A New Addition (it's not what you think)

Ramblings

Introducing Charlie! 

Back in January of this year our beloved beagle, Linus, passed at the age of 16.  As is,  dare I say,  typical with pet owners everywhere, his passing came with a great sense of loss and grieving.  But the time had finally come to hear the pitter patter of paws running around ol' 173!  Let's get into it...

A Heartwarming Journey of Loyalty, Playfulness, and Adventure

Beagles are among the most beloved dog breeds, known for their distinct appearance, friendly personality, affectionate nature, and unrelenting enthusiasm for life. They're incredibly sociable, and thrive on companionship, and quickly become a beloved member of the household.

But there’s more to a Beagle than just their sweet nature. These dogs are notoriously curious and intelligent, often exploring every nook and cranny of their environment. Beagles are scent hounds, originally bred for hunting, and their powerful noses are always at work. Their keen sense of smell can detect the faintest of scents, which sometimes lead to some amusing (and occasionally frustrating) behavior.

I always describe Beagles as, being what you want them to be.  Once past the puppy stage, if you want a Beagle to play and go on romp through the fields, play at the dog park, whatever - they're always up for an adventure. (Sorry, this next picture's a bit blurry, but Linus just wouldn't be still in this tug-of-war with a random Doberman at the dog park back in 2009.)

And when you're ready to chill, a Beagle will curl up with you for an entire Sunday afternoon on the sofa watching ball games!  (Linus - taking up a little more than half his share of the sofa...)

One of the most delightful, sometimes maddening aspects of having a Beagle is how they communicate with you. Their characteristic “bay” or howl, which they use to alert hunters, is often heard when they’re excited or want attention. Fortunately (?) our Beagles here at 173 have been very quiet in comparison to many other Beagles.  Not better, not worse - but works well for us!  (Here's Bruegger giving me the business probably around 1999 or so)...

With a Beagle by your side, you always have a loyal friend who’s ready to share in the joy of life...

...and their presence brightens the day.  Linus was a riot!

First, there was Skipper

Like so many people in America, and probably the world over, I grew up with a dog in our house, and his name was Skipper.  He was mostly what we called "neighborhood" breed, but we kind of always thought that, because of his wiry coat and his coloring, he may have been at least part Schnauzer.  Skipper was a great dog, although he was very serious and really, dad was his human, but he was good to all of us kids.  He liked to hang out with us and of course, eat our popcorn whenever we left some behind.  Skipper also hung out under the table at dinner, especially on liver night because he ate well from the sneaky hands of me and my siblings. I think I was 10 or 11 years old when we got Skipper and he passed away during my second year of college.  I don't think I need to explain the impact of the passing of your childhood pooch.

The Bruegger Meister

And it was the joy of growing up with Skipper that always came to mind during the years I was in the military and wasn't able to have a dog, and the first years after coming back from Europe when we were living in apartments where we couldn't have dogs. But during that whole time I yearned for a dog.  Less than a year after buying 173 we had our first dog - Bruegger.

Obviously in the picture above you can see that Bruegger was a Beagle.  Bruegger set the bar very high and caused us to fall absolutely in love with Beagles.  Bruegger was a great family dog and just loved to be around his humans.  Some of my favorite memories come from back in the early days when 173 was new to us, and we were doing a lot of remodeling and,  because the way the staffing patterns at my job worked,  I had a lot more time of than I have these days.  On some of those days off,  I'd find myself taking naps out in the grass like when I was a little kid.  Bruegger would sit right next to me on high alert, diligently guarding me the whole time. God forbid so much as a leaf rustle and Bruegger would just go nuts and make sure that everybody knew he was there and that I was laying  in the grass resting peacefully - except for the gloriously loud barking of The Bruegger Meister.

Burgermeister Meisterburger: [singing] It's a difficult responsibility / That you accept from the number one lawmaker, me / Have it known throughout the land from sea to sea / There'll be no more toymakers to the king.

Bruegger passed in 2008, leaving us broken hearted, resulting in one of the saddest pictures ever taken here at 173:

The Linus Monster

When Bruegger died, I was so heartbroken that, within probably a month or two I started looking for another dog because I couldn't stand coming home to a dogless house.  For those weeks I searched every available moment and every animal shelter within a 50 mile radius, as well as searching all over the internet.  Of course, I was looking for a Beagle, which people say you can always find in an animal shelter, but that wasn't the case at that time.

When you live with a Beagle, who needs a therapist?– Anonymous

I searched everywhere, then one day I walked into a shelter and ran into this little guy...

So I broke him out of prison and brought him home...the next great love story at 173!  I literally have hundreds of pictures of Linus because by the time he came around, smartphones had become a thing and with the presence of a camera at all times it just became part of the everyday life is to get pictures that little guy. 

I'd like to tell you stories about Linus, but he passed away earlier this year and quite frankly it's still a little too painful to tell a bunch of those stories. But let me just say this. Linus was at once the goofiest lovingest, and gentlest dog I had ever known - taking absolutely nothing away from Bruegger.  Maybe one day I'll write a post specifically dedicated to The Linus Monster!

And Introducing Charlie! 

That brings us to Charlie!  As of this writing we have had Charlie a grand total of 8 days.  Charlie was a rescue coming out of Missouri and as a matter of fact, in the week before he came to New York, he had been neutered and traveled from Missouri to West Virginia to Virginia to Massachusetts and finally home to New York.  After all that we had no idea what to expect. 

Here's how the rescue agency listed him on their website:

Name: Copper
Sex: Male
Color: Tricolor
Birthday:  10-25-23

Age: 1 year
Weight: 24 lbs
Location: Down south
About: Are you looking for some fun? Copper is your guy! Copper was surrendered by his former owner for rescue placement.  Copper is a 1 yr old, 24 lb beagle who has a deep bark, jumps straight in the air, and walks on his hindlegs. All of this and sweet too! Copper is new to our rescue, so more info to come! He is expected to arrive in December.

And here's a picture from their website,  showing Charlie (Copper at the time) in transport, I'm guessing leaving Missouri on the way to West Virginia.  He was with another Beagle who was also adopted through the agency. 

When we picked Charlie up from the agency at a parking lot just North of Boston Massachusetts, we had no idea what to expect.  We had adopted Charlie sight unseen - other than the picture above.  But when we got to the pickup, the pooch was excited and full of energy, but wasn't cowering in the least, didn't seem to have been mistreated in any way and, I say this with absolute honesty, Charlie bonded to us within a couple hours. He knew us by sight and just made himself at home in an instant!

And as of this evening, at the time that I am actually writing this, Charlie is laying at the foot of the bed, just as Bruegger and Linus had always done. And it is the most natural, comfortable feeling with this little guy. 

And we are amazingly excited for this next chapter.  And while we still miss Linus, ol' 173 no longer feels like something's missing!

Hey,  thanks for stopping by - see ya' next time!