Rescued beagles experience grass & sunlight for the 1st time

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Is it weird that I cried when I read that you are keeping him? Because I totally did. I'm just so happy, for Romi, for you, for Gracie.. for the whole crew.
 
SnoopyDance.gif


Yay!!!!!

You are the best HC ♥
 
Just finalized his paperwork, and gave them a check. Romi is officially home, and I have his passport to prove it. LOL. There is some confusion as to his DOB, so he's somewhere between 4-6 years old. I have the official tattoo paperwork, too, and it made me cry.

This is a good, good day. Lots of things changing, lots of events happening, and Romi didn't get too bothered by any of it. Tolerated the electric folks, the clean-up folks, and the lady from the Beagle Rescue without too much upset...'cause he had his Gracie. LOL.

Hopefully, I will get a copy of the vids and photo she took, and can post them here for you. I will send her an email and see if I can't get her to send them over to me.

Best-
Herding Cats
 
Herding Cats said:
Penelope, how could it be pressure when I asked for your opinions? LOL, bless your heart.

And the Cox situation is why I decided to post last night. I know not everyone follows this thread (and not even most), but I thought I should post up and let you know one story's ending...and hoped it would bring a little goodness into a few days of horridness.

I am glad he's home.

And Steely, "Newfus Dufus?" Seriously? Me and da Booger Boy have got to talk.

Best-
Herding Cats
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BBM

Why do you always rat me out to him. I got another email from him today but now there is no way I'm telling you about it. Especially since you threatened to reveal the last one after pinky swearing that you wouldn't. Maybe you cut your pinky off with the chainsaw. :snooty:
 
No, he doesn't know I know. I just had a talk with him in general terms, about name-calling and bullying; we've had that talk before, but he usually just ignores me. No names were used, either Gracie or yours or anyone's, I promise. And no, I didn't cut off my finger with the chainsaw. Both pinkies are still nicely intact.

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Herding Cats
 
Herding Cats said:
No, Kali, closer to Los Angeles. And thanks - between him and Gracie and the cats, it's always amazing that I sleep at all. LOL.

And yes, R&R, I have to say, I really, really took my time and watched them; I let them tell me what they wanted. It was so apparent...so clear. So obvious. And of course I knew that, but...still, I had to pay some serious attention to recognize it if that makes sense.

Sorry to have scared you. I'm just trying to do right by this guy, and wasn't sure until yesterday/this morning that this was his home. I am now, and it's good.

Best-
Herding Cats
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I totally understand. This is a big decision/responsibility & not one to take lightly. I'm glad you didn't decide on a whim & I'm even more glad you decided to keep him!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
 
Penelope said:
Herding Cats -- Hooray! I am delighted by your decision!

I had been meaning to post here to tell you that I am sorry for "pressuring" you to make Romi's permanent home with you. I thought I was being unfair to you to impose my judgments and desires upon you.

Unfortunately, it has been a really difficult 2 days at Websleuths, having to deal with the murder of the 2 Cox boys at the hands of their evil father, Josh. Your news this morning brings a ray of happiness and the hope that, yes, stories can have happy endings -- and sweet little tortured dogs can be rescued by white knights and go and live forever with princesses in fairy tale castles! (Oops-- I am getting a bit carried away).

I think your reasoning is sound. It's not so much about us humans, but about the dogs. To pull such good friends away from each other is not a kindness -- and we need to be kind to each other and all of Creation.

Thank you for lifting my heart. I will let my four-legged friends know the great news!
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I love this post! I don't think you got carried away, I think you're pretty darn close LOL
 
Yes, Opie, Romi is home. He's a tuckered boy today indeed; power company doing work in the trees, then the clean-up folks coming and shredding/chipping all the branches, and then the lady from the rescue coming by...and rain-day rules....this poor boy is whipped. Gracie too. LOL, both are totally zonked out and snoring in the living room, and I can't say I blame them. I'll turn them out for potty time, but we'll all head to bed in a few hours, and get some much needed rest.

I am glad I made the decision to keep him. I am glad that he's found a place he can relax and be a dog, and learn about things like patrol duty on the fence line, bones, human hands not hurting. But mostly, I'm glad he and Gracie are such good friends. That, maybe more than anything, is what is healing him.

Romi will never be "normal." He has a long way to go before he's even "all right." But he's come so far, and done so well...far better than anyone predicted (even me) in the beginning. And he's done so much healing, and will continue to heal, and that comes from Grace, I think. He is learning how to be a dog by following her lead, and she's doing her best to show him how to be a happy, spoiled rotten, content and confident dog.

This was a good decision. A good decision indeed.

Romi's home. Romi is finally home.

Best-
Herding Cats
 
You're gonna make me cry. :tears:

Somebody said that the lady from the Animal Rescue was knocked out by how much progress he's made. Do you have more on that conversation for us. I heard somewhere, I forget where, that Romeo put his paws on Gracie's back and gave you some smooches. What did she have to say about that?

Do I remember correctly that he was the one in the group they were most concerned about? I also can't remember where I heard this, but I heard he and Gracie run in the yard chasing each other in circles and playing with each other. Does he still run up and hit her and then runaway? More specifics would be nice.

:great:
 
Steely Dan said:
You're gonna make me cry. :tears:

Somebody said that the lady from the Animal Rescue was knocked out by how much progress he's made. Do you have more on that conversation for us. I heard somewhere, I forget where, that Romeo put his paws on Gracie's back and gave you some smooches. What did she have to say about that?
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Putting his paws on Gracie to reach me is something he's done for a while. What he does is that if Gracie gets between me and him, or if I'm giving Gracie some ear rubs or a chest rub (she stands there for these...loves them!), and he wants to get to me but not close enough to get grabbed, he'll go onto his hinds, brace himself on her back or shoulders, and reach his nose out and give me kisses. And then he runs away, terribly excited at his feat, and often comes running back to do it again. She's like his stepstool sometimes, and a good safe place to initiate contact if he's feeling a bit insecure (for whatever reason) about getting too close to me outside. And he'll do it inside, too, but not nearly as often.

The lady from the rescue came by yesterday, as you know, and watched him in the back yard. It was terribly cute. He wasn't hiding at the back of the yard, and while he definitely kept his distance, it wasn't as far away as he could get. Rather, he'd close in on us, and then sit down, and watch. His ears were forward, his tail was in constant motion, and he and Gracie demonstrated the patrol they do - Gracie goes to the fence, sniffs, walks to the next spot...and Romi goes to the first spot, sniffs, and then follows Grace around the yard, sniffing all the spots she's sniffed. It's like she's showing him what to smell for, how to smell for it, and what to worry about or not. And of course he and Gracie were also running around in their big circles, just playing and goofing off.

She called him confident, aware, and relaxed but cautious.

Do I remember correctly that he was the one in the group they were most concerned about? I also can't remember where I heard this, but I heard he and Gracie run in the yard chasing each other in circles and playing with each other. Does he still run up and hit her and then runaway? More specifics would be nice.

:great:
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Yes, he was the one that they were most concerned about being able to be rehabbed into a home. He was one of the oldest, had been at least two different labs, and would not leave the kennel(s) he was in unless someone took him out. He would then promptly try to return to the kennel, or, failing in that, would go find something to hide under. He never raised his tail, his ears were never up and forward (indicating curiosity/interest), he never walked fully upright (cringed, was the word they used...) and he'd never make any eye contact. If left alone, he would find the farthest place from humans, and lay there, not moving for hours. And if he got upset, he'd pace, endlessly, back and forth, back and forth. He was also not eating much.

He also had about zero muscle definition, and was very weak because his living conditions didn't allow for muscle development or maintenance.

One of the things the rescue lady was most struck by was his muscle tone. He really has gotten "cut" in his legs, sides, and chest. He's a strong little dog now, and along with all the other things he's overcome, his body is healing.

And Gracie and Romi play...and play hard. He will 'tag' her, run as fast as he can away from her, hide behind something, and then surprise her from behind whatever he was hiding behind. If she tackles him (and that's her preferred method of wrestling - like a bear, she'll swing one foreleg over him and pull him down...), he'll grab her neck and try to take her down, too.

He also does the butt-in-the-air invite to play, and it's hysterical to see that. I mean, he's so small compared to Gracie, and she tucks her fanny in the air, too, and then the race is on. He's far more agile than she, and is quicker off the mark, but once she gets going, she can roll anything over. And that's the method she prefers....and so he goes rolling. But he LOVES it, and so does she.

This morning, before breakfast, I watched them wrestling. He laid down in front of her, reached out his front paws, and bopped her on the head. She'd lower that huge head, and nose his belly, and he'd grab her head, and chew on her ear or neck. And then she sat on him. And he wiggled out from under her, and jumped on her neck. Lather, rinse, repeat. It was so funny to see...and they were clearly having a ball.

And yes, they chase each other around the back yard, tails way up in the air, and just run for the sheer joy of running. It's so great to watch them tearing up the backyard...running in and out of the bushes, playing tag, changing direction and just playing tag. It's great.

They're so great together...and I'm so glad that the rescue lady was able to see some of that. I was worried that he would not be comfortable enough with a stranger in his yard, but he settled fairly quickly, and did play with Gracie while we were standing there watching.

Enough detail for you? LOL.

Best-
Herding Cats
 
Herding Cats, I thrive on the details and cannot get enough of them. LOL
 
Herding Cats said:
Putting his paws on Gracie to reach me is something he's done for a while. What he does is that if Gracie gets between me and him, or if I'm giving Gracie some ear rubs or a chest rub (she stands there for these...loves them!), and he wants to get to me but not close enough to get grabbed, he'll go onto his hinds, brace himself on her back or shoulders, and reach his nose out and give me kisses. And then he runs away, terribly excited at his feat, and often comes running back to do it again. She's like his stepstool sometimes, and a good safe place to initiate contact if he's feeling a bit insecure (for whatever reason) about getting too close to me outside. And he'll do it inside, too, but not nearly as often.

The lady from the rescue came by yesterday, as you know, and watched him in the back yard. It was terribly cute. He wasn't hiding at the back of the yard, and while he definitely kept his distance, it wasn't as far away as he could get. Rather, he'd close in on us, and then sit down, and watch. His ears were forward, his tail was in constant motion, and he and Gracie demonstrated the patrol they do - Gracie goes to the fence, sniffs, walks to the next spot...and Romi goes to the first spot, sniffs, and then follows Grace around the yard, sniffing all the spots she's sniffed. It's like she's showing him what to smell for, how to smell for it, and what to worry about or not. And of course he and Gracie were also running around in their big circles, just playing and goofing off.

She called him confident, aware, and relaxed but cautious.



Yes, he was the one that they were most concerned about being able to be rehabbed into a home. He was one of the oldest, had been at least two different labs, and would not leave the kennel(s) he was in unless someone took him out. He would then promptly try to return to the kennel, or, failing in that, would go find something to hide under. He never raised his tail, his ears were never up and forward (indicating curiosity/interest), he never walked fully upright (cringed, was the word they used...) and he'd never make any eye contact. If left alone, he would find the farthest place from humans, and lay there, not moving for hours. And if he got upset, he'd pace, endlessly, back and forth, back and forth. He was also not eating much.

He also had about zero muscle definition, and was very weak because his living conditions didn't allow for muscle development or maintenance.

One of the things the rescue lady was most struck by was his muscle tone. He really has gotten "cut" in his legs, sides, and chest. He's a strong little dog now, and along with all the other things he's overcome, his body is healing.

And Gracie and Romi play...and play hard. He will 'tag' her, run as fast as he can away from her, hide behind something, and then surprise her from behind whatever he was hiding behind. If she tackles him (and that's her preferred method of wrestling - like a bear, she'll swing one foreleg over him and pull him down...), he'll grab her neck and try to take her down, too.

He also does the butt-in-the-air invite to play, and it's hysterical to see that. I mean, he's so small compared to Gracie, and she tucks her fanny in the air, too, and then the race is on. He's far more agile than she, and is quicker off the mark, but once she gets going, she can roll anything over. And that's the method she prefers....and so he goes rolling. But he LOVES it, and so does she.

This morning, before breakfast, I watched them wrestling. He laid down in front of her, reached out his front paws, and bopped her on the head. She'd lower that huge head, and nose his belly, and he'd grab her head, and chew on her ear or neck. And then she sat on him. And he wiggled out from under her, and jumped on her neck. Lather, rinse, repeat. It was so funny to see...and they were clearly having a ball.

And yes, they chase each other around the back yard, tails way up in the air, and just run for the sheer joy of running. It's so great to watch them tearing up the backyard...running in and out of the bushes, playing tag, changing direction and just playing tag. It's great.

They're so great together...and I'm so glad that the rescue lady was able to see some of that. I was worried that he would not be comfortable enough with a stranger in his yard, but he settled fairly quickly, and did play with Gracie while we were standing there watching.

Enough detail for you? LOL.

Best-
Herding Cats
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Mom who cares said:
Herding Cats, I thrive on the details and cannot get enough of them. LOL
Click to expand...

:goodpost:

I love the stories too. The details are funny. I love imagining Romi rolling over after Gracie gets to him. It's almost like you can hear the dogs laughing like kids.

It's great to hear about Romi playing like a puppy even though he's around 5 years old. It's like he's been reborn.
 
Rhyme & Reason said:
Heartbreaking

http://howlingforjustice.wordpress....-feel-sunshine-on-their-faces-hug-each-other/

ETA: HC..no, we don't expect you to adopt one LOL
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ROFL. If there was a way, I probably would. But no, I can't adopt a chimp. I'm full up at the moment. But oh, how happy I am for those chimps. I watched the vid, and it made me think about all Romi has endured, and how far he's come...and how great freedom is, for dogs and chimps and everyone.

Thanks for posting that up...

Best-
Herding Cats
 
I am soooo proud of this little guy. Just so danged proud of him, I could shout.

You all know we've been having leash issues, and that I've been trying to get him used to being on one, in some form or another, since he came here. But he's been very reluctant to leave 'his' yard, and is very scared of everything 'outside' of his yard.

But, as I did before, I decided to push him past his comfort zone. This morning, I had to go to the pet store for food for all my critters, and it's a great place for Gracie; she LOVES going there, and is a good car rider, as well. So I figured, well. . . let's take Romi.

It took a long time for me to get the leash snapped on him, but I finally did it. And I carried him into the driveway. And Gracie ran ahead to the car, and I had to pick Romi up and carry him to the car. I put Romi into the front seat, and Gracie in the back. And then I turned off the radio, and turned on the car.

Romi was scared. Panting, and very anxious looking. But he wasn't shaking...and Gracie put her head and shoulders over the seat, and stood there, and he sort of shrunk under her. I kept my hand on him, and rubbed his chest, and drove like an ol' gramma...and Romi sat on the front seat the whole time.

Gracie and I went into the store, got what we needed, and got back into the car. Went gramma speed the whole way home, telling him how wonderful he was, and lovin' on him.

Once we got home, he followed Gracie out of the car (and no, I wasn't quite ready...), and they both went onto the front lawn. We sat there in the sun for about 10 minutes, and Gracie was walking around in circles, and Romi finally stood all the way up and walked a bit, as well...on his leash, and right next to Gracie, but still...he was moving on his own.

I stood up, and had to coax him past the car with some pressure on the leash, and Gracie helping, too. He'd watch her, and then move a bit. Watch her, and then move a bit...it took another 5 minutes to walk down to the garage, but once he realized he was almost home, he ran to the back gate, along with Gracie, and was sooooo happy to be home.

I gave them both treats, of course, and loved on him. He was so anxious, but didn't really do anything about it...just watched his Gracie and me, and took his cues from our behavior.

He's soooo courageous. He really is. It's a long, long way from a laboratory cage in Spain to my back yard, and now onto the street and in a car...but once he realizes he's probably safe, and if Gracie is there, he tries so hard to do what Gracie does and what I am asking him. He tries SOOO hard...and I'm so proud of him.

I see walks with him and Gracie sometime soon...I hate pushing him like this, but it seems he needs it sometimes. And I don't want him bound to the backyard for his entire life, you know? But slowly, slowly.

Each time he makes a step like this, it's cause for celebration, you know?

YAYAY Romeo!! Go little guy!! There's a whole world waiting for you!

Just thought I'd share.

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Herding Cats
 
Tears of joy here! Gracie is a wonderful leader, as are you:) Go Romi Go, live the life you were always supposed to!
 
Gracie was so great. She understood, she really did...usually, she pulls hard for her walk, and gets rambunctious and sometimes fairly hard to handle at the beginning...but today? No, today she walked gently while I was carrying Romi, stood at the door to the car gently while I was putting him in, and was gentle all the way around.

She even laid on her back and gave me her belly in the front yard...usually, in the front, she likes to roam and explore (*even on a leash....), but today, she stayed right near me and Romi, and just relaxed and stayed sweet and calm.

She knows he's scared, and it's like she's trying to demonstrate how good things can be, and how to behave properly on a leash. Which of course floors me, because like I said, she can be tough on a leash. LOL. But it was like she was saying "hey, little guy, it's all right...watch, and then come along." And she hovered over him in the car; he'd turn his nose up, and touch her chin, and she'd drool on his head...she is indeed his security blanket.

I was quite, quite amazed at Gracie, and at Romi...just thrilled. Amazed and thrilled and happy that this pushing him worked out. I always worry that I'll push him too far, and he'll regress, but it hasn't happened yet...and he always seems to be fine somehow, and adapts well. I'm just so proud of him...and of Grace, my amazing puppy Grace.

I am soooo blessed!

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Herding Cats
 
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