Narrative for "Dudley"

Beagle Rescue of Southern Maryland - www.beaglemaryland.org/

I adopted Dudley from Beagle Rescue of Southern Maryland, via their "Friends of Winston" program for senior dogs, in October of 2005. I am normally a "terrier person," and I have no idea what I was thinking when I adopted a beagle! (Dudley, of course, doesn't care what I was thinking). I knew, at least, that I wanted a dog who could do Pets on Wheels work. Dudley turned out to be an absolute sweetheart, and a real advertisement for the breed and for the virtues of older dogs.

We don't know his history. He may have been a hunting dog, since he seems to have come with no housetraining to speak of and not much expectation of interaction with humans.

I have trained other dogs with Greenbelt Dog Training and so I promptly enrolled Dudley in the basic class, mentioning that I hoped to have him try out for Pets on Wheels.

Allie and Adele were very helpful, both with the training, and with excellent suggestions about how to handle the continuing housetraining issues. I'm sure Dudley became an Allie Lee fan when Allie pointed out that beagles respond well to food training. (Although he may have modified his enthusiasm when Allie added, "just a tiny taste-you don't want to give him too much!")

The sixth week of class, Allie decided Dudley was ready for the Pets on Wheels temperament evaluation. Dudley passed. The following week, Dudley graduated first in his basic obedience class (pretty good for a beagle!). He has figured out that he likes being petted, and he currently visits a nursing home, sharing that well-known beagle sweetness with the residents. True to his breed, he is wonderful with children, and he also enjoys visiting schools and children's groups whenever he gets the chance.