On getting Molly The Cute Beagle

So where were we? Oh yea, we'd agreed to get a beagle. We live in Georgia, so I started looking around for beagle breeders in the area that may have puppies available. There were really only a couple of breeders that I could find, and neither had pups at that time. Not one to be detered, I started to expand my search radius a bit. Eventually I found a breeder that fit the bill. Said breeder was not in Georgia but rather was in North Carolina. I'd always wanted to go the Biltmore Estate, so I figured we could kill two birds with one stone since it was on the way. We hadn't taken any trips recently so my husband reluctantly got on board since it was clear we were going the puppy route whether he liked it or not :)

Went to the Biltmore...yadda, yadda, yadda...it was cool but a lot more expensive to tour than I realized. So we hop in the car to go meet the breeder. At this point it became clear that my husband and I were on a slightly different page. While I did say that the breeder was in North Carolina, and the Biltmore Estate is also in North Carolina, I didn't ever intend to imply that they were actually close to one another. I mean "on the way" doesn't have to mean "close." It wasn't quite as bad as saying that Texas is on the way to California, but it was definitely still a few more hours drive away from Asheville. Ha. That didn't go over too well, but it did give us more time to discuss the aforementioned quasi-useful Beagle book. We learned that beagles are stubborn and can be difficult to train...fun. But at this point we were committed. Or at least that's what I told my husband...as in "Well, we are already half way to the breeder, so while we went a little bit out of the way, it's still faster to drive from Asheville than to drive from home." I really wasn't trying to scheme, promise. I really didn't realize it was going to be that far.

Well, we eventually made it to the breeder several hours later, and AWWW. Puppy heaven. They were SO cute. We played with four different puppies at once. I really wanted to take them all, but one really stood out. We had talked about wanting a female puppy, and Molly The Cute Beagle was the only female they had at the time. But more than that, she came over and just wanted to snuggle and love on me. My husband said she picked me as much as I picked her. We signed the paperwork, wrote the check, put on the black collar, and we were on the road again. A match made in heaven! Until...

Let me interjected here to say I am not a fan of the word that I am about to use, a lot. I don't really like to say it or write it. Maybe it's that second grader in me that just feels like you aren't supposed to use such words because your mom and teacher told you it's is not a nice word. So to those of you who also don't like this word, I apologize profusely. But unfortunately the story cannot be done justice without it. And that word is FART.

We were about 5 minutes away from the breeder when we were both overwhelmed. Oh my gosh! What hideous, awful creature from a black lagoon wearing three week old socks and eating rotten eggs could put out such an awful, awful smell. It's couldn't be. Not this precious 8 pound bundle of cuteness and cuddliness. But it was. This puppy's farts could melt paint off a wall and bring tears to the eyes. I am sure kids can do this too, but since we don't have any of those yet, it came as a major surprise that something so small and cute could put out such a rank fart.

We chalked the stank up to her being nervous (even though she was comfortably asleep in my lap) and rolled the windows down. This was probably Molly's first time in a car though, and the wind blowing into the windows as we cruised down the interstate did seem to freak her out. So we rolled the windows back up thinking things had sufficiently aired out. Well they had, just not for long.

This puppy continued to fart about every 5 minutes for the whole rest of the five-ish hour drive home. I think at a few points during the drive my husband was seriously considering turning around to take her back for having defective booty control. Here I was thinking I should be worried about her peeing on me during the drive. I even bought a peepad to put on my lap to avoid a mishap. But this farting was far far worse, and I am not convinced a gas mask would have helped. While only 10 weeks old at the time, Molly quickly proved that she had a mastery of the silent but deadly attack.

I'd really like to be able to say that Molly has gotten over this, ahem, problem. But alas, as I sit here writing this post almost two years later with The Cute snuggled next to me on the sofa, I have already been gased twice. I try to find the silver lining in everything, so at least she proves to be a very believeable scapegoat when I happen to let one slip...not that I ever do such a thing :)



Molly The Cute Beagle sleeping and farting away in my lap on the ride home from the breeder



Pet supply "Essentials" and "Not so essentials" for Molly The Cute Beagle

My husband likes to joke about how much I spent on pet supplies before we even had Molly The Cute Beagle. In my defence, it is awfully difficult to go into the pet store and know what you need to buy and what you could really do without. So without further ado, here's a list of the items I bought before we ever even got Molly, broken out into "Essentials" and "Not so essentials".

The Essentials:

Crate - Not having ever had an inside dog, I had not ever owned a crate. At first, I felt a bit hesitant about crates, but after doing some internet research on the subject, I figured we would give it a try. At first Molly was not too pleased about the crate, but now she really does view it as her den and will go in of her own accord when she wants some personal space. I am sure many people have varying opinions on crates, so I'd love to hear your perspective.

Dog food - Duh. Obviously this is a must.  The breeder where we got Molly suggested a particular brand, so we stuck with that until recently. We still use the same basic brand, but a small snafu on my part meant a switch to a different type. We often times think Molly must be part pig the way she snorts her food down. Serious snorting!

Dog food and water bowl - I would have forgotten this had I not walked down the bowl aisle in the store. You'll figure out pretty quickly that you need some though if you do forget.

Collar - Molly has always had a black collar. I guess I am a bigger fan of color coordination than girliness. I'd recommend getting a collar before you get your puppy because you certainly don't want them darting before you even get them home. Also be sure to get the right size for the dog you are getting. Molly made it with her small collar for about 6-8 months and is now on the next size up. You should use caution and may want to use a break-away collar whenever your dog is playing with others to help avoid injuries.

Static length leash - We went with the 6' leash. Once you get a bit more into obedience training and all that jazz, you will learn a well-trained dog should walk by your side. Molly is a well trained dog in progress, so a short leash helps remind her not to stray too far.

Dog bed - Maybe these aren't really essential, but I'll put them in this category based on how much Molly likes hers.

Poo bags - Your neighbors will appreciate this one if you have a flat, open yard like we do. I encourage the biodegradable kind because you end up going through quite a bit of them.

Puppy shampoo - I am partial to the baby powder scent.

Flea and Tick Control, Heart worm Medicine - You'll need it, but I'd recommend talking to your vet first about what type is best for your pet.


Toys - A few chew toys come in handy. While Molly also loved some of her stuffed toys when she was little, she ultimately tore them up and ate the stuffing. This resulted in some not so pleasant upset stomachs that required lots of cleaning and extra use of the previous list items. Sorry for the yucky truth, but really you should think about this in advance of buying many stuffed toys.



Molly The Cute Beagle in her bed with her stuffed frog and severed tiger leg

The not so essentials:

Pee pads and a pee pad holder - These sounded good in theory, but Molly just ended up trying to eat them and never used them for their real purpose.



Nail clippers - I bought some, but now I am hesitant to use them myself for fear of cutting the quick. We take Molly to the groomer ever 6 weeks or so and let them do it, so I should have just saved my money.

Retractable leash - Ended up being more difficult than it was useful. It also probably didn't help that Molly pulled it off a table and chewed it up after a couple of months.



 Treats - I once read that treats are more to make the owner feel good than make the dog feel good. Many of them seem to be filled with junk, so if you do buy some, try to find treats that are actually healthy for your pet. Molly the cute beagle LOVES ice and pieces of dog food as her treats.

 

Beagle book - Made for interesting reading on the drive to get Molly The Cute Beagle, but ultimately it didn't have much information I couldn't have gotten for free on the internet or from a library.