 Charlie and Lulabelle were born on May 9th, 2007 to mother, Lucy, and daddy, Buddy. They were two of a litter of eight, beautiful beagle puppies born into the care of Ray and Kimberly Brown of Paulding County, Georgia. Ray maintains a pack of seven or eight beagles for hunting and running purposes. This litter was the unplanned product of a laison between Buddy and Lucy. We first saw the puppies on Sat., May 26, 2007, when the pups were a couple of days over two weeks old. This came at the end of about two years of anticipation. The short version of the story is that, around two years ago, June and Kimberly worked together for the same company, and one of Kim's beagles had a litter of puppies which she mentioned to June, knowing that we had and loved our Peaches and Bogie. They talked about the puppies and may have had pictures, but June never saw that litter. They were all spoken for and things drifted on, though June had asked Kim to notify her the next time she had a litter. June was entertaining the idea of getting one, maybe two, more dogs. Well, Kim subsequently left that job, opting to be a full-time homemaker. She and June stayed in touch, and on occasion, June would mention that she had talked to Kim, but no puppies loomed on the horizon. Finally, after two years, Kim called to inform June that a litter of puppies was imminent and that we could have first choice. June now had a momentous decision to make. Did she really want to bring two more dogs into our little world...to live? (Note that June is the one who started talking 'two' puppies from the litter. I don't think that getting just one was even considered.) Two more dogs, tiny infant puppies to boot, would be a major handful for about a year - teething, housebreaking, bark/howl training, flea and tick control, and all the rest of the down-side of raising puppies in the home, including the work and inconvenience and, not to be taken lightly, the virtual doubling of the vet bills. All this, combined with the fact that we have two seven-year-old beagles, Peaches and Bogie, who would be compelled to make the adjustment along with us. It was a big decision that affected the tranquility and familiar routines of several worlds. That's where we were on Sat., May 26th when we saw the litter for the first time. I think the decision was unconciously made within five minutes of seeing the puppies that day, if there ever was a decision to make. Within that time, June was already trying to decide which ones she liked the best, comparing markings, checking male vs. female, picking up each puppy to snuzzle it and smell it's breath. The puppies were tiny and could barely walk. It was more of a wobble-along. All they basically wanted to do was pile up together and go to sleep. It wasn't too long before we had singled out a male and a female that we thought were keepers. We may not have known it at that point, but we were committed. Some close to us believe that we should be committed for even considering it. As for me, I was having a blast. I wanted to get four. There wasn't any decision to make as far as I was concerned. My philosophy on the matter was: Get the puppies. God will help us sort it all out. Sure, there was a down-side, but, in my mind anyway, the up-side far out-shadowed any contrary notions. Three weeks went by. June was still excited, but her enthusiasm was waffling. She had been dwelling on the down-side, thinking about all the responsibility and headaches she was creating for herself. She wasn't sure, anymore, provided she was ever one-hundred percent convinced. So, on Thursday, June 14th, we went back to Paulding County to see the puppies again. They were now five weeks old, much more active, and much more vocal. June was grinning from ear to ear. She looked like she was convinced to me. When we arrived, it was suppertime. The puppies were all at the communal feeding dish in a mad scramble to gobble down as much as possible while it lasted. We located the two puppies we had identified on the first visit and relooked at all the others, but did not see any we preferred over our first choices. I believe that we had selected the true picks of the litter. I took as many pictures as I could in the time we had. After the puppies had sated themselves as best they could in the razoo of supper, they monkeyed around a little, some sparring and growling, some digging hole's to China, some answering nature's call. We enjoyed watching their antics, with most of our attention being paid to the two we had selected. Eventually, they started to gather behind the doghouse for a slumber party. That alerted us to the fact that it was late in the day and our little booster visit was coming to an end. That was fine. The short time spent with the litter refreshed June's perspective. She was on full-throttle again, and seemed to have no reservations about what we were getting ourselves into. Before we left, June handed Kim some earnest money. That was a tangible sign of her committment, so I'm pretty sure she was convinced. Eleven days later, on Monday, June 25th, we made a third trip to Paulding County. The puppies were now two days shy of seven weeks old. Lucy was trying desperately to wean them from suckling. I'm sure the little needles they were developing as teeth did not feel good to Lucy. According to Kim, she was snapping at them and jumping on top of her doghouse to avoid them. It was time. After a pleasant visit, we gathered up our little treasures and packed ourselves into the car for the ride back to Smyrna. It was a fun ride. I must have taken 25 or 30 pictures on the way. June was excited. The puppies were gorgeous and seemed content, curling up on the floorboard after a while to sleep. Once we were home, our first main task was to introduce the puppies to Peaches and Bogie. That did not go so well. Both dogs treated the puppies with intense suspicion. You would have thought that these little four-pound creatures were huge, snarling beasts. Peaches and Bogie couldn't get far enough away, fast enough. Neither of them growled or snapped at the pups, but both spent a lot of time on the high furniture, as if they were afraid of them. Well, maybe they were just being wise. Those little needle teeth are sharp, and the puppies don't know how to kowtow. They have no limits or boundaries and will invade ones personal space in a heartbeat. Poor Bogie, his aversion was so strong that he would run away from them. Well, that was just what they wanted, to play chase Uncle Bogie. Bogie hates that and immediately makes a beeline to the bedroom and gets up on the bed where these big bad monsters can't get him. It will take some time to get the older dogs to relax, but at least they didn't get physical about their territorial rights. That is the story about how Charlie and Lulabelle came into our lives. However, it is only the opening paragraph of this tale. If all goes as expected, the story will continue to unfold as they grow, giving us multiple, frequent stories to tell. Stay tuned! Page 1 of 1 |
