WV Beagles

I was cruising around and found the pages associated with, to that date, the largest effort BREW had undertaken: pulling 16 beagles living in hideous conditions on a WV property with an impending ice storm approaching. We had a number of cars make the long drive up there, brave bad weather, VERY unsocialized beagles, and despite it all, there was a happy ending for each of these dogs!

Here’s a screenshot of one of the pages (click the pic to enlarge):

My family, then just me, Russ, and our young son, Harrison, fostered one of the oldest beagles from this bunch: Susie. She was quite ill with cancer and had only a few months to live. So she spent it with us – enjoying a life of good food, no chains around her neck, and a warm dog bed in a sunny spot.

All 16 beagles were eventually adopted out to families in OH, PA, MD, VA and elsewhere.

If you want to read the story of the beagles, go here. (Give it a minute to load…most links and photos (can be enlarged) are working)
Did you adopt one of these beagles? If so, leave us a comment below. Do you remember when BREW was bringing in these beagles, we’d love to hear from you with a comment below! And if you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, let us know with a comment. We can do this again!

Susie BREW

After Carmel, our beloved beagle girl, had passed away in October, my wife and I both thought that neither of us could handle the pain of losing another dog like her again.

I found Carmel one very hot summer afternoon, wandering the road side of a busy highway. Knowing that she was in a desperate situation, I just had to stop my truck and pick her up. She jumped up into my air conditioned vehicle and fell right to sleep. I took her home, fed and bathed her. I removed about 10 ticks from her body.Our Vet examined her and updated her shots. He also informed us that she was heartworm positive. We never questioned the cost for getting Carmel back to into good health, even when we had to give her heart medication the during the last 2 years of her life. During the next 11 years, Carmel gave us her unconditional love and affection. Carmel’s personality spokes volumes about just what kind of pet she really was. After Carmel passed, our house became so quiet. Brownie, our other beagle girl was very lethargic without the companionship that Carmel provided. Even though they sometimes had their little “competitions,” she still missed her sister.

Then, along came Duncan! We started to search the shelters for beagles that were in need of a good, safe home. After contacting BREW, our home was to be inspected by Claudette, a foster home provider near our area to approve our adoption application. Claudette brought along Duncan for the home inspection.We fell for Duncan even though my wife and had I agreed, “No Male Dogs.” Duncan is between 2-3 yrs old, and he was one of the 16 West Virginia Beagles that BREW recently rescued. As far as we know Duncan had never been indoors before being placed in a foster home. Other than “marking his territory” once, Duncan never has any accidents in the house. He loves using the doggie door so that he may run and play in his new fenced yard. There is even a few rabbits that he chases in the yard from time to time. He loves sleeping in the recliner chairs and also on our beds. One bad habit that we have to discourage is his jumping onto the dining room table. Boy can he jump! Other than the table dancing, he’s a very good boy. Duncan now feels right at home and he is showing more of his energetic, loving, and playful personality every day.

Thanks to everyone associated with the BREW organization for saving our new family member, Duncan, and others like him from a very desperate situation. Please, keep up the great work.

Sometimes I wonder just why it was that I happened across my dear Carmel on that very hot afternoon. I wonder how was it that Duncan, the very first dog that BREW introduced us to was the perfect match to complete our family.

Some people would say it’s luck, other say it’s just fate. Divine intervention could even be the explanation. Personally,I believe it may have been a little of each.

Mike & Brenda Pace

Having been raised with beagles, I have always been a devout beagle lover. When hearing the story of the 16 beagles in West Virginia that had recently been rescued by BREW, my fiance and I knew that we would have to bring one into our growing family to show that life is so much better than living tied to a doghouse.

After seeing all the photographs of the dogs, I, of course, wanted to take them all. However, space and financial constraints didn’t make that feasible so we decided on the beagle then known as Parsely (now named Tessie). I called the vet clinic, where the dogs were receiving treatment, for directions so that I could bring her home. I spoke with the clinic manager and she expressed what a wonderful personality Tessie had and mentioned that Tessie was very attached to another beagle named Spice. They were so attached to one another that they were the only two that were together in the same kennel. After I hung up the phone, I really started thinking about what would happen to Spice without having her friend with her during this stressful time. After much consideration, my fiance and I decided that the right thing to do would be to adopt both dogs together.

We brought Tessie & Spice (now known as Ronald Ann) home the Saturday before Christmas. They have adjusted better than I could have dreamed of, considering the circumstances they came from. They both get along wonderfully with their other dog brothers and sisters (Riley the husky, Zoey the mixed breed, Farley the blue tick coonhound, Toby the redtick coonhound/whippet mix, & Bunny the beagle puppy). Tessie has made herself right at home and is already housebroken. She has discovered that sleeping on the couch all day is MUCH better than being chained up outside. Ronald Ann is still a little timid but is slowly gaining confidence that we will do right by her.

Though we have only had Tessie & Ronald Ann in our lives for a short period, I cannot imagine life being complete without them. Thanks so much to the wonderful volunteers at BREW for making our family complete and saving the lives of much deserving beagles!