Lost Souls: FOUND! Inspiring Stories About Beagles

By Kyla Duffy

Lost Souls: FOUND! Inspiring Stories about Beagles is a heartwarming, thought-provoking compilation of over 60 true stories that address the cruelty of animal neglect and abuse and the joy rescued dogs bring to their new homes. This book is a must-read for Beagle lovers and people who are considering adopting dogs. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF PROCEEDS FROM EVERY SALE IS DONATED BACK TO BEAGLE RESCUE GROUPS.

Excerpt: "My mother-in-law lives next door, and while my husband and I were out running errands, she heard a commotion coming from our home office. One by one, our Beagles were jumping out of our office window like paratroopers! Now, you have to picture a 73-year-old woman trying to convince seven mostly self-absorbed Beagles to come back into the house after just a few minutes of unbridled freedom. She managed to wrangle two or three of the more compliant hounds and get them back inside before my husband returned home and rounded up the rest. Lesson learned. Thanks to our Beagle gates (not just for babies anymore!), our dogs have been safely secured ever since." -Paula Roy

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kyla Duffy
• Release date: Apr 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301525027

Kyla Duffy

Happy Tails Books is driven by a passion to help needy animals by raising awareness about adoption and the proper care of domestic dogs and cats. We are grateful to our volunteer photographers and editors who help us make these books come to life. Happy Tails Books donates up to 25% of gross profits back to rescue organizations. Any rescue enrolled in our rescue partner program is eligible for a donation from each sale made through this website. You can indicate your favorite rescue on the check-out form when you make a purchase. Since 2009, Happy Tails Books has published more than 1,000 stories from people who have fostered and/or adopted dogs and cats! Co-editors Kyla Duffy and Lowrey Mumford are dog lovers who have been publishing the Lost Souls: FOUND! series since 2009. Lowrey knows journalism, and Kyla has experience in entrepreneurship; this has created the perfect synergy for the Happy Tails Books project. Lowrey and Kyla have two adopted dogs each, and they continue to support the rescues in their communities.

Book preview

Introduction: Just One Dog

Often a brush with one rescued dog completely changes a human’s life. Whether that encounter compels people to adopt their next pet; volunteer with a rescue or shelter; tell others about what they have learned regarding puppy mills, neglect, and abuse; or even start a rescue of their own, many lives are completely changed because of a chance meeting with one single dog. This is how many kind-hearted people end up founding rescues and dedicating their free time to helping pups in need. These wonderful, visionary rescue founders often juggle a full-time day job and all of the responsibilities of running a rescue—managing intakes, organizing foster homes, posting dogs online for adoption, and sorting through applications—just to name a few daily tasks. Requesting nothing in return, they have had their heartstrings pulled so intensely by a dog in need that starting a rescue and helping other dogs in similar situations really became the only choice.

The story of how Cascade Beagle Rescue (CBR) was founded is one such example. The CBR logo depicts a happy Beagle. It was modeled after a dog named Giani, who is the reason CBR exists and thrives today, reaching out to Beagles in need from coast to coast.

CBR’s founder, Denise Sproul, met this seven-month-old puppy at a local SPCA adoption event. Only known as #CK8903 at the time, she wasn’t the typical Beagle puppy you expect: full of energy, playful, amusing, coy, and mischievous. Instead, this little Beagle had been beaten, her mouth had been wired shut, and her dew claws had been cut off with garden shears no more than two months earlier.

Denise wasn’t looking for a dog that day—at least she didn’t think she was—but Beagle #CK8903 was alone and trembling at the back of a metal cage, and Denise had to ask what was going on with her. Little did she know that such a simple question would lead her life down a whole new path. The volunteers told her that he frightened puppy had arrived that day, and not much else was known about her. What they did know was that she was probably unadoptable because she had been so abused and traumatized, and she would most likely go back to the shelter and be put down.

Denise asked to see her, so the volunteer opened the cage and dragged #CK8903 out. Once in Denise’s arms, the terrified puppy started scratching and flailing around trying to get loose, but the more she struggled, the more she tugged at Denise’s heart. Despite the fact that she had all four paws bandaged from an infection associated with the botched dew claw amputation, a face full of open wounds from the wire, two canine teeth growing through her lips, and open wounds on her body where she had been beaten, #CK8903 was adopted and went home with Denise that day. That’s when life began to change for everyone.

Now known as Giani Skyy—Giani after an ancient comet (what better name for this star?)—this fearful, little dog has blossomed into an accomplished agility and tracking Beagle, having earned 14 different AKC titles, including Canine Good Citizen (CGC), in the years she has lived with Denise. It didn’t happen overnight; in fact, it was a long time before Giani learned to love and trust and recovered from her physical and emotional wounds, but at this writing her scars are healed, and she is 13 years young. She is now the type of Beagle she deserves to be: a silly, comical dog who rules the roost. Giani continues to accomplish many feats including opening the oven door, unscrewing baby gates, running all four bases at a little league game, and interrupting a wedding by running down the aisle aroooing at the dove-release… The stories go on for miles.

As with so many of Happy Tails Books’ rescue organization partners, life will never be the same for Giani or for Denise. They embarked on a journey together, which has led to peace, happiness, and lots of lives saved. Since meeting Giani, Denise has had more Beagles in her life than she ever could have imagined (five of her own and countless other Beagles passing through on the road to their new homes).

Denise and Giani’s story is amazing, but sadly the state in which Denise found Giani is not unique. Abused, neglected animals are dumped at shelters and rescues every day. The good news is that Denise decided to do something about it, and many others who have been equally touched by these little, furry, discarded lives have decided to do something, too. Adoption, fostering, and volunteering is not always an easy path, but you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who says it is not worth the rewards.

The authors showcased in this book consider themselves lucky to have experienced the love and transformation of broken, rescued dogs into confident, loving family members. Rehabilitating a distressed dog is a joy manifested in a unique life experience and a dependable best friend—a joy we wish upon any dog lover who has the time and patience. As you sit down to read, don’t be afraid if one of these Beagles changes you! Our four-legged companions, who are innocent and loving like children, cannot speak for themselves. You can be their champion simply by sharing the stories of tragedy turned to triumph in this book. Letting people know about abuse and neglect, rescue, and the traits that make adoptable Beagles a great fit for so many homes is a powerful way to help Beagles in need. If you’d like to do even more, consider donating to your favorite Beagle rescue, volunteering to help with events, or fostering some dogs—it’s a blast!

So grab a lemonade, snuggle up on the couch next to your Beagle or other furry pal (stuffed animal substitutes accepted), and enjoy your time with these heartfelt stories. If you’re lucky, one dog will change your life, too. -Kyla Duffy and Denise Sproul

Inspiring Stories About Beagles

Arrogant Barkers

Courageous Delinquents

Energetic Funny Gassy Hunters

Intelligent Jealous Knights

Lovable Maniacs

Naughty Obsessed Perfectionists

Quick Roamers

Stupendous Trackers

Unpredictable Vacuums

Winners

X-citable Yelpers

Z-best

Alphabet Poem by Steven Roberts, age 15

(You’re never too young to take action!)

A Coordinated Effort

Sidney was the first dog I had ever adopted from a shelter. All my previous dogs had come into my home as puppies. He was somewhere between a year and a year-and-a-half old, and he seemed friendly and mellow, but the car ride home should have been my first clue that Sid was not your average Beagle. He insisted in being on my lap, and no matter what I did, that was where he kept ending up. We made it home safely, but I knew I would need to do something to contain him in the vehicle the next time we needed to go somewhere. Crate, you say? I did not own one. None of my previous six dogs ever spent one second in a crate; they did not need to. I would first try a harness. So with harness on and Sid attached to the back seat, our next car ride had a much better outcome. This was the solution. Or so I thought…

It turned out that Sid had been sick with kennel cough when I got him, which contributed to his seemingly mellow demeanor. With that problem licked, a highly energetic dog emerged. To help him work off all that energy, we added a Beagle playmate named Ryder, this time from the rescue, to the family. The two dogs got on famously.

I go to the mountains for the summer, taking my dogs and horses with me to get them out of the heat of the valley. It was time to head north, so I hitched up the trailer and loaded up the truck with everything needed. I secured Sid in his harness in the truck and left the truck running with the AC on for him and Ryder, who rides well in the front seat, while I loaded the horses.

As I stood there with a horse in hand, I saw Sid fly out of the truck window and head full speed and in full voice towards the neighbor’s yard. I quickly tied up the horse and took off after him. Luckily he headed into their enclosed pool area, which had just the one way in and out, and I got there before he had headed out. I blocked the opening and caught him. He had, of course, gotten himself out of his harness, and I thought I must have left the window down in the truck, which would have allowed for his escape. This time, I decided, I would put him and Ryder in the house, load the horses, and then get the dogs to be on our way.

So that was what I did. I tightened Sid’s harness a bit more and attached him in the back seat, returned Ryder to shotgun, and off we went. I left a dog leash attached to Sid’s collar just in case he wiggled out of the harness again. And it was a good thing I did. We had not even made it down to the end on my street, when with uncanny coordination the two dogs seemed to act as one. Ryder stood up on the armrest to look out the window. In doing so, he stepped on the window control, and down went the window. At the same time, Sid again managed to get out of the harness and make a beeline for that open window.

Someone was watching over us because I managed to grab that leash just as Sid was about to exit into six lanes of traffic. Somehow I was able to bring the truck to a stop, pull Sid back into the vehicle, and put the window up all at the same time!

The mystery of how Sid got out of the truck the first time was revealed. It had never dawned on me that Ryder could open the window if the truck was running. Lesson learned. That window control is now disabled. Any new vehicle I get will have locking window controls from now on. These Beagles are worse than children!

And that crate? Well, we now have one, and Sid has become very accustomed to riding in it whenever we go anywhere. -Peggy Jaeger

Delta Means Change

I never imagined myself with a dog. If questioned, I'd have counted myself firmly in the cat column when it came to pets. However, one Beagle/Bassett mix named Delta changed my life forever. It started as a prank, when my name was placed in a raffle as part of a fundraiser and then (gasp!) drawn as a winner. The prize was a gift