who is Brunson I and who is Waldo by now? Brunson I is on the left and Waldo on the right. Right, you can tell from the white belt across the body of Waldo.
By this time, the puppies are only 6-7 weeks old. The proud mommy Nicki is holding a plastic pooh container should any of the puppy do it in front of the yard. Yeah, this is the beginning of good things to come !I went back to McKinney Sunday and left the two puppies to Nicki to take care of. Its really a full time job to keep up with Brunson I and Waldo, she said. You have to walk them, feed them, and 'accidents' meaning pooh and pee anywhere in the house is a common thing. We later learned that beagles are difficult to house train. So, we are in (that means Nicki) for a long time of cleaning, scrubbing, and cleaning some more around the house. Below is Brunson I. He looked so forlorn. Actually beagles look kind of sad in a way when they look at you. Dont be fooled by that appearance! They are just getting ready to beg for food or something.
By next Monday, Nicki called me and said that Brunson I looks lackadaisical. After a few more hours, he was throwing up and developed a fever. Then, he wouldn't eat and was sleeping or laying down much of the time. By Tuesday, Nicki took him to the vet. The vet said to just keep a watch on him. I wished the vet did more for Brunson I.By the next day, Brunson I turn for the worse and was very sick. Waldo keeps on trying to cheer him up and play but Brunson I just lies there sick. Nicki said he looked at me with those very sad and sick eyes as if he is saying, "Mommy, please help me and do something". Nicki rushed him to the vet clinic after he vomited some vile stuff.
The vet recommended to leave Brunson for the night and they will run tests on him. The test showed that Brunson I has the dreaded canine parvovirus, killer of puppies. This disease is very contagious and 80% fatal. They put him on an IV drip and put him to bed hoping for the best. But to no avail. The vet called the following morning for the bad news. Brunson, the Mighty Puppy Beagle, passed away that night. It was so sad.Brunson I, thank you for being our dog even for such a short period of time.
But that speaks a lot about Waldo. How come Waldo did not get sick? They were in the crate together and so close to each other. We think Waldo's immune system is strong. Nicki rationalized it this way: " I dont think I can handle two puppies so God took one away so the other will live!".
Time went by and Waldo keeps on growing. Nicki took him to obedience school and he learned how to Sit and Stay. Sitting sometimes needs a little coaching by pressing his behind a bit. Staying is successful for about three seconds specially when there's company.
Yes, Waldo likes people and dogs. His tail and body will start to wiggle every time there is a visitor in the house. When he sees a dog, he approaches the dog with his head low and tail waggling, as a sign of friendship perhaps. He also developed this huge bark. For a small dog, his bark is big. We like his howl too.Waldo is picky about eating. Maybe thats why he never got fat (so far) unlike other beagles we have seen. Some owners just stuff their dog with food that they get so big. But Waldo, even if we think he is a smart dog, is dumb in many ways. We have a hard time house training him. But I was able to train him to rush to his crate everytime I show him a hot dog! It comes to a point that when I think he wants a hot dog, he looks at me and rushes to his crate. Do you think he is trying to train me to give him a hot dog? Waldo is now eleven months old. He is about 26 pounds and looks like a fully grown-up beagle. But alas. Once in awhile he would have an accident. Nicky gets upset about this, wants to send Waldo to training school. If we are diligent in taking him out, he is okay though.
I suppose Waldo settled in with life without his big brother Brunson. We gave him a doll beagle which he always carries with him even when we take him to the pet hotel.Yes, pet hotel. This is only one of the expenses that Waldo has brought upon us. There are the treats (bones, cookies), the toys that beeps when he bites it, toys that we stuff with peanut butter so he can eat and play with it, different varieties of dog food because he gets use to one and we have to switch to another. Nicki also started cooking food for him! Yes because she thinks the dog food we buy contains unsavory meat parts such as hair and nails..ugh.
If you see the picture on the left, would you say that Waldo is a happy dog? He likes to sleep in this position sometime.We also discover a wonderful dog park. Its segregated between big and small dogs. There is a pond (although Waldo has not learn the bliss of water sport), water fountain to drink and wash, several benches, and guess what? a fire hydrant!
Overall, having Waldo is great even though he requires a lot of work and expense. Just Waldo greeting me everyday when I open the door gives a smile to my face. It does not matter if I came from work, from the grocery or I just went out to get the mail. The way he greets me with that waggling tail and undulating body, you think I was away for a month. I wish I can say the same for my wife Nicki. I mean, she never waggle her tail for me...not even once. Ha, ha, ha.
So, Halloween 2006 is coming up and Nicki got some attire for Waldo as shown in the left picture. As far as I can tell, its a court jester costume. Its too bad the digital camera keeps on giving Waldo reddish eyes like a vampire! So long and wait for the next episode (LdC).
