Smrt Lernins

[This should have been posted yesterday, but see previous entry -- I still say it counts]

I’m thankful for many people in my life: my children, my husband, my parents, my grandparents, my brother and his fiance, my mother-in-law (and I’m also thankful she’s so sane), my friends, the homeschool community that has embraced my family. I could write a post every day for a month and not run out of people. I think that’s the mark of a truly blessed life. It does make it difficult to choose who to write about for my final “I’m Thankful for…” post.

Instead of writing something really profound about the amazing people in my life, I’m writing about a little incident that happened a couple days earlier and scared the ever-loving-PANTS off of me:

Officer Daddyman typically works late nights and I’m often in the bath or even in bed before he gets home. The other night, I was taking a hot bath, drinking a glass of wine, and reading Beatrice and Virgil, when Badge, our dopey but lovable beagle, let out two little “alert” barks. The “alert” bark sounds like “brorf” and is the noise Badge makes to let us know someone or something is walking down the street past our house. He alerts for passing people, other dogs, cats, etc. This isn’t unusual. After the alert barks, however, he did something he never does — he started making a low, rumbling growl.

The growl went on and on, got deeper and louder, and had a tone I have never, ever heard him use. I got out of the bath and had started drying off to see if maybe a cat or possum was on the porch, bothering him, when he started making the biggest, loudest, fiercest bark I’ve ever heard him make. He sounded like a Rottweiler, and a particularly large and ferocious one, at that. I popped my head out of the bath and saw him standing, body rigid and hackles raised…

Right in front of our front door.

I tossed on my clothes and made my way quietly down stairs. Badge had stopped barking and laid down in front of the door, facing it, still on alert. He stayed there for another five to ten minutes, before he finally relaxed with a “wuff” and went to lie down in his bed (the super plushy one that officer Daddyman bought him).

I don’t know what was out there, but I have no doubt that if Badge viewed it as a big enough threat to his family to go all Big Bad Dog on it, that it was a threat to his family. He was rewarded with several treats, many pats, and lots of “GOOD DOG!” praises. About a half-hour later, I heard coyote howls outside and it set him off again. I have no idea if it was a coyote in our driveway or something (or someone) on our porch that had him upset earlier, but whatever it was, the sound of the world’s most terrifying beagle made it scamper good and quick.

So while I have many wonderful people in my life, for that moment where I was home alone late at night with my kids, I was incredibly grateful for my doofy, goofy, dumb-even-for-a-beagle, but braver than all get out beagle-boy, Badge.

Sometimes, the Well-Trained Mind forums just throw me for a loop, especially in the non-homeschool area. I mean, I get that our political and social leanings are typically vastly different, but somtimes, man oh man, I am just absolutely boggled by what I read. This morning, I learned that human societies are oppressive and horrible fascists who want to control every facet of our lives because…they won’t give a dog to someone with unaltered pets, who wants to breed them for “the experience of owning a kitten” (not to better the breed or for show, these are not full-blooded animals), and who plans to keep the dog as a primarily/entirely out-door animals.

How dare an animal rescue group set standards for pet ownership that will significantly cut down on the number of unwanted animals out there or minimize the likelihood that the people bringing the animal home will ultimately abandon it again! This is practically the work of Stalin here!

With SO many unwanted, uncared for, and unplanned (from unaltered pets) pets out there, I’m so grateful there are both private individuals and larger groups that are willing to take these animals in and go the extra mile to make sure they find a home that is safe, with responsible owners who will give them a forever home, not just a temporary stop-gap. I’m grateful that they are willing to put a lot of money into returning these animals to health and maintaining that health, something which costs a great deal more than the small adoption fee/donation these groups ask. Our new beagle, Badge, was adopted for a donation of $100. He had been fully vetted, had tested heartworm positive and been treated, was neutered, and had treated with pest-preventive medications prior to adopting him. That’s a lot more than $100 in care.

Yes, I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get our beagle. I had to fill out an extensive questionnaire (several different ones from several groups, as I was looking through multiple rescues to find the right dog), agree to certain standards of care (indoor-only/primarily), and have certain aspects of my pet-owning background checked (did I keep my previous pets’ shots up-to-date? were the animals actually altered as I claimed?). The animal rescue is completely within their rights to ask this of me — THEY are the ones who have invested the time and money in helping these animals and THEY are the ones who want to ensure the dog doesn’t end up on the street or back in a shelter.

Considering the number of dogs surrendered for nipping at a child, for getting pregnant (especially from a stray mutt!), for spraying urine to mark territory (when they haven’t been altered), for not being as cute and playful as they were as puppies (because people buy puppies forgetting they turn into dogs), who weren’t adequately trained because the owners couldn’t invest enough time, I don’t see how someone can get their panties in a twist because an organization wants certain standards met before they let you bring home on of their rescue animals! The rescues aren’t being unreasonable, they just know too well WHY dogs get dumped by their owners.

I’m sure there are plenty of puppy mills and backyard breeders who will sell you a dog at full price, with no questions asked. You can probably find a dog in the newspaper or on Craigslist that will fit the bill. If you’re going through a rescue, however, keep in mind that their primary goal is that the animal only needs to be rescued once, and they will do what needs to be done to make sure that happens. You are not entitled to any given dog. No one owes you a dog simply because you want one. It’s not about what you want; it’s about what’s best for both prospective owner and prospective pet. The rescue has a right to set the standards that protect the animals.

You don’t like it? Get your dog somewhere else, but don’t complain about how you’re being oppressed. You just sound ridiculous.

Yesterday, we brought home this very handsome, if hairy, three-year-old boy:

Right now, he’s going by the name Apache, because that’s the rescuers called him, but Tank and Daddyman both like “Badge” as an alternative. Any other suggestions for the happy-go-lucky McLernins beagle boy?

Just look at that sweetness:

We rescued Apache through Dogs on Death Row. If you’re looking for a new pet, please, please consider adopting a rescue animal. Apache had been fully vetted and he’s great with kids. As an adult dog, he isn’t giving us any of that high-need puppy trouble, but because he’s spent time with people, he’s eager to love and please. Walking him is a little like walking a small, furry steam engine, but he has deposited all poops and pees in the appropriate outdoor venue and he is tolerant of Babypie’s alternated aggressive love and attempts at force-feeding blueberries. He’s currently protecting our stairs with his sleeping body. Good boy.