I've been involved in the rescuing of dogs for over 14 years, when I fostered my first beagle for a local animal shelter. We named him Darwin and he is the whole reason why Big On Beagles exists today. In fact, he is still going strong and in my care despite a diagnosis of cancer over a year ago.
Over the years, I've fostered a variety of breeds for other shelters and rescue groups but my heart kept returning to the beagle. In 2001, I was approached by Lorraine Houston of SPEAKING OF DOGS to be named in her amazing All Breed Rescue Directory as the Beagle contact. It snowballed from there and I officially formed BIG ON BEAGLES in and around 2001/2002.
My group has made great strides over the last few years. We have approximately 12 foster families working with us, hundreds of friends and supporters, a proud member of the umbrella organization K9 Rescue Me, making a few appearances on City TV's Animal House Calls, and establishing a signature fundraising event (now in its 4th year) called the BEAGLE BASH FOR CASH held each November. We also formed a meetup group through meetup.com to generate more excitement and interest in our work from fellow beagle lovers. We call our meetup group, BYOB (Bring Your Own Beagle)!
As you can probably tell, we have a sense of humour. You really have to have one of those when you're sharing your life with a beagle or two!
I worked in a law firm as a legal assistant before fulfilling my dream by landing a job in the fundraising department of my local humane society over 10 years ago. There I remained as Donor Relations Coordinator for 7 incredible years. That's not to say there wasn't a great deal of heartache throughout those years, but it definitely instilled in me the unstoppable passion for animals in need. My experience was an asset for creating a private rescue organization I'm extremely proud of running. Since our humble beginning, we've rescued 72 beagles - the 72nd being Pepper rescued yesterday!
Some groups may boast larger numbers, but we are a small group and it's important to us that when we take on a beagle, we know that we can remain committed to that beagle no matter what. If the right home doesn't come along, we must be prepared to continue that beagle's care for life if it comes to that.
Another thing about us is that the focus is not as much on adoption as it is on giving a beagle the chance to be happy. That comes first. Our primary focus is the rescue of beagles in shelters that we're contacted about because they have little chance of being adopted by the general public either because of advanced age, chronic health problems, physical disabilities, grossly overweight, etc. These dogs require more time in foster care and sometimes, remain permanently in our care.
This is why funding is so crucial to us. We take the worst case scenarios of beagles experiencing troubled times. As an example, we rescued a rather young beagle with Cushing's Disease. Her medication to keep her happy and healthy is at a cost of over $100 a month. She's been in our care for a year now. And then there's Dwight rescued this past fall. The shelter called us about him because it was guessed he was suffering from a neurological disorder. They were right. As it turned out, Dwight D. Eisenhowler had a cyst pressing on his spine. He's cost us about $4,000 - the exact amount raised at our last BEAGLE BASH FOR CASH in November, 2008. As you can imagine, raising money right now is so important.
3 1/2 years ago, I left my position at the humane society and decided to devote myself entirely to BIG ON BEAGLES. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who supported me in this decision!
Why do I do it? Beagles have a way of making you smile and laugh and live for the present moment. I figure that's reason enough!
